Kevin did DMT.

Joe did the dishes.

Let’s go talk to Joe now. Hi there Joe! Whatcha doin’?

Joe DeNardo: I’m making eggs. Is that OK?

Sure! Kevin had DMT and now you’ll have some eggs!

Joe: That’s pretty much how it goes. That’s the split right there.

So you’re not as much of a “wild man” as Kevin?

Joe: Well, I’ve never tripped before. Someday I’d like to try, but not during an interview. Plus I don’t think I’d want to do it in this house. I have weird feelings about this space sometimes.

Really? But it’s so cool here. It’s a converted garage in the middle of nowhere.

Joe: There was a long time when we didn’t have the skylight. There was no light in the entire place. We just put that skylight in about a year ago. Before that, we had no windows at all. We’re walled in on all sides.

Kevin: It doesn’t affect me so much, but when we first moved here, there were five of us, and you could see how the no-light would affect people differently. Dennis split right away, he was really unhappy.

I guess I could see it getting claustrophobic.

Joe: When you’re in your room, trying to work—I never even thought about it before, but your eyes tend to go to windows as an escape, and when you don’t have that, well, it makes me anxious.

Your music is very trippy in a way that would be conducive to doing DMT, which is why we wanted you to do it in the first place. Do you think of your music as psychedelic?

Kevin: I can see how people would take it that way, but it’s funny because we’re not the most psychedelic dudes in our personal life.

Joe: I’m not at all.

Kevin: Really we’re just alcoholics.

That’s surprising because your music is so not alcoholic sounding. It’s repetitious and precise. With alcohol, you think of, like, sloppy rock and roll.

Joe: I don’t care about drugs at all one way or another, but I know a lot of people who listen to us do and they value us in that way. And that’s cool, but, I dunno, I don’t want people to listen to us just because they’re fucked up.

Drats! Well, I also listen to your stuff a lot at work because it works as white noise and on top of that there’s something about it that’s hypnotizes me into being able to concentrate on writing and editing. So it’s good for work too. Drugs and work.

Kevin: Yeah, they’re similar, especially if you’re working creatively.

What about when you play live, what’s your mind frame?

Joe: This is an unfortunate thing, but I found that I have to be drunk to enjoy it. The last few years, when I play sober, I feel like I’m struggling to get into it.

Kevin: Yeah, there’s a certain looseness that drinking provides. I think both of us are quietly anal dudes—

Joe: Quietly?

Kevin: Or not so quietly. So if we’re not wasted when we’re playing, we tend to overanalyze every fucking second of it, like “Is this boring? Is this fun?” As opposed to “Wagh! Let’s just have a good time!”

You guys are a two-man band. What are some other two-man bands you enjoy?

Kevin: Suicide. Daft Punk.

Joe: Early Kraftwerk was just the two guys.

Did you specifically want to be a duo?

Kevin: No, not at all. We looked for a third guy but I guess it’s like that Huey Lewis song, “I’m so happy to be stuck with you.”

Ha, you guys are like Bert and Ernie.

Kevin: Yeah, we’re like siblings. We’re completely aware of each other’s faults, but I don’t get too annoyed with Joe and I don’t think he gets too annoyed with me.

He looks annoyed with you right now.

Kevin: Nah, that’s just a natural grimace.

MEG SNEED
Growing’s new record, All the Way, is out now on The Social Registry.


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