Modern music as we know it wouldn't be around without the city of Cincinnati. From James Brown and the Isley Brothers to the Afgham Whigs, it has birthed a shockingly wide array of icons. Bad Veins-- comprised of Benjamin Davis and Sebastien Schultz-- are another duo born from this musically prolific city, and have popped up loud and clear on the international radar thanks to Alexandra Patsavas of Chop Shop Records and the Target Music Maker award. Capable of swelling orchestrations and ballads wise beyond their years, it's hard to comprehend that there are only two members, accompanied merely by an antique movie projector onstage.

While the two are currently in studio working on their highly anticipated debut album, psychoPEDIA joined Schultz to shed some light on the city they call home:

Since Cincinnati has a Coney Island, is there a connection with Brooklyn?
It used to be called “Coney Island of the West,” then the name changed to just Coney Island. Sounds sort of shady, I know. Parenthetically, we do have a connection to Brooklyn. We have the Roebling Suspension Bridge that crosses from Cincinnati over to northern Kentucky. This bridge served as the prototype for the Brooklyn Bridge— so you’re welcome, New York City. Theirs is bigger, but then, everything is bigger in NYC.

Could you please explain the Cincinnati chili phenomenon?
To be fair, it’s not special unless it’s Skyline Chili. Seriously, that’s all you need to know. Fine— I’ll elaborate. Skyline Chili came to the city back in the 1940s. It was brought to us by a fine Greek gentleman who had the genius to add a little something to the chili— chocolate and cinnamon. You can choose to have coney’s or three-ways (spaghetti, chili, and cheese). There have been days where I’ve eaten at Skyline for lunch, dinner, and then post-bar. Yes, it’s that good.

Best restaurant when someone else is picking up the tab?
Hell– if I’m not paying, I would say The Precinct. However, I’ve heard some amazing things about Jean-Robert at Pigall’s. Ben and I have been to his bistro, and we where more than satisfied.

Good place for brunch?
Melt or Honey in Northside.

Best neighborhood to hang out, grab coffee, or shop?
Northside—they have best record shop in town as well some of the best restaurants. Plenty of variety and the bars/venues have some of the best shows in Cincinnati.

What about places to catch a gig for an up-and-coming band?
I’ve seen amazing shows everywhere from the Comet all the way up to the Taft Theater. The Southgate House is our indie mainstay venue, whatever that means. Everyone from Stephen Malkmus to Arcade Fire has played there. I remember seeing The Shins play there years ago when Oh, Inverted World came out. There were around 30 to 50 people in a venue that holds over 600. The next time they came, it was sold out. Additionally, the inventor of the Thompson Submachine Gun was born there—so put that in your pipe and smoke it.

Favorite place to play yourselves?
Probably The Northside Tavern. I grew up going to loads of punk shows—where you could pretty much stand about an inch from the entire band. Northside Tavern is similar—the crowd surrounds you and you can feel the energy in the room the minute you start playing. Larger venues are great, but nothing quite feels like those intimate shows where people are attentive and focused on every aspect of the songs and, ultimately, the performance.

Where do you pick up new music?
Shake It! Records in Northside and Everybody’s Records, just a bit North of the city. Both have amazing selections—you can find anything you want.

What’s your favorite of all the museums the city has to offer?
Undoubtedly, Union Terminal houses our Natural Science and History museums as well as our Omnimax. It used to be a train station back in the 1930s, but has since been converted into an amazing museum. Beyond that, we have the Cincinnati Art Museum and the Contemporary Arts Center—both of which are certainly worth a visit.

Any sights you'd recommend for people visiting the city?
The museums here are great, but we also have King’s Island and Beach Waterpark just north of the city, which appeals to mostly everyone.

Speaking of sights, ever run into Peter Frampton?
Actually, yes. We were backstage together at the Taft Theatre a few years ago for the Cincinnati Entertainment Awards. Bootsy Collins was there as well.

What's a little known fact about Cincinnati?
We have an entire subway system under the city that dates back to the 1920s. The catch, however— it has never been operational. They built a majority of it back before the depression—even completing the stations. Unfortunately, the money ran out, so it has never run. From what I understand, though, a significant amount of tax money goes into maintaining the subway every year. I suppose this is prudent considering we have giant tunnels under our downtown streets, but it’d be nice to at least get to use it after 80 years.

~Abbey Braden