The Bitters Interview: SXSW 2010

The Bitters, consisting of the duo of Ben Cook, of Young Governor, and Aerin Fogel -- along with a rotating roster of live musicians -- hail out of Toronto but are slowly and surely making their mark on the American music scene. Preceding the Bitters' stint at SXSW, Cook took some time to answer a few questions about the band, what's in his festival survival kit and his opinion of the modern music industry.

Describe your sound.

Five dudes sittin' around on a Friday night drinking beers and jamming.

Oh, the joys of the weekend. How did your band form?

We were all childhood friends and our parents slapped us around a little too often, so we bonded on that [first], and then just all of a sudden started jamming.

That's not the typical answer we would expect to hear. What are your musical influences?

Guitars and singing, pretty much.

What's in your festival survival kit?

A 24-case of fun.

What's your musical guilty pleasure?

'I'd Do It All Again,' Corinne Bailey Rae.

Is there a song in particular you would love to play live, but don't get the chance to?

'[Every Time I Look at You] I Go Blind' [by 54-40].

You should give that one a shot at SXSW. What is your opinion on the state of the modern music industry? Has it lost sight of the artist?

Music is being hyper-parented.


Amanda M. Wolfe is a contributor from Seed.com. Learn how you can contribute here.