Motel Beds are no strangers to Cincinnati. Hailing from Dayton, OH, the band has worked alongside fellow Daytonians Kelley Deal (who duets on “Tropics of the Sand” - appearing on Days and a RSD split 7” with TORRES) and Robert Pollard (guitarist Derl Robbins has played with and recorded Guided By Voices). Featured this week on NPR’s World Cafe Next and acclaimed by AllMusic, MOJO and Consequence of Sound, Days features some of the best songs from the band’s early albums. 

We sat down with drummer, Ian Kaplan prior to the MPMF set Thursday at The Drinkery!

Give us some background on Motel Beds…
We formed in 2003 and went through several names before landing on Motel Beds. Tommy and PJ were doing shows as a duo up until that point and, if I remember correctly, our first full-band set was on Halloween 2004 (I think?) with me, Tommy and PJ. They dressed as Cheech and Chong, I dressed as Norm MacDonald’s impression of Burt Reynolds, but if he was a vampire. We went through a several year long hiatus and a few line-up changes and finally solidified the line-up when Tod joined the band in late 2010, early 2011. 

What can we expect at your show at MPMF?
Nuts rocked off. 

What has been your most memorable experience as a band thus far?
For me, it is the most recent great thing that’s happened for us which is being featured as a World Cafe Next artist. Very cool and strange to hear David Dye say such nice things about the music you make. 

What is next for Motel Beds?
We are wrapping up the recording for our next Misra release and we just plan on touring, and then getting into situations similar to the ones in Silver Streak and/or Brewster’s Millions.