Interview - Sherwood

I caught up briefly with Sherwood to talk about what it's like to be such a hardworking band in today's music scene. Read on to hear about more about Sherwood, both new and old.


PPJ: First, please tell us your name and what you do in the band.

Dan Koch: Dan, and I play guitar.

PPJ: What got you into music? What keeps you in it?

Dan: The drums, also my friend in elementary school, Mark Ball, who got me to stop listening to Rap (which I have since learned to enjoy again) and start listening to Grunge. I am still in it because I can't possibly not be.

PPJ: Sherwood has always had a do-it-yourself approach. What do you think are the pros and cons to this? Did you ever think it was just too difficult?

Dan: Mainly the PRO is that you learn to appreciate any success you have, the main CON is that it takes a long time! There were tense moments; I have almost quit at least once I can remember. But somehow we kept it together and are stronger than ever right now.

PPJ: How do you go about writing your songs?

Dan: I generally will write the basic skeleton and then we work out all the details, often the bridge, etc, together as a group.

PPJ: Has your process changed over the years?

Dan: Yes, for this upcoming album, there is a lot more group involvement than on A Different Light, which is making it a whole lot better.

PPJ: How did Dan and Joe get involved with We Shot The Moon? Will either of them return to that in the future?

Dan: We have been friends with Jonathan Jones for a long time, and eliciting our help just seemed like the obvious thing for him to do next. It's his band, so there are no guaranteed of our future involvement, but I am almost positive that he and I will be doing a lot of writing together for his next album, and I'm really excited about that.

PPJ: You guys tour pretty much nonstop. Where are your favorite places to be?

Dan: In this order: Japan, Ireland/Scotland, Mainland Europe, Seattle, NYC, and here in Oakland, writing a new album.

PPJ: You used to tour in the Road Rules van. Did you like that better than a regular bus, or was it not worth the novelty?

Dan: Our new ride is a lot more comfortable. =)

PPJ: Can you tell us more about the unreleased songs that will be on the Sing, But Keep Going rerelease?

Dan: There will be 2 acoustic versions of songs, one full-band song that was never released, and one "Nerdrock Redux" version of another song.

PPJ: There are also rumors that you'll be releasing a new album in 2009. What can you tell us about that?

Dan: It will easily be our best, and it will be out in 2009. There aren't a whole lot of other details that we know just yet.

PPJ: Finally, tell us three bands you think we should be listening to.

Dan: Bon Iver, Coldplay, The National.


Thanks again to Dan for answering our questions, and to Mike Cubillos at Earshot Media for setting it up. Be sure to pick up the rerelease of Sherwood's Sing, But Keep Going, and keep your eyes open for new music and tours!

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