Bobbing: Hello, thank you for having me.

Absent Sounds: Thank you so much. We are, I don't want to say diehard fans [this is a lie, he is in my top 10 AOT] but we are fans of your work, and so it's like a huge full circle moment for us to finally get to do this.

Bobbing: Yeah. That's so cool.

Absent Sounds: Where does Feed Me Jack really start in your mind? As in, when do you start to think, this is a band, this is what I want it to be, this is the group of people we're working with?

Bobbing: There are a few beginnings. I had the name Feed Me Jack as a cool band name in my head since high school. The inception story is that Sven heard me playing guitar in my dorm room. He's a super gregarious guy and he just kind of walked in and said, let's play guitar together. So we start playing guitar together and got caught up in this manic energy, like, yeah, okay, let's start a band, within about an hour. He knew a drummer named Glen, so we went to the music co-op near the dorm later that week. I remember that first jam just thinking, this rules. And at some point in those early practices I was like, well, if this is going to be a band, Feed Me Jack would be a cool name. And no one even thought about it. They were just like, yeah, sure, sounds like whatever.

Absent Sounds: Which is kind of crazy. What was going on in your life at that point? Did you have an idea of what happens when you don't feed Jack? Who was Jack in relation to you? Why did you even have this written down — were you keeping a list of cool band names?

Bobbing: I must have had a list. I love lists, always have. But this one was just floating in my head. I had seen the movie Dr. Strangelove and there's this line in the opening, and I was like, that's really esoteric, therefore it's a great band name. What happens when you don't feed Jack? I don't know. Photosynthesis.

Absent Sounds: At your first jam you guys had already come up with a song — it sounds so intuitive. But the idea of math rock as a genre doesn't really seem intuitive to me. It doesn't seem like people would just walk up off the street and naturally fall into making math rock together. I don't even know if Feed Me Jack embraced the term. Did you guys consciously embrace math rock as a genre? And did you feel like it fit?

Bobbing: In those very early days, during the time we were making the songs that would go on Chump Free, that wasn't even a consideration. It was more that I was the only person in the band who was influenced by math rock, so I had some interest in tapping and odd time signatures. It was more like, okay, Bob added this tapping part to this song, and that was just part of my musical vocabulary and we thought it was cool. By the time we got to making the music that would become Anatolia, we were definitely coalescing on making more technical music. But even then I don't think it was ever like, let's do math rock. It was just more of a tool in the tool belt. And it's not like there was a math rock scene that we were in. If there was, it was more like online. In our early years we were really just not focused on circulating our music online that much. We uploaded to Bandcamp and had a Facebook page, but it was mostly just local UC Santa Cruz students in this very diverse music scene where we'd share bills with bands of so many different genres. It was really cool, the scene.

Absent Sounds: Even just looking at the posters, or watching some of the videos I could find online of Feed Me Jack back then, it seemed like people were really into it. Maybe that's also just the way it is with bands that play at colleges.

Bobbing: Yeah, I think it has a lot to do with just getting caught up in the energy. I know there were people who liked our band, but it's not like every house show was like that. The house show scene was just this very exuberant, weird scene where we'd be sandwiched between an Afrobeat band and a folk artist, or a reggae band, or just another indie band. The bills on these house shows would just be whoever wanted to play, and hundreds of people would show up. It was just a really cool, robust music scene. I hope stuff like that is still happening. I'm totally not tapped into anything like that anymore, but I hope kids in college are still doing stuff like that.

Absent Sounds: I love how you guys were able to come back from the dead. It's always a nice thing to see when bands get revived. What's your favorite dead band, and what band would you love to see make a comeback or a reunion? Other than Oasis.

Bobbing: Other than Oasis. I don't know. I think all my favorite bands that would be considered dead either had a good run or the members literally died. I'm failing to come up with a band I really liked that broke up during the time I was a fan of theirs. I guess I'd be really heartbroken if Deerhoof broke up, but they're my favorite band and they're just churning out records. The idea of a band breaking up is also just very perplexing, because a lot of times bands can just stop making music without ever officially saying they're not a band anymore.

Absent Sounds: Now we're obviously not just going to sit here and talk about Feed Me Jack the whole time. Where do you see the line between the end of Feed Me Jack and the beginning of Bobbing?

Bobbing: I have kind of a hazy memory of what I was doing between Feed Me Jack ending and Bobbing starting. For that first Bobbing EP, it's not like I sat down and wrote songs. The process changed a lot from being in a band to being solo. I was making up songs in the DAW, having things morph in there, a lot of experimentation, making a lot of different sounding stuff, a lot of stuff that just sounded really bad. I think 2016 to 2019 was basically when I finally had a group of songs that seemed to work together. In that in-between time I was in other bands, playing different instruments, just trying to find something to do. But I knew pretty early on that I wanted to do something solo where I didn't have to consult four other guys on all the musical decisions, which can be an incredibly magical thing for creativity, but you know.

Absent Sounds: What do they say? Three's a crowd. Four, I don't know what four is, but it's something.

Bobbing: More than a crowd.

Absent Sounds: Before you became Bobbing, were you Robert? Were you full-time Bob?

Bobbing: Yeah, I was Bob by then. I started going by Bob with Feed Me Jack. All the guys in the band were calling me Bob, almost as a joke at first, and then it was just normal. Other folks started calling me Bob too, and all of a sudden I'm introducing myself to people as Bob and thinking, wait, I guess that's my name now. Even to this day I kind of have trouble deciding if I'm going to introduce myself as Robert or Bob. It depends on the person.

Absent Sounds: Transitioning from Feed Me Jack to Bobbing — Feed Me Jack has a wiki fandom page, and I love a good fandom. Fan Expo just happened in Toronto a week or two ago. So two questions off of this: how would someone cosplay as you, as Bobbing? Give us a rundown of what they need to do, how they dress, how they'd act at Fan Expo.

Bobbing: I don't know if there's anything about my appearance that would set me too far apart. But maybe the body language — terrible posture, probably. Constant fidgeting would be a good one.

Absent Sounds: With a good smile all the time too.

Bobbing: Yeah, those would be my pointers.

Absent Sounds: I also learned from your wiki page that you were born on February 13th. I don't even know how they got that information. We have at least three friends born on February 13th, and we were actually born February 10th. I don't believe in horoscopes, but I do believe there's something about people born around the same time. So we made a list of famous people born on February 13th, and we want to know who you feel most connected to personality-wise. Jerry Springer.

Bobbing: Hell yeah.

Absent Sounds: Matt Berninger, born February 13th.

Bobbing: Who's that?

Absent Sounds: Really? He's the singer of The National.

Bobbing: Okay. Well, that shows how much I know.

Absent Sounds: Peter Gabriel and Feist.

Bobbing: Feist.

Absent Sounds: Yes, all born on February 13th. Who do you feel most connected to spiritually?

Bobbing: I wish I could say Jerry Springer, but I'd have to say Feist. I was actually thinking about her the other day. When she put out her album Metals, she had the metal band Mastodon do a cover of one of her songs, and she had this website where she was streaming the metal cover alongside her own version, with a fader on the webpage so you could crossfade back and forth between them. They were tempo-locked so you could actually do it seamlessly. It was so cool and interactive. Her music is awesome. Big Feist head over here.

Absent Sounds: Canadian. While we're at it, are you familiar with the band Copeland?

Bobbing: Never heard of them.

Absent Sounds: When you were talking about interactive things, it reminded me of this album they have called Ixora, and they released a companion album called Ixora Twin. If you play them both at the same time on two speakers, it becomes like a third album. Which I think is really cool.

Bobbing: I'm definitely going to check that out.

Absent Sounds: You're currently listening to Absent Sounds here on CJAM 99.1 FM. My name is Dee. If you're just joining us, you're currently listening to The End of Elevator Music, which is the second track off of the 2023 record Year of the Newt by Bobbing, who was so gracious enough to join us today.

Bobbing: Elevator Music — I kind of jokingly referred to the working title as MCU, like Math Rock Cinematic Universe, because it has Nay from Hikes on it and Marcos and Forrest from Standards. It started with Forrest replacing the demo drum track I had, and I was like, whoa, now it needs to just totally be leveled up. I had this inkling that it needed guitar, but I didn't want to play guitar on it. That's how I got into the idea of inviting these other guitarists who have really intense, crazy styles of their own, and seeing what they'd do over this track. It had so much room with just bass and synth for them to do their thing, and then for me to build off of that. It was a fun, different way to approach a song. I didn't play a single guitar note on it. It was all Nay and Marcos.

Absent Sounds: If you could replace standard elevator music with one song of your choice, so that everyone in the elevator has to hear it every single time, what would it be?

Bobbing: This might be kind of awful, but it would be funny to have a Shepard tone in an elevator. You know what that is? It's an auditory illusion where it sounds like an infinitely increasing pitch. It kind of sounds like you're on an evil carnival ride for all eternity. I would like to force people in an elevator to listen to that.

Absent Sounds: I rate it. Very dark. I feel like there are some undertones here I don't know whether to explore or leave alone. What are the political implications of the Shepard tone?

Bobbing: That's above my pay grade. I was just feeling a little cheeky and evil with that answer. But you should look up Shepard tones after this, because they're really freaky and disorienting.

Absent Sounds: The track playing now is Ragtime Gal. You talk a lot in this one about protecting your peace and protecting yourself. What are some ways you do that in your life now?

Bobbing: Blocking phone numbers, when appropriate and necessary. I think I'm actually pretty challenged at putting up boundaries in the moment they're crossed, so a lot of it is preventative for me. Proactive, preventative measures.

Absent Sounds: If you're listening to Absent Sounds here on CJAM 99.1 FM, welcome to our album playthrough of Year of the Newt. It's a 2023 record by Bobbing, and the track we've made it down to is Next One Out, track four. We also have Bobbing here to talk to us about the record and other fun stuff, so stay tuned.

Bobbing: We're on Next One Out.

Absent Sounds: Yeah. So when you say "I just want a lane, I don't want more," what does that lane look like for you? What would a simple life be — what would be enough?

Bobbing: I think it would just be the exact life I have right now, but somehow I'm not second-guessing myself or getting in my own way. Feeling absolute confidence in what I need to do and just doing it without questioning my decisions, because I know it's the right lane.

Absent Sounds: I like that. When do you find yourself questioning yourself the most?

Bobbing: All the time. Just everything, within all aspects of life. Paralysis by analysis. That's a constant theme in my life.

Absent Sounds: When you're making music, does that stop you? Because you still put out music — how do you get past that paralysis?

Bobbing: I think it just comes down to whether I had a good four-hour stretch where I wasn't doing that. It really comes down to getting lucky — getting a composition to a point where I'm like, okay, I know what this is. I allowed myself to be uncritical while creating for long enough to make something that went to a lot of cool places and feels worthwhile to finish and share with the world. And I think this goes for a lot of musicians too: most of the stuff an artist turns out is pretty bad, but they're not going to share all their bad ideas with the world. You're only going to share your good ideas.

Absent Sounds: Unless you're Mac DeMarco and you want to put out an eight-hour, two-hundred-song album.

Bobbing: Which is so amazing. I listened to it for about thirty minutes before being like, alright.

Absent Sounds: Yeah, I was trying to get through the whole thing, but I didn't want it showing up on my Spotify year-end, so I had to stop.

Bobbing: It would be good road trip music, but then that would be the whole theme of the road trip. It's just a matter of whether you were blessed that day to be unburdened by your own critical analysis.

Absent Sounds: I was telling Weij about this — doubt your doubts. If you're able to doubt yourself, you might as well doubt that thought too.

Bobbing: That's great.

Absent Sounds: Thank you, I take credit for that. Now — you say "I don't like your friends and you don't like mine." My jaw dropped when I heard that. I don't know if I could ever be so honest about not liking someone's friends. What is a friendship deal-breaker for you?

Bobbing: I think it's just if someone is very self-absorbed in a not-interesting way. If you're talking to someone and you realize they haven't asked you a single question for the entire conversation, that's a red flag. A good indicator that I'm probably not going to get along with this person.

Absent Sounds: It's interesting because Billie Eilish was saying that even with her friends, she kind of gets into interview mode where she'll just talk about herself all the time because she's so used to answering questions about herself, and then she'll forget that she has to ask the other person. I was like, if I was your friend, I'd be so annoyed. I'd be waiting to see if she noticed she hadn't asked me anything.

Bobbing: Yeah, right.

Absent Sounds: The track currently playing is A Night Alone by Bobbing, off the 2023 record Year of the Newt. We've got Bobbing here to tell us more about this one.

Bobbing: The song is about how the relationship I'm currently in started. My girlfriend and I are both pretty introspective people who enjoy doing our own things. We can happily coexist in our apartment together — I'll be in the studio, she'll be on the couch, and we'll check in every now and then. But what the song was really influenced by was when we were starting to become quite interested in each other and wanting to spend more time together, while also both valuing our time to ourselves — being able to retreat into our own space and just be your own little person. I was writing it during a night alone, thinking about that weird contradiction of wanting to spend all your time with this exciting new person, but knowing that you both need that nourishing time to yourself. Maddie J wrote the second verse. I knew it needed another perspective, so I gave her the premise and the first verse and just said, go off. And she did. Her vocals sound amazing, and she played bass on the song as well.

Absent Sounds: I definitely get the idea of coexisting. People ask a lot whether I ever get tired of being with my sister, but it really is just about being in the same space with someone without necessarily interacting with them all the time.

Bobbing: Yeah, doing your own thing. Parallel play. That's what it's all about.

Absent Sounds: Or being able to send them a meme every thirty minutes. Would you like to see this?

Bobbing: Sending it to them when they're on the other side of the room.

Absent Sounds: It's the little things. Do you usually spend your nights alone? What does that look like for you?

Bobbing: I haven't spent a night alone in — I don't even know when the last time was. My girlfriend and I moved into an apartment together in March, and before that we'd already been living together for a few months. Nights alone are nice. As a concept. As a distant memory.

Absent Sounds: As a concept, because you no longer engage with it. What would you recommend to someone spending a night alone? What's your go-to?

Bobbing: Just doing a weird art project, or reading a good book, or some kind of quiet, mindful activity. TV and movies are cool, but it's nice to take that time by yourself to just be a little guy running around.

Absent Sounds: Do you want to tell us a little bit about Stereologue?

Bobbing: Kind of like Ragtime Gal and Next One Out, it's not really about a person, it's about a character — someone who is consciously avoiding a conflict. And okay, this is going to sound cheesy when I explain it, but it's two people who have failed to communicate with each other, both having their own separate monologues. Therefore: stereo.

Absent Sounds: That's not cheesy at all, actually.

Bobbing: I tried to portray that by having the feature vocalist sing the exact same thing that I then sing again in a different key later.

Absent Sounds: That's really neat. I didn't even pick up on that, but when you mention it, it makes a lot of sense.

Bobbing: That's the best I can hope for, because I don't want to beat people over the head with it.

Absent Sounds: What was it like having other vocalists on there? You do have features throughout the album. Is that something you really enjoy — having people sing on your work?

Bobbing: Yeah, and on Year of the Newt that was kind of a big theme I recognized early on: getting other musicians in my orbit involved and playing to their strengths. Rose is amazing. We'd been fans of each other's music for a while but didn't really interact much when we both lived in the Bay. Through a mutual admiration of each other's work, we started throwing songs back and forth until we hit on something that made sense to work on together. I thought her voice would be perfect for Stereologue, and she played some keyboards on it as well. And my friends Danny and Will who performed on Next One Out — Danny is a super technically proficient but also just effortless and amazing vocalist, and Will is just an amazing keyboardist. I tried to carve out moments for them to shine.

Absent Sounds: That really does come through. Every time you listen to the album you find something new. You did really well at that.

Bobbing: Thank you, awesome.

Absent Sounds: The track currently playing is Let's Get Evil by Bobbing, off the 2023 record Year of the Newt. You're also listening to Absent Sounds, an album playthrough show here on CJAM 99.1 FM. Today we have none other than Bob, who is Bobbing, giving us a deep dive into Year of the Newt.

Bobbing: Feed Me Jack drummer Eric did all the percussion on Let's Get Evil. That was a really fun session. I had an extremely bare-bones demo drum track, and it was all about filling it out. He brought his whole bag of tricks, all these different percussion instruments, and I was just like a kid in a candy store choosing different things to splice in and out. It's just awesome when I get to work with him.

Absent Sounds: Do you get to see the guys very often?

Bobbing: Eric and I are the only ones left in the Bay. He lives in Oakland too, and we see each other not enough, but we do hang out. Cameron, the bass player, is an airline pilot and occasionally in town. He was actually in town recently, but I missed him. I usually try to get some time in with him whenever he's around. Jake, the keyboardist, is in Colorado now. My girlfriend and I went out to visit him the year before last — it's crazy how time flies, that was February 2023. And then Sven lives in Portland. I think the last time I saw him was at a studio session or maybe one of his shows, somewhere around there.

Absent Sounds: When you were mentioning feeling like a kid in a candy store working with Eric, a lot of your Instagram posts where you're just noodling around look so much fun. What's your favorite part of it? What's the thing that always draws you back?

Bobbing: When something unexpected happens. Those little moments of discovery happen when you could be trying to dial a sound or go somewhere specific, but through some fluke you end up somewhere you didn't think you would be — whether you're dialing a synth sound, writing a guitar part, or mixing a song. Just the unexpected. And transitions. Musical transitions are always the most fertile ground for cool stuff to happen. Between tracks, from the verse to the chorus — what are you going to do in that last bar? That's kind of always what I'm thinking about: how to make things flow.

Absent Sounds: When you said transitions, my mind immediately went to Mew, because of the way their songs flow. If you play one, you have to play the whole album. And I almost feel like by interrupting your album to talk about it, we're kind of ruining it.

Bobbing: There's no workaround for that.

Absent Sounds: For me I was thinking about Little Simz, at least from Sometimes I Might Be Introvert. The interludes are really good. Do you have an album — other than your own work — that you think has the peak transition?

Bobbing: I think it's gotta be the medley at the end of Abbey Road. That's kind of a low-hanging-fruit answer, but I can trace my desire to do that kind of thing specifically to Abbey Road.

Absent Sounds: Dogs have come so far, a lot further than cats, I mean with the breeding and everything. Cats are nowhere near that. Where do you see the future of dogs going from here?

Bobbing: I hope they get healthier breeds. I love pugs, but I know they are totally doomed. I've heard there are breeders in Scandinavia who are trying to breed a healthier version of a pug without the respiratory issues. I hope there's more of that. But on the evil end of that, you could entertain certain ideas about GMO and maybe make some kind of eight-legged dog, some kind of Cronenberg-looking animal.

Absent Sounds: On Facebook you're rated a hundred percent, five stars across the board. One of your reviews says: "Bobbing is an excellent trading platform and a great overall trading experience. I have been using this broker service for quite some time and I'm truly satisfied. Swift withdrawals and prompt customer service, perfect and honest broker company. I invested $500 and made a profit of $6,050 within a week. If you're looking for a good investment platform, contact Mr. Ethan Payne." So two questions: how do you offer such stellar customer service, and for all our broke listeners out there, how can we also make a profit of six thousand fifty within a week?

Bobbing: I would have to consult Mr. Ethan Payne about that. But yeah, just rise and grind, hustle, sigma, your network is your net worth.

Absent Sounds: Thank you so much. That has been our chat with Bobbing. What a perfect way to end it off. Thank you truly for spending the time with us. When we saw your email it was — because you're one of the people we always admire, or at least your music, so.

Bobbing: It was so fun talking to you guys. Thank you so much for inviting me on. I had a great time.