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Having opened for alt. country rockers Wilco this summer in towns such as St. Louis, Chicago, and Nashville, guitarist Scott “Spiral Stairs” Kannberg has returned home to Berkeley. 

A founding member of the rock and roll band Pavement, Kannberg lives with his wife in south Berkeley. Over the band’s 10 years in existence, Pavement built a loyal fan base and earned critical acclaim for its live shows and six albums including favorites "Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain" and "Wowee Zowee." 

Following Pavement's breakup in 1999, Kannberg wrote and released his first solo album, "All This Sounds Gas," under the moniker Preston School of Industry in August 2001. Kannberg also runs his own San Francisco-based label, Amazing Grease Records, that has put out music by the Moore Brothers, Oranger, Carlos and the Panty Lions. 

Kannberg sat down with the Berkeley Daily Planet Tuesday to reflect on a year of touring, paved streets in Berkeley, records and many other subjects. 

Daily Planet: How was the tour? 

Scott Kannberg: The tour was great. It seemed like the best way to end the year really. Going on tour with Wilco was really cool. I've liked them since their first record. I hadn't heard the new record, which I like, before we toured with them. It's really refreshing to see a really good band like that, too. 

Daily Planet: Where did you go? 

Kannberg: These dates in the US were in the Midwest. Really big shows two or three thousand people – big theaters. Before that we had done a U.S. tour on our own, and then we played in Europe with Wilco, as well. Before that we were in Australia. Before that we did another U.S. tour and a European tour. It all kind of started when the record came out, and we've been touring throughout the year. So I've been busy, but it's pretty much over now, until I record another one. 

Daily Planet: Is that on the horizon? 

Kannberg: Yeah, I'm going to start recording soon. 

Daily Planet: Where? 

Kannberg: Probably just in my house – most of it in the initial stages. Then I'll probably go to some studios around. Very homemade again. Like the last one.  

Daily Planet: You run your own record label, Amazing Grease. Do you enjoy it? 

Kannberg: Yeah, totally. I like being able to put out records of people I like, and giving the stuff that I've learned over the years back. If in some ways I can help a band that I really like... It's really fun. 

Daily Planet: Who are some of the bands you like right now? 

Kannberg: I like Film School. They're from the East Bay and they're really good. I love the Moore Brothers. I just went and saw them again last night – they're on my label still. There's a band called the Vivian Girls from Berkeley. They're cool. There's an Austin band – I want to put out their record. They're called Canoe.  

Daily Planet: Does the label pay right now? 

Kannberg: Sweet dreams. It actually drains the money more than it pays. 

Daily Planet: You live in Berkeley.  

Kannberg: Yes. I do live in Berkeley – a block away from Oakland. 

Daily Planet: How did you settle here? 

Kannberg: Well my wife went to school here and I use to come over here all the time. I moved to San Francisco about 10 years ago. We were living in San Francisco for a long time, and we were looking for a place to buy a house, and we were looking in San Francisco and it was so expensive at the time. Things were so much cheaper, here – even though that's not the case anymore. We could have ended up anywhere but ended up here. 

Daily Planet: Do you like living in Berkeley? 

Kannberg: Yeah, I guess. Taxes are high for what you get out of it (laughter). Our street is still very bumpy.  

Daily Planet: Bumpy with speed bumps? 

Kannberg: No. They never pave the street. It's actually the Bicycle Boulevard and it's the bumpiest street in Berkeley (laughter). We've been trying to get speed bumps on our street for six years and there's one person on the next block over who is holding it up because she's got a bad back and she doesn't like to drive over them. So, one person is holding it up. 

Daily Planet: It's been said that you have an extensive record collection. How has it shaped up lately? 

Kannberg: I have a lot of records, still. Old or new? It depends. I'm constantly learning about new things. That's one good thing: Berkeley has the best record stores in the world, pretty much. Amoeba is great. But my favorite is Mod Lang. Every time I go in there the people who work there turn me on to something new. Most of it's really old, like folk music or something, but I'm constantly buying new stuff and old stuff. 

Daily Planet: Were you turned on to anything recently?  

Kannberg: Let's see. Doug Sahm. He use to be in the Texas Tornadoes. There is always something new or something you never heard of, or something you heard of and didn't get into. I don't know if I could ever leave Berkeley having that at my disposal. I'm sure there are a lot of people like that here.  

Daily Planet: The arrangement of the band... It's basically you. You write the songs, and invite other people to play out with you? 

Kannberg: Yeah, it's me, pretty much. It's mostly friends who are in bands, who either don't have a job (laughter) or have some free time on their hands, that I'm able to bring them along and tour. I don't know what it is going to be like for the next record. It would be nice to have a band eventually, but maybe this won't be that phase. Still the solo phase right now.  

Daily Planet: Do you like the working on your own in contrast to working with a whole band, the way you worked with Pavement? 

Kannberg: I totally missed having a real band, where everybody is sort of contributing. With Pavement it was mostly myself or Stephen [Malkmus] writing songs, and whatever drummer we had – we kind of wrote songs with the drummer [Gary Young or Steve West]. The bass player [Mark Ibold] and extra drummer [Bob Nastanovich] helped out as well. It was kind of like an arrangement where we got together early on and just kind of stuck together. We had a lot of experiences we've never had before all together and so there was kind of a bond there. Where as now I've kind of done a lot of it already. Touring is still fun and I still try to make it interesting, but I've been to a lot of the same places and even though it's a new thing, when you do it the first time or the first five times it's a little more exciting then it is this time. In some ways this is more exciting because it's a group of new people and so you have different experiences. I'm definitely enjoying this more than the last few years of Pavement.  

Daily Planet: Why is that? 

Kannberg: Because it's positive; there is more energy there. It kind of feels like Pavement felt in the early days.  

Daily Planet: Are there any bands from those days that you still follow or see doing good things? 

Kannberg: Older bands... Wilco is a good example. I still think Sonic Youth does some really cool things. I really think the younger bands are ultimately going to be a little more interesting. I get older, my taste changes, but I still like innocent bands (laughter). There is so much energy going on there.  

Daily Planet: Where do you like to see a show in the East Bay? 

Kannberg: The East Bay? I like seeing a band at the Ivy Room, but I don't like the Ivy Room. The Starry Plough is OK once in awhile. We need a really good club here in the East Bay. There needs to be more free shows. Just parties. Putting on parties. I really like the co-op things, putting on bands and everything.