Rob- How are you guys doing?

Great thanks for asking. Sorry for taking so long to get this interview done. We've played three shows in the last two weeks around town so we have been quite busy promoting, rehearsing and playing. Ahhh the cycle of a band's life. We did just pack one of the biggest rock venues in town and unleashed a bunch of new material on our audience. Lookout Vancouver!

Rob- So you're from Vancouver. Can you describe your hometown for those who aren't familiar with Vancouver?

 A beautiful vibrant hemp-induced city with both the ocean and mountains at our doorstep.  

Rob- What is the music scene like up there these days?

Right now the live band scene is somewhat slow up here as alot of Live clubs have shut down and converted over to dance venues. However, there still are a ton of bands trying to carve out their own scene and competing for the best shows. The responsibility really is up to the bands to bring people out to the shows. It seems rare for people to check local acts they haven't heard of before.

Rob- Vancouver is a hotbed of talented indie bands,......Silent Earth and One Chord Struck come to mind right now. You guys are making a lot of noise right now as well. Do you think Vancouver will become the next Seattle in the near future?

Todd- Hard to say. Seattle became a big thing because of a distinct sound that was created in opposition to trendy commerical / materialistic jangle pop at that time along with consumerism. The Seattle scene had a musical focus, almost a mission created by the bands who started there. I found once that purpose was explored (along with the untimely death of Kurt) the scene slowed immensely.

Dustin- There are great bands from Vancouver that could put us on the map but I doubt that we'll see another Seattle soon. I wonder what the next "Seattle" would even sound like? Would it go back to the core of visceral rock or something more diverse and worldly. I think people's taste's have evolved and fusion in music will make it dificult for marketers in the future to identify a signature sound. I believe the best bands in this town to be from alot of different genres and for us to become the next Seattle we would all have to to share a little more in common. I wish we could become more involved with other bands that shared a common thread as us because we need help to really make this scene blow up. If everyone in this town worked together more I believe we could really make more of a global impact on the music industry. We have to get the public and the media more interested in our own home grown scene for it to really flourish. In my opinion, too many bands are working too independently right now. Our city really needs to wake up and support the live music scene as a whole and then the best bands with blossom from those roots.   

Rob- Are you all originally from Vancouver?

Three of us grew up around 100 Km outside of Vancouver while our singer grew up in a small town in the Kootenays which is around an eight hour drive east.

Rob- So now is a good time to introduce yourselves to the readers. What is your name and what instruments do you play?

Hi everyone! I'm Todd Mumford, and in Solomon Standing I play drums, doumbek for unplugged shows and some keyboards.

Hello I'm Dustin Rilcof and I am responsible for the vocals and rhythm guitar. Jared Mumford plays bass and Kriss Schulz is our lead axe man.

Rob- How long have you been performing music...prior to Solomon Standing?

Todd: I have been performing since I was about 15 1/2. Kris and Jared (my brother - bassist in Solomon Standing) played in our first band together early in our teen years called "Madhatter". We were a heavier - you could call it Metal band, playing Pantera, Metallica etc.

Dustin: I have been performing since I picked up a guitar around ten years ago. I started out in people's living rooms and anywhere people would listen. Around five years ago I started to play my own solo acoustic gigs.  

Rob- How did this band form?

Jared and I had recently left a band we both played in called Definition and were actively looking for a new project. Kris was teaching guitar at the time to our lead singer Dustin who was brushing up his skills. Kris and Jared and I camp alot in the summer, and Kris decided to invite Dustin. One very late night of guitars, bongons, and singing and I was convinced. Shortly after we all got together.

Rob- So after being together for just shy of a month, you wrote enough songs to get out and play live. That is very impressive. Not many bands can get their act together in that short of time

Well, our singer brought a big back catalogue of solo acoustic songs to the band. We first started working with those ideas to see if they could work in a rock band format. After those ideas were explored we realized a full length album had to be recorded.

Rob- Do you all share in the songwriting process or does one person handle that task? Take me through a typical session.

I find we are very lucky this way. One guy will usually bring an idea...sometimes in the form of a phrase or riff, other times just an abstract idea...and presents it to the other members, who build on it. Sometimes the idea doesn't pan out to be a full song, or is a much more 'eclectic' or 'off the wall' tune. As we mold the song together, we decide if and where it fits in Solomon. We have many songs that are just too 'over the top' or jazzy to release in a commerical album. So we play those for ourselves. Everyone usually has free reign in their area of expertise. For instance, if a riff is brought in by our guitar player our singer will come up with the melody and lyrics and the rhythm section will provide the foundation we'll build the song on.

Rob- How long did it take to record your debut CD?

We recorded the cd over a matter of a couple of months mostly due to the engineer having some health problems at the time. All-in-alll the vocals probably took about a week in realtime, the drums were done in two days, and the rest about two days each respectively. Then there was mixing, editing etc which is extra.

Rob- The songs are very catchy and can easily fit in with modern rock radio playlists. Was that the intent from the beginning?

I think we are looking for success in whatever way we can get it. Our philosophy is to create memorable songs and to reach the most people possible so radio support is key.  Like most bands we were looking for a hit and some singles, however, local fm rock radio has yet to embrace us. We are doing quite well on the internet but still absent from the playlists that could take us to the next level.

Rob- What bands influenced you while growing up?

Todd: I was really personally influenced by alot of classic rock - initially Led Zeppelin, the Doors, the Beatles. Later I listened to Van Halen, Metallica, Megadeth, Pantera. I was really into drummers who could "bring the hammer down" in their playing, and drummers who could play fast with their feet.

Dustin: I listened to alot of Beatles, U2,  and Pearl Jam. Generally strong voices got my attention and as a teen I don't think I listened to anything but the vocal.

Rob- What are some of your favorite bands of today?

Todd: Radiohead, Mullmuzzler, Cyanotic, Meshuggah.

Dustin: Flaming Lips, Muse, Roadbed, Outkast and still U2

Rob- You guys have been playing live a lot recently. Any plans to play outside of Vancouver soon?

We will be touring Alberta, Interior British Columbia and Vancouver Island this summer.

Rob- Are you working on new material right now, or are you holding off?

We are beginning preproduction soon on our next album actually. We have alot of songs already written and have some on the drawing board as we speak. This spring we will be recording an EP that could contain some of the greatest songs ever produced by a Vancouver rock band. I can honestly tell you that it will be just killer. We're hoping for these songs to still fit with rock radio playlists but be so cutting edge as well that they can not be ignored. We will break down the industry's door so expect great things.

Rob- Before we wrap up, do you have any final words for the readers and fans?

I just want to tell our fans to expect us to really mature as a band with our next wave of material. We are evolving into a more supercharged super human version of ourselves. We will tap into more genres and improve in every area. We will bring more funk, more metal, more rap and more everything to the table but our strong songwriting will still scream SOLOMON STANDING.

Rob- Thank you for talking with us. I wish you all the best of luck and I look forward to seeing you guys play here in Boston soon.

Dustin: Boston? You are really from Boston. You know this whole time I did not picture these questions to be coming all the way from frickin Boston. I hear Boston is just a beautiful place with such rich history and ton of beautiful old buildings. We really miss that out west with everything comparitively being so new. I wish your readers and you personally all the best and we can't wait to play Boston and take in a Bruins game the next night. I can already picture it.