"The main thing about this band is that we just go up there every time we play, no matter what crowd we're playing with, and just try to slay, just bring energy."-Deadkill guitarist Mike Stubz

Matt Koroulis

Deadkill

To ease your hangover from local punk band Deadkill's album release show at Barboza last night, I offer an interview that I recorded with the band's guitarist Mike Stubz and vocalist Bryan Krieger at Moe Bar before their show with Champagne Champagne at Neumos last month. The guys talked about the joy that no-frills punk brings them; the difficulty of "pulling dudes off of Craigslist"; and about bonding with their label (Good To Die, natch). Their debut seven inch is out Tuesday (but is streaming for now here). Listen while you read. Fun fact: it's exactly nine minutes long.

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Kevin Barnes, front man for Athens, Georgia art-rock band of Montreal, has long suffered from depression. Exploring notions of identity and sexuality through various personas in song (notably Georgie Fruit, his funky, black, she-male creation) and as costumed characters on stage, his 11-album canon of vivid, psychedelic indie-pop echoes his mind state with a feel of schizophrenic pageantry. His psychic wanderings and dark days have famously fueled his output, inspiring 2007's excellent Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer? as well as the band's latest release Paralytic Stalks, just rated a 4.6 by Pitchfork. Here Barnes talks about his moods, his lyrics, his relationship with the music press, and has a question about our state's iconic fishery. of Montreal plays the Showbox at the Market this Saturday (3/24) with Deerhoof and Kishi Bashi.

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Breathe Owl Breathe is the intimately-crafted acoustic pop of East Jordan, Michigan trio Micah Middaugh, Trevor Hobbs, and Andréa Moreno-Beals. Five albums, two EPs, and a children's book into their career, this much-adored indie group is fronted by the youthful enthusiasm of principal singer-songwriter Middaugh, who arranges the group's folk-driven, harmony lush dynamic often described, as a commenter at Daytrotter puts it: "a band that understands life in a beautiful way...reminds me of my everlasting curiosity for life, and puts on an incredible show."

I had arranged to interview Middaugh via cell phone from their tour bus, but when I dialed him up, a voice in a distinctly higher registered answered the call. "You've got the right number," said vocalist and cellist Moreno-Beals. "Poor Micah is sick and resting in the back of the van. Can we do the interview with me instead?"

And so we did, as Moreno-Beals, her band, and Laura Gibson ambled down a good stretch of the American interstate in their shared tour bus. Here, the Colombian born, classically trained cellist generously shares her thoughts on touring, the new album, and the phenom that is (the hopefully recovered) Micah Middaugh.

Breathe Owl Breathe play the Tractor Tavern tomorrow (2/23) with Kendl Winter and Cataldo.

Seattle Weekly: How was the show last night?

Andrea Moreno-Beals: Last night's show was great! It was fantastic. Such a sweet, warm, enthusiastic crowd. It was so nice. Really, that's how it's been almost every show, which is what keeps us going. Some of the places we've played are very nice. Not really places I'd prefer to spend an evening, if I had a choice, but all these sweet people come and they listen to our songs. It's been so cool.

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