3×3: Romantica on Matching Socks, History Lessons, and Louvin Brothers

Artist: Ben Kyle (of Romantica)
Hometown: Minneapolis, MN
Latest Album: Shadowlands
Personal Nicknames: Benny Boo, T-Dizzle, Danger Dave, Fabulous Fabbrini, Lovan Spoonful, Sister J.

If you were in a high school marching band, which instrument would you want to play?

The snare. It’s all about the groove.

Do your socks always match?

YES.

If you could have a superpower, what would you choose?

Healing.

What’s your go-to road food?

Chipotle. At least you know it’s GMO-free, the meats are almost reasonably raised, and you can’t beat that guac for healthy fat!

Who was the best teacher you ever had — and why?

Steve Duesterbeck. Ninth grade history. At least once a day he would say, “War is hell and people die.”

What’s your favorite TV show?

The Waltons

Boots or sneakers?

Sneakers. I used to be cool. Now I’m comfortable.

Which brothers do you prefer — Avett, Wood, Stanley, Comatose, or Louvin?

Louvin.

Canada or Mexico?

Love ’em both. If I had to choose … Mexico. My father-in-law has a ranch in the mountains outside Gaudalajara.


Photo credit: Nicole McCoy Photography

3×3: MAITA on Polar Bears, Perfect Empathy, and an Appetite for Reading

Artist: MAITA
Hometown: Portland, OR
Latest Album: Waterbearer
Personal Nicknames: Mango, Mia, my Japanese nickname was Machan.

 

If you could safely have any animal in the world as a pet, which would you choose?

A polar bear (emphasis on “safely”).

Do your socks always match?

Surprisingly, they do.

If you could have a superpower, what would you choose?

Perfect empathy — to never be able to fully understand another human being is an eternal struggle.

What’s your go-to road food?

Burritos.

Who was the best teacher you ever had — and why?

Ms. Mora in middle school, who fed my voracious reading appetite and whose classroom was a haven for artists and writers.

What’s your favorite city?

Kyoto is one of them — the mountains, the shrines, the old, and the flashy new overlaid on top of each other, and a river that cuts through the center. All my favorite cities have rivers.

Boots or sneakers?

Boots!

Which brothers do you prefer — Avett, Wood, Stanley, Comatose, or Louvin?

I’m going to have to go with Wood.

Canada or Mexico?

Both! I’ve barely scratched the surface of those two countries — I understand that I can’t base my opinion on Tijuana and Vancouver.