Reader, this writer isn’t exactly a fitness buff. Don’t get me wrong, I hold high the after-effects of exercise—the endorphin production, the undeniable health benefits, the ‘welcome to the gun show, admission if free’ biceps—but sometimes I feel like, if I did have access to a time machine, I’d primarily use it to fast forward past intense workouts at the gym so I could get all the benefits without the time/work required.

That said, one thing I really do enjoy is running outside with our dog, Owen (seen driving our car cross-country in an earlier post). And, honestly, he seems to really like it too, especially now that our primary form of exercise is running in the canyons of Los Angeles.

Which is part of the reason I was struck by the mission of Ruff Ruff Rescue Runners, an Arizona-based non-profit that pairs volunteers with shelter dogs to help get the animals active + out of the shelter in their bright orange ‘Adopt Me’ vests. It just seems like such a great way of getting needy animals both away from what can often be over-crowded, chaotic settings + in-front of potential adoptees.

We took some time to talk with one of the group’s co-founders, Vicky (left, below), about the idea behind the group and how it works.

So, what’s the inspiration behind Ruff Ruff Rescue Runners?

I read about a similar group in Texas calledThe Rufftail Runners on the Ruffwear blog and was immediately inspired. I’ve been a runner for most of my life and have two rescue pups of my own. Being able to combine both of these interests sounded perfect! I actually sent the article to (co-founder) Crysti on Facebook and jokingly said “You should start something like this.” We had several of our mutual friends comment that they would volunteer if we did and so we “ran” with it and it exploded! Crysti is also an avid runner and has the same passion for rescue dogs that I do, so she was the perfect person to partner with on this endeavor. 

That’s awesome. And how does it work on the back end exactly? Do you all partner with the majority of the shelters in the area or just a few or…?

We are currently partnering with seven different rescues throughout Arizona. Cities include Gilbert, Tempe, Phoenix, Prescott, and Flagstaff. Some we have contacted directly, others have contacted us. We plan to continue growing as long as there are interested volunteers, rescues, and, of course, dogs to run. 

That’s really great. Then how does it work form a volunteer perspective? If I’m looking for a four-legged running partner, I’d just contact you all and you’d take it from there?

Volunteers contact us and let us know the area in which they are interested in running. If we have a partnership established in that area, then we will invite them to join one of our group events or an orientation (depends on the rescue—they all operate a little differently). Volunteers are required to sign the rescues waiver, the Ruff Ruff Rescue Runner waive, and fill out an application. Once that is all done, they just need to keep an eye on Facebook for upcoming events. We try to have a group run at each of our partner rescues every Saturday. Due to the intense summer heat, we’ve had to take a break down in the Phoenix area but have been working on getting the cooler areas (Flagstaff and Prescott) going. We’ll be starting back up as soon as the morning temps start to cool down…hopefully in the next month or so. If we are contacted by someone in an area that we don’t currently have a partnership with, we add them to our volunteer database and contact them as soon as we have something going in their area. 

Very cool. One thing we’ve always worried about from the perspective of fostering animals is becoming too attached to them, not wanting to give them up and, say, ending up with 25 cats and 13 dogs. Do a lot of your volunteers end up adopting the dogs in the end?

We haven’t seen any of our volunteers walk off with any dogs…yet. BUT we’ve only been around since early May so we expect it will happen eventually. We had actually worried about that ourselves and, although we hate to see the dogs stuck in shelters and living in cages, we still walk away knowing we did something good for them, which, in my mind, makes it a little easier. Our ultimate goal would be to see them all adopted and living it up in happy homes. 

Do dogs actually enjoy running recreationally/for exercise? I run with our dog all the time and assume he loves it, but I’ve never actually read up on that kinda thing.

Are you kidding? They LOVE it! Well, actually, not all of them do. Some of the dogs prefer to walk and some prefer to just sit in the middle of the sidewalk, probably waiting to be carried back. We ask our volunteers to be sensitive to the needs of the dog. If the dog doesn’t want to run, then don’t make them run, but if they want to run then let them, but within reason. Many of the dogs we work with have no leash manners so we encourage our volunteers to stay in control of the dog and the run, working with them on leash skills and how to be a well mannered canine citizen. We also provide ‘Adopt Me’ vests so that the public knows that these dogs are available for adoption. 

Ah, good. Because I’ve definitely stepped up my runs with our dog now that we’re in LA and he seems to love it. And is it safe to assume you + Crysti run with your dogs?

Yes, I have two boxer rescues and I do run with them. Crysti has three dogs—two boxers and one English Pointer. Her dogs love hiking or running like crazies through the park. 

Any tips for beginners who maybe haven’t run with dogs before?

Expect the unexpected! Most of these dogs aren’t your well-mannered family dog who walk nicely on a leash. Instead, many have been abused, neglected, starved, injured, and spend 22 hrs of their day stuck in a small kennel in a chaotic and noisy environment. Some will be fearful or shy, some will not be very social, and some will want to eat anything that moves, but the more time we spend with them, the better they become. We see them change over time—they get better on a leash and become more social and less reactive to other animals and people. When people ask us what they should bring, we tell them their running shoes, water, and a whole lot of patience. They need it and they deserve it! 

Nice. Finally—who let the dogs out? Who? Who who who?

Ah, I love pictorial interview responses. Nicely done.

Below, pictures of Ruff Ruff dogs + volunteers in action. All photos (minus the dog who let the dogs out), courtesy of Ruff Ruff Rescue Runners.

If you live in any of the cities mentioned above, fill out the group’s online volunteer form and they’ll be in touch about volunteer orientations + events. Not in the area? Find out if a similar group exists in your area or start your own! Here’s a list of similar groups created by Pennsylvania-based Miles and Mutts. The New York Times blog also posted a piece a few years back that collects some helpful information on running with dogs from Runner’s World magazine, including a nice chart breaking down the best breeds to run with, how to train your dog for longer distance runs, and five reasons to run with your dog.

Summer shoes—for me—can be a bit of a nightmare to pull off with any grace whatsoever. With the hot, humid, overbearing summers in the northeast, I personally cannot stand to wear socks, say, June through September. Which can get a little less-than-quaint, let’s say, when you only cycle between a few pairs of shoes and you walk as much as I do. So whenever I stumble across a new, animal-friendly, nice-looking, well-made, well-aerated shoe for warm weather, I swoon a little bit.

Shoes Like Pottery—a new company out of Japan that fires their shoes in kilns like (you guessed it) pottery—is certainly producing some swoon-worthy shoes.

Their tough-yet-soft canvas, uniquely flexible soles, and bright blue pop of color are just what my summer needed. That and maybe a few less massive urban heat waves.

With the intriguing name and our perpetual fascination with all things Japanese, we decided to reach out to the company to find out more about the shoes, the process involved in making them, and the company behind it all. US Sales Manager + Brand Representative, Matthew Butlett was kind enough to entertain our inquisitive minds. Find out below how you cook a shoe to perfection.

raven + crow: First off, what made you want to get into the shoe business?

Matthew Butlett: Honestly, I kind of just fell into the shoe business…. I do love the whole process of seeing the initial shoe design, bringing it to prototype form, selling the shoes, and then and taking them to market. Seeing the shoes perform at the retail level and having people wear them is very rewarding. I studied International Business and Spanish and then lived in Japan for a while and speak the language a bit. So working for Marubeni (the Japanese company we import and distribute through) and with a Japanese shoe company (MoonStar, Shoes Like Pottery’s parent company) also gives me a chance to use my Japanese and travel, which I love.

Certainly not the hard knock life, seemingly. So did Shoes Like Pottery evolve from MoonStar’s tabis? And, for those who don’t know, can you explain what a tabi is and the tradition behind them?

Yes—our vulcanization process was created when we first produced tabis, in 1873. A tabi is a traditional Japanese shoe with a canvas upper and rubber outsole. Long ago, Japanese people wore socks outdoors, but MoonStar invented the tabi and it was well-received in Japan as a more functional, durable alternative to simply wearing socks outside. After that, we began to evolve our vulcanization process at our Japanese factory and eventually brought it to bear with Shoes Like Pottery.

Where does the name MoonStar come from? We love the hand-stamped logo on the shoes.

We just like the idea of the moon and star shining through the night and being seen directly by everyone, so the name MoonStar was chosen for the company a long time ago. But our name originally was Tsuchiya Tabi Company back in 1873 because our founder, Mr. Kurata, started off with his small shop, Tsuchiya Tabi. His family’s crest was the Uchide no Kozuchi, or Lucky Hammer, which is derived from the idea that people can get anything if they take a chance and swing the ‘lucky hammer’. So that’s why we employ the crest to this day for the hand-stamped logo on Shoes Like Pottery.

Ah, I get it now. I didn’t think that looked like a moon + star. So, can you explain the ka-ryu process to us?

The ka-ryu process is the vulcanization we use to make the shoes. They’re fired at 120° C/248° F in a kiln for 70 minutes, similar to the way Japanese pottery is fired. The extreme heat and pressure causes the sulfur mixed inside the raw rubber to chemically react, returning the rubber to its original shape. Our unique ka-ryu process enables us to hand-craft small batches of some of the world’s finest vulcanized shoes. 

That’s crazy—you cook the shoes. And the vulcanization process doesn’t harm the fabric?

Our materials are very high-quality—we bring in only first-class canvas and rubber that meets our high standards, so, no, our fabric is definitely not harmed by the vulcanization process.

Got it. So does the firing result in a softer or more durable sole or is more a matter of bonding the sole to the upper fabric or both?

Actually both. It is how we bond the sole to the upper, but the vulcanization process has a long history with the tabi of creating a soft yet durable sole.

I read that the shoes are sewn + manufactured largely by hand because the process is impossible to do mechanically. Why is that?

We produce some shoes mechanically in our factory, but these products are not as lightweight, soft, or as durable because the process is not as refined. With Shoes Like Pottery, our hand-crafted vulcanization process gives shoes the benefits of light weight softness and durability. Each shoe is checked individually by hand so we can ensure each shoes quality.

We love the bright blue sole bottoms. Any significance in those or did you just want an eye-catching color to be part of the design?

MoonStar’s company color is blue, but we modified the color a little for this brand and decided to use it for the outsole and logo.

Yeah, it’s a really nice blue. We’re also really into the photography you feature on the site. Who does that and where was most of it done? The light’s great….

Our Shoes Like Pottery team took most of the photos at our Japanese factory.
Well, they’re really nice. Looking at your list of stores that carry SLP in the US, it looks like you’re mostly in NYC + LA at this point. Do you all have plans to expand and find other outlets in the states?

We’re trying to expand step-by-step—we recently exhibited at Capsule NY looking for other appropriate retailers. We are also selling at Steven Alan in Boston and Atlanta, and to Lost and Found in Toronto.

Do you have any concerns about the higher demand on your products affecting the small-batch process?

Right now, we’re not concerned with higher demand and are keeping the lineup small to focus on the quality.

Nice. Yeah, the focus of the company is impressive—I’ve always admired the action of choosing to do one thing and do it well—but are there any plans for the company to offer anything more than the two shoes, white + black?

Since we only just started selling the brand in November of last year in the US, we wanted to keep it tight and simple. We will have an indigo low top and black and white high top for delivery in January/February of next year though.

Top + bottom photos by us; inset photos courtesy of Shoes Like Pottery.

As we gear up for our drive west to LA this weekend, what better to prepare us than an inspirational song about long journeys over the sea, as sung by a shipbuilder’s daughter with the help of The Silverlake Conservatory of Music Youth Chorale?

Mr Little Jeans is no Mister at all, it would seem. No, Mr Little Jeans is the moniker for one Monica Birkenes. As her promo materials put it—”she is small and Norwegian and she makes music that will leave you reeling.”

We have yet to meet Ms. Birkenes or see any photographs of her next to an automobile or a  yard stick or our cat for sense of scale, but we can attest to the latter fact—her sound is dramatically gargantuan.

Birkenes grew up in the small seaside town of Grimstad, Norway, with a catamaran-building father and music-loving mother. Pursuing her own growing love of music, Birkenes moved to London at a young age and eventually on to her current home, LA, working with notable producers along the way to define her sound.

Give this week’s Song, “Oh Sailor”, a listen to see what we mean about her dramatic hooks. She moves from dark, sparse, sparkling verses to sweeping choruses, aided by the youth chorus co-founded by Flea, à la Passion Pit’s use of Brooklyn’s PS 22 Chorus for their 2009 debut full-length Manners. All of it add’s up to a catchy, driving song that we’re hoping will serve well to take us from Brooklyn to LA in a few days time.

Check out the video for the song below. Photo above by Drew McFadden.

Reader, roughly one thousand years ago, this writer was in a band. This band was named Speedwell and, regardless of how awesome or not awesome it was to listen to or watch live, it was awesome to be in.

Primary reason being that we were all, first and foremost, friends. And, though I had been various bands with friends in high school whose names differed but all fell well within the territory of Terribly Absurdly Named—Hippies for Hatred, Louder than Rob, Disco Circus Wonder Kult (yes, with a ‘K’)—this was the first band I was ever a part of who, not only had an un-cringe-worthy name, but also produced some decent music.

Though we had a short, erratic, start-stop life as a band, only touring a few times and producing an EP, a 7″, and a demo or two, this short, erratic, start-stop life as a band is now being captured sonically and spiritually with the release of Start to Finish, a posthumous discography comprising 17 re-mastered songs, from official releases to 4-track demos.

Such an occasion clearly calls for one thing—a band interview discussing the pitfalls of having three song-writers and four singers, what we did to our drummer when he slept, outlandish tour stories, and why we weren’t quite the next Radiohead…conducted by me. Obviously.

We’re also posting a previously unreleased, exclusive track from the discography immediately preceding the interview (because we can do that)—”Night Cares”, a song that seems apropos given that:

1. It includes the full band in its latest incarnation;

2. Along with the two additional songs embedded below, it showcases all four of our singers + three of our song-writers and the resulting crazy scattershot sound;

3. It was recorded by our friend Archie Moore of seminal indie bands Velocity Girl + Black Tambourine; and

4. It’s a song I wrote about how much I love Katie + how it sucked to leave her for the Peace Corps after college. True story.

Without any further ado, I give you

AN UNFORGIVINGLY LONG INTERVIEW WITH THE NOW-DEFUNCT BAND SPEEDWELL, AS CONDUCTED BY A FORMER MEMBER OF THE BAND SPEEDWELL

Troy (guitar/keys/bass/vocals/interviewer): Okay, guys, I’ll keep this as brief + hard-hitting as possible as I know we’re all super-busy, important adults these days and the merits of interviewing your long-defunct band for your little-read blog are questionable, at best. So, first off, in your most accurate, telling words, describe the spirit + sound of Speedwell?

Brian (bass/keys/vocals): Must…try…not to be…stupid….

Jonathan (drums): I can’t remember. It’s been 10 years, after all.

Troy: Ooh, related question—is it too late to change the name of this anthology thing to The Spirit + Sound of Speedwell?

Brian: Well, I would describe Speedwell’s sound as “incoherent”, to be honest. We wanted to do and be too many different things. We lacked the discipline to commit to a musical idea, I think. We couldn’t even pick a single singer. We had FOUR singers. 

Troy: Well-put, Brian. Also, Jon, why didn’t you sing? You missed out, man.

Jonathan: I sang! On “Kuma”. And then I wasn’t allowed to sing again. I was watching this documentary on the band Karp recently though, and someone made a comment about bands being the sound of the friendship of the people involved. I think that accurately describes Speedwell.

Troy: Aw. Jon. That’s nice.

Meredith (guitar/vocals): To put it in a better light, I would say that we were friends who had instruments and liked to play shows, so we wrote some songs.

Meredith, roughly one thousand years ago.

Troy: Those are my favorite bands to be in. So, for whoever wants to take this and for those few out there not familiar with the band, how + when did it form?

Jonathan: Fall of 1996. It was Troy, Meredith, and I. Well, actually it was Meredith and I at first. And we practiced at Troy’s house. And Troy heard it and liked it, so he joined. 

Cheryl (vocals/keys): We are old.

Jonathan: Soooo very old. But, yeah, I was desperately trying to start a band at JMU, and Meredith was the first person who I jammed with whose songs I really liked. Plus, we had a place to practice, so that helped.

Troy: You’re welcome. So, then after Speedwell v.1.0, the band went through various incarnations, bringing in Brian to play bass and, after our first break-up, Cheryl for vocals, keys, and fashion sense.

Brian: Yeah, I was forced to join Speedwell b/c Troy was borrowing my bass guitar, and playing it so violently and spastically that I was afraid he would break it. 

Troy: Again, you’re welcome.

Brian: Also, it’s not like Cheryl dressed super-fashionably. She wore homemade dresses with bugs on them and raggedy hems.

Troy: To be fair, that was pretty fashionable back then. No, but I feel like, in addition to Brian’s comment on never really committing to a sound, the whole evolution and various versions leant to us not really defining ourselves or settling on a gestalt for the band. Would you all agree?

Cheryl: I agree with that.

Meredith: Totally.

Brian: I agree, both about the gestalt and the fashion.

Troy: Also, I totally used ‘gestalt’ in an interview. WIN!

Jonathan: I liked the fact that we were diverse (relatively speaking).

Cheryl: But not only did we have four vocalists, there were three separate songwriters with three totally separate styles.

Jonathan: That’s a fact.

Brian: That kind of diversity makes for a confusing band to listen to. It’s diverse, but in a bad way.

Jonathan: I like bands that don’t have just one sound, though. I like to be surprised by each new song on an album.

Troy: Like watching a horror movie…. 

Brian: I think if I could go back in time and give Speedwell some key pieces of advice about focus, it would have been a better and more successful band. But it was still super fun.

Jonathan: Most bands are messes, though. Everyone has lives, and they get in the way of being a band.

Cheryl: I think it can be good to have different sounds as a band, but it’s harder to keep people interested when things change all the time and there’s not much consistency.

Meredith: I’d agree with Brian. This was a fun college band that tried to be more. It was fun. I have good memories. We have some good songs and even better pieces of songs. But it is a bit all over the map.

Troy: I’d say that’s accurate. Alright, now this next one might touch on some sore spots—exactly how devastated would you say you all were when you learned that I was joining the Peace Corps and moving to Poland, thus dashing Speedwell’s hopes + dreams for a major record deal/tour shirts with wolves on them/tricked-out tour bus? Cheryl, I realize you weren’t in the band then….

Cheryl: Right.

Troy: …just OUR BIGGEST FAN!

Cheryl: Hell yes!

Meredith: I would honestly say that I wish you had stuck around. That summer would have been a fun tour.

Brian: Oh yeah. I think at the time, I was genuinely disappointed about the impact that would have on our band.

Troy: Well, now I feel bad all over again.

Jonathan: Honestly, at that point, I wasn’t that devastated, because my life was so uncertain—graduating college, not having a job, not sure where I’m going to live, breaking up with my girlfriend. I was otherwise preoccupied, so it didn’t really bother me.

Meredith: Wow. The tables have turned. Jon not upset the band is breaking up and Brian and I lamenting the loss?

Jonathan: This could be revisionist history, mind you.

Cheryl: Yeah, it was 17 years ago…. 

Meredith: Which is why I am only sobbing and not openly weeping, Cheryl!

Myself, Brian, and Cheryl, pre-Google-maps

Troy: I was totally in that ‘gotta save the world’, post-college mind-set. Turns out, Poland’s fine. Do you all honestly think the path of the band or how things turned out would have been drastically different though?

Meredith: Yes—we likely would have broken up sooner and not gotten back together. But that summer would have been rad.

Jonathan: Right. I think being a successful band means everyone having to put all other things on hold and just committing to the band. I don’t think, as a group, we ever would have done that. Of all my friend’s bands who I thought were awesome, very few have had any “success”.

Troy: Good point, Jon. Remember Swank, Brian?

Brian: Poor bastards.

Troy: We all thought they were going to be the next….what Jesus Jones, back then? Oh, Jesus Jones….. I feel like, in a way, me moving to Poland made my relationship with Katie stronger through the absence + commitment to stay together through it. The band didn’t stay together, but I do think getting back together was something I wanted to do as soon as I got back for that reason—that we broke up kinda because we had to, not because we wanted to.

Jonathan: Yeah, I think I was mainly just bummed we didn’t get better recordings of the songs we had written before we broke up.

Brian: Yeah, I sure wish we had better-quality recordings.

Meredith: We didn’t have any money to record!

Brian: To be in a band for YEARS and have only one EP is a great example of straight-up being bad at the business of being a band.

Meredith: Actually, I’m not sure I’ve ever paid my dad back for the money he let me borrow to record the 7″.

Troy: …er…I gave Jon the money to give to you…. Okay, next question—so, then we ended up calling things quits for final time—in, what, 2003?—when Cheryl + I moved up to NYC. It seemed like things were starting to wind down at that point though and various ‘grown-up’ pursuits were pulling us all in different directions. That said, I feel like those last songs we were writing were totally some of our best. Would you all agree? 

Meredith: I think we peaked at “Pacifique”. 

“Pacifique” b/w “Smoke to Smother” 7″ by Speedwell

Jonathan: Yeah, I don’t know, I think some of the early stuff was also awesome.

Brian: Those recordings from the Black Cat that Jon shared sounded terrible, but the songs buried under the sonic detritus were pretty decent.

Troy: No, but listening back to stuff, I do kind of feel most compelled by the earliest stuff—when we were a trio and much more simple in our song-writing—and the very last stuff that we only had live recordings of.

Cheryl: I think i was added as a last ditch effort to keep it going.

Brian: I think Cheryl, you were added to re-energize the band. We were at a loss. 

Cheryl: Same diff.

Jonathan: We added Cheryl because Chad Clark told us to, and you do what Chad Clark says.

Brian: We should have added MORE people, all of whom would sing and play new instruments.

Meredith: And write different songs.

Brian: The Polyphonic Speedwell! God, even the lyrics didn’t match at all from song to song.

Troy: Match?

Brian: Meredith always wrote in first person (“I”) and I always wrote in first person plural (“we”), for example. Lord knows why.

Troy: Huh. Wonder what that means ABOUT YOU‽‽‽ Okay, next question, and this is a deep one—can someone explain to our readership the what Twang Pickle is and how it impacted our career/influenced our sound?

On tour + 100% sober with DC band, Metropolitan

Brian: Well, according to this review I just found, Twang Pickle “is DELICIOUS—what a wonderfully perfect mixture of pickle and salt flavoring. This is awesome on popcorn, on veggies, fresh and cooked, perfect right out of the shaker, I even tried it with a Apple Dum Dums lollipop and it was fantastic. You definitely have a perfect product for my household…I plan to order for many years to come.”

Troy: Someone from Twang Pickle Corp. wrote that review, 100%.

Cheryl: Twang Pickle was part of one of the most fun road trips I ever went on. 

Jonathan: We should have gotten sponsored by Twang Pickle.

Troy: Speaking of tour though, who can succinctly recount an entertaining tour story—preferably one that involves guns and/or fast boats?

Brian: Two-star review: “It’s pickle lime salt, and it’s a lot of it!”

Cheryl: Favorite tour story—my parents enjoyed watching us.

Brian: “If you love dill pickles, then you may very well love this dill pickle flavored salt.” “Sometimes, if I eat a lot, I get dizzy.”

Troy: Brian, no more Twang Pickle. We’ve moved on.

Brian: Okay, no more. Yeah, playing for just Cheryl’s mom and dad was a career highlight. That was the “No Witnesses” tour. Because no one could prove we’d been to their town.

Meredith: Right. Good tour stories though—making Troy go into Hooters for some reason; putting peanuts on Jon as he slept in the van; lots of vegan pasta.

Jonathan: Remember the crazy lady who told Troy she had an angel in Savannah? 

Troy: Angel in Savannah?

Jonathan: We got out of the van in Savannah, and this lady walks up to Troy and says, “I have an angel” and he says “Oh yeah?”

Meredith: I have video, Troy.

Troy: Oh, yeah, I remember-ish that. Meredith, we have to get a digital version of that! Alright, next question—what are you all doing these days musically, if anything at all? 

Cheryl: Ugh. Too depressing. I miss singing!

Troy: Yeah?

Cheryl: Totally. Though I am very active in the world of karaoke…at least I was before I had a baby….

Jonathan: Still playing drums in various bands/projects/just jamming. I was in a band called History Repeated before I left DC that should have a full-length out soon with some of my drumming on it. John Stabb—ex-Government Issue; old-school DC punk guy—sings in that band.

Troy: Stabb is a tough last name.

Jonathan: It’s his “punk name”. His real last name is Schroeder.

Troy: Schroeder? Not as punk.

Brian: We got a piano from the Salvation Army. I sit with Elliott (my daughter) in my lap and play slow chord changes while she bands random notes at irregular intervals. The effect is very avant garde.

Troy: That’s cute, Brian. And very John Cage.

Meredith: Yeah, I pretty much play guitar for my three year-old.

Brian: Up until, like, half a year ago, I was still playing music with Meredith, but then everyone in the band had babies.

Troy: Yeah, Meredith, any plans to write/record or is that on hold for now? What with all the babies?

Meredith: I’m still writing songs in my basement. Eventually I’ll want to put out another record, I’m sure.

Brian: I’m actually thinking of getting The Shirts back together to record an album of kids songs. But Edward (drums) keeps breaking limbs. For real.

Cheryl: Shirts reunion!

Jonathan: I would buy a Shirts discography.

Troy: Yeah, a Shirts reunion would be excellent. Alright—favorite Speedwell song? I know, I know—it’s like choosing your favorite child…who you left abandoned in a dark warehouse for the last ten years.

Jonathan: Wow, tough question. I’m going to go with “Kuma”, because I scream on it. And it’s just a pure fun 90’s indie rock song. Also, it has the “my eyes burn” line.

Start to Finish by Speedwell

Cheryl: To sing, “Your Atlantic”.

My Life is a Series of Vacations EP by Speedwell

Brian:

Yeah? That one was fun to sing. Too bad the lyrics are so hard to listen to.

Troy: Hard to listen to?

Brian: Ugh, Christ, yes. I think i only remember the ones that were recorded, but i’m sure my real favorites are lost and forgotten. “This is Us” is my favorite from the EP.

My Life is a Series of Vacations EP by Speedwell

Troy: See, that was 100% one of my least favorite songs and what I thought was a good example of us exploring too many sounds publicly.

Jonathan: I liked “This is Us”. It was our brit-pop song.

Troy: Exactly, Jon.

Brian: Toosh.

Meredith: “Pacifique” is one of my favorites simply because it was the first song I ever professionally recorded and I think people liked it.

Cheryl: Great song.

Brian: It did have a long life. We were still playing it for years.

Troy: Alright, and the inevitable interview question for long-defunct bands these days—any plans for a reunion and short run of overpriced stadium shows?

Meredith: No.

Brian: I will 100% reunite if i can play my banjo. BALL’S IN YOUR COURT BITCHES!

Cheryl: I would get together and sing the songs but there is no way I would ever remember the keyboard parts.

Brian: A capella speedwell reunion FTW!

Troy: Totally agree, Cheryl—I’ve thought before about how, even if the desire was there, I’d have NO WAY of remembering how to play any of the music. I don’t know how the scores of bands from our youth are doing it these days. Alright, finally, and most importantly, what should Meredith name his new baby? I think the band should be able to decide.

Meredith: Oh, god.

Brian: Speedwell Bragg, clearly.

Meredith: In true Speedwell fashion, someone should just start calling the baby a name and no one else should have any say. Whoever steps up the mic first gets to write it. The rest of us will just figure it out at the show.

Brian: DONE. One final note—we once discussed getting speedwell tattoos on tour. While I don’t regret not having one, if I had one, I wouldn’t mind.

Cheryl: Awwwwwwwww.

Troy: Was that an inspirational limerick?

Cheryl: What would the tattoo be? We’d have to have five different ones in five different styles….

Start to Finish can be listened to in its entirety + purchased via Coolidge Records + the record’s bandcamp page. You can listen to Meredith’s solo work (sometimes with Brian + Jon) over at Kora Records. 

Below, very seriously playing a record store in Jacksonville, FL; posing with rather poorly in Roanoke, VA; thumbs down; three very rough dudes (yes, I toured on crutches); Cheryl getting sporty; the flyer for Speedwell’s final collegiate show (with photos of the then four band members’ windows); and a flyer for a late DC show at the Black Cat (with a photo by Katie).