In The Know...Q & A w/ Haunter + enter to win its debut disc!

Photo by Marie-France Hollier

On Thursday, June 27th, oft-buzzed-about local indie-rock act Haunter will stage its record release party for  debut LP, Rivers & Rust, at the Windsor Hotel.

Finally!

Officially, the album hits shelves across Canada in early July (via Disintegration Records). And we've got a copy of the record for giveaway (see below for instructions).

I recently caught up with the band's frontman, Matt Williams to talk about the band's terrific first album, and here's what Williams had to say:

Last time Haunter was on Painting over Silence, the band was admist a Western Canadian tour with Mt. Royal.  What has the band been up to the past three years?

A lot of planning, talking, and organizing. Rivers & Rust was very meticulously put together. We took so long getting stuff together, mostly because people were away or busy (I was in school here, Ryan in Minneapolis and Europe). Then the Lo Pub and the Albert closed and we had less places to play. In short, we’ve been biding our time until it made sense to put this out.

Who currently comprises the band?

I sing and play rhythm guitar, Jory Hasselmann and Cole Woods both play lead guitar, Marie-France Hollier plays bass, and Ryan Coates pounds the skins and is the general voice of reason.

How did Haunter come to be on Disintegration Records?

We showed up one day to our jamspace at Portage and Furby, and Greg MacPherson was moving in. This was confusing because no one had told us, and he explained he was losing his room so he was now in ours. A little while later I asked him for some help with a recording grant, and he said he and Cam were interested in putting something of ours out on a new label they were starting up, so we put off any immediate plans, and after many discussions over many beers, eventually figured out how we could do it. I’m not sure how the album would’ve come out otherwise. The label is more family than business, and the support they have for our music is unwavering.

Where was the new album recorded, and who produced it?

In February 2012 we did the initial tracking in two days at Prairie Recording Co. with Cam (Loeppky). Vocals and extra stuff was mostly done at Argyle Studios, which is also Cam’s house. As for a producer, Cam is the only one who really fits that bill. I would say the band was just as much a producer, but Cam knows us very well and it didn’t take much communication to get what we wanted. He just did it.

How did the band’s approach to writing and recording differ compared to earlier recordings?

It didn’t, really. We work collaboratively until we realize a song is completely finished, no matter how many practices or live shows it takes. Once that’s done, it’s just about sharpening it. We communicate ideas song-wise, but no one really tells someone to do a specific thing. Everyone’s part is their own. If there was a difference, for me it was lyrically and thematically. The album is very narrative, and that narrative is mostly linear. That was a challenge for me. Maybe that’s why it took so long to come out. Maybe it’s all my fault! (Probably).

There are some top-notch guests on Rivers & Rust including Keri Latimer and Marti Sarbit. What did they lend to the process? 

 The thing about musicians as talented as Marti, Keri, or Rusty is that they don’t need to be told what to do. I’d almost feel like it’d be a little insulting if I did. I contacted them with a song, and asked them if they’d like to be part of it. They said yes, and I’m very grateful for that. I wouldn’t want them to be part of it if they didn’t believe those songs were good. Those songs might never sound like that live, though, and I’m OK with that. I read a quote by Jim James once that said, “with an album you’re thinking about immortality – it will outlive you.” I don’t care about those songs sounding exactly the same live as they do on the record, because they’ll evolve as the band changes. But they will be recorded that way forever. And to me, their parts on this album were necessary to achieve the kind of thing I wanted to outlive me.

What’s the meaning behind the title, Rivers & Rust?

Like I said, lyrically, the album is very much a narrative. The characters in that narrative spend a lot of time trying to change their situation, or fight against it, or voice their frustration with it. But it really comes down to two things: they can either run, and move on to something new and (maybe) better, or they can stay where they are, and rust. It’s less fight-or-flight, and more fight-or-settle. And none of them want to settle. But you don’t necessarily get what you want just because you want it.

And finally, after the big hometown release, what’s next for the band this summer?

We’re touring out west with Cannon Bros. in late August. It’s pretty much exclusively Prairies, and maybe some mountains, but we’re definitely stopping in Regina, Calgary, Edmonton, and Saskatoon. And writing, writing, writing. It’s time to write some more songs.

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Interested in owing Rivers & Rust? We've got a copy to giveaway. To enter, fire me off an email (on the right hand side, below the concert listings) by Tuesday, June 25th at noon CST with the subject line "Haunter CD Giveaway" and your name in the email's body. Winning name will be drawn randomly sometime that afternoon and contacted shortly thereafter, with the first name and last initial published on my Twitter account.

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In The Know...Q & A with From Giants

From Giants is an up-and-coming local band definitely worth hearing.

This Thursday, May 9th, the foursome will take the stage at the Park Theatre to introduce the city to its whimsical and delicately crafted folk-pop stylings. Kerri Latimer gets the EP release party going.

I recently caught up with the promising Winnipeg act for a short Q & A, and here’s what they had to say:


1.  From Giants evolved from a Jaymie Friesen solo project to a full-fledged band. How did this come to be?

From Giants began when Jaymie Friesen recorded a full length album together with Nathan Blanchard and various other friends out in the woods of Marchand, MB. Upon completion of the album "Wake Up Oh Sleeper" by From Giants, Jaymie found herself in Winnipeg with an album but with few musicians to help her translate the album into a live performance. After moving in with an acquaintance, Jaymie learnt that her room-mate Gabriella had a gorgeous voice. The two of the started singing together in their free time just for the fun of it. Not long after, Nathan Krahn and Charles Enns graced Jaymie's life and offered to collaborate with her. So in the Spring of 2011, these two women and two men found themselves in a living room week after week creating music and decided to carry on under the name From Giants.

2. So, then, who comprises the band?

Jaymie Friesen - lead vocals, guitar
Gabriella Neaufeld - vocals, drums
Nathan Krahn - cello
Charles Enns - banjo, electric guitar

3. What is the band’s songwriting process like? Is Jaymie still the principal songwriter?

Jaymie continues to write the songs and lyrics for From Giants. However, each song goes under a major transformation as every musician in From Giants offers insight and musicality to each song that allows the process to be collaborative.

4. Where was the EP recorded?

The EP was recorded at Private Ear Studio and MCM Studio

5. Michael P Falk produced the record – what did he lend to the process?

Michael P. Falk (of Les Jupes, Head in the Sand) offered a great deal of care and patience with each song. He held a great understanding for the essence and language of the songs, giving each song the space and time it needed to unfold. Being a band on a serious budget, Michael was still able to shape our EP in a way that reflected the spirit behind the music

6. When can fans expect an LP?

An LP? Fans can expect one when the season is right :)

7. And finally, what are the band’s summer plans?

We are checking our tour plans for the Summer with hopes to revisit a tour in the near future. Otherwise we will be playing at a couple local music festivals throughout Manitoba this Summer.

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In The Know...Interview w/ The Details

It's hard to believe four years have already passed since The Details first made their mark on the local and national music scene with their debut album, Draw a Distance, Draw a Border.

Upon its release, their first record instantly elevated the nascent band (they had been together for roughly a year) to must-hear, must-see prominent status, resulting in the foursome to launch tour after tour in support and seeing the band score a coveted opening spot for Stars at the Pantages.

Now the local indie-rockers are back with their sophomore effort, Lost Art, an honest, sophisticated and well-crafted follow-up to Draw a Distance, Draw a Border. Throughout the release, the quartet evolves and further develops their sound, offering up a fresh and highly palatable batch of indie-rock numbers that occasionally delve into some bucolic alt-country.

I connected with the Details guitarist Sean Vidal early last week while he was on a ferry to Duncan, BC. While competing with gleeful children shrieking in the background and overcoming some intermittent connection problems, we managed to have a lengthy chat about the band’s much ballyhooed encounter with iconic producer Kim Fowley (Kiss, Alice Cooper), how they used The Original Mark EP as a sort of musical equivalent to a movie trailer, and how the Details managed to stay in fans’ consciousness despite the four year gap between records.

Editor’s note: Interview took place the day before the NHL announcement.

PoS: A lot has been made about the band’s encounter in SXSW with producer Kim Fowley (Kiss, Alice Cooper). What’s the story behind this fateful meeting and why did you ultimately decided to release this record independently?

Sean Vidal: It was such a bizarre situation. We just got on an elevator and this guy came on, and we gave him some stuff and didn’t think anything of it. We didn’t actually know who he was. The singer, John, and I both have our names on the press kit, so he called each of us individually. I was at home in the middle of a nap when I got a phone call from a guy who says, “This is Kim Fowley.” We talked for probably an hour and a half, and as soon as I got off the phone I googled his name and learned everything about him.

So we conversed back and forth and he made a couple of different offers, but, in the end, we thought we’re the kind of band that likes to make our own decisions and didn’t necessarily feel comfortable having somebody else come on board.

PoS: Lost Art was produced by Brandon Reid (The National) and Stephen Carroll (The Weakerthans). How did you originally hook up with these producers? What did they bring to the recording sessions?

SV: Steve has been a friend of the band, particularly Keli, the bass player, for a few years. When we were looking for producers, he offered to come to rehearsal one day and hash over some of our new songs. We didn’t really think anything of it at the time, and we still kept looking for a producer after that practice. We realized that all the things we were looking for he brought to the table at the one rehearsal, so we approached him and he was interested, but felt like he might need a little bit of help as well.

He knew Brandon since they had done a tour together, and we didn’t actually meet Brandon until the first day we got into the studio. We hit it off right away. We had been so close to our songs for so long that we needed an outside ear to kind of hone the songs a little bit. You get so close that you don’t always know what the best choice is and that’s where they were very, very helpful.

PoS: Did the band approach songwriting and recording any differently compared to Draw a Distance. Draw a Border?

SV: Yeah. On that album we basically just started being a band, wrote a bunch of songs, recorded an EP and then recorded the album right after. We hadn’t actually had a chance to be a band at that point, so we wanted to take a step back and write a whole bunch of songs. And we threw away twice as many songs that actually made the album. We wanted a chance to write as much as we could, find our voice, and figure out what we wanted to sound like as a band. The idea was to spend a long time writing, and then record it as fast as we could – to capture the moment. Whereas, the last album was written quickly and then recorded over a long space of time, sort of the reverse effect. Both have their merits, but this was definitely an interesting experience in that we got out of it what we were hoping to get.

PoS: Two songs from The Original Mark EP (released November 16, 2010) are on this record. Why did you decided to include tracks “The Original Mark” and “Surface Breaks” on the full-length as well?

SV: The idea for the EP the whole time was to kind of have a trailer for the full length.

PoS: I like that – a trailer.

SV: *laughs* Yeah. We were just looking for a couple of songs that would basically represent the album. There’s a bit of a departure of sound in the new album and this was a nice way to tie the album in with the old one because it was such a long time between albums.

PoS: That actually flows nicely into my next question. It’s been almost four years between records, and I’m impressed by how The Details have managed to stay in the local and national music fan’s consciousness. What do you think is the reason for this, maybe the band’s tireless work ethic combined with being very active in social media? 

SV: We’ve made some decisions to stay busy the whole time: we’ve always tried to play a certain number of shows per year, stay current with social media, and put out little videos here and there. Just doing things that we can to stay active. I think we managed to stay in peoples’ consciousness that way. Having a record come out four years since the last one was going to be a challenge, and these were some of the things we did to stay busy and stay in peoples’ minds.

PoS: Going further with the social media topic… I was reading your Twitter account and noticed that several local Twitter users commented on your opening set for Jimmy Eat World at the Garrick. They hadn’t actually seen you perform before and their response was really positive. Who updates the Twitter account? Is it safe to say the band views social media as an integral part in connecting with fans as well as spreading the sound?

SV: Typically it’s Shaun, the drummer, and I that do it. We realized it’s a tool that didn’t even exist when we did our last album, and it is such an ideal way to connect with people. We definitely value it and know that it’s such an instant thing. I mean today you knew we were on a ferry before you called me and four years ago that wouldn’t have been the case. It’s something we decided we were going to push very hard and we’ve seen the benefits of it, so we going to continue to work it as much as we can.

PoS: Finally, the big cd release show is schedule for Saturday, June 11th at the West End Cultural Centre What can Winnipegers expect for the hometown show, perhaps the entire band decked out in Jets jerseys?

SV: *laughs* We’ll have to see if there’s an announcement, but we certainly hope so! We’re playing with Royal Canoe, who are another fantastic Winnipeg band, so we’re super excited about having them on the bill. It’s something you have marked on a calendar because of your friends and family. In terms of anything super special, it’ll be a little longer of a set with some lights and guests, but I can’t give it all away. But we’re definitely looking forward it.

Catch The Details this Saturday night with special guests Royal Canoe. 

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In The Know...Oh Susanna Takes Soon The Birds On The Road

Photo by Heather Pollock

Sometimes, when planning a tour, it’s handy to just reach out to a label mate and see if they’re interested in coming along.

That’s the simple and pretty straightforward approach Toronto-based singer-songwriter Oh Susanna (Suzie Ungerleider) took when piecing together her current cross-Canada tour. For the duration of this "He Said, She Said" tour  Oh Susanna will share headlining duties with Matthew Barber, another Toronto-stationed musician also flying under the Outside Music banner.

For Oh Susanna, it’ll be a chance to perform and show off the many stunningly beautiful songs housed within her brand new record, Soon The Birds, her first in four years. As with previous outings, her vocals are strong and irresistible and her narratives are thoughtful and engaging; but, this time around the folk-country arrangements are more expansive, more venturesome, courtesy of the many guest musicians on Soon The Birds (Jim Cuddy from Blue Rodeo, Ruth Moody, Burke Carroll,  to name a few).

I hooked up with Oh Susanna last week over the phone and talked to her about the gap between records; the dual role of mother/musician and the resulting changes to her creative process; and her contribution to Survivorman’s album (yes, THAT, Survivorman).

Painting over Silence: Soon the Birds is your sixth proper release. Where was the album recorded?

Oh Susanna: It was recorded in three studios: one in Acton which is near Toronto, but sort of in a rural area; in the Woodshed Studio, which is Blue Rodeo’s space; and a lot of it was done at David-Travers Smith studio, on the West Side of Toronto.

PoS: David Travers-Smith also produced Soon the Birds. What made him the right fit for this effort?

OS: He mixed my last record, and I love hanging out with him. He’s a very smart, very funny person who is meticulous in his work ethic and who has the ability to hear frequencies I cannot! *laughs*

I love the production he’s done with other people like the Wailing Jennys. I felt like he was someone who is flexible, would want to work with people that I have already worked with, and who would bring new people to the table. Which he did. He’s a wonderful human, very talented guy, and he’s also a musician, so that’s a bonus too!

PoS: If I’m subtracting correctly, it’s been four years between proper releases? Why the extended period between records?

OS: The main reason why is that when I recorded Short Stories I was pregnant, and then I had my baby, released the record, and toured some of that record. If anyone who’s out there has a kid and is reading then they will know that you get preoccupied with being a mom and childcare. So I had to figure out how to write songs when I had this person that needed attention.

And it took a really long time to actually record the record, partly for this reason. I had to do a lot of the recording and overdubbing in these little short spaces of time, unlike my previous records where I could work twelve hours a day on them. With this one I said “Well I can come in for two-and-a-half hours this afternoon since my son is in kindergarten.” *laughs*. Having a balance has been good for me – I love being able to work for long stretches of time, but, on the other hand, I could take breaths and reflect on what we’ve done and really figure out if that was the right course to take.

PoS: As with previous efforts, your lyrics tend to be fictional and narrative-based instead of strictly drawing from personal experience. What is it about telling these kinds of stories that works better for you as an artist?

OS: Because I’m a fraidy cat! *laughs* I don’t want anyone to know about what I’m doing.

But, seriously, in some ways I don’t feel that what I’m thinking about or what I’ve done is all that exciting to put into music. I think I’m a bit of a voyeur or I like to project myself into other peoples’ circumstances. I’m interested in songs that help me do that, so maybe that’s what I’m trying to do with my own music. There are certain songs that touch on things I’ve lived through or the emotions that I’ve had, but, you’re right, a lot of them are narratives and mainly about other people. I find it very fascinating to find out how someone else would do things and wearing a mask helps me figure that out.

PoS: So now you have the chance to take these stories on the road, including June 6th at the Park Theatre in Winnipeg. How did this “He Said, She Said” tour with Matthew Barber coming into being?

OS: Matthew and I are on the same label – Outside Music – and I think we have a lot of mutual respect for each other. I wanted to find someone to tour with who would make a nice pairing, and I find his voice and his songs are very warm and thoughtful. We kind of approached him and said “would you like to do this?” He agreed, so that was a very nice thing.

PoS: Will you be performing some songs with Barber?

OS: Yeah! I’ve been listening to his new record and learning some harmonies, and I’m hoping he’s figured out some stuff from my songs. He’s totally open to that. I’ll have my set, he’ll have his set, but I’m hoping that we’ll invite each other up when we’re playing our respective music.

PoS: There’s a lot of vocal harmonies and a ton of players on this record, so I’m curious: Who currently comprises your backing band?

OS: I’m very stripped back. *laughs* It’s going to be me and Burke Carroll who plays pedal steel on the record. Matthew’s just going to be on his own, so maybe, if I convince him, he’ll play. Winnipeg’s not going to see the full-fledged thing since it’s probably going to evolve as we keep touring – you guys are going to see the first show that we’re doing – but he’s going to have a piano and a guitar, so I’m hoping he’ll come and play piano with me. Most likely there’ll be singing going on.

PoS: Finally, what’s on the horizon after this tour?

OS: After the tour, I’m going to do some summer shows and festivals. I just came back from being a singer for Les Stroud, who is a tv star on Survivorman.  I don’t know if you know him from Discovery channel?

PoS: I know about the show, sure.

OS: He’s actually a musician as well. So he recorded this record with a whole cast of characters this week at his solar-powered bar. They set up near Huntsville and we recorded nine songs in two days pretty much live off the floor. He also made a DVD of it.  So, who knows – I think Les wants to do some kind of tour – but I don’t know if that’s going to happen for awhile yet. I’m still buzzing from that experience. Then, in the fall, I’m doing some shows with this group called the Abrams brothers who are a roots group from Kingston. They’re young guys - 19 or 20 year-old guys who are incredible musicians.

Catch Oh Susanna on Monday, June 6th at the Park Theatre with Matthew Barber. 

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In The Know...Interview w/ The Rural Alberta Advantage

Earlier this month, rustic pop threesome the Rural Alberta Advantage released their much-anticipated second album, Departing.

Thematically darker and more sparsely arranged than its predecessor, Departing is the RAA doing what they do best: writing engaging and honest narratives about family, heartbreak, and relocation.

And as on their debut Hometowns, the songs are brought to life by Nils Edenloff’s earnest, nasally delivery; keyboardist Amy Cole’s charming fills and vocal harmonies; and Paul Banwatt’s adept yet playful drumming. Building on what they accomplished with their debut, the band sounds more certain, more comfortable with their percussive folk-rock sound (see: 'Tornado '87' and 'Stay').

I recently caught up with Amy Cole on Sunday afternoon and asked her about the band’s unconventional three-piece live set-up, Departing being seen as a companion piece to Hometowns, and the highly amusing video to “Stay”, the first single off the new record.

Catch the Rural Alberta Advantage live this Thursday at the Pyramid.

PoS: First, I wanted to ask you about the band’s songwriting and recording process. Did it change at all for this second album?

Amy Cole: Somewhat because when we recorded Hometowns, we had already been playing the songs live for quite awhile. This time there’s a few songs that we haven’t played live or we haven’t played them live in the way they ended up being recorded, so it was definitely a different approach to that extent.

At the same time, the way we write songs has always been the same. Nils will come up with an idea – he’ll have a melody on guitar or some lyrics or something – which he’ll bring to practice. And Paul will usually work out the rhythm – he’ll figure out what kind of drumbeat will go with the song. And then we’ll all get together and tear it down, build it up, and see what works best. In that respect, the process was the same as Hometowns.

But, it was a little bit different because we had less opportunity to work the songs live. There wasn’t really a deadline for Hometowns whereas this time we really wanted to record at a certain time and get the record out by a certain date.

PoS: There are no guest musicians on Departing with every single instrument and sound coming straight from the three of you, correct?

AC: That’s very true, yes. For the first record we were just creating the songs as we go and we’d say, “Oh, it’d be really cool to have a horn section in the song,” or “let’s add a cello.” This time the songs are a really, really accurate reflection of the three of us and what we do. We were really aiming when playing the songs live to make them sound like the record. Just like it’s really three people playing the songs.

PoS: And I guess this setup allows you to reproduce your sound a lot more authentically in a live setting.

AC: Yes, exactly! Not often, but sometimes there’s a case where someone will go, “Where’s the cello line in ‘Don’t Haunt this Place?’” This time, ideally, nothing is missing.

We’re more confident in what we did this time around. This first time we had never tried recording music before and we just sort of when in and asked, “What should we do? How should we make these songs?” This time we’ve really honed our identity. We know who we are. We know what we do. And that’s what we tried to make happen on this record.

PoS: Speaking of the band’s three-piece identity, I’ve seen you play live in Winnipeg before twice and if I remember correctly there’s no bass guitarist. Have you ever entertained added a bass guitar?

AC: Actually, we’ve solved the bass issue! *laughs* I now have a Moog Taurus 3 set of bass pedals, so in additional to my other instruments, I’m playing the bass pedals. It works as a bass guitar.

We didn’t want to add another member since we’re really happy as a three-piece. This has been a really effective solution so far, and people seem to be really happy with the low end now. And we’re really happy now since this has been a problem we’ve been trying to solve ever since we’ve started. You know, not having a bass player, especially when you’re playing a larger room, makes it really hard to get that low end happening, that kind of rumble in you chest that is awesome. With the bass pedal, we’ve fixed that issue.

PoS: Where was the album recorded?

AC: The album was recorded in a studio in Toronto, the same place we recorded our first record. Our producer Roger, he produced Hometowns too, moved to a different building, but it is the same studio, so we did the same thing as last time. We recorded it over three-four months – I would say over evening and weekends because we all have jobs and other obligations still.

PoS: Did you say you all still work?

AC: Yeah! Paul is in school, Nils has a day job, and I do free lance stuff. We all do other stuff besides being in the band. So, when we were recording, we all had other things on the go, and that’s kind of the process for this album.

PoS: I read that Nils is an avid fan of old pianos/instruments. Is this true? Were some of these used in the recording of Departing?

AC: I guess so, yeah. He does have a music room with various cool instruments. On the road he picked up a custom 88, a kind of electric piano, this huge huge piano that we would never tour with because it’s enormous. It sounds really great, and we did use it on Departing. It’s on almost all of the songs. I’ve even tried to mimic the sound of that with my own small portal keyboard.

PoS: I’ve also read that Departing is thematically a companion piece to Hometowns albeit a little darker. Is this accurate?

AC: Departing is definitely a companion piece to Hometowns. We’re continuing the themes we started with in Hometowns and also concluding them. It’s sort of a book end to letting go of this idea of leaving home. And, of course, there’ll still probably be Alberta references in future songs, but the subject matter probably isn’t going to be the same. We wanted to conclude, and that’s why we ended the record with “Good Night.” It was always the idea to start with “The Ballad of the RAA” and end on “Good Night,” which is what we did on Departing. We definitely see these records as two parts of a whole.

PoS: So then is track sequencing important to the band?

AC: Yes! Track sequencing is really, really important, especially to Nils. He’s a really big fan of an album being a whole piece of art rather than just picking single songs off iTunes. He likes the process or experience of someone listening to an album all the way through as a whole and really getting a sense of what we’re trying to say through that. He took a long time sequencing this one, as he did with Hometowns.



PoS: I was watching the video for “Stamp” earlier and thought it was absolutely hilarious. Who directed the clip and who came up with the idea behind it?

AC: Our friend José Lourenço from Toronto directed it and came up with the concept. We thought it was really good and actually the boy in the video was one of the assistant engineers on Departing, which is a really weird coincidence.

PoS: Who wrote the fans' interior thoughts?

AC: The director, Jose, did. He’s a writer too.

PoS: They seem remarkably accurate.

AC: *laughs* We’ve heard that from a lot of people. We have a couple of fans that come to a lot of our shows and one of them wondered “is this about me? Am I the one in the video?”


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Interested in winning a cd copy of the RAA's Departing? Courtesy of the Vos Factory and Paper Bag Records, I have one for giveaway. To enter, simply shoot me an email (on the right hand side) by Monday, April 4th @ 8 p.m. CST with the subject line "The RAA's Departing CD Giveaway" and your name in the email's body. I'll draw the winner randomly and contact shortly thereafter.

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In The Know...Interview w/ The Dodos

It's safe to say there’ve been some significant changes in The Dodos’ camp since they played the Winnipeg Folk Festival last summer.

Their touring vibraphonist has been replaced with a guitarist; they’ve reunited with erstwhile producer John Askew (who appeared on their first two releases, Beware of the Maniacs and Visiter); and, most notably, they’ve recently released their fourth offering, No Color.

No Color is the ramshackle-pop pair at their best. The thunderous, West-African-influenced percussion of drummer Logan Kroeber and the technically proficient finger-picking / furious strumming of Meric Long weave together into a product that's rhythmically loose and playful, melodically bright, and sonically undeniable.

I caught up with lead singer/guitarist Meric Long recently over the phone, and asked him about the band’s lineup changes, the influence of 90s guitar riffs on the record, and how indie superwoman Neko Case came to contribute backing vocals on the new release.

Painting over Silence: How did the band’s approach to writing and recording No Color differ from the previous three releases?

Meric Long: The only way in which it changed is that we sat with the songs a little longer and played the material live a lot more, before recording, than we’ve had in the past. The songs probably went through more changes. We gave ourselves a lot more time to figure things out and not rush things, like we had in the past.

PoS: How long did the album take to complete from conception to finished product?

ML: We starting writing songs in February, maybe March (of last year) and then we recorded in August and finished that in October. So, two months of recording and six months of writing, touring, and performing the songs in their early form.

PoS: For No Color you reverted back to a duo and reunited with producer John Askew for this album. What did you decided to pare down the lineup as well as continue working with John? 

ML: I talked to John awhile ago about doing some recording. At that point, we weren’t talking about doing another record, we were just talking about getting into the studio and having fun. We’ve done two records with him and he’s really fun to record with. The more we talked about it, the more it became apparent that both of us were on the same page with what we wanted to do with these recordings, so we booked as much studio time with him as possible.

Paring down to a duo happened while we were recording. We went in, actually, to make this record as a trio, and we recorded vibraphone parts because we had been performing the songs as a trio with the vibraphone. Over the process of recording, we just sort of started taking stuff off and the more we took off the vibraphone, the more we liked the way it sounded without it. By the time the record was done we didn’t have any vibraphone on it, so it didn’t make sense to have a vibraphone player anymore. *laughs*

We wanted the record to have an aggressive sound and the vibraphone was contrary to that. It’s just the nature of the instrument, really – it blankets everything in all these weird overtones and makes everything seem softer.

PoS: Indie diva Neko Case provides some judiciously used backing vocals on No Color. How did this collaboration come about?

ML: We toured with the New Pornographer over the summer – we did two months with them – and we sorta became friends that way. She came out and song on a couple songs while we performed, so it seemed natural to see if she wanted to come record. Luckily she had some free time and wanted to do it. She was real generous with her time.

PoS: It’s funny because when I originally read about the album’s release date on the Internet, I kept reading “featuring Neko Case.” But when I listen to the album, I sometimes forget she’s even on it.

ML: Yeah, we tried to downplay her appearance as much as possible when the record came out. She was in the studio for two days, doing mostly backup stuff, and we didn’t want to mislead people; but, I guess when Pitchfork or whoever got wind that she was on the record that sort of became the headline.

PoS: I also read somewhere that the guitar on this album was heavily influenced by 90s riffs, specifically the handiwork of head Smashing Pumpkin Billy Corgan. What is it about 90s riffs and Corgan’s playing that intrigued you?

It was sort of reverting back to my childhood, to a place I had forgotten about. I actually started out on the electric guitar and the first songs I learned were by 90s bands like Nirvana. I’d learn all their records, rip out all the tablatures, and read all the books. I’d learn the solos to Pearl Jam songs and all that stuff. I’d forgotten about this because once I started playing acoustic, I really got into that and focused just on that.

When we were recording and it came time to do some overdubbing, I knew I wanted to try a lot of electric guitar on this record. And the more I tried it, the more I sort of stumbled upon Billy Corgan’s guitar tone. It wasn’t intentional – I was just sort of messing around with the pedals and started laughing because it reminded me of his playing. We sort of used that as a reference for the rest of the recording time. When we ran out of ideas, we said “ok, time to get out the Billy Corgan guitar.” Part of it was funny, part of it was nostalgic, but a lot of it was really exciting because we thought it sounded really good over what we were doing.

PoS: Finally, after the current tour, which I believe caps off in Glasgow, what’s the next move for The Dodos?

We have one more tour right after that – we’re going to be hitting the east coast for two, three weeks, and then probably take a break. Do a little more touring. Maybe start recording more.

We have a new guitarist in the band that’s really sparked my interest in messing around with more electronic sounds and nerdy guitar stuff. We’re probably going to dive into that. I feel like it’s time for us to go and do our homework, so when it comes time to do another record, we’ll come back with something new. I feel like we’ve maxed out what we’re doing, and there’s definitely a feeling that we accomplished something that we really wanted to on this record sound-wise.

Catch the Dodos live at the West End Cultural Centre this Friday w/ Reading Rainbow.

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In The Know...Interview with The Liptonians

There’s no question, really. With their second outing, Let’s All March Back into the Sea, Winnipeg’s The Liptonians make a strong case for a Western Canadian Music Award nod. Their second in a row.

In 2008 the still nascent group took home the statue for Best Pop Recording from the WCMAs, earning copious attention from both fans and industry alike. This time around the fivesome – co-founders Matt Schellenberg and Bucky Driedger as well as recent acquisitions Levi Penner, Michael Jordan, and Mitch Braun – build off this initial release, offering a stylish pop record super-saturated with stimulating ideas, dynamic tempo shifts, and playful arrangements. With each additional listen revealing new and surprising sounds, Let’s All… is an undeniable, must-hear local release.

I caught up with band co-founder Matt Schellenberg this week and asked him how winning a WCMA impacted their writing/recording process; where they came across the gorgeous pictures adorning the cover and liner notes; and what/who we can expect at the big cd release bash going down this Sunday night at the WECC.

Painting over Silence: First of all, I just have to ask you: as a founding member of the Liptonians, a contributing musician with Royal Canoe, and one-half of organic synth duo Courier News, how the heck do you find the time to play in all these bands?

Matt: Schellenberg: *laughs* I don’t really. You kind of try to prioritize things as they come up, like right now I’ve been doing a lot more Liptonians than Royal Canoe. And Courier News pretty much happens whenever Alexis is in town because she’s gone a lot with Chic Gamine. It’s definitely a challenge sometimes. And I still work at Olive Garden to make some money – it’s a lot of late nights!

PoS: Shifting gears to the new album, Let’s All March Back to Sea. Where and when was the majority of the album written and recorded?

MS: Almost all the songs are a year-to-two years old. It was written at a cabin that my uncle-in-law lent to Bucky and me for awhile. It was also written at the Lipton basement – when we used to live on Lipton Street – and at our rehearsal space on Portage. So, yeah, lots of different places.

PoS: Were there any tracks that didn’t make it on the album?

MS: Oh, a bunch. We probably cut about 30 ideas or so, maybe 15 or so fully formed songs. We eventually got it down to the 10 that are on the album, plus that prelude thing.

PoS: The initial track?

MS: Yeah, exactly.

PoS: The last record won countless acclaim (including a WCMA award for best pop recording), and the band toured pretty heavily behind the release. How did these experiences impact the writing and recording process the second time around?

MS: They informed it in that we were able to get more serious about the band because of the award. It kind of made people take us more seriously when we tried to book a show and go on tour. This allowed us to change our priorities as people and devote a lot more time to try and become better songwriters to the point where, in the last two years, we’ve given up pretty much everything to try and write songs everyday or do music everyday.

It was just a hobby in 2006 to 2008 when the first record was recorded. We recorded it into the wrong end of mikes and stuff – we didn’t know what we were doing at all, and some of it you can hear on the record. It opened up an opportunity to get taken more seriously and take ourselves more seriously.

PoS: The cast of characters appearing on Let’s All… differs than the current touring lineup. Who is presently in the band?

MS: Currently we have Mitch Braun, Levi Penner, and Michael Jordan – our three new members. On the actual record is the old band: Terrell Froese, Darren Grunau, and Michael Petkau Falk.

Our band was comprised of people who viewed this as a second project. They were all songwriters themselves and wanted to take their creative projects as far as they can go, so we totally understood that since that’s what we were trying to do. As the Liptonians became more and more serious, there was less and less time for those other things. Terrell moved on to write music with his other band. Darren has taken on a more creative role with Flying Foxes and the Hunter Gatherers, and Mike is touring with Les Jupes. So everybody is in their right place.

We’re really pumped about the new band, which is, I guess, comprised a littler more of players and maybe less of songwriters. But were really excited to begin writing songs with them too because the new stuff we’ve been jamming out has been really exciting.

PoS: I wanted to ask about the second-last track “Roller Coaster.” It was originally written for the Winnipeg Free Press’s “My City, My Song” contest and was a finalist. What made “Roller Coaster” the right fit for this album?

MS: We weren’t going to actually, and then we gave all the tracks to the producer of the album, Matt Peters. He’s also our good friend and bandmate in Royal Canoe, but at that point we were just getting to know him. He picked his favourite three or four songs – most of them we weren’t planning on including – and that was one of them. He thought it was a really vibrant song and one that we should include. This made us think about it again and try to breathe new life into it, and it sounds very different than the one that was submitted to the Free Press.

PoS: And it’s one of the few tracks on the album that’s kind of driven by synths. 

MS: Yeah. It’s got a synth drum beat. It’s one of the few tracks that has a little more electronic influence. When I wrote that song I had been writing so many songs with riffs and really complicated chord structures, and I realized that so many of my favourite songs were just a couple chords and lyrics you can hold on to and a couple hooks or places of interest.

For me, it was an exercise in discipline, trying to write a simpler song that was more about the lyrics. And as you can see from how cluttered the album can be, our natural inclination is more of everything.

PoS: The album cover features a hazy photo of a shirtless man staring into the sea while the liner notes boasts varying shots of a clothed, flaxen-haired female’s backside, also gazing out toward a seemingly vast body of water. Who took these striking photos, and what made you choose them for the album design/artwork?

MS: A guy name Paul Phung, and he’s from the UK. We were just looking around on Flickr for things we thought might suit us, not too heavy handed. We didn’t want a bunch of people actually marching into the sea. We were just trying to find something that had the right flavour to it – that still referenced the sea and still had a bit of longing for something. Something a little more subtle. And these pictures ended up perfectly fitting the vibe for what we thought the album should be.

So we emailed this guy in the UK and said, “Hey, we’re a really poor band and we’d like to use your photos.” And he said, “sure just give me $50 and an album when it’s done.” So that’s what we did, and we got to use all his beautiful photos.

PoS: And finally, this Sunday night marks the official cd launch party of Lets All… at the West End Cultural Centre. Is it safe to say we can expect a lot of special guests to join us on stage?

MS: Yes, you can. We got almost all horns – we weren’t able to get the bari sax player which is really too bad since he’s awesome – but we have the trombone and trumpet. And there’ll be appearances by the old band too, doing gang vocals and stuff like that.

See and hear the Liptonians (old and new cast) this Sunday night at the West End Cultural Centre.

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In The Know...Interview with Les Jupes

To say Les Jupes' debut release, Modern Myths, was a long time coming would be a bit of an understatement.

The first seeds for Modern Myths were planted over half-a-decade ago, but it wasn't until three years later, after some lineup changes, that the rest of the album started to germinate. Flash forward two years to yesterday when, at last, Modern Myths came into being and finally hit stores. 

The end result is a well-executed and well-crafted set of thunderous, bombastic rockers and slow, deeply affecting soul-stirrers that really come to life under lead singer Michael Petkau Falk's sobering baritone.  Simply put, it serves notice that this Winnipeg-based band must be heard. Now. 

Yesterday evening I spoke with band founder Michael Petkau Falk and asked him about the album's beginnings; Les Jupes' current lineup; and the thematic connection behind such seemingly random topics as mathematics, Nikita Kruschev, and Chicago.

Painting over Silence: So I was wondering if you could walk us through the album’s inception and incubation. How long did Modern Myths take to write, record, and produce?

Michael Petkau Falk: Sure. The oldest song is “This Place Owes Us” which was written in 2005. Then, most of the songs came in the last six months before we started recording. Well, six months to a year. So most of 2008 is when most of the songs came. We started recording in February of 09 and Marcus was here for a little bit - we did all the bed tracks - then he went back to Montreal. I started doing overdubs and puttering away on it until spring of this year, and then I went to Montreal in July to mix it.

So it was done in July. *laughs* It’s a bit of a long arc for this one.

PoS: Producer/engineer Marcus Paquin (Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs) helped record Modern Myths. How did you originally get together with Paquin?

MPF: He’s an old friend of mine. We got to know each other through playing shows and whatever else in Montreal. When it came time to think about doing a record, we really wanted to do it right and we really wanted to find the right person for the songs and the sounds. He was kind of the obvious choice. 

PoS: As the band’s principle songwriter, which musicians/albums had a profound impact on your songwriting style?

MPF: I've obviously listened to a lot of music over a long time. I grew up in high school listening to Red House Painters, Catherine Wheel, Sonic Youth, and Smashing Pumpkins. In recent years, it’s been The National, Interpol, Iron & Wine, Land of Talk. All of that stuff has been pretty constant in the player.

PoS: So registering more on an unconscious level?

MPF: Yeah, exactly. In fact, the stuff I listen to now is probably more influential than all the R.E.M. I listened to years ago. Who knows? Maybe not. *laughs* Maybe that comes through just as much.

PoS: I guess it’s a tough thing to pinpoint.

MPF: Yeah, it is. Every now and then I hear a chord change as I mix and I think, “Oh, that’s totally what R.E.M would’ve done.” And every now and then, “there’s a lot of F sharp minor on this.” F sharp minor is a good Interpol chord.

PoS: Now along the way Les Jupes underwent a lineup change.

MPF: Yeah, multiple.

PoS: And the current band is David Schellenberg (The Playing Cards), and Kelly Beaton (All Of Your Friends), and yourself.

MPF: And Adam Klassen, who is now our drummer.

PoS: What was it about these three that made them the right fit for Les Jupes?

MPF: As I started putting the next wave of the band together I wanted people who weren’t just good musicians, but also good people – people that were also pretty passionate about wanting to do this, dive in, and do the work that is necessary. I wanted to find people who were excited about it and not just doing it out of friendship.

David’s been awesome. He came on board just over a year ago. We sat down and talked about music for awhile. I think we’re both really hard workers and we see eye to eye on a bunch of different things. It just felt like a natural fit.

Then when Jesse Warkentin was leaving, he brought Kelly to my attention and Kelly was totally the right fit again. She is a great musician and it’s great to have a female voice back in the band and be able to sing those parts on the record.

Adam is the newest one. Good drummers are hard to find. You want someone with good technical chops and who can keep a steady beat, but also someone who’s creative and not just in it to play for themselves, who can see the bigger picture. He understands songwriting and arranging and can play other instruments. He gets the bigger picture of what’s going on, and that’s been really important and really helpful.

PoS: So it’s safe to say there’s a pretty excited vibe going on at rehearsals these days?

MPF: Yeah! It’s been awesome. There’s more yesses and high fives than ever before. It’s pretty cool.

PoS: I’ve been listening to the album over the past couple days. It strikes a pretty judicious balance between the number of big, ambitious rockers and slow, affecting songs. Was this by design, or did your creative output seem to be naturally divided this way?

MPF: It’s kind of naturally been divided that way. It’s a reflection of who I am. I’ve always really enjoyed highly personal songs that go right for an emotional core. I spent a lot of time being affected by those kinds of songs when I was growing up, so that influence is pretty strong.

But I also like to lay it all out every now and then. It’s fun to play something really big with some bombast that punches you in the face every now and then. It’s an ‘I love you, I hate you’ kind of record. There’s a little bit of push and pull; there’s a kiss and there’s a punch. That’s how I am I guess, so it’s kind of natural that that part comes out on record.

PoS: There are some seemingly random topics and ideas addressed on Modern Myths.

MPF: *laughs*

PoS: We’ve got mathematics as a universal language; Nikita Khruschev (Stalin’s Ukrainian heir); depression and eating disorders; Chicago, etc. What’s the thematic connection between these ostensibly unrelated topics?

MPF: I think the thematic connection between all of them is people trying to get past the barriers in their lives. It's a story of people trying to deal with the things that have been bothering them for awhile or dealing with the things that hold them back. Whether its Kruschev dealing with Stalin looking over his shoulder and how at any second the whole thing can crumble and blow up in his face, or whether it’s someone fighting with an eating disorder, or, even on “Ghost”, about people dealing with suicide, the record is about people who are tying to get past these things and move on with their lives.

Getting over hurdles is the connection.

Catch Michael Petkau Falk and the rest of Les Jupes this Saturday at the Plug In Institute for Contemporary Art as they officially launch Modern Myths. And don't forget, you can win a pair of tickets to the show by simply sending me an email. Details here. 

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In The Know...Interview with Jon Cohen

For his current musical odyssey, Jon Cohen (of the Jon Cohen Experimental) decided to leave the Experimental at home. Instead of bringing along the band, he's doing the one-man show thing for the entire trek, a three-month "personal pilgrimage" that required Cohen to sit down, construct a completely new set, and revamp song after song.

But the purpose of the pilgrimage isn't some sort of end goal: it's to bring the songs off his terrifically thoughtful and well-written sophomore disc, Behold, to as many receptive ears as possible.

I caught up with the Montreal-based pop-rock artist over the weekend and asked him about the challenges of preparing for a solo tour; how members of the Stills, Stars, and Dears came to guest on Behold; and what his New Year's Resolutions for 2011 were.

Painting over Silence: In the past you’ve been a member of such high profile bands as the Dears and the Social Register. What made you decide to form your own musical project?

Jon Cohen: The need to express myself, do my own music and take charge of my own affairs. I can write music – I don’t only play instruments – and if you put that away, it’s okay for awhile; but, after awhile it going to affect you unless you let it out of the closet.

PoS: How did your time and experience playing with these acts help ultimately shape the Jon Cohen Experimental and your personal songwriting style?

JC: Well, the amount of time that was spent playing music with so many different members and just being out there, touring a lot and just trying out all these different styles of music has not gentrified me in any way. It’s kept me pretty open to any possibility, and I take that spirit into my own music. It’s taught me to have an open mind to try anything.

PoS: Behold features some A-list cameos from the likes of Evan Cranley (Stars), Murray Lightburn (Dears), and Liam O’Neill (Stills). How did these musicians get involved in the album?

JC: I asked them! *laughs*

I called them up, and I said I’m working on a record. It wasn’t the easiest thing. Obviously these guys are pretty high caliber musicians and busy guys, and I’m just another friend who was making music. But they were really supportive, and they really got behind the music. It was definitely a concerted effort - I wouldn’t have done it unless I felt the music was up to par. It was just a question of approaching them and seeing to what extent they’d like to be involved.

PoS: Behold is your second release under the Jon Cohen Experimental moniker. What changed this second time around, in terms of your approach to writing and recording?

JC: Both records have their pros and cons. On the one hand, with the first record, there’s a sort of naive approach and just this kind of raw energy of jumping into something and doing it fast. There’s an innocence there that is definitely undeniable, and although the music is not quite as developed, it still contains something that is hard to capture otherwise.

With this record (Behold), it’s the opposite. It was two years of intense labour, working and reworking the music and trying to capture it at its best moments. There’s also the age factor – a little older, a little wiser as they say – and just wanting to have a totally different experience when making the record. That’s not to say the next record won’t be done in a weekend. For me, it’s more about the process - the process dictates the outcome so much more than anything else.

I want to try to change it up as much as possible from album to album, and that not only refers to how I approach it, but also where I want to record it and with whom I want to play with.

PoS: The word “behold” means much more than seeing – it refers to observing, processing what you see. What made this particular word a good fit for the album title?

JC: Well, lyrically this album is focused on introspection; it’s focused on my own personal journey of self-discovery. The word ‘behold’ generally refers to this idea of revealing something to yourself - of revealing yourself to yourself. An aspect of yourself that you may not have been aware of before. Or somebody reveals something to you as well. It’s a kind of “a-ha” moment like “ah. This takes me to the next stage of my experience.”

I think lyrically this album asks listeners to not just listen on a superficial level or not just do things in life on a superficial level, and try to look for a deeper meaning and try to have a bit more insight into your daily thoughts and actions. It’s a message, really, to myself; but, like all music, it’s a personal thing, and depending on how honest it is, it can really translate to a lot of people. The title word was carefully chosen. It really is about this idea that we live in a society where we don’t behold.

PoS: So the current tour is just Jon Cohen solo, without the Experimental.

JC: That’s correct.

PoS: How does preparing for a solo tour compare to preparing for one backed by a full band?

JC:  It’s very different. It’s obviously more isolative. I had to understand that I couldn’t rip my band away for three months of their lives to follow me on this personal pilgrimage. So, I had to seize this opportunity to experiment with a whole other side of myself. I had to create a completely new set and take these songs from behold and reinvent them.

One thing was for sure: I didn’t want it to be the singer of the band who goes solo, just has an acoustic guitar and plays the songs bare bones. I took it as an opportunity to reinvent myself and while I’m not fully there, I’m working out the kinks. I’m definitely on my way.

By the time I hit Winnipeg and the prairies, this thing will have morphed into something I can negotiate with.

PoS: Last question: 2011 just kicked off, which means New Year’s resolutions are being bandied about left and right. What are Jon Cohen’s New Year’s resolutions for 2011?

JC: To work hard! To push and to get myself out there and to give more. And try to be more honest, more outgoing and try to do what I believe I was put here to do.

Which is to make music and give it to people.

***

He means that literally. Catch Jon Cohen this Friday night at the Cavern. The first ten or so people receive a free copy of his latest record, Behold. 

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In The Know...Interview with Bahamas

In not even two years, Bahamas (aka Afie Jurvanen) has gone from guitarist-for-hire to opener to headliner.

Along the way he’s cobbled together an enviable cv – touring guitarist/pianist for Feist; opener for Amy Milan and Wilco; and, most importantly, Juno nominee and Polaris long lister for his stellar debut release, Pink Strat.

He’s currently in the middle of on his first-ever headlining tour of Canada (with drummer Jason Tait of Weakerthans fame), a coast-to-coast sojourn which includes a stop at the Park Theatre on Tuesday night.

Suggestion: attend. Next time he rolls through, it’ll be at a much larger venue.

I caught up with Jurvanen on Friday and asked him about the current headlining tour experience; how Weakerthans’ drummer Jason Tait came to be a part of Bahamas; and when fans can expect the sophomore record to enter the world.

Painting over Silence: You’re currently on your first ever headlining tour of Canada. What’s the experience been like so far?

Afie Jurvanen: It’s been really fantastic so far. We’ve done about a week-and-a-half worth of shows – we started in St. John’s and have been working our way across - and there have been lots of people. The shows have been full and people have been singing along, and they know the record. They’re participating in the show, and it’s really been a nice surprise.

For the past year-and-a-half we’ve been opening for other bands, so it’s kind of new territory for us to play a longer set and explore a wider breath of material, which I’ve really been enjoying.

Painting over Silence: After the success of Pink Strat – including a Juno nomination for Roots Album of the Year and a spot on the Polaris long list – is Bahamas now a full-time gig or will you continue to work/tour/collaborate with Feist, Jason Collett, et al.?

AJ: It’s definitely a full-time thing. When I was playing with those artists you mentioned that was very much a full-time thing as well. I’m not a very good multi-tasker – I basically would rather dedicate myself to one thing and try and really do it the best I can and be present in those moments. It’s not just music, too. Its life in general. It’s so easy to coast through things and not really be aware of who you’re with, whether it’s a musical thing or being with a partner. It’s become increasingly more important for me to be there in the moment, and, for me, that means dedicating myself to one thing.

I really have fond memories of those times, playing music with those guys. But now it’s taken over. If I really want to get the most out of it, I have to be dedicated to it, and I really have the energy for it. I may as well take it while the energy is there.

PoS: So, the band is yourself and Jason Tait.

AF: That’s the band.

PoS: How did you originally hook up with Jason?

AF: We’ve actually been playing together for quite awhile now. We sat down next to each other at a show in Toronto, at Massey Hall. I don’t know if you know that venue.

PoS: Actually, yeah, I saw the Flight of the Conchords there.

AF: *laughs* Cool. I sat down – got a ticket from somewhere – and he sat down next to me. And we started chatting. We had run into each other before because the music community in Toronto is pretty small. He already had my record – I sorta silkscreened a limited run before my actual cd came out and given it out to friends. Somehow he got a hold of one and knew all the songs, and before I had a chance to bring it up, he sort of volunteered himself and his drum set and I thought, man, this could be really cool. And so we played a gig together the next week and we’ve been playing together ever since. The Weakerthans schedule has kinda worked out perfectly, but I should knock on wood at some point.

It’s worked out perfectly up to this point, but we’ll see what happens next year. I’d love to keep playing with him.

PoS: I read that you’ve been writing and recording a new record. How is the new material coming along?

AF: We’re constantly doing that – it’s not like we have a huge recording budget to go in for weeks on end and make an album all in one chunk. We’ve been really, really busy touring and playing and when we have some time we chip away at it. I’d say it’s about 80% there. I’d really love to put another record out sometime spring next year. 

I’m pretty excited about it. It’s really formed by the live show - that’s not to say it’s a live record - it’s definitely a studio record. There’s an energy there that we were able to bring with us through all this touring we’ve been doing, and it’s informed the recording in a really nice way..

PoS: Any working album titles? Perhaps after another guitar?

AF: *laughs* Well, maybe. I think I’ll keep those ideas to myself for now. If I tell you something now, I’ll have to stick to it.

PoS: Has your approach to writing and recording changed this second time around?

AF: Not really. I sort of go through bursts. I go through moments when I feel really inspired. But then I get caught up doing domestic things – laundry, bills, and such – and you almost forget about that side of your brain and the desire that is with you.

The first record I wrote pretty much while I was on tour – in dressing rooms and playing in other people’s bands. This one’s really no different in that regard except that now I’m on tour playing my own music. It’s going to be more of an insular process, I think, obviously just a little more compressed time-wise because I’ve been away touring for some time.

PoS: You’re playing Winnipeg on Tuesday night. Are there going to be some new songs in the set list?

AF: Absolutely. We get to play a longer set now and obviously the first record is only a half-an-hour long. The nature of time just means we get to play new songs, which is really exciting for the band. The response has been really nice, and a lot of people seem to already know them.

PoS: Last question. 2011 is just on the horizon. What are your plans for the New Year?

AF: I’m just really enjoying playing right now and feel lucky to tour as much as we have in Canada, just on this record. It would really be a thrill for me to play down in the states a little more, and I’m hoping to do that. We have some plans to go down there in the spring time.

And, hopefully, get this record out and come back to Winnipeg again and again and again.

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In The Know...Interview with Ra Ra Riot

While calling it a grower would be a gross overstatement (and a bad pun), Ra Ra Riot’s new record, The Orchard, certainly requires more time and patience from listeners.

Compared to its album predecessor, that is.

Whereas debut release The Rhumb Line was rife with immediate and familiar hooks, The Orchard houses less direct hooks in favour of more complex arrangements and layered melodies. Overall, the record is more accomplished and more rewarding that anything they’ve done before - just try not to get sucked in by the mellifluous, spirit-elevating strings on “Boy” and the thumping motorik on “Massachuettes”.

Yesterday evening I spoke with violinist Rebecca Zeller on the phone and asked her about the band’s recent appearance on Last Call with Carson Daly, the decision to record the album on a peach orchard, and how their first trek through Western Canada is going.

Catch Zeller and the rest of Ra Ra Riot – vocalist Wes Miles, guitarist Milo Bonacci, drummer Gabriel Duquette, cellist Alexandra Lawn, and bassist Mathieu Santos – this Saturday at the Garrick with Wintersleep.


Painting over Silence: You’ve logged some serious kilometers all over North America the last while, including a stop in L.A. for Last Call with Carson Daly. What was that experience like?

Rebecca Zeller: Well, actually, it was sort of non-traditional because they came to our L.A. show, and they just filmed it, so it wasn’t like we went on set and into the studio. They just came without Carson.

PoS: Oh. So you didn’t actually get to meet him?

Rebecca Zeller: Nope! *laughs* I know.  It’s weird.

PoS:  I read that the new record, The Orchard, was written in a peach Orchard located in upstate New York. What made the band decide to seclude themselves and pen the bulk of the record in such a place?

RZ: It sort of was the best option. We needed a place to write the album. We all live in New York City right now, but rehearsal and practice spaces there are expensive, they’re small, and you don’t really get any windows or anything. We didn’t really think that was, you know, an inspiring place to write our next record, so we started looking in upstate in New York. Milo, our guitarist, had friends who owned the orchard and were actively trying to sell it. It was a big coincidence and we really lucked out and were able to stay there and housesit it from them while they tried to sell it.

We were just looking for more of an inspiring place than what we were able to afford in New York.

PoS: And this experience made you christen the new album after the orchard?

RZ: It surprisingly came much later in the game that we titled it The Orchard. We written it, recorded it, mixed it, and put it in order. Analyzing the themes throughout, it sort of came to light that everything was really influenced by our time on the orchard and our overall experience. It made sense to title it after that.

And then after that came the picture – the album artwork is a picture of the house where we wrote the album.

PoS: Was the recording and mixing also done there?

RZ: No, it was also done in upstate New York but a bit further east: sorta between Saratoga Springs and Albany. It was done in Black Dog studio. We would’ve love to record at the orchard, but they had sold it.

PoS: Chris Walla of Death Cab for Cutie mixed the majority of the record. How did this relationship come about?

RZ: About two years ago this spring we toured extensively with Death Cab for several months in the early spring and then a bit more in the summer. Through this experience we became friends with all of them and Chris had expressed interest in being involved in our new record. We had decided to produce it ourselves, but when it came time to choose a mixer, it sort of made sense to go with Chris. We have a lot of respect for what he’s done in the past, and we really connected with him as a person. It seemed like a great option.

PoS: And Rostam Batmanglij from Vampire Weekend mixed a track too?

RZ: He actually co-wrote that song with Wes, our singer. It was something Wes and Rostam had worked on for the Discovery record, but I don’t they ever really developed the idea. Wes thought it would be a good song for us, so we thought we should give it to Rostam to mix and see what he could do with it. And we wound up really loving it. We thought it would add a different colour to the album.

PoS: Shifting gears to the tour…you’re playing Winnipeg, my hometown, with Wintersleep this Saturday night. I’m curious: is this your first time through Winnipeg and Western Canada for that matter?

RZ: Yup. We had previously been to Vancouver and Victoria, but already on this tour we’ve been up in Whistler and then yesterday in Nelson. Today we did the drive from Nelson to Calgary, which was about 12 hours.

PoS: That's a long journey!

RZ: *laughs* Yeahh….It’s been really long hours driving, but it’s been really beautiful, which is nice. It’s also nice to see different parts of Canada. It’s a beautiful area.

PoS: Where I live, Winnipeg, because of our population size and geographic proximity to other cities can be, well, unfavourable to bands. What motivates Ra Ra Riot to tour all over and not just hit the major metropolises?

RZ: In general, or on this tour specifically?

PoS: In general.

RZ: Sometimes you get better shows there.

PoS: So then how was the show in Nelson? (Population: 10, 000 or so)

RZ: It was *really* good. Unfortunately, we had low expectations and even when we started playing, no one came to the front of the stage area. But, within five minutes, it was rocking and actually really, really awesome. A lot of smaller cities have music fans that aren’t really as spoiled as people who live in major cities and they don’t get to see a lot of bands.

So people who appreciate music and bands are really enthusiastic because they don’t get it as frequently.

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In The Know...Interview With Jason Collett

Last time Jason Collett played Winnipeg, he took the stage with Zeus and Bahamas; together, the six musicians tackled songs from one another’s catalogue. Dubbed the "Bonfire Ball", the evening was a loose, playful, and spirited affair.

This time the Toronto-based songsmith leaves those five guys at home, travelling across Canada without a backing band. As part of this "Undressed Tour", Collett stops by the Park Theatre on Wednesday night, armed with just a guitar, some heartfelt, compelling stories and a brand new record, Pony Tricks, a collection of previously released favourites stripped down to their bare musical parts.

Yesterday afternoon I spoke with Collett over the phone (from his home in Toronto), and asked him  how Pony Tricks came into being, how preparing for a solo tour differs from a full-band tour, and what his plans are for the rapidly approaching New Year.

Painting over Silence: First off, I want to ask you about your new record, Pony Tricks. It consists of nine previously released songs completely stripped-down plus two unreleased tracks. What made you revisit and strip this past material down to the skeletal parts and release the results as a proper full-length album?

Jason Collett: The idea came about because over the years people have asked at solo shows if I have any recordings reflective of a solo show. You know, stripped down. This being my most extensive solo tour to date, it made sense; it takes very little effort to make a record like this because of the nature of it, so I made it as a companion piece to the tour. I don’t see it as a proper release because it really isn’t – it’s more of a tour exclusive.

Having said that, I got into doing it – it proved to me just how random recording actually is: different time, different place, and different results. I think good songs should be fluid and open to interpretation, much like solo shows are. They allow people a different insight into the songs and change the context in which they are performed. It can give a whole other dimension to a song you’re familiar with.

PoS: So the entire tour is a one-man show?

JC: Yes.

PoS: Because last time I saw you perform, you were with Zeus and Bahamas.

JC: Right, the Bonfire Ball! So this is the polar opposite of that.

PoS: What was it about these nine previous recordings that made you want to rework them?

JC: These are the ones that lend themselves to being reinterpreted; I could’ve done a lot more, though, and may actually go on to do a Pony Tricks 2. There’s room to continue doing this, once in a while. Each song sort of has its own beck and call to be reworked, and it all kind of came out slower and dirge-y.

Accidents happen, as they often do in studio. I intended to go in and knock this out in a couple days on my own at the Zeus studio and those guys were finishing rehearsal every day when I arrived. They typically lingered. They typically had ideas. They typically joined in. So there’s a smattering of other instruments on there, as well, but it all sort of tumbled out in an organic way. It worked.

PoS: The album also houses two previously unreleased tracks, “My Daddy Was a Rock ‘n’ Roller” and “Pulling the Sun Down.” When were these two songs originally conceived, and what made them a good fit for Pony Tricks?

JC: I wrote “My Daddy Was a Rock ‘n’ Roller” about a year ago, and “Pulling The Sun Down” I wrote over the summer, after doing a fair bit of reading on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. I don’t know why I originally wanted to write a song about that since it’s not an easy subject to delve into it, but for one reason or another, I was compelled. I’m happy with the results.

In fact, I actually woke up this morning and got an email from a woman who came out to a show. She has Post-Tramatic Stress Disorder from a violent assault and came up to me after a show and chatted a bit about it, and sent me a thank you letter. Even though this song is about a specific soldier, she really related to a lot of the commentary in regards to what it feels like to go through that. I have no idea what’s it like, and I can’t imagine what it feels like, but from the accounts that I read, it is quite a huge obstacle for anyone to have to deal with in their life. What she was saying added a whole other dimension for me that allowed me further insight into it - how one of the hardest things for her, she said, was to let go and let others have control of her life.

Beyond all that, it makes the album a little more relevant, having a couple of new tunes on there.

PoS: What’s the meaning behind the title, Pony Tricks?

JC: It’s really a gut level thing, much like the title of the latest EP (To Wit To Woo) that came out with Rat a Tat Tat. I just like it. *laughs* It just came to me while mixing the record.

PoS: You’re going to be in Winnipeg as a solo performer this time. How does preparing for a solo tour compare to preparing for one backed by a full band?

JC: It doesn’t differ so much for me, other than rehearsals with the band – that gets your act together. It’s really difficult for me to practice. I’m inherently lazy about it. Part of the problem for me is whenever I sit down and practice tunes - simply so I remember the lyrics and chord changes - I get distracted very quickly and tend to want to start writing.  Ultimately that’s what I love to do, and it feels like I’m always robbing time from potential new songs by practicing old ones. *laughs*

I don’t prepare too much is what I’m saying. Perhaps I should be a little more professional and be a little better prepared.  At the same time, I think it can get in the way of just being in the moment, being too prepared. Same goes for writing. Same goes for recording. There’s this intangible mystery to it all and sometimes it’s better not to resolve it.

PoS: I guess that, in turn, makes each live performance a one-off event.

JC: Yeah, more or less. I’ve been coming up with more stories and stuff to make the show more engaging, some different insights into the songs. It’s ultimately about trying to communicate when you’re performing; it serves that purpose, and it makes shows that much more intimate.

PoS: And finally, 2011 is just around the corner. What can fans except from Jason Collett in the New Year?

JC: Well, Zeus and I head off to Australia on Boxing Day. We’re doing festival season in Australia until mid-January. Then I’m home for a little bit, and toward the end of February I take off for some solo touring in Europe through to the spring. Beyond that, I don’t know – but I know that come next summer I’ll begin the process of making another record.

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In The Know...Interview With Pepper Rabbit

Sometimes it can be a challenge to label a sound.

Meet Pepper Rabbit, a Los Angeles-based duo whose musical stylings have been dubbed, amongst other sub-genres, avant-folk, chamber-folk, and psych-pop.

And while their sound is certainly skewed and amorphous, the songs themselves are still rooted in traditional pop structures and highly accessible, as evinced throughout their debut album, Beauregard (in stores tomorrow).

Yesterday, I spoke with band founder Xander Singh over the phone from New Hampshire where he and bandmate Luc Laurent were catching up on some z’s and loading up on new tunes for the long trek from New Hampshire to Manitoba. Here’s what he had to say:


PoS: First off, I want to ask about Pepper Rabbit’s origins, specifically how you and Luc got together to play music.

XS: I grew up around the Boston area, and I met Luke in Boston. He was in College there. His roommate was one of my best friends, and so we started hanging out. I had been involved in some solo music, doing some shows here and there, and Luke would play drums. I got a chance to do a week tour in India and so I brought Luke along and another one of our friends who introduced us. It was a great time, and it’s where Luke and I discovered we work really well together. Then I had the chance to record with a friend of mine in New Orleans; I had written a bunch of songs and I invited Luke down to play drums and after working together it was very clear that he was much more than a drummer. We just really clicked musically.

After we did those recordings, I called him up and asked him if he wanted to start a band since I never really wanted to be a solo artist. I always wanted to be a part of a band, but I never found someone I clicked really well with musically. Those recordings are now the album Beauregard.

PoS: But you’re currently based in L.A.?

XS: Yeah, I moved to L.A. three years ago, because growing up in Boston I didn’t really like the cold or the snow. I didn’t ski or snowboard or anything, so as soon as I graduated high school I moved out there. Luke just finished up school about a year ago, and moved out to L.A. Ever since there we’ve kinda hit the ground running. Writing new stuff, playing shows, and keeping busy.

PoS: So Pepper Rabbit is happy being a duo?

XS: Yeah! I think it works out really well. For the live show we have a friend of ours who actually played bass with us on the record; he tours with us and plays bass, keyboards, and vocals. Just to round out the live set. But yeah, the band is basically the two of us – we’re always working on news songs, writing, recording together. We even live together in L.A. and have a home studio and so whenever we have no ideas we’re always able to bounce them back and forth between each other.

PoS: I was listening to the record last night and it is surfeit with various instruments (drums, guitars, clarinets, banjos, trumpets). Is it a challenge to reproduce your sound live?

XS: It definitely is. It’s a really fun challenge. When we were recording we weren’t thinking about playing the songs live because it would just stress us out and probably change the music, like maybe we shouldn’t put a trumpet line in there since we won’t be able to do it live. We always just focus on making the recording something big and grand; something we love. And worry about the live show later. It was definitely a challenge and we spent a lot of time trying different things because we really want to recreate that big sound. That’s half the fun. A few of the song we had to rearrange, just for the live show, so the version we play live is very different from the recordings.

One of the biggest things about the band is we really try to separate the live show from the actual recording and try to make things new and interesting. Add new melody lines, change up arrangements, always try to keep it fresh. Personally, when I go see a live show I love it when the band changes things up and makes things interesting.

PoS: The title of the record is Beauregard. What’s the story behind the title?

XS: The title we pulled from one of the songs “In the Spirit of Beauregard.” The story behind that was when we were recording in New Orleans I had brought a piano with me from LA. We had to get the piano tuned after the drive; it was bumping around in the back of the van and fell out of tune. The piano tuner came by and our friend Adam, who was recording us, has this dog and the piano tuner thought our friend Adam’s dog was the reincarnation of his dog that had died ten years ago. His dog’s name was Beauregard. He started freaking out and talking to our friend’s dog as if it was his own dog, Beauregard. It took us by surprise and was one of the weirder experiences we’ve been through. We liked the name and felt it summed things up.

PoS: In regard to your influences, I’m curious: which records had a significant impact on you as a songwriter and helped shaped the band’s stylings?

XS: I’m a big fan of pop music in general, especially stuff from the 70s. I really love David Bowie’s early stuff. And Chicago. Anything that’s really big and orchestral, I’ve sorta gravitated toward. I also really love a lot of new music that’s coming out nowadays; (this has) definitely influenced our recordings and live show. One album that Luke and I really freaked out over this year is the new Spoon album.

PoS: Transference?

XS: Yeah, Transference. That’s one of my favourite records from the past few years. It’s such a smart record. It’s another one of those things with great pop songs, and they just put their own spin on it. I really like that about the record. But I grew up listening mostly to top 40 radio. So as far as influences for our music, it’s just pop music in general.

PoS: Finally, you’re about to tour through Western Canada with the Rural Alberta Advantage. How did this upcoming tour come about? Have you played with the RAA before?

XS: We actually opened for one of their shows out in LA about a year ago. They really blew us away. It was definitely one of our favourite shows that we’ve played. Then, two months ago we got the offer to open up for them in Canada, and we jumped at it. We really love playing in Canada, and Canada in general, but we’ve only ever played Toronto and Montreal. So, we’re really excited to see the rest of Canada and see parts of the country we’ve never been to before. We’ve been looking forward to it awhile. And it’s up on the horizon now.

See and hear Pepper Rabbit on Wednesday night at the West End Cultural Centre w/ The Rural Alberta Advantage, and Imaginary Cities. 

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