Spotlight is a series highlighting talented artists and designers in brief interviews and displays of their work. In this article we look at the work of Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin (SSLYBY) [ www.polyvinylrecords.com ], currently on a World Tour. SSLYBY is a talent group rising up from their garage band roots in Springfield, MO to now be heard by millions on the Carson Daly Show, MTV and in numerous Commercial TV Spots. You can purchase there new album here: Let It Sway
. Here’s what band member Phillip Dickey had to say-
[+] Image via SSLYBY
Zeitgeist Studios: Can you briefly describe how all the band members met?
Phillip Dickey I met Will Knauner (guitar) when I was in high school and we started SSLYBY with a couple of our friends. We didn’t have a good singer, so no one really liked us and we didn’t play many shows. Then I met John Robert at Drury [University in Springfield]. We were both living in Turner Hall and we both had terrible roommates who joined a fraternity together. So John moved down the hall to my room and we started playing music all the time. He taught me how to play bar chords on the guitar and I started writing a lot more songs. Also, I realized his voice was a million times better than mine. I knew people would start liking our band when he started singing for us.
[+] Image via SSLYBY
ZS: What is one of the band´s most hilarious moments together?
PD: My mind goes blank right now. Well, one time we were on tour in England and the directions to our hotel took us to a countryside cottage in the middle of nowhere. We thought it was a bed and breakfast place, so we walked into the house with our suitcases at two in the morning. We figured it out right away, but it was too late. We woke up the whole family and they started screaming at us and we started running. Then we realized there was a Travelodge right across the street.
[+] Image via SSLYBY
ZS: Is it true that the band´s name was born from a last minute effort to impress a few girls? How has your band’s name influenced your reputation as musicians?
PD: Honestly, I can’t remember what I was thinking. We just thought it would be a good idea to have a really long band name. It definitely helped us get more press. I’m not sure what it does for our reputation. It’s probably not good. I’m sure a lot of people think we would stop at nothing to get attention.
ZS: What influences did you or do you take from living in Springfield, MO?
PD: Springfield is a really weird place. We all live here because our parents moved here and we never got out. There are a lot of things that we love here, mostly our friends and family. There’s a lot of intentional community – people getting together and doing things so we all don’t die of boredom. Another great thing is that I really think there’s an opportunity to make a bigger difference in a small city like Springfield. I know John went to these city hall meetings about adding more bike lanes. There are so many things to fix. I think that’s a theme in some of our new songs like “Animalkind.”
ZS: How did the decision come about for the band to switch musical instruments and vocalists for different songs?
PD: Our first drummer was out of town and was going to miss a show, so I filled in on drums. The show went really well and I became the permanent drummer. But I was still trying to write songs on the guitar. We found another guy (Jonathan James) who could play drums and guitar, so we started switching during our shows. It’s not a very interesting story, sorry. People get nervous when they see us switch. It’s kind of scary when the drummer tries to play the guitar and sing.
ZS: How do you think your first CD compares to your latest work?
PD: The biggest difference is in the production. We made Broom (the first album) at our parent’s house. Almost everything is out of tune and we really didn’t know what we were doing. For Let It Sway, we had all the tools to make a classic sounding record. It was the first time we recorded in a real studio with a producer (Chris Walla from Death Cab for Cutie). We tried to make an album that you could play for anyone.
ZS: What countries have been the most exciting places to play at? Did you ever imagine that you were going to play in Europe at this age?
PD: Italy was pretty insane. We couldn’t find Will after one of our shows and I thought he was dead. Germany is always good. We were there for Octoberfest in Munich and I’m pretty sure someone almost died. We tend to like everywhere we go, even if it’s not exotic. Beloit, Wisconsin is one of our favorite places to play.
ZS: How did you guys hide so many “banned” activities from me when I was an Resident Assistant at Turner Hall, our College Dorm?
PD: I think we had a bottle of Febreze [air freshener]. Plus, there were other things going on to distract you. Someone pooped in the shower one time and there was huge investigation. Do you remember that? I still think it was my ex-roommate (the one who joined a frat) but he would have killed me if I said anything. Actually, John got fined for being in the girls’ dorm after hours once. The dorm rules weren’t very progressive back then.
ZS: Where do you see yourselves 5 years from now?
PD: I wouldn’t be surprised if I was doing the exact same thing. Checking email way too much, walking the dog, and playing shows. Trying to eat healthier food. Trying to be less annoying to my friends and family. I have an idea for screenplay, so hopefully I’ll finish that by 2015.
ZS: If Boris Yeltsin were to listen to your music, what do you guys think he would say?
PD: More vodka.
by Tyler Barnard
