Interviews: Nightbird Casino

On this new occasion, we have had the opportunity to interview the Rock band, Nightbird Casino from the USA. Check out the interview and follow the band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

1. Where did you get the idea for the band name, you planned it or came out just like that?

Honestly, there’s no exciting story behind it... we wrote down a bunch of words on a napkin. We liked the idea of “adjective noun” but otherwise there wasn’t any specific meaning. Just a bunch of words in a proverbial hat and “nightbird” and “casino” sounded cool together. Since then people have pointed out that “nightbird” could be a reference to the semi-gothic nature of our sound, and I’ll take that but it wasn’t planned.

2. Why did you want to play this genre?

Well, our music doesn’t necessarily fall into one specific genre – I mean, at its core, it’s rock – but we dabble in everything from post-punk to electronica. I guess really we play the music we want to hear. We all like a lot of the same music but we also have some widely varied tastes, and I think we just combine our different tastes to create music we’d all enjoy listening to.

3. Did you know each other before the band was formed?

Yes and no. I (James, guitar/vocals) knew Amanda (keys/ondes Martenot) for quite sometime before because we’re married, so in that respect, yeah we knew each other. Oliver (drums) and Landon (bass) we found through Craigslist ads actually.

4. Each band member's favorite band?

James – Radiohead

Oliver – Spoon

Amanda – M83

Landon - Radiohead

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

I think we’d all give slightly different answers, but knowing my bandmates, I’m going to say we’re all inspired by real life, current events, the people we know, the interactions we have, our dreams (both literal and figurative), and of course by the music we’re listening to.

6. Where was your last gig?

At The Haul, in Grants Pass, Oregon.

7. Where would you like to perform?

Austin City Limits, Lollapalooza ... a festival of that type would be amazing. 

8. Whom would you like to perform with?

I think we’d all agree that it would be an incredible honor to share the stage with any of the bands who inspire us – especially those in the same-ish genre – Radiohead, Spoon, M83, Interpol, etc.

9. Whom not?

Smash Mouth – yes, I am officially starting beef with Smash Mouth. 

10. Have any of you has ever suffered from stage fright? Any tip for beginners on how to beat that?

Oh yeah, definitely! I’m sure we all have. The first show I ever played – this was years ago with a different band – I felt fine until we got on stage. Those moments between stepping on stage and playing the first few notes were pants-shittingly scary. My heart was racing, my vision was blurry ... but somehow I powered through it and once we started playing I was okay. Every show after that got easier. My advice would be to remember that the audience almost certainly won’t notice if you make a mistake. They’re there to see live music, not perfection. That isn’t to say don’t practice but don’t be so scared of making a mistake that you don’t try. You WILL make mistakes, and you might notice, but the audience won’t. 

11. What bands have inspired you the most?

Aside from the bands I’ve already mentioned, I’m inspired by a lot of 80s shoegaze and post-punk – I think the rest of the band would agree with this to some degree as well – Bauhaus, MBV, Ride, The Smiths, Lush, Slowdive, Sonic Youth ... all that. For me personally, a lot of music you might not expect. Future Islands, Deftones, Elbow, Filter ...

12. What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you for?

I guess for me to show them my tits – seemed like the reverse of how that should go.

13. What do you think of your fans?

Anyone who’s listening to our music is fucking amazing!

14. What do you think of our site?

Pretty dope, great to see sites like this representing lesser-known bands and artists.