Skip to main content

PhoulBallz Talks With Les Savy Fav's Seth Jabour

Normally, when I interview people for the site, it's a player or a coach. That makes the following Q&A session extra special.

A brand new phriend of PhoulBallz has emerged. Seth Jabour, of the exceptional indie rock band Les Savy Fav, took time to chat with PhoulBallz.com this week about fame, the troubles of leaked music, Phillies baseball and more.

Currently on Frechkiss Records, the band also consists of Tim Harrington, Syd Butler, Harrison Haynes and Andrew Reuland. The group pumps out creative content, has a considerably large fan base and loves to perform. No questions asked, Les Savy Fav needs to be on your musical radar.

Hoping to reach some news phans, Seth agreed to answer some questions, so check out what he had to say below.


Seth, you're lead guitarist for Les Savy Fav. What's the best thing about being a rock star?

That all depends on what you mean by 'rock star.' I don't drive an Italian sports car or trash hotel rooms. I guess that archetype is dated. But I love to meet people and perform in front of a crowd.


A lot of folks idolize rock stars and pro athletes. Is the travel involved with touring as glamorous as people imagine? And who has it better, athletes or musicians?

We fly coach and generally travel the roads in a van. I sense a bus in our future, so I expect the glamour factor to step up a bit. As for who has it better - depends on your status in your respective field. My guess is that all the A listers have it sweet. We're like the dudes in the minors - just happy to be playing the game and steadily striving to get noticed.


Baseball fans not familiar with the name Les Savy Fav may unknowingly be familiar with the band's music, as it has been included in some video game soundtracks like MLB 2K7 and Grand Theft Auto IV. What sort of attention has video game exposure brought the band and/or how has that benefited the band?

Don't forget NHL 2K8. Our bassist, Syd, is a big hockey fan. As far as gaining exposure through video games goes, I'd say GTA IV got the most attention throughout the blogging community. I'm a fan of the GTA franchise, so it was a nice feather in my cap.


You grew up in NJ, right? Who were some of your favorite baseball players growing up?

Damn right, Jay! I grew up watching Philadelphia TV stations, so I was a Phillies fan. This was back in - oh, let's see now - the early 80's. I was a fan of Pete Rose (that hair!) and Mike Schmidt (that mustache!). I remember going to see the Phillies play the Cardinals in '80 or '81 and I wanted to meet Mike Schmidt. As my family and I made our way back to our car, I asked my dad where he thought Mike Schmidt was parked. I was under the impression that a post-game Mike Schmidt was parked in the same lot as my folks. What a boob I was.


You now reside in NYC. Are you partial toward either the Mets or Yankees or have you managed to avoid that sort of awfulness?

Nah. Does Newark have a team?


Les Savy Fav's latest release Root For Ruin had its release date pushed up in a rushed fashion after the music leaked online. Talk about what the stress level is like for musicians when something like that happens and how did the band react?

Well, we were pretty bummed, but these days it's par for the course. Tim came up with a clever plan to follow our fans on Twitter with an account called "You Stole Our Record" (now defunct). Anytime someone tweeted about liking our new record, Tim would haunt them, urging them to make a donation to our Pay Pal account. It worked for a little while. Some people took it as a witch hunt and were none too pleased. On the other hand, most folks don't steal music by accident. I think we handled it in stride.


Do other members of the band like baseball or are they partial to other sports?

Syd loves hockey. Andrew likes most sports. He occasionally wears a Mets cap. Harrison is a Chapel Hill native, so college basketball is his sport of choice. I like football. Tim likes skateboarding and swimming.


If you were going to compare the band members to the Phillies, which member would be which player?

I think Tim would be the Phillie Phanatic - hairy, no pants, and a sure crowd pleaser.
Syd would be the team manager, Charlie Manuel. He's great at taking charge of the team.
Harrison would be the Carlos Ruiz of the band - calls the shots in over the plate. Writes the set lists!
I'm not sure where that leaves Andrew and I. Infield and outfield. Andrew provides the punch and the power, so- Ryan Howard? I'm partial to improvising and thinking fast on my feet, as well as being able to switch it up, so- Victorino perhaps?



If you had an opportunity - which you do, here- to reach potential new fans, what would you tell them, to convince folks to check out your music or come see a Les Savy Fav show?

We're one of the best live bands working today. Our music is great to sweat to. It's fun without being funny or goofy. I think fans of anything left of center can appreciate our music.


Thanks to Seth for spending time answering the questions. Readers, you can download Les Savy Fav's new album Root For Ruin LEGALLY directly from iTunes. Also, check out Les Savy Fav's website by clicking this link.

_________________________________________


Follow PhoulBallz.com on Twitter HERE.


BallHype: hype it up!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Diekman a Late Addition to Mesa AFL Roster

On Wednesday, Phillies lefty pitching prospect Jacob Diekman made his Arizona Fall League debut. Diekman, who was drafted in the 30th round of the 2007 amateur draft, was assigned to Mesa late, in order to increase his 2010 innings total, according to Mesa hitting coach Mark Parent, who managed Diekman in Lakewood this past season. Diekman, 23, posted a 2-0 record with 1.90 ERA in 21 games with Class A Lakewood before being promoted to High-A Clearwater on June 24th. In 24 games with the Threshers, Diekman went 0-2 with a 3.66 ERA. Combined, Diekman tossed 55 2/3 innings and held opponents to a .187 batting average against at two levels in 2010. However, after not pitching in an official game since he threw a shutout inning to wrap up the Clearwater season on September 5th, Diekman was unable to record an out as all seven batters he faced reached base, six with hits, one on an error. Diekman was charged with 5 earned runs in the outing. Diekman had spent time at instructional ball from

McGwire Stays Phony, Despite Admitting Drug Use

Mark McGwire made an effort to publicly come clean today, admitting to the world that he took performance enhancing drugs during his playing career. Steroids and human growth hormones were among the drugs that McGwire admitted to using. MLB Network featured a one on one interview with Bob Costas and McGwire on Monday evening. The broadcast was virtually garbage, thanks to McGwire. Ahead is a list of quotes from McGwire's interview. McGwire repeatedly stated his point of view that there were no dishonorable intentions involved when taking steroids, and that he was merely using them as a means to recover from varying ailments. When asked if he felt like he cheated... "As I look back now...I can see how people would say that. As far as the talent goes and the hand-eye coordination, the ability, the genetics I was given...I don't see it." "I did not take this for any strength purposes." Denial. Read on for similar B.S. He whined about the abuse he's taken at

Bubby Rossman's long awaited MLB debut

Eight years after he initially signed a professional contract with the Dodgers and a five-year stretch playing away from affiliated ball, Bubby Rossman became a major leaguer on Wednesday. Added as a substitute for pitcher Kyle Gibson, who is restricted from travel to Canada for the Phillies' series in Toronto, due to his medical inability to be vaccinated from COVID-19, Rossman took the mound for the first time in the majors. Rossman, who was a 22nd round draft selection in 2014 had pitched in 200 professional games before his one-inning outing in the Phillies' 8-2 loss to the Blue Jays. In 27 appearances with Double-A Reading this year, the 30-year-old right-hander has performed well, tallying a 2-2 record with a save, a 3.32 ERA and a .200 batting average against.   The embedded video below features a media session with Rossman from prior to opening day this year, in which the California native discusses his journey through independent baseball and back to affiliated ball wi