Photo by flickr’s Ferrari + caballos + fuerza = cerebro Humano

I’d never done band profiles before, so I was at a loss for questions when they were first assigned to me.

There’s something intimidating about talking to musicians as opposed to public officials or school administrators (which are the kinds of people I used to deal with). Musicians don’t have to be formal, so they can say whatever they want. I was afraid my attempts to appear nonchalant might actually backfire, leaving me as the rambling idiot wielding a pen and notepad. Still, I took comfort in their unfamiliarity. Like government officials, musicians have their own jargon — What makes sense to them might sound abstract and nonsensical to me — and, after covering education and local government, I’m used to that.

Fortunately, the bands (the fearsome sparrow, Aeroplane Pageant and Horse’s Mouth) were pleasant to talk to, gave insightful answers and, in most cases, made sense. Ultimately, I approached them the same way I approach all my interviews: I loaded them up with questions with a nod and a smile. The biggest challenge was probably deciding whether to hold an alcoholic beverage or a voice recorder.

Good news for my editor, I chose the latter.