Garry Ventura, founding member and drummer of The Snow, collaborates with me this week to come up with a proper Amie St. introduction. I email him a list of (grammatically abbreviated) questions for the band to ponder or strike as they see fit so I can get an idea of what The Snow have to say for themselves and a flow going for coherent interview dialogue. Ventura spends some time with my questions. I begin to feel a strange freedom, like I've been dislocated from my shadow. I suspect Garry hosts a familiar beast. First clue: neurotic email ping-pong. (I'm fluid, born player. Garry is a natural. We dance.) This goes on over the course of several days and I can just tell. Garry is in the zone. I kick back, work on my fiction, trust the 'ole gut. Yup. Ventura writes it for me. So here you have the uncensored, inspired literary styling of Garry Ventura, on behalf of The Snow.

Are you based out of Los Angeles? Is this where the band began? Where are you guys from?

The Snow is based in L.A. We came together in the Spring of 2006 while writing songs in various rehearsal and jam rooms. Once I met Aaron, I realized I had met someone important that had something to say and the means to do it in a real and artistic way. The Snow came together slowly as drums, guitar and vocals working out parts and sounds and lyrics for a couple of songs. Billy came in, made them really solid and Jason brought in the intensity and more texture. We took those to Stagg St. studios and recorded them live overdubbing vocals and effects at Regime studios. "Trading Post" and "October" were done. It was then we realized we needed to start a band around this and continue writing and playing together. But it was too late... we already were a band and The Snow was born in those first two songs.

We're from all over the place. Jason Johnson (guitar) is from L.A., Aaron Smart (vox, guitar) is from San Francisco, Billy Mohler (bass, percussion, piano) is from Chicago and Garry Ventura (drums) hails from Dallas, Texas, by way of California somewhere... like San Dimas.

Where do you usually play shows? What is your favorite venue?

I'm not sure yet. The Snow has only played once at The Echo in L.A. My favorite place would be the Henry Fonda Theater. All of us have played nearly every venue in L.A. at some point so of course we like Spaceland, The Viper Room, Troubadour, House of Blues, The Roxy, etc. We all have been in many bands and backed up more than a few solo artists along the way.

Did you recently release or are you in the process of releasing an album? Where and/or when can fans buy this album? What is the title?

We already have fans? Cool. lol.

The Snow has been writing for about a year and we just put the finishing touch on our debut album. It was recorded at Stagg St., Ocean Way and Regime studios and was done the old, old, old school way... 2" tape, no click, live with a few overdubs like lead vocals and guitar effects. It was a very cool time for me. We co-produced it with Canadian badass Dan "bunz" Burns at the console. We are hashing out some details but expect it to be released nationally this winter. Currently it is self-titled and available exclusively on Amiestreet.com. I'm supposed to be doing the Purevolume thing today but I'm also curating an art exhibit, packing for a move and I MUST go see Spoon tonight so it'll have to wait.

What is your songwriting process? Who writes the songs/lyrics/music?

Songwriting is a varied process. Any one of the four of us begins some huge, epic jam. We play off each other and we record it. We listen to those recordings and pull out what we like. What is memorable is what turns into a song. Other times someone will come in with a complete song and the band shapes it into a distinct sound. For this album Aaron told me recently he never wrote words down and simply channeled them... all from memory. Which I think is extremely cool.

Are there any influences inherent to your sound that you'd like to cite?

Oh yeah of course... Dylan, Metallica, Van Halen, U2, Swervedriver, Tripping Daisy, the Verve and early Beach Boys ala Coco Mo era. Oh, and Miles Davis, Pink Floyd, early Genesis, The Who, Jane's Addiction, Queen and Dinosaur Jr. are all influences. But, considering our appetites for music itself, I would consider this list very fluid.

Do you have day jobs? Other interests? How does music fit into the bigger picture of your lives?

Talk about a loaded question! lol. Well, jobs?... not really. I mean none of us wear uniforms or suits but we all do what we need to. I think we are actual rock stars! lol. Our interests seem to vary wildly... Aaron is incredibly talented and intelligent. He is a true freedom fighter and lover of life... like a hero. Combined with Billy and Jason's interests and experience in all aspects of music and my do or die attitude you have a creative force united like a beautifully sculptured mass that produced music for Aaron's words. I love listening to young and completely unknown bands and try to get them to show off more... turn up louder. Billy is constantly performing, writing and recording and Jason... well, no one knows WHAT Jason does which definitely makes him a rock star!! He's certainly the artist's artist in his performance and demeanor. Encyclopedic in memory and extremely well rounded, he brings an elegantly intense element to The Snow. Since we have all grown up experiencing music on extreme levels and spent much of our time being and becoming musicians, I think this band is a cacophonous culmination of all our previous experiences... an outlet, as it were, for the sounds and songs we always wanted to make but for some reason got shot down or just never did. That makes success for us a relative concept for each member. I, for one, have already achieved it by being a founding member of the greatest band I have ever played in and loving every second we play either in the rehearsal room or on stage or in the studio. Every time we turn on the amps, I get a little chill... And these guys compliment me more than my favorite t-shirt or girlfriend. I think they truly enjoy my drumming like no other band has ever expressed before. It's awfully inspiring for me. For them, basically, it's all about the multitude of effects pedals, which will soon be launching Billy into outer space!

Our other interests include:

Garry -- Grand theft auto, sleeping

Aaron -- Driving cool cars and meeting interesting people

Jason -- Biomedical engineering and tennis

Billy -- Vacuuming and saving stray dogs

Current musical and/or personal aspirations… what you as a band hope to accomplish with this new album?

Aspirations and accomplishments... Well I think artistic freedom, romantic credibility, true utter volume, and one red Ferrari. lol. In the grand scale of things and considering the turmoil of the music industry as a whole, trying to put out an album in this climate is akin to joining in a riot. You have no friends and no enemies. Everyone is suspect, everyone is packin' and no one wants to consider other options. The strangle hold of the corporate rock environment on the public at large has proven to be disastrous to radio, musicians and the artists themselves to no avail. We see the public lunge at the slightest hint of integrity, discrepancy of culture be damned. Meanwhile the men in ties report to the shareholders that last year they produced more income with their parking lots than with their record labels undermining their own position to establish real artists.

Are we changing that? Time will tell. But if we do, will it really matter to the people who just want to feel good about their music? I hope so! Then we've won their hearts AND minds and accomplishing more would simply be icing on the cake. I think anything is possible especially because it seems so impossible. One REAL fan a day is fine with me.

Any good stories from a recent show or recording experience?

The sound guy from the Echo show came up after our set and asked me, "Who the hell ARE you guys? You're the best band I've ever seen!" That felt pretty good, but when the older Hispanic guy smiled and bought me a shot of tequila, I felt like I had truly "made it."

At the end of the night Aaron and I brought a few people back to his place for nachtspiel (after party). Our Producer was frolicking with a couple cute girls, a really cool filmmaker and his business partner were drinking cocktails and spinning stories along with an artist friend of mine who wrote poetry all night and a sweet punk rock promoter girl in fishnets and crazy makeup had the deepest stare while Aaron and I drank beautiful Cabernets by the bottle... it was so cool to see these people here, watch as the night unfolded and how the party was and then was not, like air… all but a memory... but a fond one.

How would you like to describe your sound?

SupercalifragilisticEPICalidotious!!... or Alternative rock. Either way The Snow will fall!!

If I could get some quotes from you guys to incorporate into the piece that would help me exhibit your personalities or vision, that would be great, with the particular musician's name for each.

Jason Johnson -- "volume over substance"

Aaron Smart -- "everybody touch my…"

Garry Ventura -- "hey, hey"

Billy Mohler -- "can I help you?"

-FIN-