Roll of the Dice: 7 questions with SAVAK

Roll of the Dice is a short interview format with a variable amount of questions. A pair of dice is rolled and the total, between 2 and 12, is the amount of questions we can ask. All questions are given to the interviewee(s) at once, and no follow-ups are allowed. The interview may be lightly edited for content and clarity.

---

Post-punk rockers SAVAK have been super busy this month. Having just released the rad new record Flavors Of Paradise, collecting new fans and deepening bonds with existing fans, SAVAK agreed to participate in our Roll Of The Dice interview series. Check it out to learn more about the band, their sound and what’s next for SAVAK.

Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview! Congrats on the release of Flavors
Of Paradise! What should our readers know about the members of SAVAK, your history
and your sound?

(Sohrab) We’ve all played in lots of bands. Jaws is probably best known for The Cops and Virgin
Islands, Matt Schulz for Enon and Holy Fuck, Matt Hunter for New Radiant Storm King and
Silver Jews, Jeff for Small Brown Bike and Her Head’s On Fire, and I was in Edsel and Obits.
We started in 2015 and have been releasing a steady stream of albums, EPs, 7”s and splits with
friends’ bands since 2016. Our sound is a mix of guitar-oriented rock from the 60s, 70s, and
80s. Probably the most obvious elements aren’t dissimilar to Wire, Mission of Burma, and
Television, but there are also nods to The Electric Prunes, DMZ, Cleaners From Venus, and Tall
Dwarfs, as well as music from Iran, Peru and Zambia.
(Michael) I think Sohrab pretty much covered it. I can also add that I grew up in Omaha and
lived in Seattle for 18 years. I loved playing in bands in those cities and was influenced by
everything around me at the time. Sohrab is a DC guy and is one of the most knowledgeable
people I know when it comes to any kind of band or genre. Our drummer Matt is from Dayton,
Ohio and is a product of that scene. There’s something about music freaks from Ohio that make
them really unique and special. I’ve had the pleasure of playing with three really amazing Ohio
music freaks with Matt from SAVAK and John and Dave from The Cops. I guess I have an Ohio
thing.

Let’s talk a little bit about “Flavors Of Paradise” and how it came into existence. What
was going on at the time that helped kickstart and inspire the songwriting process?

(Sohrab) It was just Matt Schulz, our drummer, Michael, and me getting together a few times to
jam out ideas. We kept it loose and fun. Michael and I switched back and forth between bass
and guitar. There was no pressure to do anything in particular, but we listened back to the rough
recordings, found the parts that we liked, and refined those until they felt right. But we didn’t
overthink it or try to force anything. Then we went to Chicago to record at Electrical Audio with
Matthew Barnhart, who also mixed and mastered the album. The goal was to retain as much of
the spontaneity and live-in-the-room vibe of the jam sessions, but in a much higher fidelity
environment. We knocked it out in 3 days and left it for Barney to mix. I’m very happy with the
results and think it’s probably the best thing we’ve done to date.
(Michael) It’s an interesting question to me because I don’t think there was a contrived plan to
make this record until we knew we actually had something. Matt moved to Ohio during the
pandemic and Sohrab and I weren’t really sure what our next move would be. We talked about
making a record with our touring rhythm section, Matt Hunter and Jeff Gensterblum, and we also
talked about doing something different. Like not making a SAVAK record and recording
something that was a departure from what we’ve been doing. As it turned out Matt kept coming
back to New York for work every month or so during early 2023 and kept asking Sohrab and I if
we wanted to jam. Thankfully the stars aligned and the tropical fruits of labor resulted in the
Flavors of Paradise record.

When you are out on the road, what’s your favorite spot to grab a bite? Where do you find your Flavors of Paradise?

(Sohrab) When in Providence, Rhode Island, we try to go to Nick’s On Broadway. In New
Haven, Connecticut, Sally’s or Frank Pepe’s for pizza. There’s so much great food in Philly, like
Zahav, which has possibly the best hummus I’ve ever eaten. Ethiopian food in DC, for
sure—Effoi in Silver Spring is excellent.
(Michael) This is funny, because Sohrab and I were driving back from Providence last weekend
(Big ups to Nick’s On Broadway) and were talking about what our vision of “Paradise” might be.
Unsurprisingly, we both had the quick conclusion that “Paradise” is bullshit. Anything associated
with the contrived notion of this concept is generally unappealing to me, and emotionally
unrealistic in the idyllic sense. I like a tropical vacation as much as the next person, but if there
is an actual “Paradise” to me, it is not found in a beach setting. But to the question, I’m happiest
when I’m eating something delicious and drinking a nice wine while having fun with my friends in
cool places. Which is also kind of the main reason I love playing in SAVAK so much.

What have been some of the most memorable moments or experiences with the band so far? What’s been the most unexpected? The weirdest?

(Sohrab) The Mišmaš festival, which is on an old farm in the eastern part of Czech Republic,
right near the border with Slovakia, was pretty magical. The show we played in a converted silo
in Jihlava, Czech Republic, was off the charts—people were literally hanging from the ceiling.
We generally have a pretty great time wherever we go otherwise we would not make the effort
to do this.
(Michael) There have been so many! This is really hard, because I feel like one of the main
reasons we tour is for the stories and the experience.… Meeting “Roman Polanski”; 5 grown
men in Dresden trying to push a Sprinter van up to 20 miles an hour to “pop the clutch.”
Impossible. A magical show in an impossible to find converted church in a dark forest on the
Polish and Czech border. Weird and amazing shows in Olympia, Minneapolis, Nottingham,
Budapest, etc. It really makes for a fun life.

One of our obligatory questions in these interviews also tends to be the one I have
found most important on a personal level. Who are some bands on your radar that
TGEFM readers may not know about, but you think they should?

(Sohrab) Active bands making vital music in the present tense include Bed Maker, Continuals,
Contractions, Haress, Lupo Cittá, Mint Mile, Patois Counselors, Sensor Ghost, Sunwatchers,
The Unit Ama, and Wimps.

(Michael) All of those bands are great, inspirational and worth tracking down. I can also add
Kilynn Lunsford, Marbled Eye, Light Beams, Dèèfait and Wild Powwers.

What’s next for SAVAK?
(Sohrab) April tour in France, some east coast shows in May and June, and we’re working on
things for the fall. We also have a split-12” with our pals Contractions from Lyon, France coming
out soon.
(Michael) Beyond the stuff Sohrab mentioned, hopefully we come back to the UK this fall, also
California and back to the midwest. We’ve had a standing offer to come to Japan, which would
be amazing if we can figure out the timing. Ideally the future will hold a lot more travel, songs,
records, good food and good times.

Was there anything I missed that you’d like to share or dive deeper into with our
readers?
(Sohrab) Get off social media, read books, do things with your friends, ask yourself questions,
avoid dumb arguments and unnecessary conflict, participate in life, evolve.
(Michael) To Sohrab’s point… work on yourself. Be selfless, acknowledge the past and learn
from your experiences and mistakes. You can also learn a lot by slowing down and asking a
question before making an assumption. The goals of enlightenment, empathy and working
towards the common good should be our ruling narrative. The pursuit of wealth, power and
status is for the soulless. Down with the mother fucking man.