Maybe It's Reno Interview: SXSW 2010

Posted on Feb 22nd 2010 3:55PM by Evan C. Jones
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After playing in numerous Washington DC indie bands, Bridget Cross needed a new outlet, so she began writing new material that became Maybe It's Reno. Her partner George Kuhar rounds out the duo, and the two have been creating music out of the remote outpost of Juneau, Alaska. Spinner recently caught with with Maybe It's Reno guitarist/bassist/vocalist Bridget Cross to discuss life in Juneau, performing at this year's SXSW and differentiating between mushrooms.

Describe your sound in your own words.

Electro surf pop, is what I'd call it. It's just me and George right now. I play bass and guitar. George plays a mini-synth and programs drum beats and plays guitar once in a while. We both sing.

How did your band form?

I used to play with a couple of other guys for a long time in a band called Unrest. I wanted to play with them again, but I didn't know how so I recorded some tracks and they played on top of it. I needed a couple more tracks so I worked with my partner in Texas.

It's kind of a convoluted story actually, but it ended up just evolving into me and my partner George playing together. We both have a history of playing with bands but we're just playing together now.

Why did you choose to move to Juneau, Alaska?

Oh yeah! Because it's beautiful. Actually, we moved to Portland, Oregon a few months ago. We'll go back. I miss the mountains a lot. I miss the beautiful air. I can't breath as deeply in Portland, although Portland is a beautiful city.

Why did you move to Portland?

I was hungry [laughs]. I really wanted some fruits. I was so hungry for fruit. And we wanted to check in with the rest of society. [Juneau is] very isolated. You can't get there except by plane or boat, which is great but also, I'm not ready to die up there yet. I wanna do some more things before just settling down for the rest of my life in a mountain community.

How did you come up with your band name?

That question always stumps me. It's part of a personal magic type thing coming up with band names. I don't know if it necessarily ever makes sense to anyone else. It's a certain grouping of words that have meaning to us. We love Reno. That's about all I can tell you.

What are your musical influences?

Let's see. Kraftwerk, Devo, Big Star. Gosh, there are so many. Creation bands like My Bloody Valentine and Factory Records Fault. I love New Order and Joy Division, and all that cool factory stuff. A Certain Ratio. Section 25. I also love soul. Pretty much all genres of music I'd say I've been influenced by from classical to funk.

What's your biggest vice?

Negativity. It comes in all forms you know. It depends on the day really. I don't have one strong vice. They shift from day to day. I would say [negativity] is the worst thing I indulge in.

What's in your festival survival kit?

I didn't even think about that. Do I need one item? I guess my party hat.

Who was your first celeb crush?

Barry Manilow. Oh, he was just great. That was probably my first non-classical concert. I used to get subjected to those all the time. It was at Merry Weather Post Pavilion with my sister, and I was probably five-years-old. Outdoors, and it was Valentine's Day. I remember I wrote him a Valentine even. Are you familiar with Barry Manilow? Am I totally dating myself? [laughs]

What's your musical guilty pleasure?

I don't know if I have any guilty pleasures. I stopped feeling guilty about what I listen to. Why should you feel guilty about anything you like? I guess I could give you one, Dirty Vegas. Maybe I feel a little guilty when I listen to that, but I try to work through that.

Beatles or Stones?

Both. Both. Yeah, I can't choose. They're both too important. Right now I would say it's between 'Revolver' and 'Sgt. Pepper's' for the Beatles, and for the Stones, I'm still pretty into 'Tattoo You.' It changes.

What's the craziest thing you've seen or experienced while on tour?

One time someone sold me shitake mushrooms instead of Psilocybin. That was really disappointing. I should've known, they looked really different. They looked like the stuff you buy in the grocery store. We were camping, so they were gross and in the middle of the forest. I was like, "'Man, I got ripped off...in the middle of the Blue Ridge Mountains." What am I gonna do? [pauses] Make a fire.

Evan C. Jones is a contributor from Seed.com. Learn how you can contribute here.