PZO: What’s the meaning behind your song Fred Astaire?
Stubhy: Fred Astaire is like a call to arms to all the kids. It’s basically a conversation between a parent and a child and not living up to expectations of parents. It gets into detail and stuff. I had decided to use, you know Fred Astaire, just as a character to base it off of. It’s basically about failed expectations.

PZO: Did you go to a lot of concerts when you were younger?
Stubhy: No, actually I didn’t. Growing up I wasn’t allowed to listen to music until I was about 14 or so. Except for Indian music. So no I didn’t go to rock shows.

PZO: What is it about music that you love so much?
Stubhy: It’s a safe escape. You don’t have to...some people use drugs to escape, some people use sex and they hide into people. Music is something you can do by yourself. It’s like a solitary escape and it doesn’t hurt anybody else, unless you’re playing really, really bad.

PZO: Do you remember what your biggest crowd has been?
Stubhy: You know, there’s been a lot of big crowds. But I guess that the Q101 Jamboree in Chicago, we played for about 5,000 people. That was pretty cool.

PZO: Is there a certain song that you like performing the most?
Stubhy: I like anything that the crowd starts reacting to. I like playing ‘One to the Right,’ I like playing ‘Bossman,’ ‘Saturday Night.’ I like them all. They’re just certain songs for certain occasions.

PZO: What other bands from the Chicago area do you think other people should check out?
Stubhy: Swizzle Tree, The Dog and Everything, you know, just all our homies. Plain White T’s, Backdrop, Close Enough, Retro Morning, Penny and the Loafers...there are so many good bands. Um...I’ll think of some later, I can’t really think of them right now. Um...you know, Material Issue, but they’re not around anymore. Oh yeah, Showoff and Mest.
PZO: They’re awesome; I love Mest.
Stubhy: Yeah, they’re cool.

PZO: Has there ever been a time where you didn’t want to be who you were for a moment?
Stubhy: Of course, who doesn’t? You know? It’s what I’m good at; it’s what I do. Without this, if I didn’t do this I know I’d be doing something else, for sure. But this is what I get the most happiness out of and there are rough times, and there are times that you don’t wanna get up and sing, but once you get on the stage you remember why you’re up there.

PZO: If you could be handcuffed to one person for the rest of your life, who would it be?
Stubhy: Uhh...for the rest of my life? Let me think about this for a second. Shit...just myself. I don’t wanna be handcuffed to anybody for the rest of my life. Maybe my brother...

PZO: What do you like to do after you play a show?
Stubhy: I like to go chill by the Merch. table and talk to everybody that’s coming up and supporting the band. Usually I just kinda hang out; sometimes I grab an acoustic and just play if I’m inspired by the show. For the most part there’s a big buildup ‘til the moment that we play, and then after that you just kind of take it easy. Relax, you know, talk to the kids in the crowd and whoever else comes along.

PZO: What keeps you grounded and optimistic?
Stubhy: That’s just the way I am: one step at a time. Don’t look too far...make sure you troubleshoot, but don’t look too far into the future and just be happy for what you have. I have no problem...I have faith in myself. You have to...if you don’t have faith in yourself you’re not gonna ever get anywhere. So I just make sure I’ve got my head on straight, and everything will work out fine as long as I do.

PZO: Is there a question that comes up in interviews that you’re tired of being asked?
Stubhy: Oh yeah, what does Lucky Boys Confusion mean.

PZO: Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a member of the opposite sex?
Stubhy: Of course: that’d be fun.
PZO: What would you do?
Stubhy: I don’t know...go in the girls’ locker room.

PZO: What was it like the first time you filmed a music video?
Stubhy: I was really tired and whiny.
Ryan: Crabby.
Stubhy: All I wanted to do was get a fucking beer. I remember that. I was like, I gotta loosen up, man. You guys are making me all tense. And there’s all these fucking mikes and cameras the first time. So I’m just like, let me have a beer, ‘cause we were in a bar and they wouldn’t let me, so I was pretty pissed.

PZO: Are you a good dancer?
Stubhy: I used to be.
PZO: You don’t dance anymore?
Stubhy: Not really.

PZO: If you had to erase every memory in your life and you could only keep one, which one would you keep?
Stubhy: Aw, these are like...so basically you’re asking what the most important moment of my life was?
PZO: Yeah.
Stubhy: Fuck...I don’t know. I hope it’s to come. I don’t really have anything right now that’s really like, monumental. Yeah, I have to think about that and get back to you.
Ryan: Meeting me!!
Stubhy: Yeah, meeting Ryan was just...I don’t know yet. I’m too young to answer that question, you know? And I haven’t done the whole self-reflection, I mean I try to, but the whole self-reflection that comes around 35 is when I’ll probably try to figure that out. What made me me...I don’t know.

PZO: How do you calm your nerves before a show?
Stubhy: I don’t really get nervous too much. It’s really kinda become, not in a bad way, but a routine. But for the really big shows I don’t wanna get calmed down. The more hyped you are, probably the better you’ll do. So, no, I don’t wanna calm down. That’s the last thing I wanna be. I want a Red Bull and whatever I can scrounge up, even though I shouldn’t be drinking that shit.

PZO: Do you usually get to be good friends with the other bands that you play with?
Stubhy: Yeah, real good friends. We kind of...some of my really, really good friends are in some of the bands that we’ve toured with. Showoff, Grasshopper Takeover...obviously all the boys from home. We didn’t tour with them, but we played with them so much that it felt like that. Funk Junkies...and all the bands on this tour. But this tour’s been different, it’s like a real, real tour: more than a month. So you really get to know people then. You really become friends. It’s just nice.

PZO: What’s the coolest venue you’ve played at so far?
Stubhy: Still love The Metro. I just love the shape of that room; it’s perfect for a concert. The Bowery Ballroom in New York: there’s just something about being in New York and playing in that place that was cool. But we didn’t have a lot of people there. All the House of Blues are great. That’s about it, man. What else is...are there any other good venues?
Ryan: Any House of Blues; like the House of Blues in New Orleans is good.
Stubhy: We’re just so lo-fi. We don’t really...we’re a really low-maintenance band. For the most part if you give me a little bit of room to jump around and move to try to entertain the crowd, and give him space <points to Ryan> so that he can beat the drums, it’s...we’re happy. And give us decent monitors. We’re happy, we’re happy.

PZO: What other bands were you in before you formed Lucky Boys Confusion?
Stubhy: Just one other band with him, Farm Boy. It was a good band.

PZO: What do you attribute your success to?
Stubhy: I don’t really consider ourselves successful. We’re not really that big. Just hard work; we work really hard. And we don’t make any money and we don’t care. We’re just happy to be doing what we’re doing. If it looks like you like what you do, people will give it a chance too. That’s what I’ve learned.

PZO: Have you ever gotten in trouble with the law?
Stubhy: Yeah, lots.
PZO: Do you still?
Stubhy: Uhh...occasionally. Not really that much anymore. I don’t really have time to get in trouble.

PZO: Who came up with the name for the street team, 420 Geeks?
Stubhy: 420 Geeks...the story’s so stupid. One of Adam’s friends...most of Adam’s friends...there was just this one kid that he used to hang around with. And I’m like, I told Adam, man, all of your friends are such 420 geeks. And I was just talking about how they’re such potheads and dorky. Then his other friends, I started calling them 420 geeks too. That became like an affectionate term, you know, I’m like, hey what’s up geeks? That turned into...when we used to play our first shows almost everyone who came used to be friends with either me or Adam or Ryan or Jason or Joe, and they were all the 420 geeks. Our 420 geek crew. And then in the song LBC I said 420 geeks are trying to make room. So when our crowd turned into from just our friends to actual fans they started calling themselves that. It just turned into something and now I’m like, whoa, okay.

PZO: Are there any cities you’re looking forward to playing in?
Stubhy: L.A., Anaheim, Phoenix, San Diego, Denver, Omaha, Iowa City, Chicago, Milwaukee, Indianapolis, Grand Rapids, Detroit...should I go on? I can keep going...after Detroit Lancaster, Pennsylvania, I think Poughkeepsie, New York, and then New London, Connecticut, and then back home for 2 more shows in Chicago. I’m excited about all of them!
PZO: Would that be your first time playing there?
Stubhy: Chicago?
PZO: No, like other places, ‘cause I know you’re from Chicago.
Stubhy: We’ve never played Lancaster...yeah, that’s it. We’ve played everywhere else before. We played a lot this year. We’ve been on tour straight since January.

PZO: Do you ever get really just...exhausted often?
Stubhy: Everyday. But it’s okay. It’s worth it to be able to play every night. Spread the word every night.

PZO: Do your fans ever bring you anything at the shows?
Stubhy: Yeah, they’re funny. They get little gifts, they’re funny. It’s so cool, though. It’s usually posters and cookies and...you guys are making me fat!

PZO: Is there anything you’d like to tell your fans?
Stubhy: You rock. Thank you so much for everything you guys are doing for us. I hope our shows are satisfactory and you guys are having fun. Spread the word.