Interview with Shark Week
- by Dawn Reed
Deli: How did the band start?
Ryan Hunter Mitchell (singer/guitarist): Danielle and I wanted to start an all-girl surf band, but after striking out on girls, we decided to let guys in the club. Dan wanted us to play a party at his house, but our drummer at the time couldn't do it so Dan filled in himself and it just worked. Al and Dan had played together as U.S. Royalty's auxiliary percussion/keyboard section, so when we needed a guitarist, we looped Al in and he was a perfect fit.
What's the story behind the band name?
Ryan: We thought it was a fitting name for an all-girl surf band.
What are your biggest musical influences?
Ryan: I'd like to say Tom Waits but I'm not sure it comes off in our tunes. I am a huge Kinks fan. We like to think of ourselves as a shitty version of the Kinks.
What artists (local, national and/or international) are you currently listening to?
Ryan: Future Islands out of Baltimore are a great band. Uku Kuut out of Estonia, I just found some of his albums they're great. El Rego from Benin is great soul stuff, the guitar sounds on his records are rad.
What's the first concert that you ever attended and first album that you ever bought?
Ryan: I probably saw some awful local pop punk bands for my first concert. My first tape was the Offspring's "Smash" but my first CD was the Grosse Point Blank soundtrack, which I won in a Foosball tournament.
What do you love about DC's music scene?
Ryan: DC has a lot of great bands and a lot of cool house shows and house parties but maybe a lot of bands are too worried about the local scene and the "local sound". It'd be nice to see people get over that.
What are your plans for the upcoming year?
Ryan: We have a busy couple months ahead of us. In about a week, we're releasing a teaser of a new song we recorded in Puerto Rico in January. Then we're touring from Baltimore and DC down to SXSW in Austin starting next Thursday. We're playing the Sweetlife Festival at Merriweather in May... Not sure after that. If we have time hopefully an album this year.
What was your most memorable live show?
Ryan: We're pretty good at making sure we can't remember our shows. But we played with the Fresh & Onlys a little while back and the now-defunct venue Red Palace in DC. They were great.
Is there someone who has helped your band grow through support?
Ryan: Is this a set up for a god reference?
No. Is there a piece of equipment you couldn't live without and why?
Ryan: I got this 1960's Sears Silvertone amp from a pawn shop that has a kinda fuzzy tremelo. It's a pain in the ass to lug around and it's always falling apart but I just can't get rid of it.
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