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GroundSounds recently caught up with indie-rock band Step Rockets. Check out the interview below along with their addicting new song “Kisser.” Be sure to visit their website to stay updated with new music and shows!
GS: How long have you been together and how did you arrive at your sound?
SR: Step Rockets have been together for a little over a year. Sonically, we strive to create danceable grooves in support of infectious melodies and psychedelic landscapes. Our sound has come about through the desire to explore our musicality through different, slightly less orthodox instrumentation. When the band started we mainly stuck to what we knew (guitar, bass, drums) but soon each member added a new instrument (samplers, keyboards, Ableton) and our sound really took off. We view our band’s sound as a constant work in progress, changing based on each member’s creative aspirations.
Your fantastic new song “Kisser” reached #1 on Hype Machine and has been getting lots of attention online. What inspired the song?
Kisser, like most of our music, is at it’s core a song inspired by love and good vibes. Josh wrote the lyrics about his girlfriend keeping the light on for him after one of our many gigs. It’s a love song about how love can heal a painful situation. The song is meant to be redemptive and healing.
You recently filmed a video for “Kisser.” What can you tell us about the vibe and look of the video? When do you expect to release it?
We are still in the process of filming the video right now and hope to have it out in September. We got some great footage at Lake Harriet Bandshell in Minneapolis. The vibe will be lighter with some humor, but it will also be sexy and artful. Overall it will be a positive message.
The artwork for your album/single covers has some visually striking images of animals and nature, including some cool jellyfish images. Why did you choose these images for your artwork?
Our band has always enjoyed blurring the line between what is organic and what is modified and extraordinary. We use that approach in our music, combining traditional instruments with unnatural sounds, as well as in the way we visually represent ourselves. The artwork on our first two singles is meant to present natural life in a futuristic, otherworldly setting. For instance, a well taken photograph of a jellyfish can bring to mind a rocket floating in space.
You are touring the Midwest through September. What are your plans for the rest of 2013?
We recorded a group of songs at McNally Smith College of Music last winter/spring and we plan to continue releasing tracks throughout the remainder of the year, eventually ending up with an EP by 2014. In the meantime, there are a few remixes for Kisser in the works. We are also excited to get back in the studio and begin recording for our future endeavors.
What venue or city would you love to visit and perform at?
1st Ave Mainroom. Rome, Italy, Coachella Mainstage, Lolla,…we would really like to tour the world.
Which do you enjoy more, writing and creating a song or performing it live?
Each has its perks. We love writing and bouncing our creative ideas off of one another, but performing is when the songs really blossom and take on a life of their own. There is a rush from performing on a big stage that you can’t duplicate in any other way but writing is much more therapeutic and personal.
What is the music scene like right now in Minneapolis? Has it been a helpful place to start your career or has it been difficult to get exposure?
The Twin Cities are home to countless numbers of bands, great radio, and many great venues. There are people in Minneapolis who are trying to advance the music scene as a whole. There is a sense of a new generation in the industry and we are excited to be a part of it. We’ve been fortunate enough to get production help from a number of our local musical heros, including Grant Cutler (Aby Wolf/Wolf Lords) and Lance Conrad (Van Stee, Humans Win! Studio).
On your website, you mention “making a bid to become the first band to perform on the moon.” If such an opportunity were to arise, what band(s) would you take with you and what song would you close the very first moon concert with?
We knew early on that we would be going toe to toe with David Bowie. Maybe he will beat us to the punch and make us part of a “moon tour”. In all honesty though we feel that statement is a testament to the bands aspirations.
Step Rockets – “Kisser”
