SonicNetHost: I want to welcome the members of Sleater-Kinney to the SonicNet Rock 'N' Roll Insider Chat. You Played Olympia last night, which is where the band formed. I saw the show. It was very exciting. How was it from Olympia, where Sleater-Kinney formed, last night. I was there; the show was incredible. How was it from the stage?
Sleater-Kinney: Corin: Thanks a lot for having us here and we're excited about this new record that's coming out.
Sleater-Kinney: Carrie: It was very nice to start off our record release shows in Olympia where our record company is and the people we love. It was important and significant as a homecoming. We played a new venue, and it seemed like a good place to play a show. We hadn't played in a while and we weren't sure how to incorporate the new songs into the setlists. A bit sloppy but a lot of fun.
SonicNetHost: Before the show you were hanging out in the club. Fans were coming up and talking to you, asking for autographs. Will you be hanging out at other shows with the fans?
Sleater-Kinney: Janet: Yea, actually, we spend a lot of time at the clubs before and after the shows. It's kind of inevitable. We like hanging out and we like talking to people who come to our shows. It's an important part of people coming to your shows. It's easier to be oriented to the city you're in when you're talking to the people that live there and getting to know them a bit better.
SonicNetHost: A lot of people attending this chat haven't heard the new album yet. Can you let them know what you think is different about it from your previous work.
Sleater-Kinney: Corin: I think that we try and approach the songs in a different way. I think that we wanted to make a record that was different. And we were also writing songs that were more complex in a way. And the songs reflect what we have been going through this last year and a half, both as a band and as people.
SonicNetHost: Can you talk about the song "By the Time You're 25," which is one of the songs on the "Get Up" single. What inspired those lyrics?
Sleater-Kinney: Corin: One of the issues we've dealt with is what success means and what success is and how it can affect you in your life. The things that it changes and the things that it doesn't change and I think the lyrics were about those changes.
SonicNetHost: To refer to one of your previous answers, what were you going through as a band during the past year and a half?
Sleater-Kinney: Carrie: The past year and a half was a time of reflection for us, not only as a band, but individually. It was a time of examination, seeking out what was important in our lives and the things that made us happy. So I think we had to prioritize certain things in our life and where the band fit into our lives. And I think we realized that it wasn't that high up in what we found fulfilling. But I think a lot of these songs are drawn from that year of introspection and reflect an internal journey.
SonicNetHost: Did you come to some conclusions that what is important?
Sleater-Kinney: Carrie: I think we realized that the band is part of a continuum in our lives where it can exist equally important to other elements in our lives and because it is not the only thing we draw inspiration and happiness from, it makes it something we can keep coming back to, because it then remains rewarding.
SonicNetHost: As a band, how do you makes decisions? Do you vote? Do you talk things out?
Sleater-Kinney: Janet: We talk things out definitely. We don't really do any strong-arming. Everyone pretty much has to agree for a decision to be made.
SonicNetHost: You're increasingly in a role of inspiring people to form bands, do things differently. How do you feel about that?
Sleater-Kinney: Corin: I think that we were definitely inspired by music to do what we wanted with our lives and if people are able to get that from our music I think that's great. But I don't think we can censor ourselves in any way to be what people expect of us, I think we just need to be who we are.
SonicNetHost: Last night was the first time you played a lot of new songs before an audience? Did you like how they sounded?
Sleater-Kinney: Janet: For the most part, yes. Like Carrie said earlier, we're trying to explore the dynamics of the songs and see how they fit into the live performance as a whole. They sort of take on different personalities at a concert than they do on record and we just have to familiarize ourselves with that. It's impossible to say how a song is going to sound until you go on stage and play it. It's much different than practice. But for the most part they sounded good.
SonicNetHost: Is it hard, translating songs that you recorded for live performance?
Sleater-Kinney: Corin: I think sometimes that some of our songs just don't require any translation. Some are very natural songs and we don't need to think about that aspect of it. And then there are the other songs that do need that translation, but any changes we do make I think are very subtle.
SonicNetHost: You made your first video, for "Get Up," recently. Why did you want your friend Miranda July to direct it?
Sleater-Kinney: Carrie: Miranda is a very innovative and imaginative person and I think that we wanted to work with someone that would have original ideas and that would not be thinking about the video in the conventional sense. We trusted Miranda to come up with her own translation of the song and then translate that into a visual interpretation.
Sleater-Kinney: We were very pleased with the result.
SonicNetHost: What was it like making that video? A lot of it takes place out in a field? Can you describe what it was like?
Sleater-Kinney: Corin: It was literally 30 degrees and the field was wet and we were lying in it.
Sleater-Kinney: Carrie: Despite the harsh weather conditions it was amazing to see Miranda take charge of thirty cast members and a crew of six people. The process of filmmaking was very interesting to observe and be a part of. How painstakingly slow it is, aggravated by how horribly cold it was.
SonicNetHost: It seems that you don't take anything for granted. You don't make albums, perform, or now make videos in a conventional way. Where does that desire to do things differently come from?
Sleater-Kinney: Janet: We really just do things how we want to do them. We do things the way we like and it's not that we try to do things differently. We try to make music we feel is valid and we tried to make a video with someone who's work we admired. It's our taste I guess. It's not so thought out and pre-meditated. that we would make decisions to be different than anything, we just want to be ourselves.
SonicNetHost: How big an influence is Patti Smith on you? I believe you quote her in "Start Together" -- the line" the sky would open up."
Sleater-Kinney: Corin: She's definitely a big influence on me. I didn't even realize that was her quote. It doesn't surprise me that that would happen because she is a very incredible performer and a powerful artist.
SonicNetHost: You were all fans. Now that you spend so much of your time dealing with all the aspects of being musicians, is it harder to be a fan?
Sleater-Kinney: Corin: Maybe some aspects of it are more familiar and less romanticized, but I think music still has a big influence on all of us and that we can be just as enthusiastic about music we like.
SonicNetHost: What is the most challenging thing about being in Sleater-Kinney?
Sleater-Kinney: Carrie: There are plenty of challenges to being in SK, I think the challenges are the same as anyone that you deal with in your daily life, having to make decisions and compromises and attempt to have it be fulfilling and be important to you. I don't think that just because we're in the eye of the public that what we deal with is any less than or different than anyone else.
SonicNetHost: Do any of you (or all of you) want to produce other artists? Are there specific artists you have in mind?
Sleater-Kinney: Carrie: No.
Sleater-Kinney: Janet: I would love to record bands and I have in the past, I wouldn't say I'd produce, but I think it would be challenging to work with friends' bands and try to make them sound good.
Sleater-Kinney: Corin: Not, uh, no.
MudMonster17 : Corin...the name "Johnny" appears in a lot of your songs, does it have any significance or is just the average guy name?
Sleater-Kinney: Corin: I don't know why. It is just to me a generic, yet romantic, name.
Teresa322_99 : It seems like a lot of people are excited about Bratmobile reuniting. Do you feel the same way?
Sleater-Kinney: Carrie: Yes.
Sleater-Kinney: Corin: I'm really excited. I went on a long tour with them and I'm excited to the point of being anxious to see them reunited.
Sleater-Kinney: Janet: Looking forward to it.
stephen_dedalus80 : What are your feelings on the MP3 internet music debate?
Sleater-Kinney: Janet: The plus side is that is harder to purchase or harder to find. Maybe you don't want to purchase something you haven't heard. It's not like all music needs to be purchased and part of a monetary system. This sounds like a relatively harmless way for people to hear your music, which should be the goal in the first place.
stephen_dedalus80 : What recluse singer/songwriter would you most like to see come back? (Say Lee Mavers!)
Sleater-Kinney: Corin: Twinkle.
Sleater-Kinney: Janet: I would love to see Alex Chilton come back from obscurity.
SonicNetHost: Can you share with us some of the records and bands that you're currently into?
Sleater-Kinney: Catpower, Built to Spill, Elliot Smith, Sarah Dugher....
Calliopesk : Do you think Pro-Female has to mean Anti-male?
Sleater-Kinney: Carrie: No, duh.
stephen_dedalus80 : Why do you think (popular)rock is currently undergoing a dry period?
Sleater-Kinney: Corin: Because it's being more as a corporation rather than by people who are interested in music for music's sake.
dromedia : I NOTICE THAT CORIN’S VOICE IS MORE SUBDUED.....DID YOU MAKE A CONSCIOUS EFFORT TO CHANGE DYNAMICS?
Sleater-Kinney: Corin: I experiment using my voice more as an instrument and really worked on having some different singing parts on the record.
waynstock : What does everyone think of the Lilith Fair, will you be performing the Fair this year?
Sleater-Kinney: No we won't be performing or attending (say all together)
ctomag : SK remind me so much of the clash in spirit, emotion and power, do you think that your next LP, the one after The Hot Rock will be your London Calling, the LP where you reach your maturity and really begin to show off?
Sleater-Kinney: Janet: I though The Hot Rock was our London Calling. Being somebody incredibly influenced by the Clash, I feel very strange that we be compared to them. It's a huge compliment and we shall take it as so.
SonicNetHost: Do you expect to tour for most of the year? Where do you go after the next five weeks of U. S. shows?
Sleater-Kinney: Carrie: After we complete the US tour, we'll be touring Europe in mid-April, then we take time off and go to Japan in the early summer. The rest of the year we'll spend revisiting cities we've already played in the US and hopefully going to some cities we won't be going to on this tour.
Teresa322_99 : Have you had any strange encounters with famous people coming to any of the shows?
Sleater-Kinney: Corin: Jarvis Cocker came to our London show and that's all we can say. One time when we played in Texas the entire cast of Friends came, because they were down there filming, but we only got to talk to Matthew Perry. He's a really big fan.
skyebluecool : Do you feel like you've grown away from some of your old songs, like "her again" or "anonymous."
Sleater-Kinney: Corin: It's important to always be rooted in the music you're making in the present and not rewrite stuff you did in the past. It's not that you don't like the old stuff, it's just that it's easier to concentrate on the present.
Dustcakeboy : In early days of Sleater-Kinney, You guys played Homocore shows, and promoted yourselves as Homo-core. But now there's no mention of Queerness anywhere, why?
Sleater-Kinney: Carrie: I don't think we ever promoted ourselves as Homo-core, but we were very willing to support the homo-core community and play shows that were a part of that movement. I think we've always be interested in being inclusive of all people and I think that our part of the community here, esp. when we were on Chainsaw Records when we were around people who were very involved in the queer music scene and were making good music and we wanted to be a part of that. But I think that we tried to avoid labels or limiting ourselves to a certain genre that takes away from the complexity and diversity of the members of the band.
distracted45 : How do you feel about the fact a promo copy of the Hot Rock went for $30.50 at eBay (online auction house)?
Sleater-Kinney: Carrie: Julie told us about that....I was disappointed that the person who was selling it was exploiting the free copy they got. There's one thing to get a promo and make a copy for your friend. But it seems a bit self-serving and I hope they don't feel bad. It'd be cooler if they were doing it in ten years.
SonicNetHost: Kill Rock Stars has never worked with a band that has gotten the kind of attention that you have gotten and continue to get. Are you concerned that this could overwhelm them?
Sleater-Kinney: Janet: We're concerned that this is going to overwhelm us.
Sleater-Kinney: Carrie: It's true that KRS in the past worked with Elliot Smith and Mary Lou Lord. The difference with us, why I'm not too concerned, I'm starting to think that an indie does thrive is when a band does reach that level they decide to stay with the indie label and grow with them. So as you continue to put out records with them they can meet those demands.
mondoburger : Who came up with the term "riot grrrl"? Was it Tobi Vail?
Sleater-Kinney: Corin: I think it was Molly Newman and she needs to be accredited for that genius.
JennBuilt : Why did you decide to do this chat thinger? it seems kinda random, I dunno. Are you on the net a lot? have you viewed your *many* fan's websites? what do you think of them?
Sleater-Kinney: Corin: I think the reason we did this chat was so we could get people to watch our video.
Sleater-Kinney: Carrie: Also it gives us the opportunity to address some questions from people that listen to our music. Personally, I avoid the internet, but I've seen some of the SK websites which are quite wonderful and the work of smart and articulate people. We appreciate the time and effort people put into the sites, especially the accurate ones.
punk_sweetie : WHAT'S THE STORY BEHIND "HUBCAP"?
Sleater-Kinney: Carrie: The title comes from a logistical thing, the fact is that Laura McFarlane who plays drums on that song, used a hubcap as a part of her drum kit. Often when writing songs we have a working title and we used that title because she used a hubcap as part of her drumset.
SonicNetHost: Has this chat been a strange experience for you? Would you do another chat? And Carrie, why do you avoid the Internet?
Sleater-Kinney: Carrie: The thing that I find fascinating is the vast amount of information available, and how fast it can become available to you. I find the concept of the internet more interesting than the information. Once the information is on the screen, I'd rather be reading it from a book. But the process that put it on the screen is fascinating. This chat has not been too strange, though it seems like a logistical nightmare. Maybe we would do another chat again, but we would all want to be calling from foreign countries and we would want to be talking to the interviewer via smoke signals. I want to do an interview where it's only Navy semaphore.
Sleater-Kinney: Thanks for having us, it's been lovely, and we hope to see you at the shows. Don't spend too much time in the chat rooms. Go outside and get some fresh air and exercise.