This special edition focuses solely on the just released Operation Ivy tribute comp Mooorree Than Just Another Comp, due out in April via Sell The Heart Records and Lavasocks Records. We got in touch with Keira who covered “Bankshot”, and we rolled a FIVE.
1) Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions! The first one I'd like to ask is: It seems that almost everyone I meet has a story about the first time they heard OpIvy. Do you remember yours?
Okay to be totally honest, i'm almost positive my first time hearing OpIvy was from downloading it on LimeWire hahahahaha. i have a way more interesting story about hearing Rancid for the first time though.
2) What does OpIvy mean to you in particular, and in the broader pantheon of punk music?
I think with the explosion of hyperpop right now we are getting a sick experience with genre busting. Tim Armstrong has talked in the past about getting shit for the same thing with OpIvy. He definitely wasn't the first to combine punk ska music, but i think it's fun to see it happening in a more extreme way now and OpIvy is an important part of that lexicon.
3) Why did you pick the song you chose to do?
Mostly because it was instrumental. i have a lot of gender dysphoria about my voice and just hearing my self talk is hard enough. it's something i'm working on every day but i don't have a very clear path of dealing with.
(This next question was an either/or but, like many interviewees in this series, Keira double-dipped and were going to run with it.)
4A) There are a lot of great covers on the comp. Aside from YOURS, can you pick another track that stands out for you, and let us know what you dig about it?
Omg my favorite is Bad Town. Immediately charmed by the intro. This entire arrangement is so much fun. I like it more than the original.
4b) A bit of a follow-up to question #3: if you ended up farther down in the pecking order and didn't get your first pick(s), which song did you really want to do?
i really wanted to do “Gonna Find You”. The spoken intro is super cool. Into a killer riff and then it's just balls out Matt Freeman. I really like that song haha.
5) Aside from the comp, what can we expect from Keira in the near future?
Probably more video game remixes and covers! i have one thing up my sleeve that i don't think i can mention yet. but i've been working on some music for somebody and i'm very stoked to see where it goes.
Mooorree Than Just Another Comp is available digitally at the STHR Bandcamp. For physical releases on vinyl (inventory is going fast!) visit the Sell The Heart or Lava socks web stores.
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.
the white drew carey (aka – Jeff Sorley) is the founder and head editor of TGEFM. He's lived (outside of) Chicago, Madison WI, (ugh) Penn State, Lyon FR, Oxford UK, central New Jersey, and now within earshot of SFO in the Bay Area. When not scouring the web for more great bands and labels to post about, he also spends time drawing (mostly) silly sci-fi and anime stuff under the name Asplenia Studios.