Shmoe are one of my favourite bands to come out of Los Angeles, to me they’re the kings of cool. They make interesting, rockin’ music for no other reason than they want to and have a damn good time doing it! Shmoe frontman Mike Mason chatted to me about their forth coming album, Los Angeles and what inspires his art.

Give me an insight into Shmoe’s world, aside from (the obvious—music) music what else are you into?

Well I’m really into the arts. Music, Film, Painting, Writing, Photography. the works. I may only be good at one of them, but I admire all of them and the people that do them. I’d say I’m a pretty normal guy, I hang out with friends and family. I do have a pretty ridiculous obsession with the Los Angeles Dodgers. I’ve been a fan since I was a wee little tyke and it’s just grown more and more ridiculous. I actually own a pair of seats from Dodger Stadium. You can see them in just about every episode of Ask Shmoe

I’ve read in previous interviews that the band name came from a nickname you were given in high school, who gave it to you? Why Shmoe? And are you still close?

Yea that’s correct. the name was given to me in Middle School. Everyone had a nickname and basically my friend Alex was like, “you’re going to be Shmoe.” I said “Shmoe? well alright.” so from then on its what people called me. We’re not as close as when we were younger, but we still talk and hang out from time to time.

What were you like growing up?

I was a fun loving kid. I got kind of awkward and quiet when I was in middle & high school, but then I matured into a hard rockin’ butterfly.

What did you want to be when you were little?

I wanted to be 3 things. A Marine Biologist, a Musician, and a Ghostbuster. Unfortunately busting ghosts didn’t work out.

Shmoe is from Los Angeles, have you lived there your whole life?

Yes I was born and raised here in Los Angeles. Specifically the San Fernando Valley, which is also the Porn capitol of the world.

How did you get into music?

Well my parents always love to tell the story of when I was a little baby, I was sitting in front of the TV and Tears for Fears “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” came on and I started rocking back and forth in my seat and totally just jamming. So I like to say then, but It all started with my dad. He played in bands when he was younger and brought up the idea of playing music to me when I was about 10. I thought it would be fun so I picked up the bass guitar and it’s been a downward spiral from there.

How big is your music collection? Are there any albums that have been life changing for you? What’s the single most important record in your collection?

My music Collection is huge and ever-growing I can’t even begin to count how many vinyls, cds, and downloaded songs I have. These are a few of the albums that really changed my life:

Help by The Beatles. Grew up listening to it and I still love it.

California by Mr. Bungle. Really blew me away. When I heard it, I realized you can do whatever you want with music. No rules just do what you feel is right.

Licker’s Last Leg by Goon Moon. It’s the weirdest most beautiful album in the word.

Queens of the Stone Age by Queens of the Stone Age. I lost my mind when I heard it. I fell in love from the very first note of Regular John.

The Fragile by Nine Inch Nails. Blew my mind as well. The richness and textures in this album are just insane.

Funhouse by The Stooges. It’s one of the greatest rock & roll records if you want to describe rock & roll to a person. It’s dirty, sleazy, sexy, groovy, and weird.

I could keep going haha. But I should stop.

Tell me about the coming Shmoe record.

It’s been a long time coming. We’ve been working on it for a couple of years, and it’s going to be worth the wait. It’s kind of eclectic. But that’s the way I am when it comes to music. I love rock, jazz, hip-hop, hard stuff, and soft stuff. It touches on just about everything. I basically play the music I want to hear, so it’s all over the map but still focused with what i hope is my own unique sound.

How would you describe the making of the album?

It basically took forever, and then an extra year haha. But I loved it. I basically wrote and demoed the 12 songs myself, then I brought them to my insanely talented friends. The band you hear on the record features a ton of different people. There is the main core of the band though which features: Rob Santogrossi, Hagop Kalaidjian, and Steven Felix. But besides that main core it features a lot of other guests. So we would lay down the main parts and then I’d get other people to sit in with us and play. So sometimes it would rely on other people’s schedule which can be a pain. It was all well worth it though. The final product sounds so good and I could not be happier with it.

What was on high rotation on your playlist during the albums making?

The Stooges, Jimi Hendrix, Desert Sessions, Black Flag, Ivan Ives, Creature With The Atom Brain, John Frusciante, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Amanda Palmer, Herbie Hancock CKY, Howlin’ Wolf, and a whole bunch of others.

Has anything directly influenced the latest album?

As far as other music, not really. But with other things yes. Happenings in my life, both good and bad have directly influenced the album.

Where is Shmoe’s sound out right now?

It’s right where it should be. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to do things differently sometimes, but music and art is a journey. Always evolving and changing and going where it wants to go. So I’m totally happy with my sound, but i always will be experimenting and trying different things. What the point of playing it safe you know? It’s no fun to stay stagnant and keep making the same style of songs over and over again.

You bought a Pro Tools set-up in around 2005, do you still have a home studio?

Yes that’s how we recorded the album. My guitarist and extremely talented friend Steven Felix had some extra equipment we borrowed from the studio he works at so we could get a better sound, but the bulk of the recording was done in my studio.

Who would be your dream producer to work with and why?

Chris Goss! He is pretty much the man. He’s a great musician and really seems to help artists bring their vision to life. He’s worked with a million great bands like QOTSA, Kyuss, Melissa Auf Der Maur, Scott Weiland, Nebula, Mark Lanegan, Unkle, Lupe Fiasco, The Duke Spirit, Creature With The Atom Brain, even Russell Freakin’ Crow. Every record sounds incredible. The layering and depth is just crazy. I think he’s really one of the most underrated people in music.

How does your immediate environment influence the music you create?

Well I guess it influences me by the fact I get to see a lot of things here in Los Angeles. It’s a really diverse place, so being able to soak up so much different stuff makes me want to take all of those influences and combine them.

Tell me about your love of Belgian artists—Millionaire, Creature with the Atom Brain, The Evil Superstars—what is it about each band?

It all started with Millionaire. I heard about them when they were touring with QOTSA. I bought their album Outside the Simian Flock and thought they were brilliant. I then found out Tim Vanhamel was in a previous band called Evil Superstars. So I checked them out and found another huge influence on my music in Mauro Pawlowski. The man is a genius so I went and sought out all the music I could find of his. Then Aldo and Dave started the Creature thing and that was amazing too. Basically they’re all a bunch of extremely talented individuals who make great original music. The more I listened, the more I found, and I just kept going down a dark black Belgian hole of awesomeness.

Are there any bands you’ve found out there that you feel kindred in spirit with?

Yeah there are a couple. Hobo Obituaries are definitely one of them. I think our thoughts on music and art are pretty similar. Rules are made to be broken and they definitely acknowledge that. I also feel that way with NIN and QOTSA although in different ways. I just really relate to the passion and hard work they put into what they do. They all write and play music to prove a point you know? You may not like it, but there is no way you can look at any of those bands and say they don’t put their heart and soul into what they do. I want people to say the same thing about me, “I may not understand what the hell he’s doing, but he sure as hell is doing it well.”

Does Shmoe feel a part of or connection to any particular music community or scene?

Not really. I think it’s pretty eclectic, I mean I guess you could put it under “Stoner Rock” or “Robot Rock” but I’d like to think it expands a bit more than that. Basically I want the cool people from every scene to come hang out. Like the punks, metalheads, indie folk, hip-hop fans, all just come grab a drink, and have a good time with us.

Tell me about the Los Angeles music scene. What parts of the Los Angeles culture do you enjoy?

Well I can sum it up with one word Massive. There is just soooooo much music and art around the LA area. There are bands that come here to get famous, there are bands that have lived here their entire lives. It’s kind of just madness. It makes it really hard to stand out when just about everyone has a band or knows someone with a band. But the good thing with that is that it’s very diverse. If you like surf rock, there are a ton of bands that play that style, if you like punk there are 45 billion bands that play that, if you like indie 800 million bands sound that way. It’s a blessing and a curse really because some bands are just awful and people tend to not take you seriously when you say you play in a band. They’re just like “oh yea? you and everyone else here.”

As far as the LA culture goes, it’s once again just about got something for everybody. If you like to dance and drink the night away you can do that. if you want to go to some crazy S&M club it’s also got that.

What is one of the greatest challenges faced as an independent artist today? How are you trying to approach the challenges?

The greatest challenge is getting your name and face out there. I think the big record labels are just dead. They refuse to adapt and if they don’t they’re just going to be left in the dust. It just seems like they take no risks. So going to them is useless unless you’re already making money, and if you are, why the hell would you want to go to them? So I’ve found that musicians and fans are basically one in the same. It’s all about getting to know each other. I always like to support people and artists I know who are busting their asses and doing good things. So I try and connect with every person who I add or whoever add me on anything. I appreciate anyone taking a couple of minutes to listen to my music. If they like it and me, it would be great for them to support me by purchasing an album, shirt, coming to a show, or whatever else. It’s really up to them. They could also just download my music and listen to it like crazy. I’d be happy with people just listening, but I’d also be happy being able to continue doing what I love and being able to focus on it entirely.

Where did the idea for Ask Shmoe come from? When did the idea hit? What were you doing? And how can people get involved?

It actually has a lot to do with previous question. I wanted people to get to know me a bit better. I was jogging one day listening to some music when it just hit me. I thought it would be entertaining for people to ask me questions. Whatever they want to send, I’ll answer. I’ve gotten a lot of compliments from people and I love doing it. I also love that people are enjoying it. People can send questions to askshmoe@yahoo.com

If you could ask your favourite musician one question, what would it be?

Well my favorite musician is Josh Homme, so I’d have to ask him What inspires him to create music? I always love to know what drives people to create the things they do. The thought process you know? Like what made them choose that note, or rhythm. All that is insanely interesting to me. I’d love to be in the room watching him or anyone else I admire creating. Just watching them do what they do best.

What has been one of the most shocking moments in rock n roll history to you?

Probably either Jimi Hendrix’s death, or Keith Moon’s Death. Both of those musicians mean a lot to me and helped inspire me to do what I do. Would have loved to hear more from Jimi. I go through these phases where I listen to nothing but him for like a month. He just takes over; I don’t really do that with any other band. Even my favorite bands.

What do you think is important in life?

It’s the time we spend on this planet with the people we love and cherish the most. That really is the most important thing. It’s what you make of your life, and who you’re lucky enough to have with you. I wouldn’t be who I am without their love and support.

http://www.myspace.com/shmoe

*Photos taken from Shmoe’s Facebook; Mike portrait by Hagop Kalaidjian.