Built to Spill plays smart songs with thoughtful lyrics and inventive music–a certain recipe for a short career in today’s music world. Yet somehow the band keeps going, having built a base of dedicated fans. They tour–a lot–and main Spiller Doug Martsch’s musical instincts remain idiosyncratic and (mostly) intriguing. We caught Martsch at home in Boise, Idaho, packing for the band’s fall tour.
Q: Countless articles refer to the band as “the greatest unknown band in the world.” How do you feel about that?
A: I definitely like the underdog status. I like having the low expectations. My favorite thing to do is play basketball, and I’m an OK shooter and a decent player, but if it gets intense and someone wants to go after me, I just crumble. I can’t take the pressure.
Q: How does the band, with such modest record sales, survive on Warner Brothers?
A: I’m not too sure. We’re not really a liability to [the record company]–we don’t get much money out of them. We’re a pretty easy group of people to get along with.
Q: What do you make of the recent lawsuits the RIAA has brought against people who download music off the Internet?
A: For sharing? I didn’t think you could sue anyone for sharing? I think freedom and sharing are more important than money. For one thing, CDs are so completely overpriced it’s outrageous. I just think the record industry, like any other industry, is just filled with greedy pigs. I guess I always side with individuals over industries, period. If I had it my way, music would all be free. Any step in that direction, I’m totally in favor of.
Built to Spill with The Delusions and The Solace Brothers
When: 8 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday
Where: Metro, 3730 N. Clark St. 773-549-0203
Price: $17
