MG- As an outsider peering in, how would you describe the Disco Biscuits’ rehearsal process?

AA- Well, very professional first off all. The band I was inwe’d get together and jam and that was all there was to it. But, the Biscuits have micromanaged the jam. They know where they are at any point in jam. It’s kind of like they have taken a jazz-form approach and adopted it to their style. It’s always improvised, but they always know where they are going

MG- Before the band’s unofficial hiatus, the group seemed to be moving away from the electronic sound it cut its teeth on. Do you feel like the Biscuits are returning to more electronic-based music?

AA- I think we are. We are definitely going to stay with the song-influenced music, but they want to go a little bit further into electronic music —-maybe even have a few sequencers onstage. Magner has been using those a bit, and I have been using those myself, but they were talking about trying to incorporate them in a little more instead of just using them as a coloring —-kind of like “Caterpillar,” but a little more elaborate.

MG- What electronic music do you most often listen to?

AA- Well, I am a humungous fan of L.T.J Bukem, Squarepusher, Aphex Twin, Goldie—— and stuff like that——when I would practice, I would throw on a Goldie CD or an L.T.J CD or something like that and try to emulate it. I was kind of the one who brought the jungle sound to my previous band —-we loved to get down and dirty and jam—-but we were kind of jazzy or Phishy. But, when I would go home, I would sit in front of my computer for 8 or 12 hours and practice. Those compositions tended to be more electronic.

MG- At the Atlantic City drum-off, the Disco Biscuits debuted a pair of new songs. Since then, has the group introduced any new compositions during its rehearsals?

AA- Yup—-there are some completely new songs coming up that haven’t been heard. Right now, they are Barber compositions, but they might morph into more group jams. But, they were definitely Barber’s ideas.

MG- Have you written any songs of your own?

AA- Yes, actually. I have a whole bunch of electronic songs that I wrote on my computer. I think that if any band could play them, it would be the Biscuits. I hope I can introduce them to the Biscuits and hear how they sound.

MG- As of now, what is your favorite Biscuits number?

AA- Ooh, it’s hard to say. Not really being a Biscuits fan, every song I put into my CD player I was floored by how awesome it was. Everything from the composition of the songs to the lyrics to the jams. “Housedog Party Favor” was a favorite for a while, as well as “Save the Robots,” because I get to play some jungle in the middle of that and some drum and bass. I am also really excited to play “Digital Buddha.”

MG- Earlier you mentioned that the band gave you a number of live shows to listen to while you rehearsed. What shows were you given to study?

AA- The 2004 New Year’s run, 5/27/05, 4/11/03 and 5/7-9/04

MG- Have you ventured into the world of the Disco Biscuits’ message boards?

AA- Well, [laughs] when I got done playing in Atlantic City, the two dudes I knew, Pat and Johnny, were like, “Allen, you got to see this.” I was stressing—-I really wanted to play in the band, but knew there was some stiff competition. So they had me come into their room and they showed me Phantasy Tour for the first time. It was amazing to see how people were reacting to my set—-I couldn’t believe it. Of course I became addicted to it for a while, so I had to turn it off, because it was taking away from my playing. You can turn on Phantasy Tour and look up and it’s been 3 hours.

MG- At what angle do you tend to turn your hat?

AA- [laughs] I am defiantly a straight up, normal baseball cap wearing guy. It’s usually a Colts hat and I know a lot of Biscuits people are more of the Eagles fans. But I am a hardcore Colts fan, so, hopefully, we can all be cool with that. Maybe if I make an angle with my hat, they can be cool that it’s a Colts hat!

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