The Siren Interviews

We gave our correspondent Eddie Ciminelli a tough job for the Siren Music Festival on July 16 in Coney Island. We asked him spend a day in the sun listening to music and drinking free beer. And, oh yeah, if you come across any bands, say hi to them for us. Amid the festivities, Eddie managed to sit down with three of the festival's more engaging acts -- pop duo Mates of State, dance-rockers VHS or Beta, and Brooklyn's own Ambulance LTD -- as they take a deep breath (and some swag) from the festival.

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We gave our correspondent Eddie Ciminelli a tough job for the Siren Music Festival on July 16 in Coney Island. We asked him spend a day in the sun listening to music and drinking free beer. And, oh yeah, if you come across any bands, say hi to them for us. Amid the festivities, Eddie managed to sit down with three of the festival’s more engaging acts—pop duo Mates of State, dance-rockers VHS or Beta, and Brooklyn’s own Ambulance LTD—as they take a deep breath (and some swag) from the festival.

MATES OF STATE Mates of State go from inception to conception (and beyond). “I really don’t know or remember anything else,” says Kori. “Working in a band with your husband creates different types of conflict but it’s nothing like arguing about who is going to take out the trash. We had been playing in different bands since we were in eighth grade, so we scrapped the stuff we had been doing and begun new with this band.” read interview

VHS OR BETA VHS or Beta’s Mark Palgy feels good to not have to be all business. “Rock has always been dance music. The Stones, the Beatles—these guys went out to get people dancing. It has always been one of those things that needs to be seen live to be truly appreciated and understood.” read interview

AMBULANCE LTD Ambulance LTD’s Darren Beckett just wants a free hat and a new album. “I live in a Puerto Rican neighborhood. I just like real people, man. I don’t like people that act like they are in a rock band even if they were work at Starbucks. It is cool to do that, but I don’t know, man, you got to keep it real. But there are a lot of talented bands in the area [Brooklyn].” read interview