Please list all of your band members and their roles in the band.
Shane- Lead Singer, Electric Ukulele, keyboards, drum programing
Truong Ta- Lead Guitar, Vocals
Corey Pace- Bass, Vocals, Keyboards
Johnny Price- Rhythm Guitar, Vocals, Keyboards
Dr. Deadbeat- Drum Machine/Sequencer
For starters, what bands were you guys a part of prior to The Soft Spots? How long has the band been around?
Corey has been writing and releasing solo since 2006. Truong, and Johnny have had various projects over the years, Truong & The Stellar Jays and Melon Gang. Truong and I started The Soft Spots in the late summer of 2012. Corey came on board for our second EP “Life Is But A Dream,” in 2013, and Johnny joined up in 2015.
What’s the origin of that name and have you changed the band’s name before?
I (Shane) was getting a shower one day (we all have our best thoughts in the shower right?) and I was scrubbing, and scrubbing, and I found a real soft spot on my back that gave me the shivers. The kind where “someone just walked over your grave,” and the soft spot thing just stuck. I figured everyone has soft spots for something. Plus The Soft Spots had a cool visual aesthetic to tie in. The Soft Spots also sounded like a band name that could have come from any generation, or style of music. Maybe a surf band, or new wave, or some 90’s shoegazer kind of band. The name just seemed to cover all bases of our influences at the time.
Who writes your songs? What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs and do you think these topics will change over time?
Shane writes most of the songs for The Spots. We’ve always been inspired by water in all of its various forms. Also love, that resonates with everyone. These topics are really a bottomless well of imagination, but naturally other themes sneak themselves in from time to time.
What bands are currently inspiring the music that you’re making?
The Beach Boys, Depeche Mode, The Cure, and Slowdive. Also a lot of old Hawaiian tiki lounge records. Those are the best for chilling out and finding unique chord progressions to mess around with.
Was there a particular band/artist or concert that inspired you to start a band?
There was no particular show that inspired the band to begin; however Shane and Truong went and saw The Jesus and Mary Chain in 2012 the night before our first ever studio session. We like to think that show anointed our sessions a bit. Who knows.
What do you do to prepare for a show?
Mostly try to warm up by singing along to real dynamic singers like Roy Orbison, and Boy George. We also watch wrestling.
What has been the biggest highlight of the band’s career so far?
Raising $3,000 for Puerto Rico disaster relief through a benefit show with Shane’s Church.
If you could tour with any bands, past or present, who would they be and why?
Definitely Deerhoof, and Gary Numan. Truong and I are immensely obsessed with Deerhoof and Gary Numan respectively. There’s tons of other bands we’d love to tour with, but those two are equally #1s for us.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Thanks for listening and sharing Goodbye Again! #StaySoft