Teammate Q&A
Indie pop duo TeamMate have been my latest musical addiction with their catchy hooks and great songwriting skills. I am a sucker for indie-pop music and their latest single, Don't Count Me Out, is always on constant repeat over here. I was lucky enough to ask them some questions so we could get to know them a bit more and it seems Scott and I both suck at sports! Hehe. I would like to thank them for taking time to answer these questions which you can check out below!

I know you guys dated for 10 years and then broke up and started a band. Wasn’t there some awkwardness in the beginning? 
Scott: I know it seems like that should be the case, but honestly, it felt more awkward to not be in each others’ lives after 10 years. But yeah... post-breakup, there were definitely some rough patches but the forming of the band was part of our growing into the next phase of our relationship as friends. Writing and playing music together sort of became our therapy. 
Dani: I think there may have been some awkwardness projected on us but it was never internal. Like Scott said, it was a natural and comfortable progression in our relationship.

What made you want to follow music? Was it always the #1 thing you wanted to do for a living?
Scott: I don’t really remember ever doing anything else. From the time I was a kid, I naturally gravitated towards music. And I sucked at sports. Like SUCKED SUCKED. Super bad at sports. And other subject in school didn’t keep my attention that long. Music always made sense and my parents luckily encouraged me at a young age to go for it. Even going as far as booking me my first gigs in local bars in West Virginia at age 15. 
Dani: Music has always been a huge part of my life. I started playing drums when I was very young and once I took my first lesson, there was no turning back.

What song - out of the ones you already released/written - means the most to you? Why? 
Scott: “Love Is Love” probably means the most to me. It was a song we wrote for the gay rights/marriage equality movement but also it was a chance for me as a straight male to stand up for Dani, a person who is so close to me, and say we should be treated the same and we both deserve to be fully happy.
Dani: I ‘m with Scott on this one.
 
Which artists influenced you the most to pursue a music career and to adopt this style of music? 
Scott: That’s tricky. I’m influenced by everything I hear. The artists who have motivated me are The Beatles (sorry, for the cliche answer, but it’s true), Aimee Mann, Ben Folds, Elvis Costello, The Cars, etc etc. On a personal level, my dad who passed away in 1997, was who really inspired me to make music I love. 
Dani: Tricky, for sure. I’ve been influenced by everything from 80’s pop music to 90’s R&B. 

You’re now touring across the US, correct? Any plans to tour across Europe?
Scott: We’ve been playing a lot more in LA now that Dani moved out here. We did some fun touring all last year around the states, but so far this year we’ve been focused on finishing new music and trying to build in LA. We’ve been working with some European artists and would love to tour Europe. 

When can we expect a full length release?
Scott: Our focus right now is singles. We want to build a foundation of people who give a shit and are paying attention then release an album when it feels right. We’re still writing and trying new songs out live all the time though! 

Are you planning any collaborations/duets? 
Scott: We’ve done some collaborations with a few EDM artists. Excited to see where that goes. 

With whom would you love to work with and why?
Scott: I’d love to work with Jon Brion. I don’t know if he’d be exactly right for this band but I love his production and writing. I’d also love to work with Mutt Lange because holy crap, Mutt Lange. 

What has been the defining moment of your musical career so far? 
Scott: Oh man... maybe the day 6 years ago that I started my drive across country from Pittsburgh to LA and decided I was all in on this music BS for better or worse. 
Dani: Watching how happy my drumming made my Grandfather when he was alive. He was also a drummer and jumped at every opportunity to see me perform. 
Teammate Q&A

What kind of message do you want people to take away from your music? 
Scott: I think people should take away whatever message they get from our music. Songs are so subjective. But I hope that people can tell that we’re sincere and that even though we’ve been through a lot of rough times, we’ve made it through as friends. I guess it’s a sort of “experienced optimism”. 

If you were given the chance to pick one artist/band to tour with which one would it be and why?
Scott: Tegan and Sara always come up in conversations. We’ve been massive fans of theirs for a long time and are excited to see their most recent next level success in pop world. 
Dani: What Scot said.

What artist are you listening to on your iPod? 
Scott: I like the new Lykke Li. That’s a bit of a tongue twister isn’t it? 
Dani: Lots of Phantogram and ASTR 

If you could only listen to one artist/band the rest of your life, who would it be? 
Scott: The Beatles. Sorry again for the cliche answer. But it’s 100% true. I hear something new in those songs no matter how many times I’ve heard them. 
Dani: I can’t possibly answer this question. 

Name five things you can’t live without. 
Scott: My iPhone, coffee, RadioLab podcasts, traveling to the east coast often and coffee again. 
Dani: My dog, Tea Tree Oil Toothpicks, My iPhone, my iPhone charger, and soup. 

What’s your favourite song of 2014 so far? 
Scott: “Lay Me Down” by Sam Smith. Maybe? 
Dani: This is a hard question… I’ll get back to you. 

Five years from now you will be…. 
Scott: Napping. 
Dani: Watching Netflix on Google Glasses or something, or whatever.