Q: Your sound blurs lines between acoustic and electronic; are you wary of becoming too comfortable with the ease of electronics, or for that matter, "gear-ism" in general?

Earl: With any mix, some elements work, some elements clash, but it doesn't matter where it came from.

Q: But you could argue that someone like [U2's] the Edge has built a career out of a certain effects setting. He's in his 50's and is still making the same guitar sound.

Christopher: But why does it even have to be said like that? I mean, like, "This is electronic! This is not!"

Kylee: But that's a good point. The more options available, the more creative you can get, period. Flugelhorn, sampled Flugelhorn, whatever. Origin doesn't matter as much as whether or not it works.

Q: That being said, what's the unexplored territory for you? What kinds of sounds haven't you played with that you'd like to take a dip in?

Kylee: [mutters] Well, we've never had any brass ...

Ryan: Strings ... Orchestral elements ...

Earl: Exploration is great and everything - someone's gotta do it - but I like songs and songwriting. It makes me feel good to write something ... good.

Kylee: That's the whole reason you started doing it, right?

Earl: Yeah ... well, that and chicks.

Kylee: Like drugs: You get this feeling, then you keep trying to get it back by writing more songs.
Earl: And it's not as easy the next time ...

Christopher: But that's not even really fair, 'cause you still have to play the same song over and over again, whether it makes you 'high' or whether it's as good as the first time or ...

Kylee: It's fleeting. In order to get the feeling again, you have to write another song and hope it'll keep on doing it for you.

Q: Desert Van-land Discs: If you guys had to pick only three CDs to take with you on the road, what would they be?

Earl: Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys.

Anthony: Nick Drake.

Christopher: Yeah, or Elliott Smith.

Kylee: No way, we'll kill ourselves!

Earl: The Chronic!

Kylee: YEEEEAH! [Claps, applauds]

Anthony: Nothing's Shocking.

All: Yes! Definitely.

Q: If your band was a character in Star Wars, who would it be?

[Pause]

Kylee: The dough-faced saxophone player in the Mos Eisley cantina.

Ryan: Live, you can get that feeling back somewhat. Like when you've played the same song for the 107th time but everything just clicks and finds new life, everyone's into it ...

Kylee: The only relief is to write something else, and often you're like, "I don't know if this is going anywhere" and it just sits there. That sucks; you have to get past it and hope you have one of those serendipitous moments and it all comes out in ten minutes.

Q: Is song quality mostly subjective? How can you tell if it's good?

Ryan: That's the beauty of a band: You can play it for someone else. If they get excited, you get re-excited.

Q: Best show ever?

Earl: I'd say Arizona at this piece-of-shit dive; people you wouldn't think would like us were totally into it.

Anthony: I was amazed. "Some band you've never heard of posts something online and you guys come out to see them?!" I got so drunk, introduced myself to the same girl twice!

Anthony: The blue Klezmer player?

Christopher: Boba Fett ... who's really a woman!

Ryan: Lando Calrissian, man! Lando was gettin' the ladies.

Earl: Han Solo was quick on the draw, though.

Christopher: We're like an AT-AT imperial troop transport robot.

Q: If there was a made-for-TV movie about you coming out this week, who would play each of you? I think Crispin Glover should play you, Chris.

Christopher: I bumped into him in Austin ... but why the hell would he be me?

Anthony: Jimmy Smits for myself.

Ryan: Jack Black, definitely.

Earl: Dunno. I could see Angelina Jolie doing Kylee, though.

Anthony: Ooooh, yeah! I'd love to see that too! [Laughter] But then, this band is just a stepping stone to my acting career, so you know ...

Loquat's first full-length album, It's Yours to Keep, is available on Spanish import from Dear Stereo Fan Records. It will be released domestically in April by Jackpine Social Club.