I had a brief question and answer thing with the spewgrass guys. It’s on the spewgrass.com homepage now, but I thought I’d post it here for posterity:

This month’s guest artist is Craig Tanis, sous chef and mixmaster extraordinaire. Craig took a few moments from trying to make rhymes out of Reason to answer a few questions for us….

It seems as though the majority of your work is
loop based recording. How do you feel this compares
with traditional multitrack recording techniques?

I think looping is a logical extension of the studio-as-instrument concept. It gives the artist the opportunity (and obligation) to do things that you can’t do any other way. I don’t mean to say I think I’m constantly breaking new musical grounds, though — it can also be a huge timesaver. It’s really just another tool in the toolbox — most of my current recordings are multitracked parts alongside
arranged loops, in Ableton Live.

You seem to have found a nice little niche with the
over-the-top goodness you do as Starfinger. Are there any other music styles or genres that you haven’t explored yet that you would like to explore in the future?

Tons. I want to do it all. I’d like to be in a genuine band some day that has people who can play the guitar in it.

What’s your take on the whole music downloading and the RIAA issue?

The RIAA is a bane — the internet is changing the way that people experience music, and I don’t think there’s a place for them here. On the other hand, I love buying CD’s, so they’re still getting my money. I guess I’m part of the problem and the solution.

Are there any artists or influences you’d like to
give a shout about? What do you listen to that you
think is really good these days?

Spewgrass has some great stuff! I bought the Donkey T and Brad
Sucks albums recently, and love them all. In the commercial
sector, I’ve always admired Bowie, Prince, Mike Patton, Aphex Twin, Bill Laswell, and many more — tons of people that have influenced me in some way or another.

What do you like more than soup?

Riblets are good.