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Dec 17, 2010 By Under the Radar Staff Photography by Wendy Lynch Redfern Artist Surveys 2010

For Under the Radar’s 8th annual Artist Survey we emailed some of our favorite artists a few questions relating to 2010. However our printed pages weren’t enough to hold all the great responses we got. Pick up a copy of Under the Radar’s Year End issue for interviews with: The Antlers, Bon Iver, Caribou, Club 8, Delphic, Rose Elinor Dougall, Gayngs, Hot Chip, Lost in the Trees, Love is All, The Love Language, Mogwai, of Montreal, Okkervil River,Yoko Ono, Owen Pallett, Plants and Animals, Mark Ronson, Superchunk, Tame Impala, Vampire Weekend, Sharon Van Etten, and Vivian Girls. Then check here for bonus responses not found in the magazine. Here are additional answers from Ari Picker of Lost in the Trees.

With the Internet making every artist’s music potentially available to a wide audience, is it now easier to find listeners or more difficult because you have to compete with so many other musicians?

From my experience, word of mouth and live concerts are still the best ways to reach listeners. The Internet makes it easier for folks to listen, but there needs to be other connections for a listener to keep listening.

Who would you rather listen to—a totally original musician whose compositions are groundbreaking but difficult to listen to or a musician whose songs are immediately enjoyable but derivative? Why?

The more creative it is, the more I’ll enjoy it and come back to it. If it is music simply for art’s sake or kitsch, then I’ll most likely enjoy it once and not come back to it.

In the race to find new bands, are too many unworthy bands being hyped up by music blogs and websites? How are music fans supposed to filter through all these new bands being hyped?

Be a good listener! Invest in a good space to really sit and absorb the music. So rarely do folks give themselves the opportunity to have a concentrated listening experience. Go out and see bands live. Of course, if you love something, tell your friends!

Is there anything that most people are able to do that you can’t (such as drive a car, swim, ride a bike)?

Even though I’m over six feet tall, I’m really bad at basketball. I’m always the worst on the court.

What or whom do you miss most when you’re touring?

It has been my wife, but she’s been our tour manager lately. Now, I’d say I miss lifting weights with my friend Justin the most.

Do you (or did you) have any pets? If so, can you tell us about them? Who takes care of your pets while you are on tour?

I really want a really fat orange cat!

If you could freeze time, what would you do?

I’d sabotage the Tea Party.

If your house was on fire, what would you grab as you were running out?

My wife

If you could relive one day of your life, which would it be?

The day that I die or the day that I was born—these both seem like interesting days to revisit.

In 2010, what was the best movie you saw, book you read, comic book you read, video game you played, and/or TV show you watched?

I really enjoyed the Spanish movie Timecrimes.

(www.lostinthetrees.com)