2009 [sic] Magazine: Interview – Afghan Whigs

Legendary 90’s band The Afghan Whigs combined their angst-rock with groove, soul and a showmanship unrivaled by their alternative music scene peers. Last month we inducted their third album proper, ‘Gentlemen’ into the [sic] Magazine Hall of fame, the ‘Classic Album Revisited’ section.

Sadly, The Whigs are no more, although they did reunite briefly in 2008 to bring us their retrospective collection ‘Unbreakable’. In Europe we at least have the opportunity to see Greg Dulli (former frontman) from time to time, performing with his Twilight Singers and Gutter Twins projects. The other members are much missed, so [sic]’s Brett Spaceman caught up with John Curley (bass player and far right in our lead photo) and Rick McCollum (guitarist and far left in photo) to talk about those compelling days, about Gentlemen plus the other acclaimed albums, and inevitably about the break up and beyond.

Brett Spaceman: For me, Gentlemen is the first moment that you guys hit upon the Whigs sound and carried it through an entire album. There were signs before, notably on Turn On The Water and Miles iz Ded (from Congregation) Did it feel that way to you too?

John Curley: It did. Gentlemen was 90% done when we went into the studio. We had already recorded demos of all the songs except Now You Know and Brother Woodrow/Closing Prayer. We had also been performing many of the songs live while touring for Congregation. We even knew what the album cover was going to look like. All of those things helped focus the sound and the songs.

Rick McCollum: It takes time for the same musicians to develop and get their own original sound so we apparently reached it at that point. It is almost extinct in today’s world of ‘solo’ artists with the package deal right there on the table to sell to the audience since no one has patience to grow with a band thru their life at all today. Also at that stage having a larger budget thru the major label allowed us to capture a better quality sounding piece of work which I never thought we hit on till then and to get a steady engineer to the table Jeff Powell, who has worked wonders after that point ..the sound we had was one from playing a lot together at that point, half way thru the Whigs existence of 7 yrs so it was obvious we could reach a coexistence with each other at that point in songwriting -it was Dark Side of the Moon.

Brett Spaceman: Did you all have similar musical loves?

John Curley: When The Afghan Whigs formed, we had a lot in common musically; the ‘classic rock’ we heard on the radio growing up. We also had individual tastes that we shared with each other. Rick was into some free jazz, experimental and Indian music. Greg’s love of Motown, hip hop and soul music is well documented. When I met those guys I had been listening to a lot of blues, new wave and punk that I heard in college. We were always competing with each other to find new music that the others hadn’t heard or unearth an unknown track by a familiar artist.

Rick McCollum: Yeah that’s definitely the reason that our sound was such a melting pot of everything we grew up from the baby boom generation alongside every original source of music available that hasn’t been retread enough now.. physically we were born the middle of the spectrum of all the pop music that exists up to today so the richness of the music was very wide in every style … it seemed it lost its way along with saturation and unoriginal ideas as the last decade has evolved and its all about the bling .. I had been into r- n –b with some friends when I started at first playing drums but also I had my rock friends .. I loved I remember distinctly at first were the cool parts of songs that made me dig those first and I think that eventually brought the riff/pop mentality to the forefront of my songwriting ..something memorable or transcendent would be suitable .. but along the way in growing up I experienced different attractions to all styles and that grew in knowledge from all of us sharing the best qualities of each of those thing s which goes with life .. we were just growing up together be it movie soundtracks thru Duke, Miles, Motown, ACDC, Dolphy, Sly, Prince, anything that seemed original and time sustaining was easier to pick out over time like a piece of clothing that u knew u loved over everything else .. hence make the best work u can and don’t be too prolific

Brett Spaceman: Rick, you’ve declared a love for Sly and Hendrix. There’s another famous Minneapolis resident musician who idolises those same two Have you ever encountered His Purple Holiness, Prince?

Rick McCollum: No, not at all .. I do like purple though

Brett Spaceman: Can we surmise that Gentlemen is a logical progression of Congregation and Black Love a further development of Gentlemen?

John Curley: I think we can. From my point of view, each record seemed like a logical procession from the previous one.

Rick McCollum: It is but it isn’t …after Uptown Avondale, with Earle leaving as one of the original members that contributed to the sound and the rest of us dispelling in different locations to live along with deadlines to continue what we started was evident that the next album became a more focused objective in a concept album that was easier to piece together in that style since it wasn’t a group of guys growing up in the same town playing music but a group of adults in a profession …it was a logical step from the Gentlemen course ‘cause the positive side of the maturity was the passion that the three of us had to get it done and not be unsuccessful at what we started .. we were unbreakable ..

Brett Spaceman: Were The Afghan Whigs a close unit? Was Gentlemen a high point or a low point?

Rick McCollum: I think so in the most passive way that unconditional love for one another can grow into from living and playing together ..it seemed like a very steady incline to that point and with the exposure that comes with a major label it was somewhat of a high point but one that wasn’t felt deserved which at this point was halfway thru our existence as a band .. there was never a low point of the band .. the train was moving ….

John Curley: We were close and we remain close. We’re family. When you’re in the middle of something, it’s impossible to know if it’s going to be the high point. Only time will tell. Low points are a lot easier to identify in the moment! The making of Gentlemen was definitely not a low point, though. We knew we had a solid collection of songs for our major label debut. Musically, the constant touring had turned us into a great band. I think we all knew we were about to do something special.

Brett Spaceman: How did The Afghan Whigs write songs?

John Curley: Most songs would start as a riff or a drum beat. We’d jam on the idea as a group and try to come up with changes and turn it into a song. Sometimes we’d record the part(s) we had and Greg would take it home to work on it. Greg always knew right away if he wanted to chase an idea. It was extremely rare that we’d work on something that didn’t actually become a song. Not every song made it on to a record but if Greg didn’t have a visceral reaction to the riff or the beat, we didn’t waste time trying to convince ourselves.

Rick McCollum: Different way depending on what evolved being a riff brought here a riff brought there a series of happening s from jamming together as a whole .. the overall direction of the song is always from the singer’s point of view if there are vocals involved so getting a riff going to inspire Greg to sing over was my contribution and a mind to mimic melody lines in the course of the dynamics was very prevalent as done with some slide guitar etc .. also , taking a solo and making it a story within a story was key .. I mean if u can remember a solo from a song then yr doing good …its back to the nursery rhyme which is the strongest message in time.

Brett Spaceman: Gentlemen is pretty heavy, suffocating stuff. What was it like on tour promoting that dark material night after night?

Rick McCollum: I never really thought of it as suffocating but I wasn’t down the other end like u were I guess .. playing music is fun and if u are playing to full houses every night there’s nothing negative about that at all ..it might have been more suffocating to Greg since he wrote the words. But its all entertainment …

John Curley: As a musician, I could appreciate playing songs with such deep content. It didn’t get boring because the emotion was always real. It took a toll on Greg and as a friend, that was hard to watch. It was personal, dark and painfully honest music.

Brett Spaceman: Was Greg battling addiction at that point?

John Curley: Probably. I kind of put my head in the sand and tried to do my job. When I read the 33 1/3 book, I learned a few things. None of us were choir boys. The traveling and exhaustion could be a grind. We all dealt with our problems as best we could. If you could get on stage and play a great show, that was what mattered. At a certain point during the Gentlemen tour, Steve Earle was no longer able to do that.

Rick McCollum: Y’ kno, everyone has addictions in every form and that’s what makes each individual an original specimen not just Greg

Brett Spaceman: Gentlemen is clearly a very personal record and listeners will invariably experience that aspect through Gregs viewpoint. But what about you? What were you going through at the time? In other words, from your point of view were there similar (or other) factors influencing your contribution to that record?

Rick McCollum: I honestly can’t remember what was going on 15 years ago … I was growing up playing in my first band as I was growing up with these guys as friends too so a lot of doubt, a lot of trust, and a lot of wandering thru dark caves were prevalent as I shined some moments of brilliance which was my conduit at that time – it takes a long time to catch on to everything in life but I master it with a very clear picture in the end looking back.

John Curley: Greg and I will joke that he is Kirk and I am Spock. Kirk is impulsive, mercurial and passionate. Spock is unemotional, logical and quiet. Obviously, these are caricatures. Greg has a firm grasp of logic. I can be quite moody. I can’t really remember what was going on on my life at that point. The Afghan Whigs were a big part of it. I got married to my wife in Feb. 1993. We had been together for 7 years. We are still together. I guess my point is that I spend my life trying to avoid situations that would provide me with the kind of experiences that would inspire a record like Gentlemen. I watched Greg live through it and then I watched him turn it into a record. I’m in awe of that. It’s something I could never do but I’m glad I was part of it.

Brett Spaceman: I recall a comment by Greg along the lines of – he only wrote his own songs because his voice wasn’t up to Motown standards. If his pipes had been better he would have happily covered Soul classics his entire career. Were you all in agreement over the songs that the Whigs did cover?

John Curley: I thought Greg was joking about a Supremes cover the first time he mentioned it. The Temple was my introduction to Jesus Christ Superstar which is one of my favorite albums to this day. I learned early on that Greg had pretty good taste and if he wanted to cover a song there was a good reason for it even if it wasn’t immediately apparent.

Rick McCollum: Yeah I liked that music as much as any other music out there and his voice is perfect for that ..

Brett_Spaceman: Black Love is a colossal achievement. Do you think of it as your masterpiece? Did it get its dues from the critics?

Rick McCollum: No its not our masterpiece but it sounds like it’s the cool underrated one that got away .. it didn’t get it’s dues probably cause they didn’t know how to push it but that occurred at the same time as the merger of the labels so the support had dwindled .. and critics are just opinions of people who get paid to do so and may not even be musicians at all but that album definitely didn’t get the props it deserved.

John Curley: I really like Black Love. At times, it has been my favorite AW record. It has some of my favorite songs on it: Crime Scene Pt. 1, Faded and Blame. Did we get our props? I would have to say yes. The people that liked our band loved it. We had, and continue to have, passionate fans. I only ever saw a couple bad reviews. We never broke through commercially but we definitely got our props.

Brett Spaceman: And then with 1965 your sound became a lot more commercial. Were those songs and those gigs as fun to play as they looked? What caused that shift in direction?

John Curley: The songs on 1965 were great fun to play live. We played every song on 1965 live at one point or another. The shift in direction was a natural one. We knew we wanted to make a party record so we relocated to New Orleans to write and record. Greg was already living there. Rick, drummer Michael Horrigan and I were there for about 10 months. Another great thing about the 1965 tour was that we had a deep well from which to draw when it came to choosing songs. Being able to change the set list from night to night helped keep the shows fresh.

Rick McCollum: Well personally I think we put out the best album with 1965 it captured all the nuances that we adopted in writing songs together thru our whole life and we finished it properly with the best work ..it wasn’t a shift in any direction ..it was a logical step we meant and that was to make a pop album that was timeless and had the best quality throughout and we accomplished that which I’m proud of .. every album before that u could’ve written off a couple of songs from each of them … this one u couldn’t .

Brett Spaceman: And then the split – which I gather was mainly due to Geography, right?

Rick McCollum: It was due to that which leant to everyone having to live their own lives which goes along with age and maturity .. change is good , like death ,which Ive learned thru my life.. it can lead to the next step of the big picture and it only makes everyone better individually and best of friends ..

John Curley: Geography was one of the main reasons we called it quits. Looking back on it, I think we were also running out of gas as a creative unit. People were ready to move on. I had become a father in Feb. 2000 and the idea of leaving for months at a time was unbearable. It’s funny because we had “broken up” a dozen times. Everyone had been fired. Everyone had quit at some point or another. When we actually broke up for real, it was friendly and respectful. And sad, of course.

There was a TV show a couple years ago where they would reunite bands that had broken up. Most of the bands had a couple members that hadn’t spoken in years. Most of them couldn’t remember why they broke up. I remember thinking what a drag that would be – to have spent so much time together and shared so many experiences and not be able to remember it without being angry or bitter.

Brett Spaceman: Do you remain in touch with each other? Were there any discussions about re-uniting to promote Unbreakable? Could The Afghan Whigs ever play together again?

Rick McCollum: Not as much as I like but we do stay in touch if a comet flies by … No there has not been talk of reuniting and it won’t happen .. it was good to see each other during those recording sessions but time has moved on and other priorities exist .. I enjoyed every minute with those guys when we played and it was an astounding amount of time we held it together but just enough in the scheme of things and I will take that to my grave but its time to move on …

John Curley: We stay in touch. I spoke to Greg on his birthday a week ago. Rick just sent me his new CD. Michael lives here in Cincinnati so I see him all the time. He plays bass in a band called The Hiders. Will The Afghan Whigs ever play together again? I don’t know. There’s no reason why not. We’re all happy with what we’re doing so it hasn’t been a priority for us.

Brett Spaceman: Tell us about your latest projects? What are the intentions there and what can Afghan Whigs fans expect from Moon Maan and Staggering Statistics?

Rick McCollum: Well Moon Maan has been around for 5 years now so its not new .. we’ve had one cd out two years ag,o,just released a few new songs a few months ago digitally on Itunes so all our stuff is out there … the first line-up was a four piece with two bass players and a lead guitarist who all left after the first cd three new songs were recorded last year as a duo with Erik Mathison on drums and now currently have a new bass player, Rashard to hopefully take this into the next full length in mind to record in the fall as a trio …

John Curley: Staggering Statistics ended about 2 years ago. We began in late 2003. Most of our shows were in Cincinnati. We did a short midwest stint opening for the Violent Femmes. Ultimately, we weren’t able to muster the energy (buy a van, tour constantly) to get to the next level and it became difficult to sustain creative momentum. Comparing The Afghan Whigs and Staggering Statistics, I would say my role as bass player was different in each band. In the Gentlemen-era Afghan Whigs, I felt like I was riding three runaway mustangs. Rick, Greg and Steve played furiously so I tried to find bass parts that would help hold it all together. As The Afghan Whigs evolved, I found a little more room to improvise. Greg and Rick have such unique guitar styles so I was trying to write bass parts that would provide a context for what they were doing. The Staggering Statistics began as a three-piece. Our guitar player wasn’t into solos so I took over that role. Later, Staggering Statistics added a 4th and I had to reign it back in a bit.

Brett Spaceman: I was surprised when I first heard Staggering Statistics. It’s quite lo-fi and art-rocky. Not unlike Pavement. I don’t know why but I was expecting something more bluesy.

John Curley: Staggering Statistics got the Pavement comparison a lot. We all liked Pavement so that’s OK, I guess. Most people can’t talk about music without comparing it to something else. People struggled to find comparisons for The Afghan Whigs. Maybe that worked against us commercially? Now, I see bands being compared to The Afghan Whigs.

Brett Spaceman: What now? What next?

John Curley: Staggering Statistics’ final CD, “I’m Thinking About Changing”, never got released but you can download it for free at www.staggeringstatistics.com

Unless something really special comes along, I’m probably done with playing in bands for a while. I have a recording studio in Cincinnati called Ultrasuede Studio where I record and produce a lot of great bands and talented artists. It’s creatively rewarding. My wife and I have 2 girls in grade school and I get to spend a lot of quality time with them. I still play bass for fun and sometimes in the studio on other people’s songs. I’m also trying to learn how to play drums and piano.

Brett Spaceman: And Moon Maan?

Rick McCollum: Right now finally have a stable force on bass to hopefully continue this project as a trio in recording the next full length over this fall .. stay tuned ‘cause it’s the tip of the iceberg ..

[sic] Magazine wish to thank John and Rick. Further information on Moon Maan and Staggering Statistics can be accessed from the links below. The retrospective Afghan Whigs collection ‘Unbreakable’ is available now on Rhino Recordings. Finally the excellent Summers Kiss release their Afghan Whigs tribute compilation very soon. Keep watching.

The band performed at the Know Theater in Cincinnati on May 11. Look for album release details soon.

The Staggering Statistics, “All of This and More”: The Staggering Statistics power trio, featuring former Afghan Whigs bassist John Curley along with vocalist/songwriter Austin Brown and Joe Klug (drums), has honed a solid neo-grunge sound, rich in texture. It’s modern, yet with plenty of classic rock flashbacks, feedback and usually in-your-face sonic guitar.

Staggering Statistics and Wussy will be performing Dec 1 at Little Brothers in Columbus, OH.

Wussy will be recording their new album with John Curley at Ultrasuede in Cincinnati. Be sure to head over to Wussy’s myspace page for more info on what the band is up to (and check out their player, will ya?).

This week’s victim: John Curley

1. How long have you been playing music?

Since I was about 15. That’s when I got my first bass. I had played clarinet in the school band and taken a few guitar lessons in grade school but I didn’t really stick with it until I got the bass.

2. What instruments do you play?

I can play a little bit of guitar, a little less keyboard and keep a beat on drums.

3. What instruments do you wish you played?

Piano and drums.

4. What was your first musical memory?

I can remember asking my mom to write out the lyrics to songs I liked when I was about 5 years old. My parents always had music on in the house and in the car. The first song I ever taped for myself was Changes by David Bowie. I used to stay up late and make cassettes of my favorite songs off the radio.

5. What was your first album you bought?

I think it was Earth, Wind and Fire Greatest Hits Vol. 1. I bought it at the drug store because the real record store was too far away to get to on my bike.

6. What was your first concert?

Aerosmith ’77.

7. If this were a confessional, what would you confess?
I like TV more than music.

8. What album do you own that would ruin your indie credibility?

Jesus Christ Superstar.

9. Which curse word are you partial to?

Fuck. Shit is a close second. Fuck is just more versatile. And more offensive, which is what you want in a curse word, right?

10. If you could be any superhero, who would it be?

Ziggy Stardust.

11. Do you have any kind of theory on staying underground versus “selling out”?

No, not really. For one thing, the term “sell out” is so subjective anyway. What does that even mean? I think most bands/artists/writers would love to get their work in front of as many people as possible and make a little money, too. There’s nothing wrong with that. I get grossed out by people like Avril, Ashlee and the new so-called punk bands that seem like they were created by marketing departments for the sole purpose of moving units. The “why take a chance on something original when we can squeeze out another Goo Goo Dolls” attitude is what really bugs me.

12. In which global city where you have performed, was the most amazing experience and why?

Isn’t Cincinnati global? Does it matter if the airport is in KY? Because I’ve had some pretty great experiences playing here. As far as other cities go, I’m pretty lucky to have had a lot of great experiences all over the world. I can’t really narrow it down to one, though and even a small list would probably be pretty cheesy…

13. Devoid of time or death which artist would you have record at Ultrasuede Studios?

The Kinks.

14. What is the weirdest reaction you ever got from a fan?

The first time I saw a band cover a Whigs’ song was pretty weird, but in a good way.

15. What is your pre-gig ritual?

Ideally, it would be a couple hours of video games. It’s like bulk erasing your brain. When the show starts, there’s nothing on your mind and you can fill it all up with music. Austin’s van came from a TV station so it has all the racks and gear for doing TV news. I’m trying to get him to put a PS2 in there.

16. What should a crowd expect at a STAGGERING STATISTICS show?

Something ridiculous. (I was stuck on this question – trying too hard to say something cool or something so I asked our drummer, Joe. He said, “Say something ridiculous.”)

17. What venue in Cincinnati is your favorite to perform?

The Jockey Club?

18. What is the one thing you would change about the local scene?

If Cincinnati were a dance, there’d be no one on the dance floor and everybody would be bitching about how lame it is that no ever dances around here. Then, some poor S.O.B. would venture out onto the floor and everyone would stand around making fun of them.

19. Name a few of your favorite non-Cincinnati Bands.

In no particular order: Twilight Singers, GBV, Shesus, Tough & Lovely, RC Mob (RIP).

20. Name a few of your favorite Cincinnati Bands.

Again, in no particular order: Greenhornes, Culture Queer, Ruby Vileos, Thee Shams, Derrick Sanderson, Tigerlillies, Wolverton Bros., Ass Ponys, Sistern, Fairmount Girls, Heevahava, Pearline, Chalk, Hogscraper, Keynote Speaker, David Enright, Campfire Crush, Ricky Nye, Mallory, Sundresses and I’m sure I will remember 20 more once I hit “send”. RIP: Roundhead, Radiolaria, Ditchweed, Schwah, Dock Ellis…

Interview By Ericka McIntyre

Cincinnati Citybeat

“When you’re picking (band) names, you don’t want your name to be better than your band,” John Curley quips when I ask him where the clever moniker for his latest project came from.

Curley (former bassist of the Afghan Whigs and owner of Ultrasuede Studios), along with Austin Brown (guitar, vocals) and Joe Klug (drums) make up the alliteratively-named Rock trio The Staggering Statistics. And they do not have to worry: They are every bit as good and better than their name.

I hate to admit it, but the first time I heard this band (they’ve been playing shows together since the fall of 2003), I didn’t dislike them, but I didn’t necessarily love them, either. But there was one weekend in August when something finally just clicked. They played back-to-back shows on a Friday and Saturday night. I was lucky enough to witness the first one and was completely riveted. I was not alone. By Sunday, my inbox was full of e-mail saying, “Wow, did you catch the Staggering Statistics this weekend?!?”

Maybe this reaction makes sense. Curley says, “All the music that I really like the most and the stuff that I’ve listened to the longest is stuff that it took me a while to like, that I didn’t like at first.”

At any rate, the band is gaining momentum. They played 2004′s MidPoint Music Festival and have scored gigs with The Twilight Singers and The Von Bondies.

They’ve also released an eponymous (and very good) debut CD. It’s bound to be the first of many. When I sit down with the band to get their story, Curley tells me, “Austin showed up to practice tonight saying he’s writing songs for the third record.”

“The third record? Where’s the second record?” I ask.

Curley laughs. “Exactly!”

Brown is a prolific songwriter and writes all the band’s lyrics. The music, he tells me, is more collaborative. “I bring in some mild structures and everything (the music) ends up being — everything that’s good about it, the dynamics — all that is dictated by how we end up playing it together,” he says. “To me that’s what a song is all about.”

Brown is truly fun to watch live. He beams from the first song in the set to the last and Klug and Curley back him up with intense energy (not to mention incredible musicianship). For Brown, it isn’t about being Mr. Indie Cool Hipster Rock Guy; he’s truly laying it on the line up there. His lyrics are very personal and clever, and he performs them with his heart and guts, whether to a packed house or a sparsely populated room.

“I would much rather play to 20 people (who are into it),” Brown says, “than be in New York and play to 60 people who are supposed to be cool — like A&R reps or angels or cool people or whatever — and have them fucking ignore me.”

When I ask the band their thoughts on the state of music in Cincinnati, Curley says, “Cincinnati is the kind of place where there’s just a finite amount of people that are going to come to see stuff, to support, to really be the foundation of any kind of scene.”

“And thank God for that!” Brown adds. “Everywhere else I’ve lived, bigger cities with bigger music scenes, you just end up with a bunch of people that are there to be seen, and they’re not interested in the music.”

“I think Cincinnati is a great place to do art,” Curley continues, “(but) it’s a bad place to be an artist. Because you can live here cheaply and stay under the radar, do your own thing, but once you try to go out and get some support for it … you almost have to take it out of town and have it be cool somewhere else before people here really accept it.”

While that might be true, I have the feeling the Statistics will be playing to more packed houses here soon. As good as they are they don’t need to take their act anywhere else to make it “cool.” It already is.

By Chris Varias
The Enquirer

When John Curley fired Greg Dulli from the Afghan Whigs he couldn’t make it stick.

“We fired each other a couple of times, but all the fiery band breakups never lasted more than a couple weeks,” Curley recalls when asked about the dissolution of perhaps the biggest rock band ever to come out of Cincinnati. “The adult conversation was the one that lasted.”

That conversation began in the spring of 2000, when the Whigs regrouped to begin working on a follow-up to what would prove to be the band’s final record, 1965, released in 1998. Curley had a wife and infant daughter at home, and the idea of entering into another cycle of recording and nonstop touring had little appeal to the bassist.

“The band was a 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week commitment. It was time to do other stuff, which in my case meant being a dad,” Curley says.

Since the end of the Whigs, Curley’s twin pursuits have been family life and Ultrasuede, his Camp Washington studio where he has recorded critically lauded albums by the Greenhornes, Shesus and several other local bands. However, Curley’s desire to play music never subsided; he just wasn’t interested in the grind of living on the road.

“I talked to (Ass Ponys drummer) Dave Morrison a couple of years ago about playing, nothing more than getting together with friends, drinking a few beers, and having fun, and we started playing with Austin Brown. Dave’s pretty busy, he has a kid, so me and Austin kept doing it,” Curley says.

Curley and Brown – a guitarist and prolific songwriter who seems to have been playing in about a half-dozen bands at any given time over the last five years – picked Dave Cahill as Morrison’s replacement and named the trio Staggering Statistics. The jam sessions yielded songs, which in turn led to local club dates.

“It spirals away from you,” Curley says. “Even if your goal is informal, sooner or later you begin writing songs that you want to play for other people. Then there’s a little thought in your mind: we could get signed (to a record deal). You stand in the room with ether long enough and you start getting overcome by the fumes.”

Brown says everyone entered into the band without grand aspirations for what it could be, which has helped the music. “I’ve always tried to over-think the things I’ve written in the past. Everything here is about having fun as opposed to reinventing the wheel,” he says.

Staggering Statistics, whose current lineup features Joe Klug on drums, recently recorded its debut CD at Ultrasuede. Brown says he expects to have burned copies, if not the finished product, ready for Friday’s double bill with the Fairmount Girls at Northside Tavern (10:30 p.m.; 4163 Hamilton Ave.; 513-542-3603; 21 and up; no cover).