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Preston School Of Industry.
"Wow, I never even thought Adelaide got bitter cold weather," chuckles Scott "Spiral Stairs" Kannberg after an innocent enquiry about the weather results in an unbroken 90 seconds of complaint about the Australian wInter of 2004. I realise mid-rant that I'm speaking to someone who lives in Seattle, considered one of the wettest cities in the world, and therefore I may have beefed up my account of the inclemecy of the weather a little, perhaps mentioning something about ice floes and showers of meteors. If he asks, play along.
Changing tack, I ask how life's been treating him since he played solo at the Jade Monkey in January in support of the just-released second Preston School Of Industry album 'Monsoon.'
"I've been good," he replies. "I've just been enjoying summer here, but the last few days it's been raining."
Of course. Which makes it the perfect time for one of his increasingly-frequent trips to Australia. This time around he's touring with the full five-piece Preston School Of Industry. Adelaide was originally left off the itinerary for this tour but Kannberg insisted that we get a look in.
"Yep," he categorically states. "I made sure that it had to happen. It wasn't going to, but we made it happen. I don't understand why promoters don't like to [come to Adelaide] - I mean, it's an eight hour drive from Melbourne and the drive is beautiful. And I get to go back to the Jade Monkey!"
Preston has congealed into a "proper" band, after originally being pulled together by Kannberg as a project immediately after Pavement split up. "I've got these guys with me and they're great guys, we're rockin'. Dan [Carr], my bass player, he's been with me for a while, the other guys came later. But we're pretty cohesive.
"After the record came out we played the 'States here and then went straight to Europe for about a month and did a bunch of shows with The Shins. It was really fun; especially in Europe, that was our first time over there. A lot of people had heard the record, so it was really great. So before we come there we're going to get together and rehearse a bit - we're going to play some new songs while we're there - and then when we get back we're just going to hunker down and record the new album here at my house."
That's an impressive work ethic for a world where bands happily take three years between albums.
"Whenever I hear bands doing that I just thing 'what are you doing?' Like, I heard Tommy Stinson from The Replacements has a new record out. He was on the radio here the other day and the guy interviewing him asks 'so, what have you been doing?' and he says 'oh, for the past five years I've been writing this record.'" he laughs incredulously. "I mean, come on. I just don't understand how people can do this!"
After comparing that to Bob Pollard of Guided By Voices, who can write an entire album while making breakfast, the conversation naturally turns to the new - and final - GBV album.
"I was hoping that they would just be like the Fall, you know?" Kannberg sighs. "They'd keep putting out bad records and occasionally put out a good one."
Not that GBV have released an actual dud, to be fair.
"No, they have not - and it's because they never discovered ecstacy," he laughs. "That's where it all goes wrong!"
Remember, Adelaide, he fought to come here. Justify his love.
Andrew P Street
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Preston School Of Industry play at the Jade Monkey on Thurs 16 Sept with The Sunroom. Tix are available at dB Magazine. 'The Furnace Sun' tour EP is out now through Trifekta/Shock.
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