This Machine Still Kills Fascists

radio noir behind the scenes: cary aria...

A midsize car pulled up to our studio. It was stuffed with a drum kit.

This was Cary Aria. I didn't know what to expect, considering I thought he was performing a solo set that night. Turns out he was. He still had his drums from last night's gig in the car.

I met Cary on tour. At the time I had been on the road for only a few days, so it felt redundant to be playing in Stillwater (not far from the Twin Cities). We had a showcase at Shane's On Main, and Cary happened to be there. Andy met Cary first, but eventually we all started talking. By the end of the night we agreed to play a few shows together.

Almost a year had past and no gigs were set up, so I thought I would bring him on Radio Noir. It was an interesting set up that night. John couldn't be there, but he pre-prepped the studio and showed our room-mate Nick how to run sound. This scenario led to copious amounts of Good Will Hunting quotes. If you know me personally, you'll know I like quoting things... a lot.

Think I'm weird? Well Good Will Hunting is a fantastic film, and if you don't like it... Ya suspect! (tangent over).

Sometimes I feel guilty asking solo acts to load at 6 like everyone else. It causes a lot of down time, but downtime always yields some good chatting. I figured I owed it to Cary. He's a nice guy, and I hadn't seen him in awhile. It was good to catch up.

You should have heard some of his 'rock and roll injuries.' If you see him in a bar, ask him about a few. You won't be disappointed. We even told some anecdotes that went back to each other's high school days. It's rare when that happens. Normally if we have down time, I wait until 8 while the band smokes cigarettes. I always welcome a change of pace.

Good luck to you Cary, thanks for coming on the show, and big thanks to Nick Lee for stepping up on sound.