Full Name: Andrew Thomas L.
Age: 25
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Occupation: Box Office Manager
Hobbies: Listening to Music, Playing Music, Putting out/collecting records, creating situational comedies that will never exist, creating bands that will never exist, watching the Steelers when I get the chance.
Pets: None

1: the heavy part
Update us on your situation in life.
Currently living in Brooklyn and working at a box office in Times Square. Making enough money to live comfortably without worrying about paying my rent, seldom cooking for myself. Playing trombone and theremin in two bands (Arbor Day and the Victoria Lucas). Discretely waiting for either one to take off. (Still waiting.)

Have your '20s been like you imagined?
I never really imagined what my 20s would be like. I guess I imagined I would be making a decent living in the music industry, which I am, so yes. I am sort of like Martha Quinn in that respect.

Which was the best year, for you, of the aforementioned '20s?
My 20s are less than half over so far, so I'd rather not answer yet. This year has been a pretty good year.

Why is music such an important part of your life?
I could give you about a hundred generic answers for this question that would only be rivaled by the generic-ness of the question. Sorry Steve, but you can do better that that.

How many shows do you think you have seen, total?
A very high estimate would probably 1,000, but a more accurate estimate would probably around 750. For a few years during college I kept a very detailed log of all of the concerts I had seen, including the ticket price, openers, and any special guest performers. Unfortunately I lost it when I formatted the hard driver on my old laptop, but for three years in a row I went to over 110 concerts a year, not including concerts that I was working at. I kind of went nuts going to see shows when I first came to New York, but have toned it down a lot since.

What's the best concert you've seen? Why was it so great?
It's hard to narrow it down, but the two best are probably Kraftwerk at The Hammerstein Ballroom last summer and the Blues Explosion at Graffitti [in Pittsburgh] in 1995. Kraftwerk was amazing probably just because it was Kraftwerk, but also because it was just four middle-aged Germans, standing behind laptops, possibly playing, possibly not, but still somehow putting on a great performance. There were tons of visuals and the sound was crisp and clear. It was probably a once in a lifetime experience to see them live, so they made it count without really trying.

The Blues Explosion were great because I was 15 and I had never seen a band quite like them before, with so much energy, not playing pop songs in a traditional sense, with no bass player... and a theremin. "Indie rock" was pretty new to me at the time, so I dove head first into them, which in turn led to me getting into a lot of new music by other bands. I was pretty unfamiliar with them at the time and was probably also the youngest person there, which is something that is seldom the case these days, but was pretty much the standard for me at the time, and that made it pretty cool for me. Plus, I went out with Tim [McNelis], so it was one of my first concerts that my mom didn't drive to, an added bonus. I remain a huge Blues Explosion fan to this day, although they have made a bit hard in recent years, partly because of this show.

Honorable mentions go to the last handful of Guided By Voices shows that I attended, although with GBV you usually get as much out of it as you put into it (read: how much you drink at their shows). The last few times I saw them, I brought it.

Now how about the most disappointing show. Why did it suck?
Unfortunately, the most disappointing shows (although not the worst, there is a very important distinction there) were probably both times that I saw The Fall. I love their records and even find the new ones enjoyable, but have never enjoyed them live in person. Of course it should be noted that I never saw them in their prime, seeing them in the late '70s/early 80s might have been the great live show that I would expect them to be, but why give a fuck about their performance if Mark E. Smith doesn't give a fuck about their performance? I know it's his schtick, but why not have an entertaining schtick? He's was and still is more creative than that, but simply goes through the motions to the nth degree onstage. Of course, some of the die hard Fall fans eat it up, but I just find it boring. I left both times (thank you, Nick Hornby). Of course, I might still try again the next time they come around.

How did you fall into playing the theremin?
As cool as it would be to say the Beach Boys or some avant-garde composer, I picked up the theremin because Jon Spencer plays one. He makes it look easy, and to play it the way he (or I) plays it, it is. Later on of course, I learned a lot about Clara Rockmore and Leon Theremin and Brian Wilson's use of the theremin (actually a tannerin,) but it was the Blues Explosion from the beginning. Although I still don't know how and probably don't have the ear to play the thing properly, I do think I have improved a lot since I started.

Are you the hardest working man in show business?
No, I actually feel bad that I don't work as hard as I could. I work hard at my actual paying job, but unfortunately I have gotten lazy with all of my not as well paying, creative projects (Arbor Day and Awesometown Records). We still haven't sent the new Arbor Day record out to labels, which should been done weeks ago, and I haven't done much for Awesometown at all recently. I excuse myself because I have been working so hard at NOKIA, but it is just that, an excuse. I could work a lot harder; maybe it can be one of those New Year's things or something.

Do you ever miss Pittsburgh?
Of course, very, very much. I miss the whole close knit scene (which accounts for my "lurker" status on the Roboto board), the really good friends and the affordability. I still don't think I could move back, though.

2: the not-heavy part
Describe a good night out...
A really good night out would probably include going out to a show with a group of friends, then heading to a bar (that is crowded enough to be interesting, but still empty enough to find seats, with a good jukebox that doesn't play so loud that you can't talk) and meeting with a larger group of friends and having a handsome number of inexpensive but good drinks before heading off to a friend's apartment to listen to records and continue to drink/mind alter. Throw in cheap-but-good Mexican food/pizza anywhere into that sequence and it is a great night.

And a good night in the apartment?
Same as above except without all of the going out parts.

Current favorite ethnic food and, if possible, dish.
Indian, Chicken Saag Bhuna

What have you been listening to?
The Apes, The Misfits, The Kingsbury Manx, Donovan, Bruce Springsteen, The Velvet Underground, Bob Dylan, Big Star.

Was hast you been reading?
Non-fiction mostly. I am between books right now (as I tend to be) but I just finished All Yesterday's Parties: The Velvet Underground in Print, Mick Wall's John Peel biography, and the new Guided By Voices biography.

What have you been watching on TV?
Curb Your Enthusiasm, Seinfeld, News Radio, and Brooklyn public access.

Seen any movies lately? What did you think?
The last movie I saw was The 40 Year Old Virgin, I thought it was funny, but a bit too long. I am going to see Walk The Line in a few minutes in hopes that the trains will be running properly when it gets out.

You're getting ready to go out: Which song do you blast?
"Night-Time Reaper" by The Apes.

3: the cocktail party
So you're having a cocktail party: list five A-list guests, other than Jesus, me and your friends...
Jerome Bettis, Matt Ward, Amanda Kleinman (Amanda Ape), James Earl Jones, Larry David.

What drinks will you serve?
Rusty Nails, bourbon on ice, scotch on ice, beer

What will be in the stereo?
The Faces, The Kinks, Carpenters, "Lookout" Joe Hasan.

Conversation topics will include...
The transit strike, Superbowl predictions, Modey Lemon, vintage trombones, our respective careers, "Birds of a Feather," The Gaming Commission

How will the evening end?
I hope that everybody will realize when the party is winding down, and it will end of its own volition.