During my interview with Mark Ryan from Mind Spiders, he asked why his music was now receiving all this national attention. As in, more attention than the Marked Men and more than when Mind Spiders' first record came out.
I explained to him about the nature of how music critics don't want to be the dreaded last to cover a buzzed-about act. This happens every year, and it always creates this sense of something bigger than it really is.
With my exposure to Mind Spiders, it started last fall when fellow writer Darryl Smyers raved about them to me. Claiming that Mark Ryan was a crazy frontman, I was curious. Fast forward to January and Audra and I kicked around ideas for upcoming features. I expressed an interest in writing one on Nervous Curtains, as I've seen the band develop over the years. Audra wanted to write a story on them, so she asked if I wanted to write a story on Mind Spiders. I said I was game, but I needed a crash course on them. I listened to Meltdown and had some topics in my head about what I wanted to ask Mark.
My conversation went very well, and the results are in the story I wrote. Like all my features, I tried to write a definitive story about a local band. As in, represent a band from the DFW area, but talk about why they're special and worthwhile. Sometimes acts catch fire around the nation and world. Many others don't, but that doesn't diminish their greatness.
It's great to see mentions of Meltdown in Spin and the A.V. Club and a pretty nice review in Pitchfork. But I know that when I see Mark again, it will be the same Mark, probably talking about the new songs he's written and when a new Mind Spiders record will be out.
I explained to him about the nature of how music critics don't want to be the dreaded last to cover a buzzed-about act. This happens every year, and it always creates this sense of something bigger than it really is.
With my exposure to Mind Spiders, it started last fall when fellow writer Darryl Smyers raved about them to me. Claiming that Mark Ryan was a crazy frontman, I was curious. Fast forward to January and Audra and I kicked around ideas for upcoming features. I expressed an interest in writing one on Nervous Curtains, as I've seen the band develop over the years. Audra wanted to write a story on them, so she asked if I wanted to write a story on Mind Spiders. I said I was game, but I needed a crash course on them. I listened to Meltdown and had some topics in my head about what I wanted to ask Mark.
My conversation went very well, and the results are in the story I wrote. Like all my features, I tried to write a definitive story about a local band. As in, represent a band from the DFW area, but talk about why they're special and worthwhile. Sometimes acts catch fire around the nation and world. Many others don't, but that doesn't diminish their greatness.
It's great to see mentions of Meltdown in Spin and the A.V. Club and a pretty nice review in Pitchfork. But I know that when I see Mark again, it will be the same Mark, probably talking about the new songs he's written and when a new Mind Spiders record will be out.
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