SoundScraper in the Spotlight

The trio of Hermyn, Boof, and Johnny make up the SLOcal band SoundScraper. If you have sensitive ears you might need some plugs, but the tunes that the group creates and covers make you want to hear more regardless. The Mobb went to their practice spot behind a local shop in SLO that they share with a few other bands. Soundscraper's vibe is chill but their music is ragin, and after listening in you can get a feel for the talent they have behind the drums, guitar, and bass. As of now, they are looking for a singer...so if you've got some pipes let them know!

Hear the sounds they scrape on their myspace HERE.



Q: Who's the best skater in SoundScraper?

A: JOHNNY: I’m pretty sure that I’m the only one who full on skates. I don’t know if Hermyn skates, but every once in a while, I’ll get Boof to roll around for a quick second.

BOOF: The best skater in our band, without a doubt, is our guitar player Johnny Gutierrez. Unfortunately, I don't skate, and I'm pretty sure Hermyn doesn't either.

HERMYN: Since I don't skate and I'm not sure if Diego does, Johnny is probably the victor.


Q: What skate do you have?

A: JOHNNY: Right now my setup is a Toy Machine deck, Ricta wheels, Independent trucks, and some decrepit Toy Machine bearings. I also own a couple old school boards and some mini novelty boards.


Q: What bands/artists influence your music?

A: JOHNNY: As a whole we really like Queens of the Stone Age. We have many different influences from Bad Brains and Muse to King Crimson and Sun Ra.

BOOF: Between Johnny, Hermyn, and myself, we all have different musical backgrounds and are all influenced by so many different artists/bands. Here are some bands that we all found to be common influences for us (and our band's sound): Queens of the Stone Age, Foo Fighters, Metallica, Nirvana, Deftones, Dinosaur Jr, Bad Brains, King Crimson, and many others.

HERMYN: Top 3, at the moment: Muse, A Perfect Circle, Queens of the Stone Age


Q: What instrument do you play in the band & for how long? Play any other instruments?

A: JOHNNY: I’ve played guitar for almost ten years now. I’m the only guitar player right now but we’re possibly looking for another guitar player and a lead vocalist. I can mess around a bit on bass and I have an organ at my house I fool around with, but it’s mostly just guitar for me. Hermyn is the multi-talented one.

BOOF: I play the drums, and I've been playing for about 9 years, but I've been playing with other musicians in bands/projects for about 5 or 6 years. Unfortunately, I don't play any other instruments other than the drum set. I've tried picking up a guitar, but I've had no luck with it. Maybe I'll try again in the near future.

HERMYN: I'm pretty new to the band. I think I've only been playing with Soundscraper for about 3 months. I play bass in the band and might be singing a bit. I can also play guitar.

Q: What other bands have you been in?

A: JOHNNY: I’ve played in Violent Jazz and Sone. I also have a side project called the Koopas, with Boof, that’s nothing but old school Nintendo covers.

BOOF: I used to be involved in a band called 'Sone'. I'm currently playing in Soundscraper, and I'm also involved in another project called 'Land of the Rising Fun', which is more of a Progressive Metal band.

HERMYN: Some local bands, nothing anybody would recognize. I have my solo music at myspace.com/hermynmendez

Q: How'd you guys choose the name SoundScraper? How does it represent the band?

A: JOHNNY: Soundscraper was just a desperate attempt to think of a band name when we started playing together. I remember we were between that, The Watch, and Memory Screen. I really wanted to name the band Memory Screen at first, because Memory Screen was an old Alien Workshop video that really pushed the boundaries of art and music. In the end, we took Soundscraper and placed the other ideas as song titles.

BOOF: Actually, Johnny suggested the name 'Soundscraper'. I'm pretty sure he mentioned that the name had something to do with a skate logo. We didn't have many choices, and since we liked how it sounded, we decided to stick with Soundscraper.

HERMYN: I'm going to defer to Johnny and Diego on this one.

Stay tuned to the Mobb for info. on SoundScraper's upcoming gigs.