After their West Coast tour, I had the pleasure of catching up with Jo and Keith of The Shivers. We shared a lovely 20 minute conference call the day after they were cozily tucked back into Brooklyn:

L: How was your tour?

Keith: It was good. We stayed with friends. Twenty-one days and we only spent 4 days in a motel.

L: How did you and Jo meet?

Jo: I was in New York, studying to be a jazz pianist. A friend connected us for a gig. This was in February. I went back to Australia and we had a band by correspondence for a year and a half. Keith came to Melbourne. I finally decided I had to move to New York and do this.

L: When did you start making music?

Keith: I discovered Kurt Cobain as a teen. I was into sports and then music. When the athletes rejected me, then I met the losers and the music outcasts. The first thing they played me was Led Zeppelin. It was okay, but not that great. Then Pearl Jam and then Nirvana. And that was it. I love the music of Kurt Cobain and I wish he was still alive today. And then Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground a couple of years later. They've been a main influence.

L: What is your songwriting process like? What motivates your songs?

Keith: Can you hear me? Am I doing this right?

L: You're doing great.

Keith: Problems inspire them. Bad times.

L: Are they autobiographical?

Keith: Yeah. They're not scholarly or inspirational. They're therapeutic.

Jo: It's true. There are some songs Keith won't play anymore. They're good songs, he's just past that. Mine are tributes to something or someone. Little thank yous.

L: Okay, how would you describe yourself, your take on the world, and how would you describe the other?

Jo: Keith is an asshole.

L: Seriously? Are you kidding me?

Jo: No.

L: Alright. Would you care to elaborate?

Jo: He's an asshole, in a charming way. He's not a bad person, he's just always getting into scrapes. He's brash.

L: And how would you describe yourself?

Jo: I'm just trying to figure things out.

L: Keith?

Keith: I'm just a guy, really, just going about his business.

L: And how would you describe Jo?

Keith: Jo is a very kind person. A very warm, generous person.

Jo: You say that after I just called you an asshole.

Keith: I don't take it personal.

L: Do you get along when you travel together?

Keith: Well, any two people, when they spend 24 hours a day together, any band worth its salt is gonna fight. Although we fight sometimes, often, we have a real love and respect for the other. Deep down. We're very different. We have different ways of going about things and they clash. The fact that we got through this tour, we soldiered on...After the moment came when we decided to stick it out, our shows were the best ever. We came together. We stepped up together and worked as a team. We're good bandmates.

Jo: Aw, you've been upgraded to difficult.

L: What kind of work do you do outside of the band?

Jo: I'm an organist and piano teacher.

Keith: I'm a real estate agent.

L: Really? Are you pulling my leg?

Keith: I'm a real estate agent in Manhattan. It works because I'm an independent contractor, there's no boss to say no when I want to take time off. Technically I work for myself, even though I'm sponsored by a broker. In the winter months it can be a struggle to close a deal. I do other jobs, sound engineering, moving, random odd jobs.But I keep coming coming back to real estate.

L: What are your dreams?

Keith: For The Shivers or personally?

L: In general.

Jo: To just be happy.

L: What does that look like to you?

Jo: Music, family and friends all going well and being self-sufficient.

Keith: One day to be able to open a community center for kids. It'll be different from most. It will have a recording studio, a venue to play shows, job training and skills for the homeless. It'll be arts oriented because that's my focus. It's always been a dream of mine. So I dream for The Shivers to make it, make money and a name so we can afford to do this.

Check out The Shivers Luxury Wafers Live Session.