34 April 27th–MAy 3rd, 2023 phoenixnewtimes.com phoenix new Times | music | cafe | film | culTuRe | NighT+Day | feaTuRe | NeWs | OPiNiON | feeDBacK | cONTeNTs | Sat 4/29 Sun 4/30 Wed 5/3 Fri 4/28 Phoenix BlueS WomenS ShoWcaSe Featuring many artiStS 8PM • $12 ScorPion VS tarantula the PuBeS, a caSual diVorce , loS JoneS 8PM • $10 holloW Point 7PM • $10 lucky moon recordS PreSentS Featuring many artiStS 7PM • $10 Questions? Feedback? Email me at [email protected] • Follow me on RATING (out of 5 McFly’s) It brIngs the heat! 2023 DoDge Challenger r/t sCat PaCk 2023 DoDge Challenger r/t sCat PaCk T he 2023 Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack looks tough as nails. The air intake on the hood adds some manly style but the Challenger body, dark wheels and dark paint make you feel like Kurt Russell in Death Race. The rumble of the engine is next level and sounds like you are Kurt Russell in Death Race. 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Pick-Up: Handling: Comfort: Passenger Comfort: Safety & Security: Sound System: Access to Controls: Bells & Whistles: Overall: Looks: this thing where there’s only so much you can do yourself before you have to start working with someone who knows.” To some extent, it’s about making this “lifestyle” more feasible, and not merely scraping by. “I want it to be sustainable but I also don’t want to be working a shitty job when I’m 80 years old,” says Monet. “So it was really nice to have some kind of savings because with DIY touring, there’s no way to have a savings account. All the money goes back into the band and it’s just filtered into new merch and stuff like that.” The pair relish “the idea of being able to do bigger shows, to be able to retire one day, and not have to sweep floors when I’m 80 years old and in pain,” adds Monet. The core problem, then, is potentially giving up some agency as a unit. “And it sucks; it doesn’t feel good to want to relinquish that,” Lander says. “Whether you’re relinquishing your own agency as a musician, and doing what you want, or if you feel like you’re selling out completely by working with a label or a band that has been through the wringer and everything like that. But it’s the reality of the music business, unfortunately.” At the end of the day, it might be about relinquishing certain preconceived notions. “Yeah, you want to grow. The reason you put in all this work, and we’ve put in so much money and time, is because we want to grow,” Lander says. “And if that requires signing a contract with a booking agent who can get us in up to some different doors or a record label, you have to give up the whole ‘purity’ of not selling out. It’s just part of growth; it’s a new job.” Ultimately, it’s about framing this conversation in the proper context. “If this is selling out, it’s sort of doing it in a way that’s at least in service of the music and in service of us being able to do what we want, even if it feels a little weird or a little icky,” says Lander. “Again, it’s just part of the process and it should ultimately be in service of trying to entertain people. Are we trying to put out the best music possible? Yes, and so maybe that’s okay to relinquish that power.” As vital as these conversations are to the band’s future, they’re not easy to have, and do cause added friction. And if Snailmate’s already good at anything (besides music), it’s picking fights. “Wow, God. There has always been tension,” says Monet. “We only argue about petty shit because we do spend too much time together. I hate how Kalen chews — it drives you crazy listening to him chew, but I’ve come to the conclusion I have to listen to him chew for the rest of my life.” However, Monet adds, “We can let an argument go for a show. No one would ever know we’re in an argument at a show.” But as Lander adds, the “bickering” plays an important function in the band. “We argue a lot, but it’s healthy,” he says. “Knowing our roles, I’m more than happy to drive for six hours straight if I know that Bentley is on his computer sending emails and doing business stuff that I don’t want to do for the band.” In the grand scheme of things, all the nitpicking in the world, even when you’re stuck in a car for eight hours at a time, is in service of something all the more impor- tant and profound. “We want the same thing, and we know it intrinsically,” says Monet. “We both have the same ideas of how a tour should be operated. We both have the same goals as far as how big we want to get as a band and the size of the rooms we want to play and the opportunities that we want to take. Whether it’s something small, like how much we love hot sauce, or something bigger, like our values as LGBTQ individ- uals and how we view our morals and ethics as people. We’re on the same page about pretty much everything when it comes to that.” And that cohesion and unity has helped them grow as both a band and individuals alike. “During the pandemic, we changed a lot of things,” says Lander. “Whether it was Bentley’s transition, or me dieting and exercising, and us both going to therapy. We’ve been improving a lot of things about ourselves and that has obviously helped our interpersonal dynamic. I’d recommend that to anyone.” With any luck, they’ll be able to enjoy their “new selves” and the many sights despite what Lander calls a “hardcore” European touring schedule. Because once they’re back home later this year, there’s still more work to be done. That includes finishing their long-awaited new album, Stress Sandwich. “We’re weighing our options as far as the best way to release that and then tour in support of it,” says Lander. “Whether it’s solely in support of the record by ourselves, or we’re piggybacking on to hopefully a bigger tour and getting in front of a fresh audience.” But no matter what the future holds, and whatever shape it might eventually take, Snailmate remains committed to growing the band, entertaining audiences, and touring until the wheels fall off. “We can’t take it for granted,” Lander says of touring. “I feel like a lot of people did before COVID. So we’re just going to keep busting our ass. There were so many dates [canceled] during COVID, and I’m sure that’ll happen again in our lifetime. We’re just going to keep touring until we can’t. Whatever that means.” Trail from p 33 “IF THIS IS SELLING OUT, IT’S SORT OF DOING IT IN A WAY THAT’S AT LEAST IN SERVICE OF THE MUSIC AND IN SERVICE OF US BEING ABLE TO DO WHAT WE WANT, EVEN IF IT FEELS A LITTLE WEIRD OR A LITTLE ICKY.” —KALEN LANDER