Karl Kuehn is somewhat of a perpetual force in the indie rock world. Between fronting indie-punk noiseniks Museum Mouth and his new wave-y new project SWTHRT, he certainly manages to keep himself busy. Best of all, Kuehn consistently and continuously makes really entertaining and addictive indie rock – SWTHRT released their great debut record, Compact Disc, earlier this year, and Museum Mouth has another one on the way! I managed to catch up with him to talk about both his bands, and it ended up being a hilarious look inside one of the most exciting young minds in independent music today. Read my interview with him below:
My Car and My Guitar: Is there any question that you get in interviews that you just really hate being asked?
Karl Kuehn: I don’t think I get interviewed enough to have a question that I hate being asked, but if I did it would probably be anything relating to mayonnaise or the band Buckcherry. Both of those things are so gross.
MCMG: What made you decide to start SWTHRT?
Kuehn: I’ve always had a strong affinity for solid pop songs and bands that are sort of straying away from the normal “band” line-up of drums, guitar, bass, and vocals, but pop-punk and its simplicity has always come so much more naturally to me. So when Becca expressed some interest in trying to write some synth driven songs and start this two-piece band I sort of jumped all over it!
MCMG: How is working with Becca [High, keyboardist] different than your previous musical experiences?
Kuehn: Becca and I have the exact same taste in music so working with her is great! Before this band, I didn’t think I could actually write music with other people- in Museum Mouth now, Graham sort of writes his things and presents them to me, and vice-versa. I really trust [Becca] to know what’s best for the final outcome of the music we make together.
MCMG: What’s the story behind Compact Disc‘s cover art?
Kuehn: We recorded the album one weekend at my family’s mountain house and took a bunch of photos while we were up there. The cover photo is actually a fake flower arrangement that was in the house; I think I was testing out the film I had gotten? Anyways, it’s sort of a nod to New Order in a way because we were both listening to Power, Corruption, & Lies on repeat at the time.
MCMG: Your last album with Museum Mouth, Tears In My Beer, was pretty fuzzy and frenetic, but SWTHRT is a lot smoother while still having that fuzzy DIY feel. Do you see it as two sides of a similar coin or completely different approaches?
Kuehn: I think it’s two sides of a coin, definitely. Some of the new SWTHRT songs are more rockin’ and could pass as Museum Mouth songs and there are a few songs on the new Museum Mouth record that could fit in SWTHRT. I think the overall feel for each respective project is very different though.
MCMG: Who do you really want to tour with? Is the answer different depending on which band you’re playing in at the time?
Kuehn: Oh my god, I would love to tour with anyone! Touring is so much fun! But I think it’s different for each band when it comes to dream tour line-ups. In SWTHRT I would love to tour with a band like The Drums, those guys are crafting some of the catchiest songs out there right now and there new record Portamento is sure to be one of my faves from this year. In Museum Mouth I would love to tour with a band like Lemuria, I’ve never been such a fan of a band’s entire catalog of songs! I would probably creep out the members of both of those bands if this ever happened… Oh well!
MCMG: You posted on Museum Mouth’s Facebook last week that the new record is almost done… any more details on that?
Kuehn: Wrapping up vocals and then mixing this thing to the best of my ability, hopefully you’ll be hearing it real soon! It’s a pretty diverse batch of songs but overall I’d say it’s a guitar heavy record about being sad. Anyone wanna put it out for us? Seriously. Send me an email if you do!
MCMG: How are things moving forward with Museum Mouth without Savannah on board? Is it a completely different experience?
Kuehn: Things are moving quite smoothly. It’s definitely a different experience, but not completely. Graham and I did a majority of the writing from the get-go and Museum Mouth has never really been the sort of band that spends a ton of time harping on melodies and crafting the most clever of lyrics, it’s sort of a whirlwind of quickly writing parts and words and throwing it all together. The songs have always been honest and straight to the point and that surely hasn’t changed.
MCMG: Which band do you see spending more time on in the immediate future?
Kuehn: For the next few months it’s gonna be all about Museum Mouth. We’ve got this new record we have to wrap up and plan to tour from mid December through the start of the new year. But I plan on moving away from Southport and focusing on some new SWTHRT releases and touring after that.
MCMG: You make all your music available for free on your bandcamp – is that just a factor of the times, or is that a specific decision that you made regarding how you want music to be distributed?
Kuehn: I think it’s a mix of both. I would love to have the support of a record label backing a release I’ve been a part of, but until then I just want as many people to be able to have our music as possible! I mean, no matter what record you’re looking for or what label it came out on you can find it on the internet for free if you dig hard enough, I’m just saving you from the hassle of dealing with Mediafire pop-ups, ya know?
MCMG: You’re from Southport, NC, right? What’s the music scene like there?
Kuehn: There is no music scene in Southport. There was one other band that played sublime covers and stuff until recently. My friend Abby just started a band though, which gives me some sense of hope! Southport is a small town, kind of a suburb of Wilmington where I know there is a little more of a scene, but it’s weirdly disjointed.
MCMG: I’m gonna ask some sillier questions now. What’s your favorite album of 2011 so far?
Kuehn: So far I would have to say Too Young To Be In Love by Hunx and His Punx. Such a great record! Born This Way and Watch The Throne are also pretty high up there.
MCMG: Between the band’s name, its sugary-sweet ’80s-influenced sound, and all that, it sounds like SWTHRT would be pretty cute to go on a date with. If SWTHRT had a personals ad, what would it look be?
Kuehn: Single young band looking for a lover to grow old and bake pies with. Must love cats, dogs, and boxed wine. Would love to get together and flirt over thai food, or frozen yogurt. Also down to just get drunk and dance to Ke$ha and songs like “The Middle” by Jimmy Eat World. Nice facial hair is a plus.
MCMG: What’s the second artist under “K” on your iPod?
Kuehn: Kadets, they’re some friends of ours from Gainesville. The band recently broke up but everything they recorded beforehand is excellent! And I know that Robbie is doing some things in another project called Little High Little Low now. I highly recommend looking into both of them!
MCMG: I know you guys spend $8 on your “No Holiday” video, and I think it turned out great… what’s a music video that you really love?
Kuehn: Dawh! Thank you! I think I gushed over the video for “All Falls Down” by Kanye the other night with Becca. That has to be one of my all time favorites. Also, the video for “Super Bass” by Nicki Minaj. She looks like a cute watermelon or a sassy Kraken in those pool scenes!
MCMG: What’s your favorite song that you’ve written?
Kuehn: I’m really proud of a song on the new Museum Mouth record called “Blood Mountain.” I remember making all my friends listen to the demo of it right after I wrote it! Such a proud papa.
MCMG: Any last words for our readers?
Kuehn: So baby gimme that toot toot. Lemme give you that beep beep.
We’d like to thank Kuehn for taking the time to do this interview. Keep an eye out for Museum Mouth’s new album, and definitely check out SWTHRT’s Compact Disc – you can get it free on bandcamp right here. You’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain, after all. As always, support great music. And never Buckcherry.
Tags: becca high, Compact Disc, karl kuehn, museum mouth, SWTHRT
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