COURTESY OF COMOMUSIC.COM

CH: How long have you guys been playing together? How did you meet? Why did you decide to become a band?
Scott: we have been playing together for six years. pat and i started 8 years ago, gradually picked up the stragglers along the way. we started the band as musical outlet for our different personalities.
Pat: "Why," you ask? I guess if I had to answer why we did it... For me, Its because I'm completely obsessed with making, playing, listening to, watching, experiencing music by any means available. Its truly a sickness.

CH: How did you come up with the name The HipNecks ?
Scott: because Creed was already taken.
Pat: Well, there is that... and a Funny Story: We didn't have that name until mere weeks before we released our first album, Just Another Fine Day, in 2005. We went by "The Farmhouse" for over a year, and then Harrison taught us about Phish. That obviously ruined it for us as we didn't want people to think we were some kind of tribute band. So... we had a big pile of names, and everybody liked a different one. It was a nightmare. We did one last show at the bar where we first started playing several years before (which we still frequent), and we let a rowdy crowd vote on it by measure of applause taken by our applaus-o-meter, Peter Works-Leary. The name "The HipNecks" won, and that was that. Our fans voted on it, and I can't think of a more appropriate way for it to have been settled.

CH: Who are some of your major influences ? (why?)
Pat: Big Smith, Led Zeppelin, the Band, and most importantly, everyone I have ever played music with.
Scott: belinda carlisle is a big influence of mine. and ghandi.
Stubbs: Dennis Chambers, Phish, Burning Spear, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Who. I always look up to musicians who go outside of the norm, perhaps push the envelope of the standard 4/4 time. John Fishman and Dennis Chambers are two of my favorites who really go beyond traditional rhythm.
Renne: Radiohead, Pink Floyd and Wilco. The things they can do creatively and emotionally in a 4 or 5 minute song are incredible.

CH: What is that song "takin out the trash" about? (who wrote it? Does it stem from real life experiences? etc....)
Scott: I'm sorry, i can't reveal that. It does stem from real life experiences, but the subject matter is an inside joke and i am afraid it will have to remain that way or my mother will be seriously dissappointed in me.

CH: Where is your favorite place to play?
Scott: I like Lucas School house in STL, it is my favorite room to play. the sound is great and the crowds always seem to have lots of fun. I also like playing at the blue note, everytime you go on stage it is fun to just think about all the other great acts that have played on that stage before you.
Renne: Shiloh's is up there. The crowd always has a great energy and are always receptive. When we knocked the power out a few years ago and all our instruments went dead, they kept chanting the lyrics until power came back on. Crowds don't get much more supportive than that.
Stubbs: Anyplace we have never played before. Its always a great experience being taken out of your comfort zone and playing to new faces and a new environment.
Harrison: any place where people appreciate music and live entertainment.
Pat: anywhere that allows music... the Blue Note will always be my favorite stage. The place is oozing with nostalgia.

CH: Do you use any particular brand of instruments. If so, what? Any particular reason why?
Pat: "When I was in China on the All-America Harmonica Team, I just loved playing music with my Hohner Special 20 Harmonica." (big smile for camera) I just bought a Collings mandolin that cost more than my truck. I will never again feel as satisfied with a purchase as I did that day. The playability of an instrument really makes a difference. The top on my last mandolin caved in, and I had the bridge propped up with dimes, nickels and paint stirring sticks I found in the closet of the Fieldhouse when we were doing a Hatrick show there. I still have it, it sounds awful.
Scott: I like to play guitars that sound good onstage, but are not too expensive that I can't be scared to beat on it and toss it around a bit. My ibanez acoustic has been the best to this point.

CH: How would you classify yourselves in the musical world? (country, rock, indie etc.)
Pat: Good question.
Scott: Midwestern rural americana rock or Trash Can Americana
Harrison: Traditional rock based with country/mountain music vibes. 

CH: Can you tell us about your upcoming album? (title, major inspirations, differences from the last one etc)
Renne: The new album is considerably different than our first. Where with the first, we recorded all our tracks within a 2 or 3 week period. Here, we've been recording and revising our parts for nearly a year now, and the extra time has really paid off. The hastiness in which we recorded our first album gave it an improvised feel, which worked out great for a first outing. The material was straightforward and we were simply adding to the main elements of the songwriting. Now, we've taken the songwriting and pushed and pulled it in each of our own directions to create something more complex. The main elements of the songwriting are still very much there, but they now have an expanded purpose. We've also been adding instrumentation that wasn't there on the first album. That coupled with a healthy dose of experimentation has resulted is something you can't listen to once to pick up on everything.
Harrison: I think its typical of the sophomore effort, more collective song writing and diversity with the overall emotions of the songs. We tried to focus on what the core elements of the song were and only add what was necessary, instead of trying to pack every option available and ending up with something sounding busy. But overall, we wanted to make sure we still had great energy throughout the album.
Pat: There are still incredibly busy songs on there, we didn't learn the true potency of brevity until we arranged "A Day is an Inch" and "AM Gold." I'm excited to carry that lesson into the next project.

CH: Are you a signed band? If so, what label?
Scott: not signed as of right now, but we are always open to new and exciting offers.
Pat: Our new record is being released nonexclusively through Home Tone Records. 

CH: Any amusing anecdotes you care to share? (on the road? local?)
Scott: never go on the road with sean canan. he smells like burnt turnips. oh...and when in colorado...drink beer or alcohol brewed or distilled in colorado, it is never better than in the mountains. come to think of it...EVERYTHING is better in the mountains.
Pat: You don't have much room to talk, Scooter... Word to the wise: Don't do "chili night" on the road when you have a van full of 5 grown men... Then after you learn your lesson, don't be so careless as to do it again the following week.
On a side note: We are referencing the work of Einstein in developing way to 'skip' the drive through Kansas...folding space, time and all that jazz. Due to inadequate inventory of current assets, we don't yet posses the means nor the resources to construct our space/time continuum folding machine. But once we do, everyone in the world will finally be able skip Kansas in their travels... and suffer uncontrollable fits of joy in regards.

CH: Thank you for taking the time to do this interview.
(All): Thank YOU.