Awesome Color Interview

Awesome Color is a bitchin’ young trio from Michigan that makes music the way elves in trees make cookies. Wait, that’s wrong. They make music the way that … uh … mighty Vulcan forges steel in the belly of Mt. Etna! (Nice.) The band is opening for Dinosaur Jr. at the Ogden Theater on December 14, which is a pretty big deal to old, nostalgic bros. Here we warble with Awesome Allison, Awesome Derek and Awesome Michael on the subject of alleys.

What’s the farthest you’ve ever, you know, gotten in an alley?
To the next street.

What’s the most renowned alley in Michigan?
The colorfully graffitied alley on Liberty Street in Ann Arbor, where Michael Jackson dances every Saturday. This is not a joke.

What makes that alley so special/dangereux?
Michael Jackson dances there every Saturday!

We like your lyric in “Hat Energy” about skateboarding all over town. What do you think of skateboarding in alleys?
We’ve done it before. There are some good alleys in Flint and at least one in Ann Arbor that are “legit” skate spots.

What’s the hottest sesh you’ve ever been a part of—in an alleyway or anywhere?
We get down on boards on all our tours so it’s hard to pick the best. The next sweet spot we haven’t skated yet will be the hottest no doubt. That’s what keeps us going.

If it was purely a matter of survival, which would you rather eat: a cockroach, a pigeon or a rat?
We’re vegetarian and vegan, so we’d probably eat our shoes first.

Would access to hot sauce and a sterno affect your decision?
They would probably make the shoes tastier and would be welcomed!

How have alleyways influenced your music to date, and how do you see them influencing your output in the future?
Well, we’re definitely going to try to use the pick-up line: “Hey, wanna go make out behind the dumpster?” more often after this interview … [:)—Eds]

Would you like to meet us for a Sparks in the alley behind the Ogden theater?
Are you bringing the brown paper bags or should we?

Click here for an mp3 of “Freeman” from Awesome Color’s righteous self-titled debut.
myspace & website

Postscript: Dudes, we’ll bring the paper bags and the Sparks. Pre-sound-check or post?