Miles Kurosky Interview: SXSW 2010

Posted on Mar 7th 2010 8:00AM by Angie Rayfield
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Miles Kurosky originally came to attention as lead singer and guitarist for the San Francisco-based band Beulah. The Elephant Six-associated band played their last concert in 2004, and Kurosky was absent from the music scene while battling with health problems. During his hiatus, Kurosky continued to write songs, and has now put together his first solo album, 'The Desert of Shallow Effects.' The album comes out this month on Majordomo Records, an imprint of Shout! Factory. Spinner recently spoke with Kurosky in anticipation of his gig at SXSW.

Describe your sound.

I don't know. I just play rock 'n' roll as far as I know. That's the hardest question to answer, really. A better answer would be I play music.

How did your band form?

Well, it was all happenstance, really. My old band broke up, but I had no intention of starting a new band, or even going solo, but songs came to me and I just started recording them.

What are your musical influences?

Gosh, I don't know. All sorts of people--the Beatles, Herb Alpert, Burt Bacharach, David Bowie, Cheap Trick, Sun Ra. Basically, I try to steal from as many people as possible. That way, if you steal successfully, it's hard to tell where the theft came from.

What's your biggest vice?

Biggest vice? I guess it would have to be dessert. I've sort of gone through this phase lately where I think every meal should be followed by dessert.

Even breakfast?

I don't eat breakfast, but if I did, yes, probably.

What's in your festival survival kit?

Probably my yoga mat. I have to keep my back in good shape. I've done SXSW, but it's been many years. It'll probably be very different. It'll probably be a lot mellower. One SXSW, I stayed up three days straight. I just hope when I go back to my hotel, there's cable. If there's cable in the hotel, I'll be alright.

Who was your first celeb crush?

That's actually quite easy. I had a huge crush on Jodi Foster. Not like John Hinckley, Jr., though. I can't remember which movie it was. I didn't have a crush on her from 'Taxi Driver.' I was too young to be allowed to see that.

What's your musical guilty pleasure?

I have none. I don't think music's ever a guilty pleasure.

Beatles or Stones?

Beatles.

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

That could be answered two ways. One, it just shouldn't be discussed. And two, it's a tad gauche. It would be like competing with everyone else's answer. It's like kissing and telling, right? It's all braggadocio, it's silly. Everybody plays the part, because that's what the role requires. But that's also what makes it so mundane, really. There would be nothing more boring in the world than to be forced to listen to five rock 'n' rollers sitting around the table, sharing their exploits, trying to outdo one another.

Was there an "a-ha" moment when you realized you wanted to be a musician? A moment when you picked up a guitar and said, "This is it?"

Not when I picked up a guitar. When I was really young, maybe six years old, my godmother had all these seven-inch singles from the '50s and '60s, and we would listen to them. I was obsessed at the time with 'Rock Around the Clock' by Bill Haley.

If you were stranded on a desert island and had to choose, would you listen to Miley Cyrus or Britney Spears?

I've never heard Miley Cyrus. I know of her existence and I can spot her in a photograph, but I've never heard her music. I have heard Britney Spears, or a few songs, anyway. But if I was on a desert island, I would choose to listen to the waves roll in. You can't get more meditative than that.

So, is it sprinkles on your ice cream, or nuts and whipped cream?

My wife and I put caramel sauce from this place called Fenton's in Oakland, and we put regular chocolate sauce, like Hershey's out of a can, but that's about it.

Angie Rayfield is a contributor from Seed.com. Learn how you can contribute here.