(In lieu of Youtube not working on my computer, please check out the Reptilian's newest/oldest stuff here)
So, about two months ago, I traveled to beautiful Kitchener, Ont. to catch Kalamazoo, MI's The Reptilian with Jowls and a local band called Life in Vacuum. It was a night full of marvelous adventures, not the least of which involved watching The Reptilian tear shit up in an abandoned warehouse that had been converted to a jam space. I interviewed the entire band that night, but due to some "technical difficulties" the majority of the interview was lost. However, being the good dude he is, drummer/vocalist Dan Riehl saved the day by filling in the blanks. Here goes...
Vince: How's Canada been treating you?
Dan: It's our first day on the tour, but pretty good so far. We got stopped at the border because they thought we had drugs, but we didn't, so it's been good.
You've recorded a split with Jowls, stoked on that material?
We are very stoked on that material! Our two bands aren't very much a like but I think the split has a great contrast and the Jowls songs are really epic.
Anything else coming down the pipe we should know about?
Yes. We also just released a 4 way 7" split w/ Empire! Empire!, Annabel and Joie De Vivre and that is out now on Count Your Lucky Stars Records. Also, we are going to be doing a split with Innards from Ft. Worth,TX. It will be out in time for our west coast tour in January with them. And we just recorded a minute long song that is going to be on a 7" compilation of one minute long songs from 13 other bands. That will be out in late winter.
How hard is it to play drums and sing at the same time? That seems like it would be pretty challenging, especially since your drum parts aren't exactly a cakewalk. How long did it take you to get that down?
I started doing some of the vocals when we went from a four piece to a three piece. We all decided it might be nice to try back and forth vocals between Jon and I because we were losing a guitarist. Usually we write the song first and I try to write the vocals to my rhythm. Pulling it off live is very frustrating sometimes but I really enjoy the challenge.
You guys are gonna be featured in the movie DIY or not. How did you get involved in that?
On our way to SXSW in Austin,TX last year, we did a lot of dates with our good friends, Joie De Vivre. Their friend, Matt Youngblood, is the one who shot all the footage and is putting together the documentary. We pretty much got involved by hanging out with them and Matt.
Would you consider yourselves a DIY band?
Yes. I would like to think so. We started this band by just trying things for ourselves. We booked shows and tours ourselves, ran local house venues and put out our musical by ourselves and with the help of our friends. It was a lot of trial and error. And in the process we have made a ton of friends and helped us play a ton of places I never thought we would.
Were there any themes that movie touched on that you consider important as a band or on a personal level?
Well I haven't seen the movie yet, I believe there is only a preview for it. But doing things together and with people who are your friends and genuinely being excited for each other's music is a thing that is very important to us.
Western Michigan seems to be a breeding ground for a lot of good technical post hardcore bands (La Dispute, V!FTS, you guys). Is there a history of that kind of music in your area or is it just kind of emerging now?
There is a definitely a huge history of bands in Michigan that have influenced us a lot. For me personally, Bear Vs. Shark and Small Brown Bike are two bands that have had a big impact, and they've been doing this for a while. I think Michigan is a great place to start a band and see great local acts.
Along with the bands I just mentioned, there are a bunch of other good bands from that area, many of whom have gone on to have success on a non-local level. Is it cool to be involved in a music scene that's actually good?
The Midwest music scene is definitely an awesome thing to be a part of. It's crazy to have played with bands in basements, churches and art spaces and see them doing things on a bigger level now.
How do you feel that kind of community has affected your career/musical output? (opportunities for shows, good musicians to jam with, pressure to be your best, etc?)
It has affected us a lot. I don't think we would still be doing this if we didn't have the support of our friends in this area. I feel very grateful for having such a great community to call my home. A lot of states/cities don't have a solid DIY community. It is a rewarding feeling to go on tour, come home and be able to return the favour for bands that have helped us out and give them a great show in our town.
If aliens landed on earth and you had to explain your music to them, how would you describe your music to them?
Dingus punk
If the aliens liked your music and invited you onto the spaceship, would you go with them?
Only if they were smokin' some space nugs.
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News: Finally, the fabled four way split between The Reptilian, Annabel, Empire! Empire! and Joie De Vivre has been pressed and is ready to be/has already been (???) released. Purchase that shit, as well as your favourite Reptilian/CYLS releases here!
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