Standing in the street behind STUBB’S BBQ in AUSTIN, TX I met with two members of JUPITER ONE before their show with Regina Spektor.
We only had a few minutes to talk because they had to go on shortly, but we were able to chat about a few things. We discussed their latest album’s allusion to Japanese short films and their latest music videos. The guys had to run, but before they did, they told me how much they loved KVRX.
Nichole Bennett: Hi, I’m Nichole, and I’m here with a couple of dudes who are in a band. It’s called Jupiter One. Do you guys want to introduce yourselves?
K Ishibashi: I’m K.
Zac Colwell: I’m Zac. Good to meet you Nichole.
NB: Today they are playing with Regina Spektor at Stubb’s in Austin, Texas. If you were to tell the story of Jupiter One with puppets would it be with sock puppets or marionette puppets?
ZC: Marionettes for sure. Sock puppets don’t have all the parts. Marionettes are anatomically correct if you like them to be.
NB: So you are looking for accuracy. In the puppet documentary of Jupiter One, we are looking for fingers and toes.
ZC: Yup, and high budget.
KI: Marionettes are more expensive.
NB: And more skill involved. So you guys just came out with a new album, and it’s got foxes getting married just like in the Japanese short film of the same name. Is that a coincidence?
KI: Not according to Zac. Zac says that it’s about Austin sunshowers.
NB: And you are from here, aren’t you?
ZC: Sunshowers are one of my favorite things about Texas. But K shows me this movie by Kurosawa, and I loved it because I already love sunshowers. But the movie is so weird. It was a way to use the imagery of a sunshower without just showing rain.
NB: I think that leads in well to my next question. For a band in this era and playing at Stubb’s in Austin. I think it’s a rather brave album in that it is direct and it’s melody driven, whereas most independent bands coming out these days…
ZC: Indirect and rhythm driven? What do you think about melody K?
KI: I think it is probably the most important thing you could have in any kind of music. It’s the stuff that sticks. And Texas is sticky.
NB: We keep tying it into Texas, I like this.
KI: Texas is awesome.
ZC: K and I lived in Austin together. Everyone has lived in Austin except our drummer.
KI: And when you meet him, you’ll understand why.
NB: But you guys live in New York now.
KI: Yeah, more or less. Some of us live in Jersey.
ZC: I’m trying to get everybody to move back to Austin though. Being here in November and having it be this hot is an easy way to get people away from New York.
NB: With some of the songs on the new album you had some pretty interesting music videos come out. One of them is animated, do you want to talk a little bit about that? Are they good animated representations of yourselves?
KI: I like the way I look, but Zac looks sort of like Beevis…or Butthead…which one?
ZC: I look like that in real life.
NB: I based what you guys were going to look like on that. It was pretty accurate.
ZC: That guys great. He’s this animator from Lithuania. He makes these amazing music videos.
KI: The other one is done by our friend who does our video projection who lives in New York. He did our other video for “Volcano.” Check this out: we have a new video coming out tomorrow. It’s called Fan Pilates, and it is featuring Dave. It’s going to be pretty amazing.
ZC: It’s pretty ridiculous. K directed the whole thing. We’re in it. It stars Dave.
NB: Debuting tomorrow.
KI: In YouTube cinemas.
ZC: Can I say that I grew up listening to KVRX?
NB: Yes! You can say that!
ZC: I really did. It shaped my musical tastes.
You can also this and other interviews at http://theawkwardoff.wordpress.com
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