Doing Interviews

[Harpua]

Hey there, my band is going to be interviewd next month for a local music magazine's February issue. We're all pretty excited but I've never done an interview before, any advice?

[Scheming Demon]

My advice is to be truthful, don't exaggerate or lie.

[BlueStrat]

Make sure the interviewer has a CD and a bio/fact sheet a week before the interview, and that you make some 3x5 cards with some points on it you'd like to discuss. This is helpful to the interviewer, especially for print because, unlike a radio interview, you have an opportunity to discuss things at great length, where they can distill it down later.

 

Do the interview in a neutral environment, if possible, like a coffee shop or a park, but certainly not in their office, where the potential for distraction on their part is huge and you wind up with a story that is factually incorrect (which is more often than not the case to begin with). Just remember, they only know about your band what you tell them, so the more you can "write" their story for them, the better story you'll get.