Converse invited us to check out their Rubber Tracks pop-up studio at SXSW 2015. While at the studio, we spoke with members of the Rubber Tracks team, and interviewed some of our favorite bands who have been involved with Rubber Tracks. The following article is one of a series of interviews we conducted. The rest of the articles and our SXSW 2015 coverage can be found here.

For the latest installment of our SXSW 2015 interviews, we spoke with former Bostonians, current LA-ers (sounds right?), IAN. We’re big fans of these guys from home, we were very sad to see them go, but psyched we got to talk with them in Austin. So without further adieu, IAN, their SX experiences, David Duchovny and some pudding.

AP: Is this your first time at Southby?
Jillian: Yes! As a band. We’re playing our first real, exciting show in like an hour.

AP: Has it lived up to your expectations so far… or totally blown your expectations away?
Dame: It’s been real swell!
Jillian: I think there is still time for our expectations to be blown
Dame: The gauge is rising, and I’m like ready to lift off, ya know?

AP: What do you think of Austin so far?
Jillian: Austin is amazing! It’s way cooler than L.A. Or Boston.
Dame: It’s been really beautiful, it’s been excelent
Jillian: Maybe we should all move here! I think Sixth Street is crazy though. My brain was feeling nuts about walking down Sixth Street because everywhere is a bar. I’ve never seen a place where everywhere is a bar, all in a row!
Dame: But then you’ll go to a place thats like in the middle of the woods somewhere, and it’ll be really sick and beautiful, too!

AP: Have you been able to catch any shows yet?
Jillian: Yeah! Yesterday we went to the She Shreds Magazine showcase, and we saw Chastity Belt, Girlpool, and Downtown Boys, it was cool to hang out cause we’re playing the She Shreds show today!
Dame: We have a bunch of Boston friends down here too.. Krill, Pile, Palehound.
Jillian: Dirty Dishes!
Dame: Yeah, Dirty Dishes. We got buds around!

AP: So in terms of Converse Rubber Tracks, tell us a bit about how you got involved with them.
Tim: We emailed them and asked to record with them, and then they gave us studio time. That’s the dry version.
Jillian: It’s cool because we had unfinished tracks with them, and we were able to take those tracks back to LA with us where we met a really cool producer and were able to put vocals on them. It really was so sweet of the Converse team to let us go and do something else with it, and still have that core with ’em. Plus the engineer we had was incredible, in Somerville.
Tim: David Duchovny was in the studio too.
Jillian: He said he liked my beanie! I was wearing a Halliburton beanie.
Dane: He was definitely coming on to Jillian. It was like a Californiaction thing.
Jillian: So basically we thank Converse for that situation. And now we call that song, the one we recorded at Converse, “David Duchovny.”

AP: Does he get a credit in the liner notes?
Jillian: He was recording his own album!
Dane: His debut album, we were witnessing it.

AP: How was it?
Dane: We haven’t heard it!
Jillian: We should be the first to hear it.
Tim: Judging by the scraggle he had, it was a process. He was getting very deep.

AP: Alright important question: High Tops or Low Tops?
All: High Tops!

AP: Favorite color?
Jillian: I’m really into the all black Converse. Like ALL black. If thats a color.

AP: Word. What’s next for you guys?
Jillian: We are going back to LA for a week to play Burgerama, which we are so psyched about. Then we fly out to Boston to record our album, play shows, tour for a little bit, and then a lot of really exciting stuff that we can’t say!
Dane: Things are getting awesome.
Jillian: We’re recording Rock and Roll Music. And eating pudding.

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Just before SXSW, Converse launched a new campaign called “Made by you”. This interview was made possible by the fine folks at Converse.

“Made by you” is a global celebration highlighting Converse Chuck Taylor All Star, the only sneaker defined by those who wear them. Converse has curated a collection of Chuck Taylor All Star portraits, showcasing endless diversity and self-expression of individuals past and present who choose to wear Chuck Taylor All Star – from musicians to artists, skaters to fashionistas, the known to the unknown. Their portraits offer a contemporary lens into the distinctly unique worlds they inhabit.