INsite Magazine

Friday, October 2, 2009

We Talk with the Silversun Pickups


This week we caught up with bassist Nikki Monninger of L.A.-based electro-rock band Silversun Pickups, who will be performing with An Horse at The Venue this tonight (Fri, Oct. 2). The band is made up of Brian Aubert, lead vocals and guitar; Nikki Monninger, bass and vocals; Christopher Guanlao, drums and Joe Lester on the keyboard.

While hanging up her favorite dresses to dry in Knoxville, bassist Nikki Monninger gave us the scoop on what she likes to bring on the road and why she’s excited to perform in Florida.

Swoon is your third album. How has your sound changed over the years?
On Pikul we had our friend Tanya play cello, and so in Carnavas we had no cello and it was all electric acoustic. For Swoon we went back to using some natural instruments for accompaniment—we actually used a 16-piece orchestra. I feel like our albums have been a progression. They’re a documentation of how we’ve grown as a band. We have toured so much. I think we get a little better each time.

What inspired Swoon?
I would say it’s a combination of our natural instruments with the electric sound. We came off of tour from Carnavas and we only took a month off. I think we were excited to start playing new songs because we had played the same songs previously for a couple of years. At that point we were really looking forward to trying out some new things and working on some new material.

What do you enjoy most about touring with the band?
I enjoy traveling all around the world. I try to take advantage of the time we are in different cities and go see what they have to offer. Today I saw the world’s biggest Rubik's Cube and visited the 1982 World’s Fair fairgrounds. It’s also great to play in front of different audiences. Right now we’re doing shows in places that I’ve never traveled to before, and that’s kind of cool.

What are some things you don’t go on tour without?
Well, when we are traveling my boyfriend is at home. I send him a lot of postcards while we are away, and he sends me postcards while I’m away. When I get home I get a bunch of postcards from him and I bring a few on the road. I always bring my little travel curlers. I usually have a watch on that has the time at home and the time where we are, so when I call my friends and loved ones I won’t wake them up in the middle of the morning.

In the coming weeks on tour, what are you most looking forward to?
I’m excited to be back in Florida because I was born in Miami. I actually have some family coming to the show on Friday. Usually, once I get to a city in the morning I’ll start Googleing it. A lot of the cities we go to there is always something interesting to find. You never know when you’ll find an unexpected surprise.

—Victoria Phillips

Check out the video for the Silversun Pickups, "Substitution," on YouTube!

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