Twiddle rocked Dibden on Thursday, Sept. 5. The band members met while undergrads at Castleton State College. They play a fusion of jazz, reggae, funk and bluegrass.

Before they unleashed that fusion upon the Dibden audience, band members Mihali Savoulidis, Zdenek Gubb and Brook Jordan sat down in Dressing Room A for a short Q&A.

On the docket for discussion: school, college debt, lighters, and girls.

Connected to the Vermont State Colleges as you are, beginning at Castleton State College, what message would you give to current VSC students?

Mihali: If you want to play music, unless you want to teach music, I don’t recommend going to college. It isn’t worth it. What you want is great private instruction, and networking. A great teacher can teach you all the theory and history that you need. Unless you are going to a big name school like Berkeley or another conservatory, its just not worth the money.

Brook: I have a lot of friends who have graduated and aren’t using their degrees. Plenty of friends who didn’t figure out what they really wanted to do until they were already pretty far into degrees and then it’s an “Oh shit,” kind of situation. Give yourself time, and narrow down what you actually want to do. College debt is crippling and it doesn’t always make sense to spend that money.

If you could add a member to your band, dead or alive, who would you add? Would you add anybody?

Mihali: Wow, thats a question. Honestly, I don’t think I would want to add anyone permanently. What makes Twiddle is the four of us and how we play, that’s the Twiddle sound. Adding somebody changes the whole dynamic and the sound isn’t the same. It wouldn’t be Twiddle.

Brook: (laughs) Nile Rodgers.

Zdenek: (laughs) Yeah, if we played more funk.

Mihali: We’ve had a couple of sit-ins and that’s really cool. But, if there was a certain sound that I would add, maybe violin.

If you had the time to learn another instrument, what would it be?

Brook: Piano.

Mihali: Definitely violin.

Zdenek: Dobro.

Do you guys have any dream venues that you’d like to play?

Mihali: Red Rocks. It’s a big one, but it’s possible we could be there in a year or so. That and Madison Square Garden, because that is where I went to see shows.

Brook: Jam Cruise. And, any festivals in another country. Maybe on a beach. Yeah, a beach would be great.

Okay, if you were stuck on a desert island –

Mihali: I knew you were going to say that!

Well, how about this. If you were trapped in a barren tundra, with all your survival needs met, what three things would you bring?

Mihali: (Laughs) Barren tundra? Okay, that’s different. Guitar, no question. That is absolutely necessary. Also a girl, obviously. (Thinking) And lighters, lots and lots of lighters. There should be no danger of me losing a lighter and not having one.

Brook: Yeah, that’s a pretty great list. I agree with Mihali, guitar, girl, and lighters. Except I would want one lighter with endless fuel. Definitely wouldn’t be caught without a guitar.

Zdenek: (Thinks…) Does a series of books count as one item?

Yeah, I think we can bend the rules just this once.

Zdenek: (Laughs) Well, in that case, I would bring the “Game of Thrones” series.

Mihali: Books?! Haven’t you already read those? And wouldn’t it get boring to read the same thing over and over again?

Zdenek: I haven’t finished the series yet, and no it wouldn’t be boring.

Brook: Yeah, and you could reuse the books’ pages too.

Zdenek: And for the other two things, a guitar and a girl, obviously.

Thanks guys, for taking the time to sit with me. I hope this Q and A wasn’t too terrible. Anything you would want to add?

Zdenek: I think the real question here is: Where is Ryan Dempsey?

For more information about Twiddle, tour dates, music, photos, and the like, check out their website twiddlemusic.com.