01. First, how are you doing??
Football, Etc : We’re doing well! As far as the band, we’re really pleased with the reaction to the new record and excited to see what’s next.
02. Talk about your recent record, Vision, which takes a bit of time to put out since the previous record, Corner, on 2017. Could you please tell us why it takes 5 years to put out a new record??
Football, Etc : We went on hiatus after our 2018 US West Coast tour. Danny, our drummer, was starting up his freelance work, and I think Lindsay and I were also a little burned out on the band in some ways. In summer 2020, Danny and his wife Karen invited us to go on a vacation with them. We reconnected, and that opened the door to starting up footy again.
But, we still had to wait out the pandemic to actually get together in the same room to play music together. So often, it felt like we needed to wait just a little longer…and a little longer….and a little longer. By early 2021, Lindsay and I were working on the second LP for Overo, so that delayed footy as well.
Anyway, it wasn’t until late 2021 that we actually started playing together again. Once we did, the songs came really easily. We kept writing more and more, chucking some along the way, ending up with around 8. But decided to focus on 4 so we could do a quick digital release and reintroduce ourselves as soon as possible.
But, we still had to wait out the pandemic to actually get together in the same room to play music together. So often, it felt like we needed to wait just a little longer…and a little longer….and a little longer. By early 2021, Lindsay and I were working on the second LP for Overo, so that delayed footy as well.
Anyway, it wasn’t until late 2021 that we actually started playing together again. Once we did, the songs came really easily. We kept writing more and more, chucking some along the way, ending up with around 8. But decided to focus on 4 so we could do a quick digital release and reintroduce ourselves as soon as possible.
03. Is there something new that being presented to your fan about your new record, Vision, or you just being comfortable with the signature sound of Football, Etc thats been presented on the previous works??
Football, Etc : It’s funny how the perception of this band has changed over the last five years. People now call us “veterans,” an “established” or “classic” band with a “signature sound.” While it makes me feel a little old, I also feel like it’s a pretty huge accomplishment. Not many bands get to reach this point. The new material (including what’s available to everyone now as well as the stuff we’re currently working on) certainly feels fresh to me, but if people think it sounds like “classic footy,” I’m also okay with that and can take it as a compliment rather than an insult.
04. Being curious a bit about your first LP called 'The First Draft'. I dont know its just me or it happens to anybody else but I thought that its a demo album lol. Why did you entitle the LP so??
Football, Etc : “The Draft” references an inside joke we had with a band we toured with called PS Eliot, but we also liked the idea of invoking the concept of a “draft” with our first LP–and, of course it was a football term, so it fit the bill. But we did do a demo before that, which was called “First Down.”
05. You are known as a queer band. How does it feel like to be a queer emo band there??
Football, Etc : Honestly, we don’t usually get tagged as a queer band, despite Lindsay and I having been very obviously gay for a very long time! I don’t know why that is. But, it makes it hard for me to speak to this, because I don’t really feel like we’re “known” for being queer.
06. Some says that Emo subculture is subculture that is dominated by white cis male. What do you say about it??
Football, Etc : I’d say that’s true! It’s probably less true–or at least less rigidly true–than it was a decade ago, but it’s still there. From a fan perspective, even in alternative cultures, the default mental model for a band is four white guys. From a band perspective, each step of the way is a little easier for cis white males.
07. Recently, a term called fifth wave were coined for a newer bands like Mom Jeans, Harmony Woods, or Mint Green. Do you have a follow up to such a thing??
Football, Etc : For Lindsay and me, the response to the “fifth wave” was doing Overo. The fifth wave seemed to be going in a lot of different directions, and a lot of them didn’t really resonate with us. It sparked an urge to link emo back with hardcore, as it was in the earliest days of the genre. I’m not sure how interested others are in following along in that direction, and I’m also not sure what’s next for the genre as a whole.
08. Anyway by having a "Football" name and I would assume that there are many people would compare you with a bigger band like American Football. What do you say about it??
Football, Etc : When we named our band “football, etc.” in 2009, American Football was a long dead and fairly obscure band. We had no idea what was to come of choosing this name. Since they came back onto the scene, I would say it was less about comparisons and more about memes around bands with sports names. It’s a little annoying at times, but it’s all in fun, I think.
09. I saw some posts from one of the band members (Sorry for being stalking a bit) that some of you are a soccer fans. Could you please mention us your favorite soccer teams??
Football, Etc : Lindsay and I are huge fans of the Houston Dash, Houston Dynamo, and the USA national men’s and women’s teams. We are season ticket holders for the Dash and Dynamo, and our tickets are under the band’s name. We’re both involved in the American Outlaws, a supporters group for the USA teams.
10. As many Americans were more into American Football (Not the band) than soccer. How does it feel to be the 'minority'??
Football, Etc : It feels like being a punk rocker, so it’s familiar. You’re into something that’s not super dominant in the culture, so there’s this great little community around it filled with your fellow weirdos and misfits. I like it.
11. Any further place on earth for the band to play on someday??
Football, Etc : There are so many places I’d love to go, and we are always interested in exploring what’s possible. But, it’s not about putting your finger on a map and saying “Let’s go there.” Everywhere we’ve toured outside the US, we have first connected with a DIY community and built out possibilities from there.
12. Could you tell me a bit about the place you're from, Houston??
Football, Etc : In some ways, Houston feels like a place of constant change. It’s a place where buildings, roadways, people, and subcultures are planted and then quickly uprooted. While this can feel like whiplash, it also makes you really appreciate anything that does stick around, whether that’s a friend or a favorite restaurant. It also, I think, creates the friendly, laid-back vibe that Houston is known for. You have to go with the flow here.
13. Any Houston's good food you would like to recommend??
Football, Etc : Houston’s constant change and role as an immigration hub make for a really incredible–and cutthroat–food scene. It’s always evolving, but some things I think Houston does really well are Viet-Cajun, Tex Mex, and kolaches.
14. What do you know about a place called Indonesia??
Football, Etc : I’m sorry to say that my most immediate thought is about the Citarum River and the pollution there, as I recently watched a documentary about it. I’ve done a few reports for work on Indonesian businesses, but I feel like I don’t know much at all about the people there, much less the punk or DIY scene.
Football, Etc : I’m sorry to say that my most immediate thought is about the Citarum River and the pollution there, as I recently watched a documentary about it. I’ve done a few reports for work on Indonesian businesses, but I feel like I don’t know much at all about the people there, much less the punk or DIY scene.
15. Any final words to be said??
Football, Etc : Thanks for reaching out to us, Rizkan. Independent media is so important for the continued growth of DIY music, and I know it takes a lot of work to keep it going. I absolutely appreciate what you do!
Sites :
Bandcamp - https://footballetc.bandcamp.com/
Wordpress - https://footballetc.wordpress.com/
Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/footballetc
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