Rodney: How did we come together? Hmm. We’re all from Santa Barbara, and umm, it’s a really small town. We were kinda aware of each other and these different bands growing up. I ended up meeting JR when my band was recording at this house. So….

JR: Yeah, I was techno boy at that point! So I just hung out and wrote techno and recorded other bands. So, that’s where I met this freak and we started recording together.

Rodney: Ahhhhhhhhh!

VOX: What was the music scene like in Santa Barbara?

JR: We were just talking about that. It was kinda strange at first. When I first started playing, the only bands you could be in would be bands that would do covers. You [Rodney] hold it [the microphone] so well my friend…ummm…and, uh, starting with Toad the Wet Sprocket in Santa Barbara, things started to change. They came to see other bands that write original music. So that’s where we came in.

Rodney: When we were starting, if you wanted to write your own music, the only place that you could play was in LA. A lot of times it was hard if you were just starting out. We were in high school bands and we couldn’t get a gig! We didn’t have big enough hair! WE didn’t have tights!

VOX: Where did the Dishwalla name come from?

Rodney: The name, hmmm…We got that out of a Wired Magazine article. Uhh, it’s a long story about people in India. The story didn’t mean a lot to us more than just the word. We thought it was a funny story and we liked the word. That’s our story and that’s what we’re sticking with.

VOX: "Counting Blue Cars" was a huge radio hit. How did it change your life?

JR: I think it changed us gradually. I don’t think we were aware of how big that song was until probably more recently. We still do the same things every day. We were still touring – in a van – at that point, playing, except our audiences keep getting bigger. We just really didn’t notice anything going on around us.

VOX: [In "Counting Blue Cars"] You speak of god in the feminine…is there a Pagan thing going on…

JR: Pagan, no. Just…I don’t know who decided god was a man, you know. I just think, like from a kid’s perspective, a child’s perspective, it could be one way or another. And, as you grow older, you’re taught to specifically think in one way. As I’ve gotten older I can see that we’re told to believe things for no reason.

VOX: Some people could be offended…

JR: You and a lot of people. A few people have picketed. [laughing]

VOX: Oh, not us.

JR: Thank you for not being offended.

VOX: What’s the inspiration for the first single off the new disc, "Once In A While?"

JR: That song, to me, is about just looking at yourself and trying to decide what kind of person you are. How do people perceive you? Is this like, a good person, or do you come off as an asshole, you know. I don’t know if you ever ask yourself that, but…

Rodney: It’s just so easy to miscommunicate. And you think you are doing something really cool, while someone else thinks you’re so far outta line. You know what I mean - those wires get crossed so easily.

JR: Like for example: we pissed off this radio station by accidentally playing the wrong type of material.

VOX: May I ask what station?

Rodney: No, no! You may ask but we won’t answer!

VOX: Is writing a cathartic process for you? Your songs are emotional.

JR: It’s a lethargic process! [Laughing] No, writing songs takes a long time for us to finish stuff. Probably ‘cause as soon as we start something, we immediately challenge as to either whether not it’s good or bad… And we’re like the harshest critics I have ever met in my life. Myself included. Most of the stuff we write doesn’t get past the first couple of bars.

VOX: Do you ever look back at the first album and say, "I hate it," now?

JR: I hate some things, and love others. And I am completely partial to the rest.

Rodney: Did you like burn some stuff?

JR: I burned a few things, and everything is ok. All the gods are happy.

VOX: Another pagan reference!

JR: You’re bringing the pagan thing here man. It’s not me!

VOX: You said "gods."

JR: Was that plural, hmm…

Rodney: Yes.