Metric

Answers by Josh (Bass/Vocals)

How did you approach your "Rock The Rabbit" T-Shirt Design? I thought of what Playboy meant to me in my life from a boy to a man, and went from there. The use of text was a reflection of my respect for the literary talent of our singer Emily.

Do you have a favorite article of clothing? Absolutely, while in San Francisco I bought a jacket for $3. It has a fantastic cut, a bit short on the sleeves (which I like) and the fabric is sharp, blue on blue pin stripes.

Where did you pick up ideas about style and design? Is it related at all to your music? My ideas on style and design come from traveling. Since we are on the road so much I get to see all sorts of style and design. I don't personally feel like they are connected.

Do you have a favorite musician whose style you really like? Has that musician influenced your style? Miles Davis, before the 1980's. In the 60's that guy was sharp, man did he stray from the course when the 70's and 80's come around (fur, rainbow pants, and yellow sunglasses what?). Actually I think the only style aspect of Miles I picked up was when he had no money, he went and bought one great suit (not a generic one) and wore it all the time.

What does Playboy mean to you? When do you recall discovering Playboy? Playboy is an institution. It is one of the first places that a young man gets to see what is hidden beneath the sweaters, tight jeans, scarves, bras, and panties of the world. And let's all admit it we all wanted to know, and now that we know, we are just as interested as before. My discovery of Playboy is pure Americana, as an early teen with friends hanging around the house getting into no good. Why boys of that age want to know what is in a box, that is put up in a closet, behind old ski gear and old boots, I will never know. But stupid games of adventure quickly turned into serious study of our newest literary discovery.

Beatles or Stones? Let's just put them together and have a supergroup. That's what we all really want. Do you think Mick and Paul could hang still?

Were there bands you heard at a certain point in your life that made a huge difference in how you thought about music? Of course! As a musician it is impossible to not be affected by the people who are doing what you dream of. Every part of my life has bands that influenced my thoughts of music. An easier way to think about it is how they affect your music in the different periods of your life. Sometimes the music in you life, gives you strength to continue working towards you goals. While other times it tells you exactly what you don't want to sound like.

Who put on the best live show you ever saw, and why was it so good? I have seen a lot of really great shows. The first one that comes to mind is a band that most people might not know, Melt Banana they are a hardcore Japanese punk band. The overwhelming power and energy coming off of the stage was mind blowing, and the crowd was just as excited.

Do you guys have a pre-game ritual or a superstition before or during shows? Besides the rock and roll cliché of getting our buzz on, the only thing that happens every time is kicking everyone out of the dressing room so we can focus on each other and bring the group to the foreground in our minds.

What was the best show you ever played? Why? What makes a good show from your perspective? Best is such a loaded and boring word. A show I really enjoyed was at the Coachella music festival. The heat was causing absolute havoc on Emily's and my gear. During the show two of her keyboards died and at the final rock moment my bass amp blew. As we were trying to figure out what is going to happen I felt no pressure just an overwhelming feeling of excitement to bring music back to the crowd and not let them down. The crowd was just as supportive, after what felt like forever but was probably only a minute the bass came back, and I have never felt such a genuine appreciation towards our music.

What's the most exciting thing you've done in the past year as a result of your music career? This year was full of exciting moments, here is a quick breakdown. Opening for the Rolling Stones for two nights at Madison Square Garden, and let's just list some of the countries we got to play this year. Venezuela, Mexico, Iceland, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Turkey, UK, USA, and Canada. We won several awards - one was in Venezuela for best band in the world, which is hilarious. Also the customs agents in Venezuela while going back to the USA were fairly convinced the little green dog statue we won was some form of compressed cocaine, or was hiding something. It took a lot of convincing for them not to crack it open.

Do you think the album format is dead? No the album format is far from dead, I think the vinyl nostalgia is alive and growing.

What's your favorite place on earth? Looking down at the Twin Peaks (San Francisco).

Best song you've been listening to lately? "I Was a Lover" by TV on the Radio off the album Return to Cookie Mountain

Favorite new band? Animal Collective

Favorite driving album? Jimi Hendrix, Are you Experienced

Favorite bedroom album? Ultimate Isaac Hayes: Can You Dig It?

How have the technology boom and the internet affected the way you approach promoting your music? The technology that is available today actually helped our band. We have been to many places where we don't have a record released and have had a fantastic crowd turnout and response. We haven't had to change anything really, add a MySpace page at the most. We also have a website.