5 Questions with...

Rob Keith of BASKERVILLES
www.baskervilles.net

1. If I knew absolutely nothing about Baskervilles, how would you describe the group’s music to me?
-- For the Twilight album, the Baskervilles wanted to create songs that could stand up to some of the best music pop ever made: 60s swinging London pop and 70s and 80s new wave, disco, soul, glam and punk. Baskervilles Twilight is about recapturing the spirit of the pop single.

2. If I were to buy your new album Twighlight, what songs should I pay particular attention to and why?
-- I'd say that your introduction to Twilight should be Caught In A Crosswalk, Smash and A Little More Time. Those are fiery pop songs. I'd encourage people to hear the whole record, though. Baskervilles designed Twilight as an album that stands from end to end.

3. When and where did the band form, and where did the name come from? -- Baskervilles formed in 1993 because of a conversation about Redd Kross. We found the name Baskervilles on a piece of metal in a collapsing house.

4. What was your worst on stage experience? What was your best?
-- The Baskervilles finest show was the headline slot of the 2005 San Francisco Popfest. We played after a bunch of excellent, but shy, twee bands. People were drunk and ready to let loose. We felt like the Beatles frothing at the mouth in Hamburg. The Baskervilles played every song that we knew. Twice.

Our strangest stage experience, but maybe not the worst, happened when Baskervilles were booked to play a party in central Florida. Everything seemed normal, until people started taking off their clothes and screwing in front of the band. It was like being in Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls, except it was real.

5. Do you think that the Internet (whether it be Internet radio, legal downloading, MySpace, streaming audio, etc.) is a good tool for musicians or is it a bad thing because it hinders profits?
-- Since the Baskervilles rarely tour, the Internet has increased our audience in ways that would have been possible before 1995. For the Baskervilles west coast tour in 2005, the Internet saved us. I legally download or pay for CDs. I feel that it's my way of telling an artist that I love that their music is important. Music saves lives and I want to save the artists.