Chip: I was often called a “mouthbreather” in school, and I would usually cry behind the gym for awhile each time. Why do you guys call yourself Mouthbreathers? Tell us about the origin of the name.
Kyle: I wanted the name to be pointed. I wanted it to describe the kind of person I was writing the songs about. We are all mouth breathers. Where'd you go to high school?
Richard: Our friend the rock scholar King Tosser is probably LFK’s biggest proponent of the current garage rock scene, but even he criticizes bands such as Mouthbreathers and Rooftop Vigilantes for playing so fucking loud in a live setting that any hope of hearing the vocals or nuances of the songs is utterly lost. How do you respond?
Kyle: Nuance? We are a punk band; not a garage rock band. I have heard the complaint that we are too loud many times and always disregard it. We are not even close to as loud as Muscle Worship or Major Games. Those dudes will melt your face off! I've never thought Rooftop Vigilantes were particularly loud and every time I've seen them the vocals are pretty clear.
Chip: There are a whole slew of garage-rock bands in Larryville right now, and you guys seem to be in ¾ of them. It’s more incestuous than Fort Scott! What separates Mouthbreathers from the others and how would you describe yourselves using one of those “we sound like ________ meets __________” comparisons that music critics throw around?
Kyle: We are all only actively in Mouthbreathers at the moment, but the reason everyone in town plays in everyone else's bands is because we have incredible respect for one another. We don't want to set ourselves apart from other bands in this town. Sometimes I'll hear a new song from, say, Dry Bonnet or Up The Academy or Fag Cop, or whatever and think, “Holy Shit!” It's stuck in my head days later and some of it works it's way into my song writing. We build on and influence one another. All these amazing bands help to harbor creativity. There is no in-fighting and competition that one might expect between bands vying for the same shows in a small town like Lawrence.
Richard: I love the image of the sheep smoking a bong on your Out of Breath EP, which of course is a riff on the Minor Threat “Out of Step” album. Tell us how this idea came about. Have you guys ever gotten a sheep high?
Kyle: It was an idea bred on tallboys and the ringing in our heads after a practice session in a concrete basement. Brad coined the image if I remember correctly. It's really just supposed to be juvenile and contradictory.
Chip: Your song “The Creeper” is pretty creepy. Are any of you guys creepers?
Kyle: The Creeper is about picking up a hitchhiker and getting murdered by said hitchhiker. I don't know if we're that creepy.
Richard: What can we expect from the Friday the 13th KJHK-sponsored show at the Jackpot? Looks like you guys are on right after Top City’s Stik Figa. Any chance of incorporating a rap number into the set?
Kyle: This show is cool because it purposely brings out a wide audience. Hopefully the people coming for one group will not have seen the other 2/3 of the groups playing. We're excited to play to a different crowd. I think we might be a little too uptempo to rap to but I could be wrong.
Richard: What’s on the horizon for Mouthbreathers in 2012 in terms of shows and/or new music?
Kyle: We are playing heavily at local venues in the next few months. There's the Woods show at the Jackpot April 25th and Spring Into Summer Fest May 12th. We are waiting for the release of our LP. We plan on it being released some time this fall and we plan on writing the next one this summer. We are a few songs deep into unrecorded material so expect more recorded output before too long.
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