In The Know...11 Questions With Nightwood

Ascending Montreal indie-rock trio Nightwood are rolling through town not once, but twice next month. Their record: Carta Marina. Available: now.

First, they’ll perform a free, in-store set at Music Trader on June 9th @ 8 p.m. (sharp!), dazzle audiences out West for awhile, then return to Peg City for a gig at the friendly neighbourhood Lo Pub on June 19th w/ Winnipeg’s own Sit Down Tracy.

Comprised of Amber Goodwyn (guitars/vocals), Jeremy MacCuish (drums), and Erin Ross (guitars/vocals), Nightwood dabble in moody, raw, and inescapably contagious rock with some aggressive punk thrown in for good measure.  If you’re looking for more of those angry, melodic riot grrrl sounds of the late, great, and influential Seattle quartert Sleater-Kinney, Nightwood just might be the band for you.

Also, the band generously sent along two vinyl copies of Carta Marina (12") for giveaway exclusively to readers of Painting over Silence. If you’re interested, shoot me off an email (at the side) by Thursday, June 3rd @ noon with the subject line “Nightwood Record Giveaway” and your name in the email’s body. I’ll randomly draw the winners and contact the lucky pair sometime that same afternoon.

I recently corned the trio and asked them 11 interest/personality-revealing questions. Some of the wide-ranging topics mentioned: Bjork Videos, Europe’s “The Final Countdown”, sleep-inducing qualities of Lord of the Rings, and the power of flight vs. invisibility.

Here’s everything the very fun trio had to say:

1. Where are you right now?

Amber: At this very moment, I'm sitting on my back porch BBQing with my partner, watching cranes above us on their way to the Montreal river front. They're very solemn flyers, they seem to flap very seriously and don't swoop around or anything. I just got back from a wee vacation in the UK, so I'm a bit jet lagged which makes the whole setting all the more lovely somehow.

Erin: I just finished having a BBQ in the backyard with my partner and his sibs, having ignored the cranes flying above us on their way to the Montreal river front.  I'm now getting ready for an overnight shift at the diner.

Jeremy: A Cafe on Papineau and Mt Royal, stressing out about The Game.

Let’s talk music…

2. What are some albums that completely changed your life?

Amber: I'd have to say that PJ Harvey's Rid of Me had a pretty big impact. I was already listening to Patti Smith and some others artists with raw and direct playing and performing styles, but she really slew me. My first encounter with her was watching the music video for "To Bring You My Love" on MuchMusic as a young teen. The image she projected was very powerful and dark and resonated with me for a while until eventually I sought her work out in a mall music shop (this was before myspace and that kind of thing- folks my age used to record our favorite songs off of the radio onto tape cassettes!). When I first listened to her records in a store, I found that they sounded ugly and not that interesting, but later I returned and bought Rid of Me because I couldn't shake the feeling that there was something more for me there, buried in her songs. And of course there was, and much that I would later draw inspiration from.

Erin: Smashing Pumpkins' Siamese Dream once rocked my walkman on repeat till the batteries would die and the tape would turn so slowly that the music would be octaves lower than the recording.  That album changed me.  I decided after seeing them live that I would start playing guitar.

Jeremy: A Day With Art Blakey convinced me that playing drums was the thing for me.

3. What was the most memorable show you’ve played so far?

Amber: Nothing too fancy for me- a show at the Montreal venue L'Escogriffe last summer was lots of fun! The stage is sort of non-existent and so lots of our good friends were circled around very close to us which is always kind of special and makes me feel like they're part of the show in an even more active way.

Jeremy: The Esco show was great, and we always seem to do well in Toronto. I'm particularly proud of some shows that are sparsely attended, but we play our hearts out and win over the few people in the room. Recent shows in Kingston and London come to mind.

4. Of the albums you own, which has the best cover art?

Amber: Outside of our own? Ha. For today I'll choose Kate Bush's The Dreaming. It makes me think of Maya Deren's films.

Jeremy: John Lennon's Rock 'n Roll gives me some pretty severe nostalgia for a time I never lived through.




5. What is your favourite music video?

Amber: I think Spike Jonze's video for Bjork's "Triumph of a Heart" was really fun. There's a human-sized cat in it!

Erin: Bjork's videos are all so incredible.  "Wanderlust" is probably my favourite.  There's also a giant cat in it.  Well, it sort of looks like a cat.  And I love Michel Gondry's videos as well.

6. Who is one producer, alive or dead, you’d just love to work with?

Jeremy: Dave Fridmann! Soft Bulletin, The Woods... such great drum sounds of all varieties.

And some hodgepodge…

7. What TV shows are you currently following?

Erin: Mad Men, True Blood, So You Think You Can Dance

Amber: L O S T

Jeremy: The Corner






8. What was the last great book you’ve read?

Jeremy: The Crossing by Cormac McCarthy

Erin: The Tender Bar by J. R. Moehringer

Amber: The Conversations: Walter Murch and the Art of Editing Film by Michael Ondaatje. I admit that I am re-reading Lord of the Rings but casually, most nights before I fall asleep.

9. PC or Mac?

Amber: Mac, baby.

10. What is your current ringtone?

Amber: Have never owned a cell phone.

Erin: Have never bought a ringtone.  I just have the old standard ring.  But my favourite ringtone that I heard someone have was "Final Countdown".



11. And finally, would you rather have the ability to fly or to turn invisible?

Amber: I think that flying would be harder to explain to people but it seems like it may be more fun than invisibility powers. However, being invisible might open up an array of interesting career opportunities that would help finance the band and stuff. Hmm. Invisibility.

Erin: I think having the ability to fly would turn you into a sideshow.  I would prefer invisibility, but I would have to have control over when it happens, lest I turn into Dr. Jekyll.