Q&A with Tapes ‘n Tapes’
Josh Grier

Indie rock mainstays Tapes ‘n Tapes are coming to Madison this Friday to play live on King Street for what will probably be one of their only shows in 2013. After releasing their excellent third record, 2011’s Outside, and with a few side projects, the Minneapolis-based quartet have taken a break from touring and the band’s exact future plans are still a bit of a mystery.

I had an opportunity to speak with lead singer and guitarist Josh Grier on a balmy Independence Day weekend evening about his approach to festival shows, band comparisons, and how the world could use more good old-fashioned rock ‘n’ roll.

What’s the story behind the band’s name and each member being named after a word in the band’s name?
“The short version is that way back in the day we used to be a three-piece and it made a lot of sense then. We were kind of jokingly like, I was Tapes, another guy was ‘n, and another guy was Tapes, too. It was a fun kind of alter-ego thing or whatever. Then we became a four-piece and we had to have two ‘ns and it just didn’t make a lot of sense. But it’s always kind of fun to breed culture confusion around bands.”

Do you feel like the band has grown or changed as a result of your various side projects?
“Well, Tapes, we haven’t been very active lately because everybody’s been doing their own thing, so (Friday) will be the first time that we play since I’ve been playing with Ginkgo and it should be a lot of fun. I see all the dudes around and we hang out so I don’t think anything will be different in that aspect.

“Really, for the most part doing another thing was just kind of a way for me to explore some new things and try to challenge myself in different ways. All the guys in the band, they all knew that we’d do our own thing too. Jeremy (Hanson) has a bunch of other people he plays with so it’s kind of just one of those things where it’s like, ‘OK, I’m going to do this thing now’ and it’s like, ‘Alright, cool whatever.’ I think obviously, in any situation where you kind of go for new things you’re going to grow as a musician and a person. Playing with other people in live settings with Ginkgo has definitely been something very different. I’ve played with Tapes, being in a band setting, for like the last 10 years. It’s something that can’t hurt anything to sort of expand your horizons and have some fun with things.”

Do you prepare for festivals any differently than you do regular shows?
“For festivals, it’s a different vibe. It’s one thing when you have people who are coming specifically to see you and you’re indoors or even in a more organized setting where it’s kind of like, this is your show and folks are coming to see that, as opposed to when you’re doing a festival and there are other bands.

“I don’t know, there’s just something different about it. I enjoy both of those things but it’s fun to have a mix of them. It’s just like the age-old question of ‘Which do you like better, recording or playing live?’ I think for festivals, to me, it’s really fun because I feel less pressure. You kind of just show up and play whatever you want since there are other bands that are playing, too, that people are coming to see, so just have fun with it. Not that it’s not fun at a venue, it’s just more low pressure and everyone’s out there to have a good time — especially something like [Live on King Street] where it’s outdoors, summer, street type of thing. I saw pictures from the last couple years and it looks like a blast, so I’m really looking forward to it.”

Over the years Tapes ‘n Tapes have been compared to a lot of great artists like Pavement and Pixies. Which bands do you most appreciate being compared to and do you ever feel like people get it completely wrong?
“You know, it’s funny, like honestly I’ve always tried to not pay too much attention to that stuff so the comparisons really haven’t stuck too much in my mind. But oddly, as I’ve been in a band longer and I kind of feel like I’ve grown up and played more around, I definitely feel like… originally when I was younger as a musician and we were just getting started I was like, ‘We’re our own sound so don’t compare us to these other bands.’ Now that I’m older, though, I actually feel like those are pretty flattering. Like, if somebody’s comparing you to somebody, that’s probably a flattering thing.

“For the most part, I can’t remember all of the bands that we’ve been compared to but obviously I love Pavement; they’re a great band. Pretty much anybody I love that someone compares us to I’d probably be like, ‘Sure that’s awesome!’ And for those we don’t like it’s just, ‘Oh that sucks, I don’t now how they hear that.’ I think the weirdest thing is there’ve been a couple times where people tell us, ‘Oh yeah you guys sound like this band,’ and it’s weird because I’ve never heard them. Obviously that’s just when there’s something in the air and there’s musical vibes floating around.”

What’s the best concert you last went to?
“About a month ago I went to go see Palma Violets when they came through town. It was a great just rock ‘n’ roll show. There’s so much digital music out in the world these days which, you know, no disrespect to digital music — I think there’s just beautiful and wonderful electronic and other digital music out there — but it doesn’t seem like there’s as many punk bands or just rock ‘n’ roll bands with like, live visceral energy. Seeing Palma Violets, they’re just a rock ‘n’ roll band who do not give a shit about anything and it was awesome. I think the more of that there is in the world, I’ll be happier.”

What can fans expect from Tapes ‘n Tapes going forward?
“We aren’t really making any plans right now, so I think probably expect the unexpected. We’re all good buddies and like playing music together so I wouldn’t count anything out. Since we don’t really have anything planned at the moment, if anyone wants to see us they should make their way to Madison.”