I got a chance to chat with Cabana Wear guitarist/vocalist Brian Mietz a little about his band’s excellent debut self-titled record and a lot about some other goofy stuff you probably won’t be able to read about anywhere else.
Stream the band’s self-titled album now!
Interview
Hi Cabana Wear! As a fan of your work with your past bands and your new record, it’s a pleasure to chat with you. Please introduce yourselves to the Bad Copy readers.
Hi Bad Copy. I’m Bad Brian and I play guitar and sing in Cabana Wear.
How did this band come together? And how long have you been playing together?
Fairly quick. We started playing in January of 2017 and the record was released March 15, 2019.
Congratulations on the great new record! Who and where did you record it with?
Thank you! We recorded at the Gradwell House in Haddon Heights, NJ with Dave Downham. Gradwell is our home base and we love recording there.
How was writing this album different than past projects?
As far as writing, it was pretty collaborative. Alec would bring a couple songs to a practice, I’d bring a couple in, Dan would bring one in. Before we knew it we had a record’s worth of songs.
Tell us about your upcoming tour with Sleep In. How stoked are you to be hitting the road and with them and why?
I’m excited to venture out with them. Both bands are pretty good friends and this is something we all love to do. We both have new records out. We might find a sweet shirt with a deer on it at a rest stop. We’re gonna have fun.
How’s your experience been working with the label Sludge People and how did you connect?
It’s been great. I’ve known Joey Gantner who runs Sludge People for a long time. We used to talk on AOL Instant Messenger a lot. We love the same music. He moved back to Philly this past year and we would be at the same shows and he was putting some tapes out so we were like, “Let’s go. Let’s hi-speed dub these tapes.”
What are your long term goals for this band or are you kind of just riding the waves as they come?
I think we wanna play some shows, travel around a little, write some more tunes, cut another fat record all while riding the waves as they come.
So for this next part, I wanted to do something different. I read this interview once where the interviewer asked the band questions using the song titles from their new record. So as to not completely rip off their entire schtick, I’m just going to ask the first thing that comes to mind as I look at the track listing of yours. I hope you’ll play along.
Get Well: What’s your go to home remedy when you’re feeling sick?
I actually puked yesterday morning and spent all day in bed. Tummy bug. I tried to just sleep it off. When I got hungry I drank a mango smoothie and a Ginger Ale.
Scaredy Horse: Have you guys gotten a chance to play Red Dead Redemption 2 yet and if so, what did you name your horse?
I haven’t really played a video game like that since Metal Gear Solid on PS1 but I suppose I would name my horse Yoshi.
Always Loose: I have a couple friends that have taken up yoga to stay loose during shows. Is that something you’ve done or would be interested in?
I’ve never given it a whirl but can you imagine if I was a yogi with a horse named Yoshi?
Bother You: What do you do when you have a crush on someone and want to keep texting them but also feel like you’re being a bother? Asking for myself.
Be up front and tell them how you feel. If you blow chunks and they come back, they’re yours.
Green: Can you please rank Weezer’s discography?
- Blue
- Pinkerton
- Green
- Maladroit
- Everything Will Be Alright In The End
- White
- Make Believe
- Red
- Hurley
- Pacific Daydream
- Black
- Raditude
- Teal
St. Napster: Who’s side were you on – Metallica’s or Napster’s – and why?
Napster. Do I think we’re entitled to free music? Not necessarily. But I didn’t feel bad about downloading a Metallica album I wasn’t going to buy. I was still buying a lot of music at the time too and learning about new bands.
Least Comfortable Me: What are your ultimate comfort albums to listen to?
I have a playlist of all my favorite songs that I like to shuffle through. My ultimate comfort movie is probably Zodiac.
Tommy: What is your favorite Chris Farley movie and why is it Tommy Boy?
I’ll turn this damn bus around. That’ll end your precious little field trip.
One Time In A Million: If you were to win the lottery, what’s the first thing you’d buy?
I’d buy the entire Metallica discography.
Brewers And Connie’s: I’ve got nothing. You like baseball?
I’m excited for Phillies baseball. Did I say baseball? I mean hot dogs.
Summer: What are you most looking forward to doing this summer?
Getting a really nice sun tan at the sea shore, riding my bike, eating some ice cream. Hopefully some more out of town shows. I’d love to play in Michigan.
Where I Am: I’m from Grand Rapids, MI. Any chance you’d ever want to come out this way?
Funny you should ask because I was just saying I’d love to play in Michigan. Let’s rock it all the way up to the U.P.!
Anyway, thanks again. I hope you had fun with this. We’ll be looking forward to all else you do going forward. I’ll give you the last word. Peace.
Thank you for checking out our record and giving us your time. You’re bad in a good way.
Post a comment