Rift recently talked to Sean Fahey of Brooklyn-based punk psych band Acid Dad. The band has been garnering a lot of praise for their music and blisteringly energetic live act while gaining momentum touring the country with bands like White Reaper, Thee Oh Sees and Diarrhea Planet. Fahey is a guitarist/vocalist for Acid Dad but started playing guitar in Minnesota a long, long time ago, and is back home to play First Avenue on Wednesday March 28th. Thought we’d play catch up.
Rift: Acid Dad has just released its debut self titled record, and you have been hitting the road hard on a national tour and will be at the Seventh Street Entry this month. The band is recognized as being Brooklyn based but I bet a lot of your fans aren’t aware that you are actually from Minneapolis. We are really proud of our musicians here and like to give backhanded love to those that leave us for other pastures. Why did you leave?
Fahey: I moved to NYC originally for college but my music/work schedule slowly started to turn into a full time thing. I had visited a couple friends who had moved there in 2011 and immediately knew that’s where I wanted to be. It definitely kicked my ass at first but over time I weeded out the nonsense and found my block.
Rift: Although it seems like New York would be a hugely competitive place to break into the music scene, from the outside it appears that for Acid Dad the navigation from playing house parties to touring the country was pretty quick. How difficult was it to break through?
Fahey: Acid Dad has existed for almost four years. I originally joined to play bass before ultimately switching over to guitar and vocal duties. So I skipped out on some early grunt work and kind of blindly jumped into the fire. We try to be wise about how many and what New York shows we play.
Rift: The Twin Cities has a load of great bands and a big history of the whole DIY ethos, while Nashville is a real music “BUSINESS”. What is the main difference in regards to the music scene in NY as compared to here?
Fahey: There’s always a million shows a night in New York. Clubs and venues kind of come and go. It’s pretty hard to keep a venue up to code and the NYC cops can be nasty with shut downs. I’m unaware of any newer venues that are not main stays in Minneapolis/St Paul. In high school I used to go to the Medusa a lot and that’s definitely not around anymore.
Rift: By the way, congrats on the release of your self-titled debut album–really loving it. Now Sean you originally were the bassist in Acid Dad but I believe you weren’t even a bassist at the time? How unlikely was it that you’d end up in that role initially?
Fahey: I haven’t played bass in the band for a while now although Vaughn and I both played a fair amount of bass on the record. At the beginning of when I played bass in the band Vaughn had just called me up a week before they had like six CMJ showcases. I just learned the tunes and the rest is history.
Rift: With a Dad (Joe Fahey of the Local Hermits and The Bottom Forty) who is a musician was it difficult to rebel musically or did you always bond with your father over it instead of going through the classic teen growing pains of hating what your parents listened to?
Fahey: Nah, my dad’s been 100% supportive of whatever my brother and I wanted to listen to. I think he just wanted us to get into music naturally. I was lucky to have access to his record collection AND his sitar.
Rift: Did your father ever give you any specific advice as you embarked on your own personal musical journey?
Fahey: Definitely a lot collectively. When I was super young he told me not to read this Kurt Cobain biography called Heavier Than Heaven because I was 10 or whatever but I found it tucked away in a bookshelf and finished it as fast as I could. Probably should’ve saved that one for a later date. Overall he taught me a lot about guitar and how to not be dickhead.
Rift: Honestly I started watching you guys via your Dad. I really dig the whole punk psych shoegaze sound and it’s been so cool seeing how proud he is of your success, is he your biggest fan?
Fahey: He’s definitely one of the top contenders. I’m stoked that he doesn’t have to drive to Chicago to see us play this month like he’s done in the past. I wouldn’t be surprised if he still came to our Chicago date.
Rift: Being from Minneapolis you have to be aware of the idol worship of Artists like Prince, Husker Du, and such. I recall you guys saying in ANCHR magazine that if you ever did an “all band Halloween costume” that it would be The Stone Roses, The Replacements or the band Pavement–do you kneel before The Replacements as a Twin Cities native?
Fahey: I saw that Bash and Pop is playing a South by Southwest showcase this upcoming Friday so I may kneel before Tommy.
Rift: If you ever covered a Replacement’s song, which one would it be?
Fahey: I Bought a Headache, for sure.
Rift: What music has helped to shape the music that you play nowadays?
Fahey: I’m in my van right now listening to ‘Terrapin Station (Live at Hartford, Ct, May 28, 1977’. I’ve been on a pretty heavy Grateful Dead kick lately. Other than the Dead I’ve been listening to a lot of XTC and Thin Lizzy.
Rift: What do you miss most about the Twin Cities?
Fahey: Grumpy’s Northeast.
See Acid Dad at First Avenue tomorrow Wednesday 3/28
~Rebecca Marx, Photo Credit Kelsey Wagner
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