City of the Weak: Stef’s Speaks Her Mind

Sfef Huschka from City of the Weak

Interview Conducted on April 12, 2018

By Dan Locke

Stef Huschka is an actress and manager, known for City of the Weak

Unratedmagazine: Tell me about your background. How did you form City of the Weak?

Stef Huschka: When I was 17 I moved to Minneapolis/St. Paul to form a band & play professionally. I was attending a training school called McNally Smith College of Music, & I started jamming with people every night. Once I was able to get a solid group going, we began playing shows around the Twin Cities and quickly branched out regionally, & then nationally. Over the last 6 years we slowly became the band that we are today.

What is your first memory of your singing in front of a crowd?

I joined a junior kid’s church choir when I was about 5. I was way younger than all the other kids were, but I could read music well, so they let me in. We would sing in church about once a month-it was terrifying.

Why did you pick that name?

Going through life feeling like an underdog, I realized it’s important to get together with like-minded people and work together toward a goal. Alone we are weak, together we form a city that can take over the world.

What inspired you?

I live downtown St. Paul, so I like walking everywhere I go. I observe people as I’m out and about, and I love dreaming and experiencing things. Living life is the best inspiration.

I am going to name some musicians from Minnesota. Give me a sentence or two about each one.

Bob Dylan
Ballsy & innovative. In our 4th Street rehearsal space we have “Positively 4th Street” written on the industrial windows, it’s a landmark in the neighborhood.

Prince
A god. Everyone in Minnesota worships him & has a personal Prince story. A lot of his band / staff taught at the training school that I attended.

The Replacement
I’ve heard the name but honestly am not familiar with them.

Yanni
No clue who that is.

The Andrews Sisters
Waaay before my time. I was born in 1993…

Vixen
I just saw Janet Gardner live at Whisky A Go-Go three months ago. My friend Gerald was playing guitar for her on a tour. She’s still rockin’ hard!

Paul Westerberg
Singer of the Replacements – don’t know much else.

Soul Asylum
We had to rent a van for the tour that we are on right now, & the guy that we rented from in Minneapolis is the same guy that rents to Soul Asylum. Small world…

Motion City Soundtrack
I saw them play the cafeteria of my school one time. A staple at every emo nite in the twin cities.

Tiny Moving Parts
They are listed on Wikipedia as an ’emo revival band’ but as far as I’m concerned emo never went anywhere.

For your video Pardon Me, is that your video of what the world is coming to?

We feel that the song is so relevant today, with all the chaos & political unrest going on. The best part about us as a band is our live performance, so we thought a collage of live videos combined with the song would really drive the message home.

How was it to tour with Gabriel and the Apocalypse?

It was awesome! We did the Bitches Get Stitches Tour back in 2014 & it was a very successful run. Every show ruled, & we had a blast. They are a fun crew to be around.
time.

What was it like playing at SXSW?

We just played one showcase at a time, loaded up after each one & headed to the next. Extremely hectic & we barely made it in time for each one.

Chicago Open Air?

We are super honored that we were part of the first ever Open Air. That was the most stacked lineup that I’ve ever seen in my life. We were by FAR the smallest band on that entire bill, and we are still shocked that we were ever asked to be a part of it. One of the best days of our entire lives.

What are you’re feeling about this being the last year for Van Warped Tour?

We all saw it coming. All good things come to an end.

What was the Waffle House Tour?

The Waffle House Tour was our first tour ever back in 2012. I remember driving on the freeway and seeing a sign for something called “Waffle House,” which I had never heard of before. We pulled off because breakfast food is amazing, and that was it. We literally ate at Waffle House 3 times a day, every day. Our entire tour video is us dancing & singing with Waffle House employees to “September” by Earth, Wind, & Fire. We would tweet back and forth with each waffle house & they would post pictures of us on their social media. I swear every fan that we made on that tour was a waffle house employee.

You have played Memphis, TN. Did you go check out Elvis House?

No- when we are on tour we keep a very busy schedule- we rarely have time to see sights.

What city ROCKS the most?

Anywhere in the state of Wisconsin- also anywhere in Idaho is pretty fuckin’ awesome too.

Why did you name this tour “Turn it up to 11 Tour”? Was it because of Spinal Tap? “Up to eleven” or “these go to eleven” is an idiom from popular culture, coined in the movie This Is Spinal Tap, where guitarist Nigel Tufnel proudly demonstrates an amplifier whose volume knob is marked from zero to eleven, instead of the usual zero to ten. The phrase has come to refer to anything being exploited to its utmost limits, or apparently exceeding them.

The tour is a co-headliner with Echo Black, they actually named it. So I’m not really sure what their reasoning behind it was, but it was fitting so we approved it! We go hard at every show, and we like how “Turn It To 11” reflected that!

You have played in most parts of the United States. Any plans to tour outside the United States?

Obviously, we would love to go worldwide. Unfortunately, it’s hella expensive and we just don’t have the resources to get overseas & make it cost-effective. I wouldn’t even know how to go about booking a show outside the U.S…

Is there anybody you would like to tour with?

Halestorm, Joan Jett, In This Moment

How do you stay healthy on tour?

Smoothie King. Lots of juice & fruit & smoothies. I make sure to get 7-8 hours of sleep a day at LEAST. I also take zinc pills & Juice Plus.

You sell a lot of mech. What the bestselling item?

We have a t-shirt / tank that says, “DON’T YOU KNOW WHO THE FUCK I AM?!” in huge letters. The bestseller.

What type of clubs/places do you like to play in (size)?

I love feeling the energy from the crowd, so I prefer small cap 100-150 clubs. When everyone is right up at the stage singing the words and the place is packed, it’s a magical feeling.

What music fests would you like to play in?

I would LOVE to do the Florida festivals- Florida rocks hard! “Welcome to Rockville” & “Fort Rock”

Any endorsements? Can you talk how they help your band out? And with the guitars are they customized?

We’ve worked with a lot of companies over the years, as far as our current gear we use/endorse:
-VOCALS / IEM: Sennheiser
-GUITAR: PRS Guitars
-BASS: Spector Bass / EMG

We’ve also worked with different types of companies from Monster Products to Wornstar to Puncture Wounds and everything in between. We like working with companies that we have a great relationship with, & who are solid people. Everybody brings something different to the table, some give us artist pricing, others send free products, some are more trade deals, some are collaborations. We obviously are very loyal to who we work with and always are referring others to the company or tagging them in social media.

How would you explain your live performance?

A total experience. Straight up energetic & hype. There’s a reason we see a lot of the same people over and over at our shows. They get an experience there that they love and can’t get elsewhere. And there’s a reason we keep coming back for more, because we get an experience through our fans that we love and can’t get elsewhere. We also hang out after our set & like to have a good time with everyone.

If someone was listening to you for the first time, what 3 videos or songs would you tell them to look/listen to and why?

That’s a tough one because songs resonate with everyone differently. Obviously I like people to hear the newest material, as it’s a more accurate depiction of who we are today versus 4-5 years ago. But our old stuff is what sucked a lot of people in in the first place. So I would say:

“Ungrateful” – our latest original single. It’s very raw and deep, & shows a different side to us that a lot of people really connect with

“Censor This”- pop, catchy, yet a very fuck you song

“White Fire Alarm” – classic, it’s our biggest song – the video alone has over 1 million views.

Favorite Quotes?

“Build your own dreams, or someone else will hire you to build theirs.” -Farrah Gray

Favorite Reading?

“Save Me From Myself” by Brian “Head” Welch

Any Hobbies?

I love spending time with my pets – I have a little chihuahua named Sadie, a Turkish Van named Gubbar, & Marcus the turtle. They are my babies & I love them more than anything. Always adopt!

Favorite Drink?

Vegan Dark chocolate acai smoothie from Smoothie King.

Favorite thing you like to cook/eat?

Beyond Meat Burger w/ pickles on a pretzel bun.

Do you like vinyl?

No- I live very minimally so I don’t like collectibles taking up space. Mp3’s all the way.

Who is your favorite singer and why?

Kelly Clarkson- her technique is flawless & she makes everything sound easy. She has the ability to cover any song ever & make it better than the original. Kelly is a straight up LEGEND.

How do you see yourself in the next 5 years?

Idk, the future is very hard to predict. I never envisioned I would be where I am now five years ago. I feel like every time I make plans, life takes me in a different direction.

If you could jam with anyone who would it be?

Joan Jett – she’s a certified bad ass

Any guilty pleasures your fans would be surprise you listen to?

Probably Miley Cyrus & The Weeknd

What is on your bucket list?

Playing the European festivals like Leeds, Download Fest, Slam Dunk, etc.

What is on your phone for music now?

The Weeknd, The Scars Heal in Time, The Plot in You, Bring Me the Horizon, badxchannels

Anything in closing you would like to end with?

Thank you so much for interviewing me! Thanks to everyone who has supported us over the years, & to all those people just getting on board. Keep watch for our new album “Pulling Teeth” out this June!

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