Matador Lounge Interview: Bob Carlton of the Sixfifteens

The Sixfifteens, at their relatively young age, have already been compared to such greats as Sonic Youth and Mission of Burma. Made from the remains of the Saratoga Springs based band Dryer, the Sixfifteens are currently on tour and released their first EP on April 20th, titled Let's Not Think About It. For more info on The Sixfifteens, visit their website at www.thesixfifteens.com.

BBBob: Is the debut EP by the Sixfifteens going to sound anything like old school Dryer, or is this a new sound?

Bob Carlton: I guess there's one song that sounds a little bit like Dryer. Since Yesterday is probably that song. The rest of the CD are songs that start to take us into a different direction. Especially Dusk and Dawn and Auto-Stop. The Sixfifteens are much more aggressive than Dryer and I think the song writing is much stronger.

BBBob: You've been compared a lot in reviews and articles as sounding like Daydream Nation era Sonic Youth. Was Sonic Youth a big inspiration to the band?

Sonic Youth has always been one of my favorite bands. So of course they are an inspiration. There was a moment at the beginning when we were trying to figure out what direction we wanted to go. Through natural evolution, the band just sort of steered itself into that noisy/indie rock sound.

BBBob: If you had to choose one song from the EP to be the single, which song would you choose?

Bob Carlton:If I had to choose a song, I would choose Dusk and Dawn. I think that song really represents the direction the band is heading.

BBBob: If you were trapped on an island and could only bring one album and a stereo with you, what album would you bring?

Bob Carlton:That's easy. I would bring Wilco's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. I could listen to that record over and over.

BBBob: Have you heard the new Wilco album?

Bob Carlton:Yes... it's great.

BBBob: It is.

Bob Carlton:It's a positive step backwards if that makes any sense.

BBBob: It makes sense.

Bob Carlton:It's just so hard to really follow up YHF. I think the band knew it and decided to make a rocker. YHF was as close to genius you could get. (In my opinion). I think any attempt to follow that up with another YHF would have been a disaster. It's sounds like Summerteeth meets AM.

BBBob: With a little Uncle Tupelo thrown in.

Bob Carlton:Definitely some Uncle Tupelo.

BBBob: Any plans for a full length album if the EP is successful?

Bob Carlton:We are actually planning the next recording. We hope to start recording at the end of summer with a winter release. We'd like to have the full length out by end of fall/early winter.

BBBob: What do you think of the Pixies reuniting?

Bob Carlton:I think it's the most amazing thing to ever happen. I'm a huge fan of theirs and when I started to hear the rumors I didn't believe it. But to see it actually happen is amazing. I only hope I get a chance to go. When I was in Dryer, we opened for Frank Black. That was great.

BBBob: You did?

Bob Carlton:It was cool. Frank Black was super nice.

BBBob: Anything interesting happen during the show?

Bob Carlton:Actually yes. There was fist fight between the bass player and some guy in the audience I was video taping the show. I looked down for a split second, looked back up and the band was gone. I later found out that while I was looking down, some guy from the audience was saying shit to the bass player. He then jumped up on stage and he and the bass player fought for a minute until the bouncers dragged him off stage and threw him out. The reason I was looking down was because something was wrong with the camera. It just stopped working. So I knelt down to fix it, got it working and missed everything. So I don't even have the fight on tape.

BBBob: That sucks.

Bob Carlton:Yeah... but it's a funny story.

BBBob: Definitely.

Bob Carlton:But that's my Frank Black story.

BBBob: Do you think that Liz Phair has sold out?

BBBob: Ok.

Bob Carlton:Hey... she has to live with herself.

BBBob: True. Very true. What Cd's are on consistent rotation in your stereo lately?

Bob Carlton:Right now I'm listening to Sleater-Kinney's ONE BEAT...a lot! I didn't appreciate that band until recently. Now I can't get enough of them. We're leaving on tour next week and I'm starting to think about what CD's I plan on bringing. I think I'm only going to bring that one.Their songs are so powerful.

BBBob: The internet... good or bad?

Bob Carlton:That's tough. It's a little of both. Some people abuse it, so in that case it's bad. But the internet is a great resource for information. So in that case, it's good. It's great if you're a small band on a small indie label.

BBBob: Like the sixfifteens?

Bob Carlton:Yes. The internet has been great for us. We've been able to get our music to people all over the world.

BBBob:Cool.

Bob Carlton:Yeah, we fully support file sharing.

BBBob: Where did the band's name come from?

Bob Carlton:I use to have a job that ended at 6:15. I thought it was stupid time to get out. But I liked how it sounded. When I was in Dryer I always said, If I ever start another band, I'm calling it The Sixfifteens.

BBBob: Is MTV good for the music industry?

Bob Carlton:No, it's probably the worst thing out there. I really blame MTV for the destruction of music. People stopped going to shows when MTV started up. Why leave the house to see a band when I can sit home and get it pumped into my television?

BBBob: Good point.

Bob Carlton:And once Nirvana started appearing on MTV... live music just died. Kids stopped going out to check out things on their own. They started to rely on MTV. but I think things are changing now. People are sick of bands like Blink 182 and Hoobastank.

BBBob: Or Puddle of Mudd... yechhhh.

Bob Carlton:Yeah... I fucking hate puddle of mudd.

BBBob: Do you think Nirvana was good for music?

Bob Carlton:Again, yes and no. I think Nirvana helped bring underground rock to the surface. Making it possible for smaller bands to get more exposure. But at the same time. You know have old ladies singing Weezer songs. People were relieved when Nirvana kicked hair metal in the ass and made it go away. Ironically..one of the biggest bands right now are The Darkness...a hair metal band. So it's all comes full circle. It won't be long until the next "nirvana" will come along and people will go nuts about how they are changing the face of music. Eminem. Elvis... Nirvana. The Beatles.

BBBob: Where does Eminem fit in there?

Bob Carlton:All of these bands made parents question the future of our children.

BBBob: Who's do you think will be the next Nirvana?

Bob Carlton:The Troggs. And hopefully The Sixfifteens.

BBBob: Hopefully. Thanks for doing this interview with the lounge.

Bob Carlton:Thanks. Have a good night.

The Matador Lounge thinks that the Sixfifteens rock and wishes them all the best. Thanks to Bob Carlton for taking the time to grant us this interview. Anyone who hates Puddle of Mudd is a-ok in our book.

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