Hokus Pick burst on the scene in 1992 with a bright as heck burst of pop inspiration and almost-novelty lyrics. Documenting the change these guys have gone through is left to their three albums, each with a distinct character : the funny, gimmicky pop of their 1992 debut "Pick It Up", the more serious side of Hokus in their follow up "Brothers From Different Mothers", and a return to the goofy irreverence and hook-filled alternapop in "Bookaboom", that landed itself on many critics' favorites list, and gave Hokus Pick a reputation as a seriously talented, bright band. I had the honor of being able to talk to Matt Pierrot, the guitar player, about new albums, old albums, and breakfast cereals(?).

Is there a new album coming out soon?
We are currently working writing and demoing for a new record right now. I think that you can expect a new one out by early summer

How long has the band been together?
7 years.

Why did you choose to cover The Clash's "Train In Vain" on Bookaboom?
Hey, it's THE song of the 80's. It's just a cool tune. We were fooling with it and decided to record it. We liked it so much that we thought we'd add it as a bonus track.

Who are Hokus Pick's influences?
We're influenced by so many different people, from Frank Sinatra to U2 to REM and the Hoodu Gurus. Also some of us grew up listening to Christian music like Steve Taylor or Randy Stonehill.

There was a huge change from the seriousness of "Brothers From Different Mothers" to the humour of "Bookaboom". Was this on purpose?
That's a sore spot with us. Our lyrics have always been humerous, but when we were working with Mark Heimerman as producer, he didn't like songs with funny lyrics, so he made us change them all. We felt he was changing us as a band, but he felt that Americans didn't like funny songs. According to him, if we wanted to succeed, we needed to be serious. We tried it, but it didn't feel like us and our fans missed the old, funny Pick. So with "Bookaboom", we went back to the more humerous side of Pick and we feel much more at home there.

What are you guys listening to right now?
Me personally, my most recent purchases are "New Adventures In Hi-Fi" by REM, "Take Me To Your Leader" by the Newsboys, and a best of the 80's compilation.

What's your favorite breakfast cereal?
I spend hours wandering up and down the cereal ai sle at the store. I can't seem to find a cereal that really does it for me. I mean, Shreddies are nice, but I'm tired of them. Sugar cereals give me heart burn and Mini Wheats are too expensive. So I am waiting for something new and exciting to be invented. Until then, I'll just have pancakes.