In our rush to crown the next LIFE CHANGING Grizzly on the Radio(head) Fleethunter Projectors band we often overlook some of the best bands around us. We tend to over look the unassuming nice kids from down the block making perfect pop music for the flashy, the loud, or the experimental. Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin is, in my mind, one of the best bands around today. I don’t think there has been another band this decade that I just plain ENJOY more and that I listen to on a more regular basis. I’ve written about this before the more I think about it the more I think it’s true. There is not a band I enjoy more, both on record and live, than SSLYBY.

Phil Dickey, singer/songwriter/drummer/guitarist/really cool guy, of Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin was awesome enough to answer some questions for Radio Exile recently.

How is the new album progressing? Do you have anything you can tell us about it, like a title, track list, release date?

Kind of slow. We’re all writing songs and practicing them at Will’s new house. I wish I could tell you some interesting things about it. I think we’re going to record in a real studio this time.

Each of your two previous LP’s seemed to have a very specific mood. To me, Broom was this hazy summertime pop record and then Pershing seemed a bit more guitar driven and propulsive. Did you have a set vision for each album before or during the recording process? How will the third album compare in this regard?

We knew Broom was going to be hazy because most of us just got dumped. Pershing will probably always be our happiest record. We wanted it to be more like our live show and we were really happy about getting to tour. I have no idea what the new record will be like. I just want all the parts in each song to sound like little friends you want stuck in your head. I think we want to use more piano this time. The mood is going to be 100% Yeltsin.

SSLYBY has played shows in Russia, which makes sense for obvious reasons, but which is also pretty rare for an indie band. How were you guys received over there? Did audiences know who you were? How did the whole “touring” and “performing” experience compare as to America? Any plans to go back?

Everyone we met in Russia was really nice. We played at this huge Russian music festival and I swear I didn’t see any jerks in a crowd of 20,000 or however many people there were. I think a relatively small percentage of the crowd knew us, but they were really enthusiastic. Some of them had signs that said We <3 Boris Yeltsin. That was really unexpected. We all really want to go back .

“Gwyneth” is the song that made me first fall in love with your band. I’ve read she was an actual person. Who is she and what was her influence on that band?

She’s a friend of ours and Will’s sister.

SSLYBY went from relative obscurity to being relatively well known in a rather short period of time. What was this like for the band? Did it change anything for you guys? Do you wish your rise had been more slow and gradual rather than quick?

Well, we still feel like an obscure band. All the publicity we got was on the internet, so it didn’t feel real. The biggest change was that we got to start touring. The first few tours were so small. We were having the time of our lives, but we were playing for really small crowds. The cool thing is that we got to talk to everyone at each show, so we made a lot of friends. So now we go back to those cities and get to hang out with our touring friends. That’s probably our favorite thing about touring. I really like the way our band has grown because it’s almost all word of mouth (or word of blog) and relentless touring.

Your dream tour, including opening and/or headlining bands (dead or alive, current or past) and any itinerary you want. What is it?

It would be a traveling festival like the old Lollapalooza. Here is the line-up:
PHOENIX (the french band)
The Mommyheads
Wheat
The Beatles
Nirvana
Weezer (I would have to personally manage their setlist)
Jonathan Richman
The 1990 Cincinnati Reds
My grandpa and sister would play the piano

Your past records have been self-recorded. Where do you do your recording? Do you plan to continue with this or do you see yourselves in a “official” studio ever?

The first one was at Will’s parent’s house. Pershing was at Will’s aunt’s house. We want to try a studio now because the Pershing experience was really stressful and we don’t want to repeat it. But we don’t want to make a traditional sounding studio album where everything sounds like it was recorded perfectly.

I’ve noticed you seem to have a really dedicated core of fans. What is the strangest display of affection you’ve ever received from a fan?

My mind goes blank right now. Someone left a voice mail on my phone once describing a dream they had about us. It had something to do with Cuba. I put a message on our website because I wanted to talk to them about it, but they never replied or called back.

Springfield, Missouri seems like a somewhat unlikely spawning ground for an indie scene but with bands like you and Ha Ha Tonka, it seems like there is a wealth of talent. Who else should we know about?

Yeah, there are a lot of good bands here. John has been playing rhythm guitar for Sweetwater Abilene [Sweetwater Abilene]. Cindy Woolf is a great songwriter [MySpace]. Our keyboard player on the Pershing tour plays in a cool band called Southern Hills [MySpace].

Fill in the blank: Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin is ________________.

…the bossest band in the universe.

Last 5 posts by Tom Williams

• Foburg Festival - March 15th, 2010
• Sound Through Sight: The Departure - March 9th, 2010
• NEW NATIONAL ALBUM!!! - March 5th, 2010
• The Most Amazing Thing I've Ever Seen In My Life Is.... - March 3rd, 2010
• Whoa! Holy new Stereogum, Batman!! Stereogum redesigned! - February 23rd, 2010