Looking Stupid: Yo, is now a good time still?

Brandon Flores: Yoooo

Sorry for the late response. Im chillin rn!!!!!

LS: All Good man, how’s your day been?

BF: I had a long ass day and just woke up from a nap 😆 I dropped Whispers off at SFO this morning and took the bart, caltrain, and san jose vta to get home

Took me about three hrs for whatever reason

How about urs? 

LS: It was good, man. I went and helped out my Mom for a bit, which always takes three hours instead of one but it’s all good.

BF: Spending time wit mom is either 10 minutes or 10 hours, theres no in between 😆

LS: You mention dropping off Whispers, how was your gig this past Sunday at Victory Stables? And how did that friendship really get going? Feels like we can expect them once/twice a year now on friendship alone

BF: The gig was awesome man!!! It was crazy in the best way possible. I actually picked them all up from the airport the morning of the gig and saw how tired they all were 😵 it was a long day for all of us but still managed to give it 100%.

We actually met them their first time here in the states and had crossed paths at Tied Down in Detroit. The vocalist, Mike, looks at me and says “I like you guys… Asian…” then we both start laughing

Thats how i knew we were going to get along 😆

Oh also, we had spent a two weeks together touring in Europe a few months ago and that was probably some of the most fun we’ve had hanging out with a band

LS: I mean shit, that’s what it’s all about. There’s gotta be something about tackling a continent with another band when you’re both from different continents from each other *and* where you’re touring

Now that BB is a bit bigger, and there are certainly expectations live, maybe more from the influx of newer and younger kids that are coming to see you guys because their friends have been talking you up, does that put stress on shows with short run up in 

between? You headlined Sunday in Oakland and are popping back up in San Jose on Wednesday

BF: I honestly don’t think much about that but I am well aware of how electric the BB experience is. Most of the time I just feel like a guy on the street. Just hella regular u know? But when we rock our set, everyone is in sync and on the same page. Does that make sense?

Also, when I think of big boy, everyone is in big boy

Like for the 20 minutes we play

Everyone in the room is in big boy

😆😆😆

LS: Big Boy the Hive Mind 🫡

BF: What’s a band that also gives u that similar feeling?

LS: (takes a second) Man, I think that feeling is the point of hardcore, to an extent

As Big Boy’s imprint grows, do you find yourself looking for/getting into other niche interests that you can hold as your own a little better? Something that feels more singular?

BF: Tbh, I have always been a person with many niche interests, and I feel like that has crafted the way I put energy into our band. A lot of influences outside of hc have made its way into our band and I love that we can neatly package that up and show it to the world. 

LS: What are some of those interests? How do they manifest?

BF: The collaborative effort of everyone in big boy is special and I think the version of hc that we bring to the table is honest and genuine and I wouldn’t want it any other way

The majority of my interest involve looking at shit 😆

I like collecting cds, t shirts, knick knacks

And at the end of the day, i like how all of that stuff looks together and essentially represents my personality

I love the visual part of music. The album covers, the live spectacle, how the environments look

LS: As that becomes more complete, how does it evolve? Like, you’re 30, you can dress the way you like, and probably own enough clothes you actually want to do that, a lot of the things to be acquired have been acquired, at least on a base level

BF: I’ve come to terms that I will never be 100% satisfied and there is actually no “goal” to the hoard lol so I have to be happy with the things I currently have and will obtain along the never ending way 

LS: It’s very apparent, your love for the visual aspects of music and performance,  the aesthetic of big boy is organized and clean. Are there specific artists, or anyone really, that influenced the way you thought about visuals? Has that changed as things progress?

BF: The visual aesthetic of the band was almost entirely influenced by jazz music tbh. Or old record label designs from the 60s-70s

Just super easy to read and digest

LS: Do you listen to much of that stuff? I definitely see a little Blue Note style in the aesthetic

BF: Yeah man! Blue Note has put out all the greats. I kind of only listen to jazz from the late 50s to early 80s. I found a love for it via radio actually. 91.1 here in the bay  

LS: That’s sick, how’d you get into that

BF: Honestly, it just happened by chance. I used to listen to the radio a lot because I would spend a lot of time in my car. For the longest time I never had streaming services or anything like that so I would just listen to CDs that I would steal from thrift stores or radio. 91.1 just happened to have the best signal 😆😆😆

KFJC out of Foothill College in Los Altos has a really good station too. 89.7

LS: What are some recent editions to the hoard that have scratched the itch recently? I’ve been stacking all these media passes from a recent gig.

BF: My version of this is all the passes we’ve gotten playing all these music festivals these past few years haha. I actually have a sketchbook that I tape it all into

I just started this book out, but it’s pretty much everything I collect along the way. Or stuff ppl go me while we are on our journeys haha

LS: Perfect.

My other thing now is clearance CDs for the car, scored Style Council and Astral Weeks at Amoeba before the gig last Sunday

BF:

I fuckin love clearance cds

I got this doughnuts cd and superchunk cd from

The Amoeba $1 bin a few days ago 😆

LS: What’s the deal with doughnuts? I don’t really know them 

BF: I actually only know about them because I got a victory records comp out of the amoeba dollar bin a few months ago, and they were on it

LS: You said a lot of your influence comes from just looking at shit. What do you look for in art? 

BF: I think there’s something that perks my ears up about the stuff  i own looking cohesive (in my mind) that excited me and makes me want more

I feel like things that look cool and make me feel good craft who I am as a person. It feels like there’s substance

There’s something freaky about people that don’t like stuff

I fuckin hate it

You know when you look at a Pinterest photo and see a wall full of books and it just looks dope?

This is my version of that

LS: You reading anything at the moment? 

I’m a few pages into this, it was recommended to me by my girlfriend. I haven’t opened it in like three months or so though

I was reading a lot last year, but I slowed down for whatever reason

I don’t read as much as I would like to, but I do write a lot of stuff down that eventually endS up being lyrics or sayings in our music. 

LS: What draws you to someone’s writing, or is it a particular kind of story?

BF: I’ll be honest with you, I’m pretty new to reading for leisure. I have a hard time reading older writing styles so contemporary books are more up my alley.

I usually just get recommended books from my friends and end up eventually reading it

LS: For sure, I get in modes where I just wanna read what is coming out *right now* and sometimes I wanna read what fools who felt like they were actually competing with television had to say, cause they were really trying to entertain your ass, ya know? 

BF: Yes definitely haha 

LS: What do you want out of Big Boy going forward? Most guys say they wanna release a record with their friends and tour the world, you’ve done a bit of both. What parts of doing what you want have turned out to be less interesting to you? 

BF: Hmmmmmm the least interesting part of hc is the planning involved to get us to where we need to be

Like physically

It feels simple and is simple but its just so tedious

I guess a good goal of me is to get more organized so i can enjoy that process myself

The actual music/performance side is second nature to us by now

LS:  So what do you want to get out of the Big Boy experience from here on out? Now that you’ve toured extensively and released some records

BF: I want to see what we can craft our band into. I think our next move is to figure out how to implement different style into the music so we can play a different type of show. Not to say that we can’t play different types of shows, but I want it to seem appropriate.

We’re planning on releasing some new material this year though 👀👀👀

LS: Do the upcoming gigs with Ceremony feel like a test balloon for that? I’m sad to miss y’all at Madonna Inn (Interview took place just before Ceremony’s annual HOMESICK gig)

BF: That’s definitely a thought I have in my mind. I like all these other types of music as well so it would be fun to fit into a space where it can all be accepted. I feel like Ceremony has been doing a good job at curating these sorts of shows. It keeps shit interesting

The merch spread for these shows are gonna go crazy hahahaha

Pullup to Madonna Inn with shorty! Grab a slice of cake at the restaurant….

LS: I really need to try the cake I didn’t the last time we stayed there…

Does what you want out of hardcore change as you age? If so, how? What kind of responsibility do you feel with eyes on you, if any? does it hinder your enjoyment of the moment ever?

BF: The only constant in hc that still wows me is the controlled chaos. Something about a room full of crazy people being crazy but completely understanding whats happening is beautiful. i feel like its my responsibility to foster that type of environment and that what ill continue to strive for 

I always want to break down the idea that im not “one of them” because hc is just all of us together as one. Thats my responsibility to do that actually. 

LS: My bad, what to do you mean “one of them”

BF: My bad, sometimes people approach me all star struck like im a figure or some bullshit like that when in reality im just a regular ass dude

But at the end of the day, were all stoked for the same exact reason. Just to get crazy n shit

Idk am i sounding fried 😆😆😆

LS: I always think about that because taking a picture with someone wasn’t a thing when I was young and it feels like the hardest thing to explain kindly in like 20 seconds, why taking a picture together ruins things not because you don’t feel like it but because when it’s all working properly they won’t want it 

BF: Wow yes

LS: Like, no I don’t wanna take a selfie with you, it’s time to give you a flyer to a show with a worse lineup that’s in a remote location you could theoretically get to. 

BF: 😆😆😆

Those are the best shows tho 🤫🤫🤫

LS: It’s true, I met a bunch of my good friends at a gig exactly like that because Animosity was on the bill. Was in the middle of nowhere Sonoma I think?

What’s something you’re good at that you really hate doing?

BF: I hate that I’m good at getting away with bare minimum and the result being above satisfactory. I feel like I don’t ever fully challenge myself. I want to change that.

LS: Wow yeah, why do you think that happens

BF: I think I have a hard time with giving something my entire full attention therefore it yields just passable (to my standard) result.  

But I suppose my wandering mind invites alternative ideas I wouldn’t have initially thought about if i was fully focused on the task at hand

LS: Would you say you have a higher expectation than others, now that you’ve seen what satisfactory is “out there”

BF: I feel like my expectations are lower actually

And sometimes I like very mediocre shit

Or shit thats been done before

I feel that way about our stuff 😆

Sometimes when things are too calculated, it feels unapproachable 

Like when a cake is so picturesque, you don’t want to cut into it and take a bite…

LS: Right, I was always happy on the freeway in my old car because it had just enough wear on it that nobody doubted me when I merged a little too aggressively lol

BF: 😆😆😆

LS: When you know what you like, liking mediocre shit is just a mark of confidence I think 

You know there’s a high you know there’s a low, and you know you like this thing in the middle because of reasons, and that’s chill and personal, like some interests are more autobiographical than linear I guess, is what I mean

BF: I agree with that 100%

I’m also well aware when something isn’t that great but i do still like it…

I find myself on that side often 

LS: How do you recognize when something is better or more thought out than what you like? 

BF: I recognize it when I have to think too much about why I like it

LS: So the unexplainable takes the top shelf?

BF: 100%

On a philosophical level, i like the stuff that i don’t have to question why I like it

That goes with everything though not just music