Hey everyone, we are Chris Simpson + Jeremy Gomez of the bands Mineral and The Gloria Record. Ask us anything!

hi! why the comic sans on "the power of failing" album art?

Good question! We thought it would give the album a good lighthearted counter-balance to the heady themes in the music. Seriously though, we were young and aesthetically challenged.

What's your take on the "emo revival"?

Like I said in the AP article, I never really cared for the term emo, but for some reason emo revival is okay. I don't really know what it means other than that we can play shows for crowds of people now at clubs with nice sound systems.

Hey guys, I'm sure you're gonna get this question a thousand times, but do you have any plans to repress endserenading? Its one of my favorite records of all time and ive wanted to own it on vinyl for a while but its so damn expensive. Anyway, I absolutely love your music and I rlly hope I end up getting to one of your shows!

You know, I don't even own a copy of that album on vinyl! If you find one cheap, let me know. We have entertained the idea of doing something for the shows this Fall, so we'll see what happens.

I have an extra copy, Chris. I'll bring you one.

That was me (Jeremy) that answered that! Chris already has a copy!

Hey guys, just wanted to say The Power Of Failing helped me get through some serious depression when I was 17, and I'd like to thank you for it. Whenever people refer to emo as "sad music" I like to point them toward your incredibly uplifting songs.

My main question is regarding the religious undertones of your lyrics. I know you've distanced yourself from "Christian rock" but I was wondering how religion has affected your music making, and whether or not you guys have checked out any newer bands that have been heavily influenced by you guys.

Glad to hear the music was a help to you. That is what is great about music. I grew up and became very involved in the church and Christianity. It was honestly one of my primary concerns at the time I wrote most of the lyrics on The Power of Failing. Really I think it was more about my spiritual and social anxiety as a whole. I have heard Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate), as far as newer bands supposedly influenced by us.

Is a Europe tour planned?

Only if it's as good as this. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Lampoon's_European_Vacation

What sort of bands did you listening when growing up that really influenced you in Mineral?

Only Sunny Day Real Estate (haha). No, but seriously, we were listening to The Catherine Wheel, Sugar, Swervedriver, Buffalo Tom, Dinosaur Jr., Superchunk, Rocket From The Crypt, etc when we formed Mineral. We did not, as has sometimes been assumed, come from a hardcore background.

Who is Gloria?

I am not at liberty to say. ;)

I'd love to know what M.D. stands for.

Matthew David. My bro.

I'm a huge fan so first I just want to say thanks for all the great music and I could not be more excited that you're all back together!

Is there a story behind Unfinished? It's long been one of my absolute favorite songs and I would love to know what it was written about. What were your musical backgrounds growing up? Especially in regards to guitar playing, I have always thought the songwriting was very unique in every way on your records and have often wondered where it comes from (again, especially the guitar parts- completely unique and easy to associate with Mineral) What does five eight and ten signify?

Bland questions, I know, but I've always wondered. Thanks guys!

Glad you asked. The story behind Unfinished is

I read that an invitation from Jimmy Eat World brought the revival about. Do you keep in touch with any other bands?

We just saw those guys when they came through Austin a couple days ago. Always good to hang with them. While we aren't in constant contact with friends from back then, we do see people from time to time.

I don't have any questions really. Looking forward to seeing you in Philly. Thanks for being a part of my life for so many years.

Thank you! Can't wait for Philly.

Hey guys! I wanted to first say that I'm so excited to be seeing you in Phoenix in a few months! Also, I wanted to know if there were any plans at all for a Gloria Record reunion/tour. 'Start Here' is, without a doubt, my favorite record of all time. So thank you, most of all.

Thanks for the kind words. 'Start Here' is certainly something that we were all very proud of. All of us Gloria Record boys are still in touch for the most part though, so while there are no plans to do anything, I wouldn't rule out the possibility.

Another -less personal- question:

In this rare footage -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGdt4qH3bAk- you're asked by The Get Up Kids to play 'Symphony'. To which you responded by saying "can't, we have bass". So 'Symphony' apparently is a Mineral song without bass, but I don't know of any songs like that. Would you mind explaining which song they were talking about?

(btw: that video made me weep when I first watched it)

"Can't, we have bass". Isn't that the answer to most of life's questions?

First off,

OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODIT'SMINERAL

Secondly, my question is: What would you say contributed to the slight tone change from The Power of Failing to EndSerenading? I've noticed through my multiple plays of both albums that EndSerenading is a much calmer, softer, and more pensive album in comparison to the harder riffs that the Power of Failing offered.

Thank you for drastically influencing my tastes in music when I was 15 years old. To this day, six years later, you guys are still my favorite band of all time.

OHMYGODIT'SKRYPTOMANIK!

Secondly, it's difficult to say now when that shift happened, but I definitely see your point. It was a natural progression I suppose. Personally I (Jeremy) prefer 'EndSerenading' to 'TPOF'.

What is the greatest song ever, and why is it Rubber Legs?

Good question :)

Hi guys. First off I absolutely love you. Second I even have a large painting of you (Chris) that I made, on my wall. Third, thank you for helping me get through life.

Well then, I have so many questions but this one's been on my mind for a while: what does 80-37 stand for? (as in the name of the song, not the lyrics)

Much love and much thanks from the deep woods of Sweden.

8037 is the address of the house I grew up in.

What lead to Mineral's dissolution? And what's changed that's allowed you to get back together for this tour?

It was so long ago that I can't really recall all of the details, but enough time has passed that it is all water under the bridge at this point anyway. The impetus for us getting back together to play again is simple...someone asked us to do a show! Believe it or not, that hasn't really happened much over the years. When we were approached, it seemed like the right time and we all agreed to give it a shot. Fast forward to now and we have 20+ shows booked! Who knew?

Will you guys be paying a visit to Michigan anytime soon? Also, what do you guys think about this 90's emo revival that seems to be happening?

Current family obligations dictated that we had to be very selective with the dates that we are playing. Outside of what has been announced, there aren't any other shows planned in the states.

[deleted]

No plans beyond these tours. But stranger things have happened. Like, for instance, Mineral getting back together. So who knows really. In the interesting stories department, we got to hang out in Jimmy Iovine's office and play John Lennon's mellotron. On the same day we were in a conference room next to Dr. Dre and his crew when they were starting Aftermath Records back in the day. Also one time I got two speeding tickets, seven minutes apart in New Mexico. :)

I saw you back in 96 and I'm super looking forward to see you guys play in Brooklyn and DC.

While I am fond of EndSerenading I have a deeper attachment to The Power of Failing. My question is, how much off of The Power of Failing will you guys play on the upcoming tour?

I think you might expect to hear 3 or 4 tunes from that a night.

Who is IVADEL?!

My grandmother.

why wasn't 80-37 on the power of failing vinyl? the lyrics made me cry and i didn't get to hear the song until over 10 years later.

They told us it wouldn't fit.

Hello guys, thanks for doing this and for doing the upcoming shows. I know it was probably a hard decision to make and I am sure its been even harder to relearn these songs so many years later but I hope you know how much it means to all of us who have grown up with your songs guiding our way and shaping our tastes in music and culture.

My main question I guess would be for Chris, has it been difficult emotionally to revisit these songs as far as lyrical content and trying to put yourself back into the state of mind you were in while writing the songs 15-20 years ago? If so, which songs in particular still resonate with how you feel today as a grown man/husband/father? I know you touched on this a bit in the AP interview but I would love to hear you expand on it a bit.

Thanks so much again guys, see you in Cleveland, NYC and Chicago!!!

Thanks. It has been difficult to relearn and revisit these songs. I have been surprised though at how much they have resonated with me. Some of it is a bit heartbreaking, realizing how differently things have turned out than I might have expected. It is certainly a very interesting opportunity afforded to me, and I hope will prove to be transformative to some degree.

Hi Chris and Jeremy. I saw you guys at the Orpheum in Tampa when you were touring in The Gloria Record for the Lull in Traffic EP. I still remember that being one of my favorite shows of all time, so thank you for that. I took THIS picture of Chris during the show and still have it hanging in my kitchen today.

Do you have any plans to do live recordings during your shows this year? Or a live DVD? I know that I would be happy to pay for a good quality video of you guys performing again.

Have you guys been asked to revisit the songs from Power of Failing with modern recording equipment? Everyone always seems to comment on how much better EndSerenading sounds from a recording standpoint. I think the raw sound is part of the charm of Power of Failing but it might be cool to hear an updated version of the songs 20 years later.

Cheers!

I agree that The Power of Failing sounds awfully raw, but that may be part of it's charm. It would be tempting to make it all sound better and more modern but that's a strange place to go I would think. Hopefully these shows, and the live versions of them, will provide that to some degree.

after all these years, what song(s) are you the most proud of? that's a question for the both of you, and for both Mineral & The Gloria Record.

p.s. hi Chris! it's Alexander. still loving Pink Chalk. listened to it earlier today. :-)

Jeremy - &Serenading (Mineral) Jeremy - Salvation Army (The Gloria Record)

Chris - M.D. - (Mineral) Chris - Start Here (The Gloria Record)

mineral! Hoping to see you at a show coming up. What does GJS mean? :)

My dad's initials.

I have nothing but respect for bands that can reunite, play shows, and attract massive crowds after being apart for so long. Kudos to you guys, and keep up the great work.

It's a simple formula really, one that I would suggest to any new band. Play for a couple of years, put it on the shelf for about twenty years or so, then come back and see if anyone still cares.

One of the things I love so much about Mineral is the raw emotion that's so palpable in the music. Nearly two decades later, do you find that you still experience those same emotions and that they come across in your music when you play it now?

P.S.

What's the difference between "February" and "February (March Version)"? My February / M.D. 7" Vinyl lists the song as "February (March Version)" on the back and that title has always made me wonder...

I think so, regarding part one. It was there right away when we starting playing the songs again for me and I think it is still building. We'll be good an emo by the time we hit the road. Regarding February/February (March version) February had entirely different music and lyrics in an earlier song which we wrote but never recorded/played live. So when I wrote the current and known song called February we decided to tack the (March version) onto it as we recorded it in March I think.

if you guys were stuck on an island and had to choose between having Built To Spill, Pavement, or Guided By voices on yer iPod, which band would it be?

I would prob want Pavement (Chris) But I'd be fine without any of the three.

Any chance you'll release February and MD digitally? Those were some killer jams...

Those are a few of my faves (Chris). Hopefully so...

Hi, I was wondering if the new tour could be renamed 'BeardSerenading' or "The Power of Bearding" in tribute to the band's newfound facial fuzz. Cheers.

Well definitely put those on the list. Thanks

Yes!

Would you guys consider uploading tutorials/lessons of your songs onto YouTube?

No, but if someone else would, it would really help us out in rehearsals :)

Hello Chris and Jeremy! First off I want you guys to know that I am a HUGE fan and you guys are a big influence on my band. I wanted to know who were your influences and what made you guys choose the name mineral?

Not much of an interesting story there. The name came from our first drummer, and was a reference to a Buffalo Tom song of the same name.

Some of your lyrics made me feel like someone in the band was going through a death in the family at a younger age? I know its none of my business but is this true?

You mean something like the death of innocence/naivete?

Hi,

I've got a question for Chris. I sense that you'd been struggling to overcome depression from your lyrics on TPoF and Endserenading. I've been there as well and am now better, although I have so much difficulties maintaining my empathy and caring passionately about something. Whereas I could do that when I was depressed (no major depression). How do you avoid becoming emotionally numb?

That is the struggle, for sure. I think a lot of therapy and reading and art have been the most helpful to me. Not becoming emotionally numb involves finding out why you are emotionally numb, which involves usually looking very deep inside yourself and into your early experiences and family dynamic, etc. And not being afraid of the dark stuff.

I'm stoked for fest! Are you?

Most def.

I love you so much. I'd like to know if there is a chance you might play M.D. and/or Parking Lot live? And if there is a possibility that y'all might record some new music any time soon?

I'll see you at The Fest or in Atlanta or both.

You will most likely hear both of those songs when you see us, one in Atlanta and one at The Fest.