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.

We chatted with Austin locals (and semi-locals), Mother Merey and The Black Dirt at the pop-up Rubber Tracks studio during SXSW. They told us about the chords they’re planning on learning, how they feel about Austin, and what they were working on next. Let’s get them up to Boston! Check them out below

AP: Is this your first time at SX as a band?
Kevin: We’ve done SX a bunch of times, especially through Rubber Tracks, four years.
Eric: Yeah, we absolutely love it.

AP: And how’s this year been so far?
Eric: This year’s been really good. It’s definitely great to be back with everybody at Converse and Rubber Tracks. It does seem a little bit milder this year which is kind of cool. We get to have more of a chill experience of the entire event, and really take things in, as opposed to constant running around and craziness.

AP: That seems to be the consensus, everyone is saying it’s more laid back than previous years. So you guys are local, what do you think about Austin as a city during SX and not during SX?
Eric: Personally, moving to Austin six, seven years ago, changed my life, regardless of SX.
Merey: You don’t really see a whole lot of a difference when you live here except for maybe increased traffic? But there’s always traffic, and there are always bands everywhere. So it doesn’t feel all that different except for when people are getting hurt, and when bad things happen.
Eric: There’s definitely a hype that comes to the city. We always try to stay positive and enjoy everybody.

AP: Have you guys played any shows so far this year (at SX)?
Eric: We did, we played last night at Banger’s on Rainey Street and it was great.
Kevin: It was banging.
Eric: It was banging.
Kevin: People were ready to party. SX is great because… oh hey I’ll answer your last question. To be frank, in a town full of musicians, often times people who go to shows, they’re not ready to party, they don’t really care, and here, everybody’s just anxious to get riled up, anything will set them off. The jingle of a tambourine, people are just crapping their pants and going crazy. So it’s nice to have an excited crowd. We played Banger’s last night, a marching band warmed us up for about an hour, and then the crowd was ready to get down, so it’s at the very least, a whole lot of fun.

AP: Do you have any more shows coming up at SX?
Eric: We don’t, but we’re going to finish up a little bit of recording today, for Indaba’s / Converse’s Sample Track Library. It’s really exciting and new for us, we’ve never done anything like that. In terms of shows though, we’re done. Everything from here on out is going to tape.

AP: What are you recording for [the Sample Track Library]?
Merey: We don’t know yet.
Eric: We’re recording a multitude of things. Definitely some cool sounds, some cool samples that hopefully will get used some day. The kind of music we play, the country stomp driving rhythms, not many chord changes, we have a lot of cool ideas about where to take that.
Kevin: No chords.
Eric: Chords are for musicians.
AP: So what are you if not musicians.
Eric: We’re Mother Merey & The Black Dirt.
Kevin: We’re artists. We’re, artists.
All: (Laughs)
Eric: It’ll be fun, it’ll be way fun.

AP: Do you have a favorite food spot in the Austin area?
Merey: House Pizzeria
Eric: I’m going to have to second that one, House Pizzeria is the best pizza you’ll have in town by far.
Kevin: Yeah, sure, alright. We’re officially recommending a pizza spot, let’s do it.
Eric: It’s so good. Don’t get me wrong, there are so many great places to eat.
Merey: Everyone will tell you Torchy’s.
AP: I just ask this question for my own personal knowledge.
Merey: Go eat pizza.

AP: And then talking a little bit about Rubber Tracks, what’s your favorite part of being involved with it?
Merey: The people, just hanging out with all the people who work at Converse.
Eric: My favorite part of Converse Rubber Tracks, is the experience of working with great musicians, great producers, great teams, that only want to see you succeed, and do everything they can to help you do that. The community, you just feel it in your heart every time you step onto this property, and it’s a wonderful experience, absolutely.
Kevin: Everybody’s super talented, we’ve got some great engineers, greta sounding rooms, and I’m sure everyone who leaves this place leaves with, at the very least, some really professional, cool sounding recordings.

AP: Alright, high tops or low tops?
Merey: Low tops.
Eric: You know, I was on low tops for the longest time and I recently got a pair of high tops, and I like the support. I think I’m gonna pick up basketball.
Kevin: You know, I’m the opposite, I used to be a fan of the high tops, but going down to low tops is like going to boxers from briefs, it’s very liberating. So I’m going to keep flashing the ankle.
Eric: I like it when you do that.

AP: What’s your favorite color Converse?
Eric: Black dirt! Gotta say black.
Merey: Soup.
Eric: Soup is my favorite color too.
Kevin: Brown.

AP: And what’s your favorite kind of pudding?
Eric: I mean, chocolate pudding.
Merey: Brown pudding.
Kevin: Figgy pudding.
Merey: Oooh.
Kevin: You forgot about figgy pudding.

AP: And to wrap things up, what’s going on for you after SX?
Merey: We’re going to try to write a second album.
Eric: A tour later this year would be great as well, we’re going to keep going at it. Moving forward, as long as we’re playing shows, we’re going to be OK, things are going to work out.
Kevin: I’m going to learn to play my instruments.
Eric: Always working on that one.
Merey: (Laughs) We have to learn some chords, some new chords, we only know two right now.
Eric: Some of those expensive ones, those high dollar chords. I know a guy.
Kevin: The major 7ths, and the diminished ones, the sus-12s.
Eric: Blowing my mind right now. This kind of thing just makes us want to do better. Recording has always done that, so yeah, playing shows and getting better at what we do. Stepping it up, and going forward. Eating good pudding and doing it right.

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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.