Checking in with Matt and Kim
Matt and Kim Photo: Jonathan Mannion
The Great GoogaMooga is upon us, and in addition to Do or Dine’s foie gras jelly doughnuts and the wonderfully-named Egg Beggley Jr. sandwich that Northern Spy is serving up, one of the things we’re most excited about is seeing Matt and Kim play on Saturday.
Matt Johnson, keyboard player and singer, and Kim Schifino, drummer, released their fourth album, Lightning, last year. It’s a dazzling array of frenetic, danceable indie-punky power-pop–their defining sound ever since they formed the band in 2004 while attending Pratt Institute. We interviewed the couple back in 2009 when their record Grand had just come out, and figured it was time to check back in, so we talked to to Kim via email while they were on tour in Australia.
BB: You’re going to be performing at the Great GoogaMooga tomorrow. Did you go last year? Are you planning on sampling some of the food?
Kim Schifino: I am down for eating! I will say, you don’t want to experiment too much before a show. Matt once ate way too much Ethiopian before we played and it started coming back up while on stage. We did hear of The Great GoogaMooga last year but didn’t make it because we were out of town. I think everyone needs to try Do or Dine when they come!
BB: I read that you two are wine connoisseurs, so GoogaMooga in a way is right up your alley?
KS: We are not wine connoisseurs but we do like wine. Our tour manager Tom is a wine connoisseur so I let him pick but if he isn’t around I take a photo of the wine list and text it to him so he can tell me what to drink. I like the wine that doesn’t give you a hangover in the morning!
BB: I definitely hear an ’80s, MTV era synthpop influence in your sound, particularly with the keyboards, the danceable beat, the melodies.
KS: No actually Matt really missed the 80′s MTV-era stuff. I will say we are influenced by a lot of dance music happening now. We are huge fans of top-40 hip hop and anything that makes you want to drop it low and dance your ass off!
BB: In an interview you did with Mark Hoppus on his Fuse TV show a couple of years ago you said that the first time you saw Matt walk by on campus at Pratt, you said, “I’m gonna fuck the shit out of this guy.” So the attraction was obvious from the start?
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