Interview For the Good Days:

Menomena, The Walkmen, Deerhoof... Not only are these names of bands who have worked hard to earn tremendous followings and indie cred, they are also a handful of artists booking appearances on "Juan's Basement," a live performance program that emerged from obscurity a few years ago. 

I've always been a fan and recently asked creator Juan P., about the show and where it's going.

How did you start Juan's Basement?
I snuck into the production department at PlumTV, a small local TV network, and since I lived in a basement/recording studio, I thought it might make sense to pitch a music show to Plum. They liked it, and it had essentially no budget so we figured out creative ways to make each episode look good.

And how were your original acts courted/chosen?
At first, it was just reaching out to a lot of publicists/managers/labels/bands and asking if they'd want to get involved. After I booked the first one with the Willowz, it got easier and easier to book. Getting Menomena was great, they were just getting big at that time.

When did Pitchfork approach you to work with them? Was that a thrill?
Since Menomena was hot in the world of Pitchfork and other blogs when we shot that episode, they ended up posting clips from it. That got the show on Ryan's (the head of Pitchfork) radar, and since he was thinking of starting an online music tv site, it made sense for Pitchfork to acquire the show.

Any upcoming acts that you'd care to tell us about?
Well, I know we're trying to get Fever Ray (from The Knife), and I'd love to do one with Of Montreal, Grizzly Bear, Crystal Castles, and Animal Collective. We'll see who wants to do it....

The setup has glammed up through the last 2 years and interviews have been added... what other modifications do you see in the future to the set and how it's run?
Actually we always had interviews but those only got online when Pitchfork started doing the show. I don't want to change the show too much, it's nice to set limitations, like: We have to shoot this in THIS tiny space, always. We're trying some new shit out with the Blitzen Trapper episode, which will be up soon.

Will those past interviews ever see the light of day?

All the interviews have seen the light of day. the pitchfork ones are all on the site, and the ones pre-pitchfork aired on PlumTV nationally but not online.

How does it feel to know you're a destination that talented artists are more than happy to arrive and play at?
It's just fun to meet the bands and make these little live music videos. It's cool to see how good bands can sound in our small space through our mic's and our EQ's etc., a super rewarding production experiment.

Will you ever consider adding an audience to these performances?
We often have a few people sitting around, they're not always seen in shots though. Also, there's no space! With 4-5 cameras, a bunch of musicians with amps and pedals and drums, there's barely enough space to put up lights......if we ever move the show to a fake basement on a sound stage, then we'll have an audience.....it happened to Wayne's World....

You can watch a number of Ep's on Pitchfork TV here.