Matt and Kim, the Brooklyn power duo in music and love, are currently on tour with their new album New Glow. Matt Johnson (vocals/keyboards) and Kim Schifino (drums) met in college and soon after started enriching the world with their catchy and beat-driven songs. Blank Newspaper recently got to interview Kim Schifino. Here’s what we talked about:
BLANK: You’re not just a band, but you’re also a couple. You live and work together. And you’ve been making great music together for about 10 years now. How do you manage not to kill each other? And how has music influenced your relationship or helped your relationship grow?
KS: We would not suggest this for everyone but for some reason being together all the time works for us. Even when we are not on tour we still spend all our time together. I feel like if we weren’t doing music together we would be doing something else creative together.
BLANK: You’ve established a reputation for creating fun videos and are not afraid to push boundaries. For “Can You Blame Me” you’re encouraging fans to make and submit videos with the plan to create a final compilation video of your fan-favorites. How has the response been so far?
KS: We have received a lot and more of them keep coming in.
BLANK: What have been some favorite fan-submitted videos you’ve received?
KS: It is really amazing to see what people are coming up with and how creative everyone is getting with the video. I don’t want to give too much away because I want it to be a surprise when it all comes together but there is definitely one where I am uncertain if the guy in the video is wearing clothes!
BLANK: When can we expect to see the final compilation video?
KS: We haven’t set a final date. We are keeping the submission open for the summer.
BLANK: Your live shows have a reputation for being very high energy. Eccentricities such as mosh pits, stage diving and the optional removing of clothing items are often encouraged. On average, how many pairs of panties or bras hit the stage at your shows?
KS: Oh man, I wish we would have kept track, but I have no idea. I will say I always try to throw the bras back because I know how expensive they are and who can just be tossing that kind of money around. We once had a guy throw his boxers up on stage. I am still trying to figure out how he got them off. I like to pretend it was like a “Zoolander” move.
BLANK: What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever seen at a festival you played?
KS: I think the craziest thing was when over 100 people crowd surfed at once when we played Bonnaroo last. We were in one of the tents and there were so many people outside the tent who couldn’t get in. So I told them to crowd surf in if they wanted to get up front. Matt says it was like civilization was collapsing. But then again our shows do get crazy and that is what we like.
BLANK: I’ve seen references for #KimsDatingService on your Twitter account. I’m curious: what is it about?
KS: Yeah it’s less of a “dating service” and more of a “are you looking for a one night stand” type of thing. So if you are at the show and you see someone you want to hook up with, or if you are just open and want to put yourself out there then you can tweet to #KimsDatingService. I think it’s going to put eHarmony out of business!
BLANK: What’s a typical Matt and Kim day like? Do you just wake up every day and start planning your next stunt?
KS: It is like Groundhog Day over and over again. Wake up in a new city, find the best coffee, go into the venue, shower, eat breakfast, catch up on emails, sound check, eat lunch, doors open, warm up for show, play show, eat dinner, shower, party, fall asleep on the bus and do it all over again!
Matt and Kim will stop at Marathon Music Works in Nashville this Saturday 5/9/15. Almost all of their shows on this tour have sold out. And it’s no surprise. Matt and Kim know what it means to deliver an unforgettable live show. Confetti, jokes, Kim walking on audience-hands, you name it. They’re fun and their energy is incredibly contagious. It will be one of the most entertaining nights you’ll have all year, guaranteed. So if you haven’t gotten your ticket yet, I encourage you to do so right now.
To find out more about the event or to purchase tickets to Matt and Kim at Marathon Music Works on 5/9/15 click here: https://bit.ly/1CW2YKe
