Reuben's Accomplice

Reuben's Accomplice Interview

September 10, 2001

This interview was conducted downstairs of the Agora Ballroom in Cleveland. We stole Jimmy Eat World's dressing room. I sat on a really dirty couch.

Cynthia: So you guys are Reuben's Accomplice. What are your names and what do you play?

Jim: I'm Jim, I play drums.

Jeff: Jeff. Guitar and sing.

Andy: Andy I play bass.

Jeff: And Chris is the other guy. He's not here.

Cynthia: Just to let you guys know I've never heard you guys before tonight.

Jeff: Did you get called to do this?

Cynthia: No, I was actually talking to your merch guy and you guys sounded good so I set it up. So you guys are from Arizona? I'm from Arizona.

Jim: Really. What part?

Cynthia: Casa Grande. I heard you guys played a show there.

Jeff: We used to play in Casa Grande with Small Appliances. We played at the mall at like three in the morning.

Cynthia: Really? You played in the mall?

Jeff: Yeah because Billy from Small Appliances was the janitor of the mall and like three a clock in the morning he just opened the door and let everyone in.

Cynthia: Oh wow.

Jeff: We brought like a hundred kids inside and played a show. It was really weird.

Cynthia: Wow. That was probably really illegal.

Jim: Yeah.

Andy: His dad owned it, didn't he?

Jeff: No, he was just the janitor.

Cynthia: Is that how you guys know Jimmy Eat World, because you're from Arizona?

Jeff: Yeah.

Cynthia: Did you guys like go to school together or something?

Jeff: No, we used to go to their shows and just ended up getting to know them and they knew that our record just came out so they decided to help us out and bring us along.

(Chris quietly joins the group)

Cynthia: That's cool. Do you guys know what speycide is?

Jeff: Speycide?

Cynthia: Yeah its in a Jimmy Eat World song. No one knows what it is and several people have told me to ask them. Its not in the dictionary.

Chris: We can ask Jim right now and get to the bottom of this right now.

Cynthia: Yeah, because people want to know.

(touring guitarist for J.E.W.): Its like some place in Scotland that makes some type of whiskey or something.

Cynthia: Alright, thanks....Describe your sound for people who haven't heard you.

Jeff: I would say its more indie than emo, but its pretty much elongated pop without the normal radio arrangement.

Chris: With a little country fingerpicking.

Andy: I'd say country/emo/indie.

All in unison: Cactus Core.

(laughter)

Cynthia: What are some of your musical influences?

Jeff: Everybody's got different ones so we'll go around in a circle.

Andy: Paul McCartney.

Jeff: Boy's Life and Fugazi.

Chris: Probably Dinosaur Junior and Pavement.

(And Jim says something here that I can't recognize on my tape so...moving on...)

Cynthia: What's the CD that's in your CD player right now?

Jeff: Certainly Sir.

Cynthia: How long have you guys been around?

Jeff: Six years.

Cynthia: How'd you get started?

Jeff: We all went to the same high school. Actually, Andy and I met in junior high. The rest of us met in high school.

Cynthia: Were you guys just like "let's be in a band" or what?

Jeff: I think we all found out that each other played instruments in a odd way. Like I knew Jim for a while. One day I saw him with drumsticks and that's how I figured it out. It wasn't like we knew ahead of time. And we didn't actually meet Chris because he played guitar. It was like we were friends for a while and like one day he's like "oh I play guitar".

Cynthia: How many CD's do you have out?

Jeff: This is it.

Chris: This is our first one.

Cynthia: Are you guy's getting a good response from it so far?

Jim: We have no idea because it came out last week. I mean, people have been really nice at these shows, but then of course, playing on Jimmy Eat World shows is totally different than doing our own tour and we have no idea what people have thought about it or what anyone's said about it. But people have been really nice so I figure they don't hate us at least.

Jeff: It seems like the response is pretty good. Jim from Jimmy Eat World said compared to other bands that have toured with them, we're doing better in merch sales and stuff so we're beating that. For a band that no one heard when they walked through the door...

Cynthia: Do you guys like Hey Mercedes?

In unison: Yeah.

Cynthia: Well I think you guys are better, in my opinion.

Jeff: Well, its harder for them because they have that "ex members of Braid" label. We're ex members of nothing.

Chris: We like them and they're nice guys and its fun to hang out with them.

Cynthia: If you could tour with any band, who would it be?

Andy: Its awesome touring with Jimmy Eat World.

Jeff: Yeah, but thats not my answer. Think huge. If you could tour with ANY...

Andy: Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Jeff: That would be your pick?

Andy: Yeah, they're the all around party rock band.

Jim: I would pick Fugazi.

Jeff: I'd probably pick Fugazi too. That's like our favorite live band. I mean, their records are great too, but its amazing to watch what they can do and like all these other bands need all these pedals and extra members to reacreate. Fugazi is just great. The guitar is straight into the amp.

Cynthia: What does the future hold for Reuben's Accomplice.

Jeff: We're pretty much playing it by ear. We're gonna see how this record goes and Jim just graduated from law school and got married...

Cynthia: Wow. Congratulations.

Jim: Thanks.

Jeff: All of us recently graduated and...Its not that we want to stop playing music, but unless it starts paying the bills, its gonna be hard to spend as much time on it as we have in the past.

Chris: We'll still be making music even if its not for a living. You just might not see us very often.

Cynthia: I don't have any more questions so any last comments?

Andy: Don't eat before a show.