The musical embodiment known as Candy Muscle has fused together recently as two talents collided. The minds behind the guitar and vocals of this band have come together from past local acts that proved their notoriety in Humboldt music history one time or another. The combination of Denis from Hyperbole and 14 Kt. Sedan's Robb Rierdan may not have been an expected one, but it has caused quite a ripple in the wave of Humboldt bands that normally come and go with the seasons. The melodic storybook that Candy Muscle opens up for its audiences allows a new look into where music can take you.

Michelle: So, we're here now with Candy Muscle.
Robb: Yeah. We're Candy Muscle.
Michelle: Just the two of you.
Robb: Yeah, just the two of us.
Denis: I'm the drummer, and that over there is .... Oh wait, no! He's Candy. (laughs)
Robb: Yeah, I'm Candy.
Michelle: Originally, was this band set out to be just drums and guitar or were there other plans?
Robb: No. Man. Originally, we had another guitar player, Shelby and a bass player who was an eight foot Samoan guy who left the band to pursue his career as a dental technician on skates. Which he is very good at. Then there was this other dude who was going to sing with us. But, he ditched us to form Audio Wreck. Which they do. They do wreck audio. Those bastards.
Michelle: So is the band pretty content with just the two of you then?
Robb: Totally. It's worked out a lot. Nothing against the guys that had been in the band before because it was cool playing with them and stuff. They were all awesome musicians. But, just having two people makes it completely more conducive to us just assembling songs together. We don't have to work around teaching instrumentals to anyone else. We can get our singular concept together and work from there.
Robb: It makes song writing a lot faster and more fun too. We can be more spontaneous, and we don't have to just jam on one part forever.
Denis: Which we still do though. It comes together really well.
Michelle: So, you guys are both pretty focused on working on this band?
Denis: Yeah, I think so.
Robb: Totally. Denis is the most awesome drummer in the universe.
Michelle: Yeah, and it is always great to find a drummer. I know of a lot of bands in this area that are in search of drummers at this very moment.
Robb: That was a real problem. I used to play with this other guy, Josh Cahill, in 14 Kt. Sedan, and when that band broke up, I was kind of looking for a drummer for a really long time. Then, when I found out Hyperbole broke up, I totally pulled Denis because I had seen him drum before.
Denis: I didn't even realize what Robb could do with guitar until the other guys dropped out of the band.
Michelle: So on the Candy Muscle recording is it just the two of you?
Denis: Yeah, it's just the two of us.
Michelle: What have been some of the main obstacles with bands that you've had before?
Denis: Myself, and the people in the bands is one of them.
Robb: Yeah, another good thing about just having two people is scheduling. I think one of the main reasons my other bands haven't worked out is because you could never get everyone's schedules to coincide often enough for it to work out. The more people that are in the band, that's more people's schedules you have to work around. It ends up being more frustrating than it should be.
Denis: It's a nuisance, the communication.
Robb: We can fill things in too, when it's just the two of us a lot better. There isn't a group of people competing.
Michelle: So is Candy Muscle going to stay as a pair of guitar and drums?
Robb: Well, I think we're pretty open to having anyone play with us who is interested in it. The nature of the music is such that it's kind of awkward to most people. I mean most people don't really seem interested. But, anyone who wants to is welcome I think.
Denis: I mean it's definitely a challenge to come up with parts to this kind of music. I can understand that.
Robb: The songs are kind of all written to not be predictable. They're all written as stories. There are a lot of bridges and parts that don't really recur later in the song.
Michelle: Do you think Humboldt is a good area for musicians?
Robb: It doesn't seem like it is. It's weird because sometimes there are a few good bands around, and then at other times there is just nothing happening for a really long time.
Michelle: It comes and goes is what I've noticed.
Robb: It seems like now there are a few good bands starting to show up. I was really stoked on Graves, and Audio Wreck is another band I'm in. That should be fun when we start playing too.
Denis: It seems like we are kind of sheltered here in a way. But, then in another way it is kind of good. The audiences seem to really enjoy the crazy stuff. They really get into it.
Robb: I think people definitely appreciate a wide range of music around here. I just don't think there's a whole lot of people motivated.
Denis: Well, we are kind of separated from the whole metropolis of where music is everywhere.
Michelle: Someone actually told me that since SF is such a national city now, and other cities around us, and that Humboldt is just waiting it's turn.
Denis: Yeah, I think that the fact that it is sheltered is one of it's redeeming qualities. I mean you can hide out in Humboldt, but I do want to travel. That's the whole thing, it's a way to keep going. Humboldt's a good place to live though.
Michelle: It's a place to settle down for a lot of people once you've done what you want to do.
Denis: I've found it's one of the best places that I've ever lived. I've never really settled down in a lot of places, but I've found this to be a nice place. There are a wide variety of people around here too.
Michelle: Do you think the band's music identifies with any certain group of people?
Denis: Geez.
Robb: Yeah, I don't know. It's really hard to say.
Denis: I identify more with my music.
Robb: Yeah, me too.
Denis: I have really selective tastes in music. I'm a total music snob.
Michelle: So is there any musician or band then that you guys would want to collaborate with?
Denis: I love this question when I've heard it asked of other people, but I don't think I could answer it myself.
Robb: There are either so many or none at all.
Denis: Yeah, I don't even think I'm good enough to even play with someone that I hold at the top.
Michelle: Ok, so when was each of your own first experiences performing in front of people as a musician?
Denis: I used to have an old band called Pity Party, it was a one man noise band. We played a couple parties in our area.
Michelle: How long ago was this?
Denis: I was like maybe sixteen. It was pretty fun.
Robb: I think the first time I performed in front of people playing music was my first band that played shows, The Specialists. We had one song at the time that was called The Party Song, and we played it at this party. We all wore suits. I was really nervous.
Michelle: Did you guys have good reactions from listeners that in a way inspired more to come out of you?
Robb: I don't think so because reactions weren't always great for at least the first couple bands that I was in. I think I was inspired by all the music that just came into my brain. That pushed me more than anything to write better music.
Denis: It hasn't been until recently where I'm really aware of other people's reactions. With Candy Muscle, this is really the most positive reaction I've seen from an audience. Robb: Yeah, me too.
Denis: It really like shakes people up.
Michelle: What do you think are the first impressions people have had of you as individuals? Denis: Oh, it ranges from love and hate.
Robb: Yeah, I don't know. I've been told that I come off as a snob or something. I don't know, I always try to be friendly.
Michelle: Ok, is there anything you guys want more people to do at your shows?
Denis: Ugh, Heckle!
Robb: Umm, not puke.
Denis: Not puke on us.
Michelle: On that topic, are there any nervous habits that you have to deal with prior to a show?
Denis: I just need to be prepared and be in a good state of mind which isn't always so easy to achieve.
Robb: I seem to drink a ton of water when I play. Especially since I don't drink beer or anything. I always need to have a lot of water nearby.
Michelle: How would you describe Candy Muscle's cd? It came out before your first show actually.
Robb: Kind of. Yeah. Umm, well, it's a little quieter than I think we generally tend to play. Overall it's pretty descriptive of the first stuff we were doing. We've been writing a lot of stuff since that came out. What we've been doing now, is that if it was poetry, I would say it is getting more wordy. But, I think "busy" would be the word. It's getting more busy. We are trying to illustrate a story that moves along rather than a song with choruses that repeat.
Denis: There always seems to be somewhere to go. I think the recording is pretty focused for when it was done. We worked hard on it.
Robb: I like playing live and recording. I learn something like everytime we play it seems.
Michelle: What shows do you guys have coming up?
Robb: I think we're playing at Mike and Stacy's on New Years Eve. During the afternoon sometime maybe.
Denis: Then on the fifteenth.
Robb: Yeah of January. The Panache show.
Michelle: With Audio Wreck. So what are your thoughts on this entire Y2K chaos thing?
Denis: I'm a sucker, I'm going to hole it up.
Robb: Yeah, I'm just going to wait and see what happens.
Michelle: Well, you guys might be playing somewhere on New Years Eve.
Robb: Yeah, that's true. But, it might be in the afternoon. I'll make sure I go and put my equipment at home.
Denis: I'm anxious. I think it's pretty curious, the whole thing.
Robb: I don't know what to think. I'll just see what happens.
Michelle: Do you think the world as we know it is going to end as people fear?
Denis: I don't see how the world could end. I mean we've only been dependent on technology that we're so dependent on for such a small amount of time. I mean we'll survive if we can't get to the ATM. The fields won't stop growing except for the fields that shouldn't have water in them.
Michelle: Ok, what's one New Years Resolution for each of you?
Denis: (laughs) Oh, yeah. I thought about that for the first time the other day. All I know is that I already quit smoking, so what else is there. So, Cigarettes.
Robb: My New Years Resolution is I guess to not get shot by a vigilante after Y2K goes down.
Michelle: Ok, here's one more 1999 question, is there any certain thing that you discovered in '99, that particularly stands out?
Robb: Yeah, tons of things. Lots. I don't even know. I totally learned a lot just about music ever since me and Denis began playing music together in the last three or four months.
Denis: That's why I write dates on pretty much everything. Like every time I make a recording or anything. So that in the future when I look back I'll kind of have a concept of when it went on.
Michelle: Ok, any closing words for Humboldt County?
Robb: Check out our Platypus Trilogy. We'll play it at our next show.