Gorka, Michael Fancy, Jared Bader, Jefferson Gustaf, Kim Aspaugh

One needs only to read the reivews I’ve written about Minutia Stew's live shows to know where I stand. I’ve seen them a bunch of times, but still didn’t know much of their story, so I figured it was time to get them on the record. Although some of the members of Minutia Stew (Michael Fancy, lead vocals and guitar, Jared Bader, lead guitar, Gorka, bass & vocals, Jefferson Gustaf, drums, and Kim Aspaugh, keyboards) have been playing together for quite a while, Michael & Jeff played together in both The Hot CARLS, and The Fiddlesticks, they’ve only been playing together as Minutia Stew since the beginning of this year.

The only other band around town that had been doing anything that was remotely glam influenced was Crush The Clown, but with Crush, their other influences, plus their own originality keep them from being overly glammy. Minutia Stew makes no bones about their pure 70’s based glam influences whether it be by their sound, their wardrobe (or lack of, in some cases) or the Bowie or T-Rex covers they occasionally include in their set lists.

When I first heard their demo, which was recorded before Keyboardist, Kim Aspaugh and guitarist, Jared Bader joined the band; I was blown away by how well they capture the best of that era in tracks like Step No. Seven, Gone, and Glitter Kitty. While most bands try to keep their songs compact, and limit soloing for fear of being labeled a "jam band", Minutia Stew unabashedly jam during a few songs, as is appropriate to their style of songs.

Now while I keep mentioning their influences, I don’t want to indicate that they aren’t original in what they’re doing, they are. They do a great job of turning out their own great melodic rock songs, but they sound as if they could have been off of any great 70’s album.

SCS: I know Michael & Jeff were playing together in The Hot Carl’s, but what’s the rest of the story? How did Minutia Stew form as a band. Who was the first one to start putting this together?

Minutia Stew: Michael and Jeff are actually time travelers. Their magical time machine broke down and now they are stuck in the year 2003. Yeah, it sucks. They decided to start a band while they waited for the part they needed to be invented. They met Gorka at the YMCA, and decided to take him back to the future with them to be the mother of their children. There are no females in the future and Jeff (being the nurturing motherly type) would have been the mother, but didn’t want to ruin his future as a calendar model. Gorka took to the bass guitar very well, but they still needed a guitar player. They obtained DNA samples from Stevie Ray Vaugn , and Yngwie J. Malmsteen, and then injected them into Lionel Richie. They then locked Lionel and Gorka in a padded cell with no food until finally, Gorka was with child. Thus, Jerod was born! Some say he was born with pick in his hand. Doctor Kimberly, a local scientist heard of the bizarre genetical engineering experiments, and decided to follow them around and study them, and it turns out, she plays the keyboards very well. And that’s Minutia Stew at a glance.

SCS: How would you define your sound to someone who’s never seen you?

Minutia Stew: Weedle-weedle-weedle-dee!! !BOOM BOOM Crash! Da-nan-na ooooh yeah! *Thud *Thud *Thud!

A-OOOgaaa! Baba-dooba-doo-doo, bum! Weedle-weedle-weedle dee!! Da-Da-DuN-Da-da-DuN-Da-daDuN!

Sha-na-na-na-na-knees, knees. Thud Ne-na-la Ne-na-la!

SCS: How would you describe a Minutia Stew show? -- If people come to see you live, what can they expect?

Minutia Stew: We are trying to bring some Glitter and Glam back to the stage. You should expect to see a skinny long-hair wearing make-up and prancing about like he was the king of the fairies, and perhaps there’ll be some "Weedle-Weedle-Weedle dee!! Da-da-DuN, Da-da-DuN Da-da-DuN!"

SCS: One thing I love about Mstew is that you guys have a really good glam sound and not too many people around here really doing anything like that now. Every once in a while you guys throw in a Bowie or T-Rex cover, is the late '60’s and early '70’s era glam stuff a big influence, and what other types of music and which musicians/groups influenced the band members?

Minutia Stew: Members? Michael enjoys Bowie, T-Rex, Roxy Music, Brian Eno, Lou Reed, and Zappa. Jefferson enjoys Herb Alpert, Camper Van Beethoven, Pink Floyd, Tripping Daisy, Blind Melon, and Mr. Bungle. Gorka LOVES Ace of Base, Wilson Phillips, M.C. Hammer, Michael Bolton, and as of lately, Lionel Richie. Jerod digs Stevie Ray, Yngwie Malmsteen, Steve Vai, Led Zepplin, and Jeff Beck to name a few. Kim enjoys Rachmaninoff, Chopin, The Cardigans, and anything piano Related.

SCS: Which do you prefer, writing/recording or live performance and why?

Minutia Stew: Michael, being the songwriter, prefers writing and recording. The rest of the band enjoys being on stage-- Michael isn’t nearly as abusive when there are people watching.

SCS: How would you describe the band's working relationship, as far as the musical process is concerned? Is there a single songwriter in the band? How do you work out arrangements, that kind of stuff?

Minutia Stew: Michael usually comes up with the original idea, then everyone adds their own fringe and flair to the song. When it’s completed, we all collapse into a big pile, Laughing and Hugging.

SCS: Where do you get inspiration from for your lyrics?

Minutia Stew: We write songs to inform people of the great conquest of Max Roboforce that is to come...

SCS: What’s your favorite song of yours to play live

Minutia Stew: That’s like asking a parent which one of their children they love the best.

SCS: Are there any you don’t like playing anymore?

Minutia Stew: No.

SCS: Who are some local bands or musicians that you admire or feel should be recognized?

Minutia Stew: Anyone who is out there giving it their best deserves a great big high-five and free milk shake.

SCS: What song would each band member like to cover the most?

Michael: Lady Tron by Roxy Music.
Jefferson: Any song Burt Bacharach wrote.
Gorka: It’s raining men.

SCS: What do you like and dislike about the music scene in Lincoln?

Minutia Stew: No one ever dresses up anymore. We’ve been to a time when people wore their best suits and best dresses for a night on the town.

SCS: What is the name of the new (next) album and when does it come out?

Minutia Stew: This information is unknown to everyone but The Great and Powerful Maxx Robo Force.

SCS: What band would be your dream band to tour with?

Minutia Stew: Journey, but not untill we have the time machine up and running again.

SCS: Who do you think is the most underrated artist in the music industry?

Minutia Stew: Eddie Murphy. I just want to party all the time, party all the time...

SCS: What is a musical goal that you would still like to achieve?

Minutia Stew: Mainly to have a good time doing what we're doing.

SCS: What separates Minutia Stew from other rock acts on the local scene right now?

Minutia Stew: Well, we tend to take ourselves more seriously than other bands. We are very Political and Very involved in our community. We barely have time to rehearse between planting trees, visiting children’s hospitals, and nurturing small woodland creatures back to health.

SCS: Any rituals before you go onstage, I mean aside from Gorka taking off his clothes?

Minutia Stew: Not really, apart from maybe having a drink or eight.

SCS: What single song, in the entire history of music, do you most wish you'd written?

Minutia Stew: The Theme Song to Night Rider!

SCS: What was your most memorable live performance and why?

Minutia Stew: Probably our first ever show as the "Fiddlesticks" in Aurora around '96. I don't recall there being any other bands in town at the time, not to mention anything to do, so when people heard about a rock show, they came. It seemed like the whole town was there, plus we were 16 years old and playing our first show.

SCS: Who/What do you think is the embodiment of evil in the music industry?

Minutia Stew: Rent Money Big! We caught Gorka smoking dope to their music

SCS: Do you think that growing up in Lincoln influence your music, and if so, how?

Minutia Stew: In the Future, what you know as "Lincoln", is known as H953-4b, sector 3 of the Order of The Great and Powerful Maxx Robo Force...may his bolts never rust, and his gears be forever lubricated.

SCS: What can we look forward to in the next year from the band?

Minutia Stew: We weren’t going to tell anyone yet, but Gorka is again with child. And hopefully we’ll have some new music recorded to hand out to anyone who wants to hear it.


- Tery Daly