Q&A: Kevin Aper, singer/bassist of The Apers!
I first met Kevin back in the year 2000. His band The Apers performed shows with me all 3 times I went to tour Europe, and were instrumental in helping set the shows up. The Apers and his other bands have released many albums, toured all over and garnered big followings. My personal favourite band he's been involved with is The Apers, and I personally love many of their songs and I love watching them perform live, as they're simply effing great live. Their rockin' performance and also Kevin's sharp witted commentary and stage presence make their shows a blast. From his previous involvement with Stardumb Records (a Dutch indie label that released 3 of my records) to setting up tours and shows, to all the bands he is involved with, you can safely say Kevin Aper is both a mover and shaker and also very influential in the music scene. He's a cool dude, a great rock and roller and above all, I can also call him a friend. He took time out between concerts and pilsners to do a lil' Q&A.
Q: you've been rockin' a long time. how has the music biz and scene changed since you started and do you like or not like the changes and why?
Kevin Aper: With the whole internet and the downloading it's a different scene. It's harder to sell records, but it's easier to get in touch with people that share the same interests. We play everywhere without having to send one demo cassette. I kinda like it, it gave punkrock back it's DIY.
Q: what are your favourite beers in which countries and why?
KA: Heineken in small 25cl bottles, and the regular 33cl bottles of Hertog Jan and Brand. Because they're all fresh, crisp and easy to drink. I like easy drinking beers that are cold.
Q: do you drink other alcoholic beverages? and which ones?
KA: I like Pastis, Jägerbomb and cocktails like pina colada and cosmo's. I'm a girly drinker.
Q: the Apers garnered a huge fan following. What other bands are you currently involved with?
KA: Kelvin (Apers guitar player) and me play in The Jizz Kids together with Ox and Erik from Accelerators and Mike Demon (ex-Ragin' Hormones) but since all our bands are so busy at the moment we don't do so much. For me it's all about The Apers now.
Q: how is touring and recording different in Europe than the US, and what are the pros and cons?
KA: If we tour Europe, we just pack up our little van and drive off. Europe is our country, we know the people, the customs and there's this feeling that no matter what, you can always go home. If we tour the USA, we have to buy plane tickets, go through customs, order shirts etc. It's just a bit more of a hassle, but most of the time it's worth it. I like visiting the US, it's a huge and diverse country. In Europe however, we get free drinks and food at shows, and 9 outta 10 times they take care of a sleeping place too. But in the US there's very cheap motels and Taco Bell. We'll manage, regardless the situation.
Q: what sort of bass guitar and amp do you like to use and why?
KA: I like things that go loud and don't break and sound good in a squat, a bar, a club and a stadium. Right now I play an American Fender P-bass over a B2 Ampeg with 4 x 10" plus one 15". But I'm thinking of buying a Little Mark bass amp, cause I'm lazy and they sound great!
Q: what are some of your favourite songs you have written and why?
KA: Pfff, that's a hard one. On the new record there's a song called 'Whatever It Takes' which has cool lyrics. I like the songs with funny, sharp lyrics the best. Only The Grim Reaper, Too Many Backpacks At The Show, N210.
Q: do you have any crazy tour stories you can legallly share with us?
KA: We're actually quite boring and standard. We drink, we dance, we party, smoke some weed, play Nintendo or card games and listen to music. Sometimes someone passes out, falls over or gets thrown out, but we don't mean any harm. We try to always respect other people stuff, houses and properties, and we 're also planning on living for awhile. Breaking stuff and intimidating people is for dumb, insecure macho people, and has, in my opinion, no place in punkrock.
Q: what are some other bands or artists you currently are into?
KA: Bands that I currently listen to alot are Dear Landlord, Murderburgers, Off With Their Heads, 20Belows and Roxette.
Random topic round!
Topics: converse, crocs, fanny packs and baggy-style rap clothes
KA: Converse are cool, Crocs are ugly but comfortable, Fanny Packs go great with skinny jeans and baggy-style rapclothes are perfect for around the house
Topics: mohawks, metal spikes on leather jackets, combat boots
KA: Mohawks are sexy on girls, Metal Spikes on Leather Jackets are ok, but not for the moshpit and Combat Boots are no Crocs or Converse
Topics: marijuana, espresso, airplane flights, airports
KA: Marihuana = the best thing ever, Espresso is for Italians, Airplane Flights can be fun, Airports are horrible.
Topics: discotecques, techno music, break dancing
KA: Discotecques are fun to stare at girls, techno music is not music and Break Dancing is not a crime. Leave them boys alone!
Topics: sports, olympics, the euro, the dollar
KA: Sports are fun to watch, especially Grand Slam tennis and soccer, The Olympics are even funnier when you play with Sonic & Mario. The Euro is good but things got very expensive and the Dollar is great cause we can buy our records from the US very cheap.
Thanks dude. Check out our Myspace things and get our new record from Asian Man Records.
www.myspace.com/apers
www.myspace.com/monsterzeropunkrock
www.asianmanrecords.com
Q: you've been rockin' a long time. how has the music biz and scene changed since you started and do you like or not like the changes and why?
Kevin Aper: With the whole internet and the downloading it's a different scene. It's harder to sell records, but it's easier to get in touch with people that share the same interests. We play everywhere without having to send one demo cassette. I kinda like it, it gave punkrock back it's DIY.
Q: what are your favourite beers in which countries and why?
KA: Heineken in small 25cl bottles, and the regular 33cl bottles of Hertog Jan and Brand. Because they're all fresh, crisp and easy to drink. I like easy drinking beers that are cold.
Q: do you drink other alcoholic beverages? and which ones?
KA: I like Pastis, Jägerbomb and cocktails like pina colada and cosmo's. I'm a girly drinker.
Q: the Apers garnered a huge fan following. What other bands are you currently involved with?
KA: Kelvin (Apers guitar player) and me play in The Jizz Kids together with Ox and Erik from Accelerators and Mike Demon (ex-Ragin' Hormones) but since all our bands are so busy at the moment we don't do so much. For me it's all about The Apers now.
Q: how is touring and recording different in Europe than the US, and what are the pros and cons?
KA: If we tour Europe, we just pack up our little van and drive off. Europe is our country, we know the people, the customs and there's this feeling that no matter what, you can always go home. If we tour the USA, we have to buy plane tickets, go through customs, order shirts etc. It's just a bit more of a hassle, but most of the time it's worth it. I like visiting the US, it's a huge and diverse country. In Europe however, we get free drinks and food at shows, and 9 outta 10 times they take care of a sleeping place too. But in the US there's very cheap motels and Taco Bell. We'll manage, regardless the situation.
Q: what sort of bass guitar and amp do you like to use and why?
KA: I like things that go loud and don't break and sound good in a squat, a bar, a club and a stadium. Right now I play an American Fender P-bass over a B2 Ampeg with 4 x 10" plus one 15". But I'm thinking of buying a Little Mark bass amp, cause I'm lazy and they sound great!
Q: what are some of your favourite songs you have written and why?
KA: Pfff, that's a hard one. On the new record there's a song called 'Whatever It Takes' which has cool lyrics. I like the songs with funny, sharp lyrics the best. Only The Grim Reaper, Too Many Backpacks At The Show, N210.
Q: do you have any crazy tour stories you can legallly share with us?
KA: We're actually quite boring and standard. We drink, we dance, we party, smoke some weed, play Nintendo or card games and listen to music. Sometimes someone passes out, falls over or gets thrown out, but we don't mean any harm. We try to always respect other people stuff, houses and properties, and we 're also planning on living for awhile. Breaking stuff and intimidating people is for dumb, insecure macho people, and has, in my opinion, no place in punkrock.
Q: what are some other bands or artists you currently are into?
KA: Bands that I currently listen to alot are Dear Landlord, Murderburgers, Off With Their Heads, 20Belows and Roxette.
Random topic round!
Topics: converse, crocs, fanny packs and baggy-style rap clothes
KA: Converse are cool, Crocs are ugly but comfortable, Fanny Packs go great with skinny jeans and baggy-style rapclothes are perfect for around the house
Topics: mohawks, metal spikes on leather jackets, combat boots
KA: Mohawks are sexy on girls, Metal Spikes on Leather Jackets are ok, but not for the moshpit and Combat Boots are no Crocs or Converse
Topics: marijuana, espresso, airplane flights, airports
KA: Marihuana = the best thing ever, Espresso is for Italians, Airplane Flights can be fun, Airports are horrible.
Topics: discotecques, techno music, break dancing
KA: Discotecques are fun to stare at girls, techno music is not music and Break Dancing is not a crime. Leave them boys alone!
Topics: sports, olympics, the euro, the dollar
KA: Sports are fun to watch, especially Grand Slam tennis and soccer, The Olympics are even funnier when you play with Sonic & Mario. The Euro is good but things got very expensive and the Dollar is great cause we can buy our records from the US very cheap.
Thanks dude. Check out our Myspace things and get our new record from Asian Man Records.
www.myspace.com/apers
www.myspace.com/monsterzeropunkrock
www.asianmanrecords.com
0 comments: