IndieHQ / Article Detail

April 24th, 2007

Interview with Matt Broadbent of Somerset

Somerset boast being the first band on Punknews Records. You might wonder what a band on Punknews might sound like and I am willing to bet that Somerset will throw you off, at least a little bit. I know that I was thrown off when I first heard Somerset’s debut for Punknews Records, “Pandora”, as I was expecting a pretty straightforward punk record. If I had to explain Somerset’s sound to others, I might compare them to acts like Bayside and Alkaline Trio although those comparisons don’t explain the whole story. “Pandora” is a great record and Somerset are a very interesting band.

Matt Broadbent of Somerset was so kind as to answer my questions and elaborate on such things as stop worrying about getting the attention of labels, his thoughts on the future of music sales, and what he is currently listening to most. Thanks Matt for taking the time to do this interview.

Everyone, please check out Somerset; you can listen to 3 songs from “Pandora” on their myspace page.

IndieHQ: 1. When did your band start? Where is your band based? What label is your band on? Do you do the band full time? What don’t most people know about you/your band?
Somerset: My name is Matt Broadbent and I play bass for the Minneapolis, Minnesota-based rock band Somerset. Somerset has been around since Sept. 2002. We are signed to PNR (Punknews Records), an independent label run by current and previous editors of punknews.org. We have been doing the band full time, as much as we can afford to.

IndieHQ: Where can people sample your music? Myspace url? Website? What is your latest album? What is your best selling release? How many has it sold?
Somerset: If people want to check us out head over to our myspace page. We have 4 songs up, 3 of which are off our debut full-length Pandora (in stores now).

IndieHQ: What do you look for in a label? How did you hook up with your label? Would you ever consider signing to a major label? What advice do you have for bands attempting to get a label’s attention?
Somerset: First and foremost we wanted to be with a label that loved our music. We also wanted to make sure we were working with people that we trusted and got along with. We had known Scott Heisel (from Punknews/Alternative Press) for a couple years. He had helped us out from the get go, booking shows for tours, posting news/reviews on punknews.org. When he came to us and told us that Epitaph was helping them start up a label, we were sold.

I would consider signing to a major. That’s not saying I would actually sign to one, but I would consider it.

For newer bands looking to gain label attention I would say stop worrying about it. You honestly don’t need a label anymore with the internet. Play a ton of shows, get a fanbase, network with other bands. DIY. If you can do it on your own, labels will start taking notice.

IndieHQ: I run a label and attempting to sell music in the post-file-sharing, post-Tower Records retail landscape is more difficult than ever. Do you feel that file-sharing/copying has helped or hurt your band? How??
Somerset: It’s hard to tell. It helps because it gets your music out there. But, it has definitely hurt our album sales. And when you’re in an industry that is still basing success around how many units you can move, that hurts a lot.

IndieHQ: Do you have a booking agent? Who? Do you have a manager? Who? How important is it to your band that you have a booking agent and manager on your team?
Somerset: We do not have a booking agent or a manager. Well, I guess I kind of act as the manager. Booking agents are the key to getting on decent tours, so they are very important. What people don’t realize is that it is so much easier to land a record deal then it is to land a booking agent. Without a booking agent, you can still book a tour, but it is a lot of work.

IndieHQ: As music sales continue to decrease and music distribution changes, there has been lots of talk about a new label business model where labels will need to start taking a share of the band’s merchandise, publishing, and ticket sales. How do you feel about this idea?
Somerset: I can completely understand why the labels needs to take those cuts. That being said, I don’t think I could ever sign to a label that wanted a cut of merchandise, publishing and ticket sales. Labels are a dying breed. They need to do whatever they can to survive in the new industry. Now is the time to be an independent artist.

IndieHQ: If you were forced to describe your band to someone by mentioning the 3 bands that most influenced your songwriting, which bands would you mention?
Somerset: That is a hard one, especially with the way that we write our songs. We write the songs as a group effort. Claudio (drums) and I usually make the structure of the song, then Forrest and JT write their guitar parts. We all bring our separate influences into our playing. So, I cannot speak for the band as a whole, but my personal influences for songwriting would probably be Hey Mercedes, RX Bandits and Saves The Day.

IndieHQ: What do you see as the future of music sales?
Somerset: I think CDs will still be around for a while, i mean hell, vinyl is still around! But, I think CD sales will continue to drop. I think eventually it will all be digital, which saddens me, because I like actually having the CD with artwork.

IndieHQ: What 5 albums are you currently listening to most?
Somerset: Self - Breakfast With Girls
Lilly Allen - Alright, Still
Beck - Odelay
Superdrag - Regretfully Yours
Paulson - All At Once

IndieHQ: If you could get everyone in the world to listen to one song by your band, which one would it be? Why? Is it on your Myspace page?
Somerset: I would want people to hear our song “Colors Of Insomnia”, mainly because of the social and political climate in the U.S. these days. I think the lyrics would really speak to how a lot of people are feeling. It is on our myspace, so please go check it out!

Written by Virgil Dickerson