Questionable Corner: Mt. St. Helen's Vietnam Band

I have been thoroughly enjoying Mt. St. Helen's Vietnam Band's self-titled debut a lot lately, so I was pretty excited to get a chance to ask a few questions of their frontman Benjamin Verdoes. I was especially thrilled to get a chance to learn a bit more about the story behind the band, a story that includes the whole family in the band. It's an interesting story, but apparently one that's been somewhat misrepresented in all the hype surrounding the band. Luckily, Benjamin does his best to set the story straight down below.

PTST: I cannot find a bio on you guys anywhere! Have you tried to keep the story of the Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band secret? How did you guys wind up starting the band?
MSHVB: We are not necessarily keeping our story a secret, it's just a complicated story. The band started with me (Benjamin) teaching my adopted little brother how to play drums. I promised Marshall we would play a show when he progressed. His rate of his progression was faster than expected. I encouraged my friends Jared and Matt to join the band and lastly, my wife, Traci agreed to be a part of MSHVB.

PTST: One of the few things we do know about you is that your drummer is your 14-year old adopted son. How did he become the drummer in the band? Was there ever any debate about having your teenage son in the band? How does he feel about playing with his Mom and Dad rather then in a band of his peers?
MSHVB: Marshall is one part son and two parts brother to Traci and I. At first, the band revolved around him so it was more of a question of "who else should we add?" rather than, "should we add Marshall?" He may occasionally complain about long practices but at the end of the day, he is proud of his accomplishments. He tells everyone about his band.

PTST: Do you guys ever worry that he may become warped by the rock n roll lifestyle?
MSHVB: The "rock and roll lifestyle" is what you make it. We all are positive, healthy people. We are also very protective of him. So far there has not been a single instance of another band or person trying to corrupt our little guy. People are very encouraging to him.

PTST: Has being in a band with family members led to any strange dynamics? Did you guys ever play as a family before starting the band?
MSHVB: The family element is one of the greatest connective forces for our music. Traci and I were not married or dating when Marshall and I started playing music together. I imagine sometimes the band can cause "role confusion" for members the family, but overall I think it gives us a point of connection that many families & bands lack.

PTST: Have any of you ever played in bands before? Is this your first exposure to the internet hype machine? What's been your impression of the whirlwind of hype surrounding you already?
MSHVB: Jared, Matt and I have all been playing in bands for a over decade. Matt and I played in the band "In Praise of Folly" for many years; Jared joined that band in its final year of existence. IPOF gained some attention nationally, but MSHVB has certainly surpassed the level of exposure that IPOF received. I think the word hype is a misnomer. The word is used to describe excitement over a new band as a positive term. It is also used as a derogatory term that aims to dismiss a bands music without giving it proper care or review.

PTST: The band name is pretty much straight out of left field, where did you guys come up with it?
MSHVB: The band was named by Marshall, who was 11 at the time. He just blurted it out when we were in the car. It had a nice feel to it.

PTST: Your main exposure prior to the record came from a series of PSA's you did, how did those come about? Did you ever think making those videos would lead to what it has?
MSHVB: The psa's were a result of watching Reading Rainbow, and some strange instructional videos that we saw at a high school we were working at. We had no idea that the videos would cause a stir. We thought they were funny and we enjoyed making them. The videos got us some attention at the onset, but the music is what has validated the band.

PTST: Were you guys surprised with all the immediate exposure that has come with the videos?
MSHVB: We were surprised that people responded to the videos as much as they did.

PTST: How did you wind up working with Scott Colburn on your first full length record? What was that experience like?
MSHVB: We were referred to Scott by a friend a year earlier and had contacted him about doing an album for IPOF, which we were set to do before that band broke up. When we finished our first demo for MSHVB (before the videos were out) we asked him if he would be interested in doing our record. He was on board. We loved working with him. He has been making records for a long time and is great at what he does. He brings some great ideas to the table, and he is always willing to experiment with different sounds and approaches.

PTST: You guys played your first show at Neumo's right? How was it playing in front of that many people for the first time?
MSHVB: Our first show was an amazing experience. The audience was warm and supportive. I thought we played well and we had a great time. All of us had performed in front of large crowds at different points in our lives, so it wasn't overwhelming on that level.

PTST: Now you're gonna go on a nation wide tour with Bishop Allen and play a few shows down at SXSW. Do you guys feel you're ready for a big long tour like that? What's the most exciting thing about heading out on such a big tour?
MSHVB: I think we're ready for the tour. We get along really well and have thoroughly enjoyed all the touring and shows we've played thus far. I am sure the length of the tour will be a challenge, but I think we are all more excited than worried. We all like sharing our music, traveling and meeting new people/bands. This tour will provide us with an abundance of music, travel and new friends.

PTST: Do you ever feel like you maybe missed out by not having to play small crappy clubs or to be the "struggling" musician?
MSHVB: Trust me, with the exception of Marshall and Traci, we have all played MANY crappy clubs. We have paid our dues: funded our own tours, self-released, played to miniscule audiences. It is the most common misconception about our band, that we just magically arrived on the music map. The band we were in prior to MSHVB put out two eps & two full-length records, and felt the joys and dissapointments of this struggle you speak of.

PTST: You're debut full length hit stores this week, do you guys have any anxieties about releasing your record into the world? Obviously there's excitement around releasing a record, but are there any fears that go along with it as well?
MSHVB: Of course we want people to like it. We do. There is always the fear that people will have myopia and just focus on the videos and our story. So far the response has been positive and people have been letting us know how much they enjoy the record.

PTST: Do you guys have any plans to celebrate the release of the record? Will you stop at the local record store to see if they have in the shelves they day it comes out?
MSHVB: We will be in the van driving across the country when the record comes out. We'll just look forward to performing those songs on tour.

PTST: After this tour do you guys have anything planned for the summer, or will you try and sit back and take a minute to let everything all sink in?
MSHVB: We will probably be touring in some capacity. There is always work to be done. We are working on parts of what will probably become our second record!

Listen: Mt. St. Helen's Vietnam Band - "Cheer for Fate"
Mt. St. Helen's Vietnam Band - "Anchor's Dropped"