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Valentine’s Day. It doesn’t exactly scream catalyst to receiving the title of “standout band” in New York’s CMJ festival, nor does it usually tip off the BBC’s top 15 bands to watch in 2009 list either. However, Massachusetts’ singer/songwriter Michael Angelakos navigated his musical career so that Valentine’s Day did just that, even if inadvertently so. His initially solo project, Passion Pit’s Chunk of Change EP, was originally a belated Valentine’s Day present to his then girlfriend (although they’re just friends now). Now signed to Frenchkiss Records, Passion Pit is a full-on electro/indie/dance/pop band; featuring Angelakos (lead vocals), Ian Hultquist (synths), Ayad Al Adhamy (keyboardist), Jeff Apruzzese (bass, synths), and Nate Donmoyer (drums). To be clear, the name Passion Pit does not refer to a porn flick of the same moniker, but rather a venue where today’s whippersnappers can make out (i.e. a movie theatre). The EP’s breakthrough track “Sleepyhead” is featured in a PSP commercial. However, having a commercial deal with PSP did not actually mean that the band received free PSPs. Accusations of “selling out” have been fluttering around the indie music community ever since MTV covered the band’s CMJ show, but keyboardist Ayad Al Adhamy sees it differently. “We're a young band and all we want is for people to hear our music, and since we're not Britney Spears, and since we're so new, it’s hard for us to get new people to hear our music… These are people who might not have heard of us otherwise,” he said. Hyped or otherwise, the band has been very busy; opening for the likes of Yelle, Girl Talk, These New Puritans, and Death Cab for Cutie. Conversely, opening for Death Cab for Cutie was not everything and a bag of chips. “Tickets said doors opened at 5 p.m. Our set was at 4:30 p.m. Ah well... we still got to hang out and watch the Presidents of the U.S.A. from backstage! I loved them when I was 13! That was fun,” Al Adhamy said. Their much anticipated full-length release, set to debut sometime this year, is still in the recording stage. According to Al Adhamy, a graduate of the film scoring program at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, the production value of the album is of a higher calibre than the EP. Live drums have been recorded atop programmed drums and most of the synths have a warmer tone because they are hardware and not software. In December, the band even had an in-studio visit from Dave Monks, lead singer/bassist of Tokyo Police Club. The two bands first collided when Tokyo Police Club’s amp broke in Passion Pit’s home state, and the latter was responsible for bringing an amp to their show. However, the amp never made it in time, but that did not deter them from becoming friends, hanging out at Los Angeles and New York shows, and sharing producer Chris Zane who recorded TPC’s track “Your English is Good.” Passion Pit has been in studio since November, and as self-described perfectionists they are taking their time. Angelakos was even dubbed the title of “benevolent dictator” by Spin Magazine. Al Adhamy does not wholly agree with that claim. “It’s not as if he is Saddam Hussein or anything, but since he wrote and recorded the EP before any of us were in the picture, a lot of people have been focusing on him. I actually think one person as a leader is a positive thing and allows everyone else to work better, but we all get to put in our own characteristics especially when we play live so it’s never an issue,” he said. When Al Adhamy is not doing his Passion Pit part, he remixes tracks under the name Bo Flex and also aspires to be a producer. “Mo’ money, mo’ problems…” he concluded. - Melissa Kim
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Paul Collins is a man of stability in the music industry. This singer/songwriter has been listening to rock and roll tunes since the early sixties, and started belting out his own in the mid seventies with a little known band called The Nerves. This was a time when music was in a transitional phase on both sides of the Atlantic. Short punk tunes were emanating from the depths of underground clubs, as disco continued to play at the money-maker glamour clubs, and acid-heads were keeping the psychedelic daze alive in their basements. Today, Collins is on the road touring as the Paul Collins Beat with his current line up of accomplished musicians: Jesse Smith (bass/backing vocals), Warren Bailey (lead guitar/backing vocals), and Dave Rahn (drums). “This is one of the best touring bands I have ever been in. The set is everything from The Nerves and The Beat, to the stuff from my current album. It’s a great show, and it moves seamlessly from old to new,” he stated. The band recently performed at Sneaky Dee’s in Toronto. Collins’ love for Gentlemen Jesse and His Men is so strong that he gave the boys an opening slot on all the current tour dates, and they didn’t let him down. The 20-something foursome poured their hearts into every tune they played, reminiscent of The Jam or Joe Jackson. Having your backing band open for you makes the set change over that much quicker as well. The sparse but enthusiastic audience was a mix of young and old, some there to discover and others to remember. Tunes from his latest releases, Flying High and Ribbon of Gold, fit in nicely and provided a nice change of pace throughout the hour-long, 16-song set. The somewhat introverted man off stage suddenly became a youthful punk again once behind the mic. A round of Jameson whiskey shots for the band half way through likely helped as well, and was his way of ensuring the boys in the band keep up with the rock and roll lifestyle. He recalled his earlier days in Toronto playing such infamous haunts as the Crash and Burn and the El Mocambo, while belting out songs about the USA. His repertoire of tunes ranges from alt-rock and Spanish-influenced melodies, to punk and straight ahead rock and roll. After The Nerves disbanded, he went on to form The Beat in 1977, continuing to pioneer the then burgeoning punk rock scene in the United States. During this heyday he had the opportunity to tour with some of the most influential musicians over the past three decades, including the Ramones, The Jam, Pere Ubu, and others. He eventually had to change the band name to Paul Collins’ Beat, due to a conflict with the rising popularity of a UK band also called The Beat (who later became known as The English Beat). American rocker Eddie Money was cited as being a great admirer of Paul Collins during The Beat days, and played a significant role in getting the band gigs and a recording contract. Collins and Money also collaborated on a couple of songs for each others albums. “I have not spoken to Eddie for many years. When I moved overseas I kind of lost touch with him, but I plan to get back in contact as soon as I can as he was a great friend to me,” Collins admitted. Collins was one third of the influential San Francisco band The Nerves, along with Peter Case (Plimsouls) and Jack Lee. They only managed to release one four-song EP during their existence, but one song in particular has long lived on in music history. “Hangin’ On The Telephone” was written by Jack Lee, recorded and released by The Nerves, and later covered and became a top 10 hit for Blondie. It has also been reinterpreted by the likes of Cat Power and Def Leppard, and of course it found its way into a couple of cell phone commercials over the years. The band was treated fairly in terms of royalties over the years. “Each person got the royalties from his own song so there was never any problem with that. I am very happy for Jack as it has pretty much taken care of him for his whole life, and that’s a great thing for someone who writes a song,” Collins said. Collins has traveled extensively during his lifetime, as the son of a military father, and most recently spent seven years living in Madrid. “I am influenced by my surroundings, but I am also influenced by my life listening to rock n roll”, he said. Flying High was recorded with a Spanish band while living there, and many of the songs are reflective of this southern European culture. His son Noah also contributes vocals on one of the tunes, but Collins is quick to point out this may only be a one off for him. Now living back in New York, he has aspirations to record some new tunes with the Gentlemen Jesse and His Men. He recently wrote a new song called “The Boys Alright,” while hanging with Smith at his home in Atlanta. He mentioned that he still maintains contact with both Peter Case and Jack Lee, but when asked if there is a potential for a reunion he said, “I think the feeling is that The Nerves were a great band many years ago and it would be best left where it is, in the past.” Collins does admit to still loving rock and roll though. “I have to be realistic I am not 18 anymore, but I do think rock n roll keeps you young,” he said with a laugh. He’s started to write a biography of sorts about his life in rock n roll, and recently had a short story published in the NY Press titled “Pete the Fly.” An infamous line from The Beat’s “I Don’t Fit In” sums up Collins life nicely: “Doesn’t matter what town I’m in, I’m always on the outside looking in.” - Bryen Dunn
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Welsh quintet People in Planes are living up to their name. The indie rockers are currently splitting time between their homeland of Wales and New York – where their label, Wind-up Records, is based – as well as touring North America in preparation for the physical release of their new album, Beyond the Horizon, which is due on Sept. 9. “It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy,” said People in Planes guitarist/vocalist Gareth Jones, regarding the band’s name, “but you get used to (flying around everywhere) by now.” Jones and lead guitarist Peter Roberts have been friends since primary school and spent their early teenage years in love with the first Supergrass album, I Should Coco. With Roberts on guitar and Jones handling keyboard and vocal duties, they formed Robots in the Sky, along with bassist Kris Blight and drummer John Maloney. Bonding over musicians like Pink Floyd and Beck, they released the psychedelic-tinged double A-side “E.T.A./Muriel's Motorhome” as well as a seven inch vinyl single in 2000 before changing their name to Tetra Splendour. Down but not out, the band continued to work on material and finally settled on the name People in Planes in 2005. The third name was the charm as they spent time in the studio with producer Sam Williams, who actually worked on the Supergrass album I Should Coco, which so inspired Jones and Roberts when they were younger They released the single “Talking Heads,” signed with Wind-up Records in May and added long-time friend Ian Russell on keyboards, allowing Jones to take on a front-man role and play rhythm guitar too. “Talking Heads” was re-released and re-titled “If You Talk Too Much (My Head Will Explode)” in 2006 with a music video for the song directed by actor Joaquin Phoenix. In March of that year, they released their first album under the People in Planes name, As Far as the Eye Can See. The band garnered some attention as “Falling by the Wayside” was featured in an episode of The 4400 and in commercials for The Sopranos on A&E while “Light for the Deadvine” was used in an episode of House. They also hit the talk show circuit, performing on Late Night with Conan O’Brien and Jimmy Kimmel Live. That year also saw the band hit the big screens as they appeared as themselves in the film John Tucker Must Die, playing the song “Instantly Gratified”. The tune also showed up on the film’s soundtrack, which was released by their label. Their second album as People in Planes has been in the works for a while, with early incarnations of the songs appearing in live sets when they toured the United Kingdom in late 2006 and early 2007. The band also worked with four different producers during the recording of the album, including Toronto’s Raine Maida, Queens of the Stone Age collaborators Eleven, Panic at the Disco producer Matt Squire and Doves/Massive Attack producer Dan Austin, who also worked with the band during their Tetra Splendour days. “We had a list of people we wanted to work with and we were lucky to go out and spread (the album) around,” Jones said. “We went back to Wales to work with Dan Austin and he helped pull everything together.” People in Planes released the song, “Pretty Buildings,” on Feb. 7 via Internet download and announced it would be on the upcoming album, Beyond the Horizon. The album was released in June on iTunes, with a physical release set for September. “The label didn’t really want to put it out when we hadn’t done enough shows because it’s been a while since our last record as a band,” Jones said. “We were hoping for a May date but I think they just wanted to give it some extra time and that meant pushing the album back.” Touring commenced as the band played at South by Southwest Festival in March – showcasing a few of the new songs they had in the works – and then they joined Juniper One on a co-headlining tour through the United States for the rest of March and April. While garnering hype for the new album, it’s no surprise the band would stop by Toronto but their Aug. 13 show at Tattoo Rock Parlour marks the third time in four months that they have travelled to our city, having also made stops at The Rivoli on May 15 and at The Reverb on June 12 for the North by Northeast festival. It’s not just a coincidence People in Planes keep returning. “There’s certain places that we tour to a lot. Toronto, being where our label (Wind-up Records Canada) is, it’s easy for us to get gigs there and come back,” Jones said. “With this album it seems we’re getting more attention in Canada.” Beyond the Horizon is expected to be in stores on Sept. 9. The first single, “Mayday (M’aidez)” is now available as an online single. -Jon Brazeau
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They have been entertaining crowds for over 15 years and it has been quoted that they put on one of the best live shows around. Seattle’s The Presidents of the United States of America continue to woo the public and don’t plan on putting it on hold anytime soon. Consisting of Chris Ballew (vocals and basitar); Andrew McKeag (vocals and guitbass); and Jason Finn (drums and vocals), it has been said they are one of America’s best live bands and that’s no secret. “We just want to have fun,” McKeag said. “Chris is a pro at having fun on stage.” They just want to have a good time and connect with their fans, which make for a fun and entertaining show. McKeag joined the band in 2004 and he “couldn’t not do it” when asked what made him want to be a full time member of The Presidents. He has known the guys for a while and when the opportunity arose, he just had to snag it up. Travelling to places he has never been and connecting with fans from all around the world was just what he wanted. “It’s easy to stay grounded when you’re just making music to have fun,” McKeag stated in reference to attracting so much fame over the years. These guys are no average rock band, especially when it comes to their choice of musical instruments. Instead of the standard bass and guitar they play the guitbass and basitar. “It’s completely retarded,” McKeag jokingly stated. “It’s a very unique way to play rock and roll.” These instruments are your average six-string guitars but are changed to use three strings, for guitar, and two strings for bass. When joining the band, this was a different style for McKeag so former guitbassist, Dave Dederer, sat down to with him to show the basics and learn their tunes. “It’s a new way of playing and has been great,” he said. McKeag found this style of playing has definitely opened his mind to new things.
“It fits well with the others, ” said McKeag. “Most of the usual elements are in there.” A new album is starting to be discussed and the band hopes as of fall or winter of next year, one will be out for some more rocking. “We’re not under the gun, making records every 18 months but I hope to continue because it’s a good time,” he said. In January, The Presidents of the United States of America released the single, “Moving In,” about President Barack Obama’s journey to the White House and celebrating his inauguration. Finn wrote the lyrics for it and they had a riff kicking around for quite sometime they wanted to use. They recorded it in a tiny place in Ballew’s backyard. It barely fit the three of them and their equipment but it was done and recorded in only a couple of hours. They haven’t performed it for President Obama yet but McKeag said, “If he asks, we’re there!” “Nothing makes you feel luckier than someone paying you to go to Hawaii and play rock and roll,” McKeag said. They had a blast all through, even when Ballew lost his voice in Japan. Instead of making it a tragic happening they made it a part of the show and had a good time with it. “We made it a feature not a flaw,” McKeag stated. Having families and wanting to spend time with them, The Presidents tour sporadically. (i.e. one week here, two weeks there, etc.) They are touring Europe the middle of this month and beginning of next and will slowly but surely make their way to our stellar town of Toronto at Lee’s Palace, on April 21st. - Danielle Cowie
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The album, due out March 10, finds the band indulging in their inner thrash with harder riffs and a faster rhythm section than their earlier work boasted, which seems to be an organic evolution for the band. “We’re just playing, picking the strings and play the best chords and tones we can to make,” said bassist Todd Kowalski. “It’s heavy and exciting and fast, and that just translates into thrashing.” Kowalski is the third bassist for Propagandhi, who joined up with founding members Chris Hannah and Jord Samolesky when former bassist John K. Samson left and went on to start The Weakerthans. Kowalski came to Propagandhi after playing with other Winnipeg bands Swallowing Shit and I Spy. Upon joining up with Propagandhi Kowalski was first struck by the professionalism off his new band mates. “Joining Propagandhi was good,” he said. “I was surprised that they actually stopped and took the time to see if everyone was trying to play the right thing or not.” Propagandhi’s ever changing line up has found itself further evolved on Supporting Caste, with the addition of guitarist Dave “Beav” Gillius, who has rounded the band out into a four piece and adding a new level of musicianship. “Beav’s got a real nice chord style,” Kowalski commented when asked about Propaganghi’s newest member. “The way he plays his chords and notes, he’s creative and likes to dream big with his ideas, so he fits in nicely.” Their sound may have evolved and changed but their commitment to activism stays strong, and is one of the corner stones for Propagandhi. Supporting Caste find the band speaking out on a variety of topics. Kowalski summed up the main theme of the title track: “The idea behind ‘Supporting Caste’ is, everyone in the world is working so hard and gets no glory. You get no glory unless you start wars and act like a fool, or if you’re a king or a queen or something and all that comes from Kleptocracy (a government that extends the personal wealth and political power of officials and the ruling class at the expense of the Other songs on the album touch on topics ranging from refugees living in Winnipeg (“Night Letters”) to people accepting the villains they are handed by the news, to the song “Human(e) Meat (The Flensing of Sandor Kat)” which Kowalski describes as, “a song about eating people humanely so that they don’t suffer before they die.” It’s been said that actions speak louder than words and for Propagandhi; activism doesn’t end with their lyrics. “We’re playing a benefit for Sage House here in (Winnipeg), which is a transition house for women fleeing abusive situations, and the Haiti Action Network, which Jord (Samolesky) actually helps run,” Kowalski said. “We’re trying to give money to people in Haiti.” Taking it one step further, the band has also launched an initiative titled downloads for donations. Two songs off of Supporting Caste will be made available for download in exchange for a donation to Sea Sheppard Conservation Society, Partners in Health or Peta2. Propagandhi is planning on taking their music and their message on the road in support of Supporting Caste, with stops planned in Canada, U.S., Mexico, New Zealand, South America, Japan and may even include a stop in China. One thing is for sure, Propagandhi is a values-based band and they’re going to keep on sharing those values and their music as long as there’s something for them to be passionate about. As to why you should check out Supporting Caste, an always humble Kowalski suggested, “give it a shot, we tried hard, we practiced for hours and hours and hours everyday. That must be worth at lest one second of your time.” With a meaningful message and the musical chips to back it up, Supporting Caste is worth much more than a second of your time. - Aaron Long
______________________________________________________________________________________ Toronto’s Rebel Emergency are catching the attention of thousands all across Ontario and have wooed crowds of many in a bunch of different places around the world. Consisting of frontman Roddy Soul, Geoff Star on guitar, Yagga Bucci on bass, and Sir Jeremy rocking the drums, they managed to tour all over the United States and Jamaica, grabbing the attention of people left, right, and centre. Because Panic and the Rebel Emergency was no more, that didn’t mean quits for the guys. They have been rebuilding themselves for a little while now. “The band is probably in its strongest form at the moment,” Soul said. “We know how to present ourselves a bit better.” He finds they have gained more fans as being Rebel Emergency because now they know how to “play the game,” and have been through a lot in life and the industry already. They know how to maximize their strengths and reach out to the fans and never let their fans forget how appreciative they are for the constant support, love, and stellar vibes.. “We are a band for the people,” Soul said. Music has been apart of Soul’s life from the get go. His older brother taught him a lot about it from introducing him to bands like the Beatles and the Who, which had him branch out from there. For having such a hypnotizing voice it’s hard to believe this frontman has never had any professional training. Soul had never planned or even dreamed of being a singer before this. No one in the band wanted to sing, so he stepped up and took one for the team, and really appreciates it now. Some of Soul’s influences include Eddie Vedder, Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, Toots and the Maytels, and more recently, Kings of Leon. Their self-titled album was released in March and they have been rocking crowds and stealing the hearts of many all over the place. Soul said the people seem to respond to it, which is what’s important. The album was co-produced by the Grammy Award-winning producer and engineer, Commissioner Gordon, who has done albums with artist in the past such as Lauryn Hill, Santana, and the Fugees. There are many different things that went on in the bands life to influence this album. “Each song has it’s own little story,” Soul said. “Each song was written in a different place with a different vibe.” Traveling all over New York while writing, being away from home and having so much uncertainty, even though it was a bit exciting, played a huge part in the influences of the album. Some of the band’s musical influences consisted of Beres Hammond, Pearl Jam, and Bob Dylan. Their new album, set for release this year, will carry the same vibe but have a different style within their sound and will be a bit more aggressive. Everyone contributed to writing the songs on the album, Soul mentioned, and they all agreed it just works better that way. “Everyone gets their hands in there and I like it better that way,” Soul said. They have plans to tour Canada and want to start it off with a kick ass CD release party in Toronto. Keep your eyes peeled for some tour dates in your area. - Danielle Cowie
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On a grey, rainy afternoon in early January, I met with Ron Hawkins to discuss his new album, Chemical Sounds. Ron is one of the most genuine and unpretentious people I’ve had the privilege of meeting, and that same sincerity shines through clearly in the music he has created; whether with Lowest of the Low, the Rusty Nails, or now in his first solo release, which has a similar blend of gritty rock and mellow beauty. I asked him about the "heart-on-sleeve" feel to his music, and what his inspiration was for the new CD. “I took a few steps back and revisited the brutal honesty that was created in the Shakespeare My Butt album”, he said referring to the Lowest of the Low classic. “That album was largely autobiographical – so much so, in fact, that I had friends asking me if I really needed to be quite so honest; that I could have at least changed some names.” One of the reasons why Ron got so introspective with this new album as well is that it was created while his partner, Jill, was pregnant with their daughter, Ruby. He spent a great deal of time ruminating about his past, and wondering what he could potentially offer a child in this new role of ‘father’. He became very aware of his own mortality and it changed his perspective on life and his priorities therein. He said he feels grateful to his daughter for pulling him out of “Day-Timer existence”-- teaching him how to be more spontaneous and to flow with things rather than being fastidious and controlling with his time. He joked about his determined work ethic, and how it contradicts with the “slacker aesthetic” he has cultivated. Seated comfortably in a booth at the Red Room, unshaven and utterly relaxed in a t-shirt and jeans, he fits the description rather well. However it’s that unassuming, approachable demeanor of his that undoubtedly keeps drawing people to his music and himself. Over the years, he has earned a devout following both here in Toronto and in Buffalo, where his popularity might actually surpass the fan-dom that exists at home. It’s not uncommon for audience members to sing along at shows, leaving band members pleasantly surprised. These followers have been incredibly supportive over the years. With the new album Chemical Sounds, his fans have the opportunity to immerse themselves in an entirely new set of melodies and heartfelt lyrics. The song “1994” is reminiscent about a very dark time in Ron’s life— the early 90’s were full of intense journeys and experiences (some of which he’s surprised he actually survived) and this song is a commentary on a few memories he has of that time period. “Born to It” touches on the times he’s been tempted to walk away from the music industry entirely, but is inevitably drawn back. Each song tells a story, and parallels can easily be drawn between our own experiences and those being sung by this talented gentleman. Despite becoming an accomplished visual artist who finds great artistic release in his painting, Ron Hawkins hasn’t chosen to leave music behind him yet. There is sure to be a fair amount of music yet to be created by Mr. Hawkins, and undoubtedly a slew of new fans eagerly awaiting it. - Lana Winter
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They don't care about what you want to hear, but they know what you're going to like. They are the Rumble Strips and they have just lost their LP virginity. Gorbutt and Waller began making their own music together for an imaginary boy band called Pretty Boystruss. “After a while it became apparent that although these songs were stupid, there was something about them,” Waller says. They spent the rest of the summer writing songs for a new imaginary band: the Rumble Strips. To complete the roster, they reached into their childhood and pulled out old pals Clarke and Mansbridge. Waller also recruited drummer Matthew Wheeler, a former bandmate from Charlie's previous band, Action Heroes. The Rumble Strips were no longer a figment of Waller's imagination. They soon recorded their debut album, Girls and Weather, over the course of a month in the summer of 2007. Waller compares the process to other famous first times in his life. “Its like losing your virginity,” he explains. “I'm glad it is done so now we can go on and get better.” The album has been called “cheery,” “infectous” and “joyful” by various reviewers, but ask Waller and the one word he will use to describe the album is “bawdy.” With catchy guitar and piano riffs, sing-a-long hooks and blaring trumpets, Girls and Weather is something like a sexed-up sock hop. It draws heavily on 50s Doo Wop and 60s Rock and Roll. “I love Dion and the Belmonts and The Coasters,” says Waller, who quietly hums 'Yakety Yak'. “I like the simplicity of a lot of the songs”. “We've never really payed attention to whats going on in music,” Waller admits. However, they somehow have created an album that is so charming, it has everyone falling in love with it. The band prides themselves on making music for the simple pleasure of bringing people together. “I think that indie music at the moment is just a mass of people all standing alone,” Waller states, hoping the Rumble Strips will bring something new to the scene. “I want the people who get it to put it on loud and bellow out the window at the agro looking people walking down their street.” Their next album is slated to be produced by Grammy-award winning deejay Mark Ronson who, earlier this year, produced the Rumble Strips' haunting remix of “Back to Black,” by Amy Winehouse. Before they begin recording however, the Rumble Strips must finish off their first North American tour, during which they made one stop at El Mocambo, on October 26. This is their first time touring outside of the United Kingdom, and they are more than excited to dive into the American music scene. “Most of the music we all love is American and it is such a massive place. I'm really looking forward to just start seeing it,” Waller says. “I'm sure no one will know who we are, but we don't mind starting at the bottom.” -Bethany Hansraj
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California’s Sleepy Sun may just be modern day hippies: they carry around vitamins, half of them are vegetarians, they live day by day, most of them are college graduates who were disillusioned with their jobs and they play new wave psychedelic rock. “It just so happens that ’60s and ’70s music is coming around again. It could be because the world is kind of in a similar state politically and socially,” vocalist/harmonica player Bret Constantino said. “I think the psychedelic movement and music that seems to sound like it’s from the ’60s and ’70s has a lot do with just how the world is and how people are thinking.” The latest signing of British label ATP Records, Sleepy Sun is a San Francisco-based sextet consisting of Constantino, Evan Reiss (guitar), Matt Holliman (guitar), Brian Tice, (drums), Jack Allen, (bass), and Rachel Williams (backing vocals). “Having six very strongly opinionated and very passionate people is a breeding ground for conflict and confrontation, but it’s also a breeding ground for a beautiful thing and that’s what we’re doing in the music we write,” Constantino said. Founded in 2005 by Constantino, Reiss, Holliman, and former bass player Hubert Guy, the lineup has since reconfigured to include Williams in 2007 and Reiss’s high school buddy Allen who came in when Guy left in the summer of 2008. Constantino, Tice, Reiss, and Holliman, all graduated from UC Santa Cruz in business, electrical engineering, and psychology, respectively. Upon finishing school, the band left Santa Cruz for San Francisco to escape from what Constantino deemed “a hippie bubble.” “It just made the most sense for us to move to a more metropolitan place where there were greater networks and more people to share it with,” he said. For two months before they set out on their first SXSW festival and North American tour in March, all six members shared a house in San Francisco in order to better coordinate band practices and maintain focus. Constantino even had to share a room with Williams, with whom he said he has a brother/sister-esque relationship. “Rachel’s really small. I could stuff her in the corner. It was a really small room and I don’t mind sharing,” he said.
“Well maybe they’ve revoked that. I don’t know. Hopefully. Maybe by the time we get back to San Francisco it’ll be okay for him to order,” Constantino said. Sleepy Sun has previously released its 10” vinyl single New Age in March and its 7” vinyl single White Dove last July. Their debut full-length album Embrace will be released on May 11. Approximately two years in the making and recorded in Hive Studios in Vancouver last January, Embrace features eight tracks in a clean 45 minutes. “We were so emotionally enveloped in [recording Embrace] that we were really frightened of it in the end. Like seeing the inside of your soul, you know?” Constantino said. “People seem to think it’s good. Maybe we are beautiful souls, I don’t know.” Colin Stewart, Embrace’s producer and engineer, is already slated to help record their next album before the band embarks on their May-long European tour. Constantino said the next album will be more polished and focused but still maintain the natural flow that Embrace offers. Recording their follow-up before the first album’s release did not strike Constantino as curious. “We’re not about to stop or put that on hold just because the world hasn’t heard us yet,” he said. Sleepy Sun intend on including a Toronto show in their expansive North American fall tour. - Melissa Kim
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Semi Precious Weapons frontman Justin Tranter talks music, business, weapons, jewelry and why he says “That’s Kunt” New York's most outrageous, in-your-face trashy glam rock band, Semi Precious Weapons featuring lead singer Justin Tranter, guitarist Aaron Lee Tasjan, bassist Cole Whittle and drummer Dan Crean bring back the rebellion, excitement, passion, sexuality, glamour and wickedly catchy songs to rock n roll that has long been missing. Legendary producer Tony Visconti (T. Rex, David Bowie, Thin Lizzy, Morrissey) stated "I have been waiting for this band for 20 years!" and then stepped in to executive produce SPW’s debut album We Love You. Steve Conte of The New York Dolls said "Semi Precious Weapons are my new favorite band,” Perez Hilton thinks they are "The Next Big Thing" while music mogul Alan McGee (Oasis, The Libertines) said "SPW is the most important band in America!" “It’s been a long time coming,” says Tranter “we have been together for two and a half years and I’ve been working at the music thing since I was fourteen.” In fact the band gave away their debut album for free for a year in order to build their fan base and pack clubs for their shows before signing a record deal with Razor & Tie. Tranter and the band also studied music at Berklee School of Music. “I have a degree in songwriting whatever the fuck that means.” After accomplishing so much, I wondered what was behind the decision for the band to sign with a label. Tranter wondered the same thing and asked Razor & Tie “I have my own money because I work so hard at my jewelry biz, what is the point of coming to you?” Tranter explains “they said, ‘it would be like 120 people working for you instead of one’ so that made a lot of sense to me.” That and a generous marketing budget that is ensuring Semi Precious Weapons are everywhere fast. “Because we did so much work on our own beforehand,” says Tranter, “we got a really friendly record deal. They really trust our artistic decisions because we built a great fanbase without them so their mindset is just to help us with what we are doing and it will work.” Part of that work was getting Visconti involved with the album. “Because I was paying for it myself we couldn’t really afford to have him in the studio all day every day,” recalls Tranter “but he wanted to be a part of it so he signed on as executive producer and his right hand man Mario McNulty came in as a co-producer.” Tranters way of raising money and the bands profile is his jewelry line Fetty which is sold in Urban Outfitters, Barney’s and at Semi Precious Weapons.com depending on the line. “My high end jewelry line is sold at Barneys all over America which is all diamonds and sterling and retardedly expensive,” says Tranter, “I love it and I don’t ever want to stop doing it.” “For us its more the concept of the band which is a very balls to the wall AC/DC inspired band with a really flamboyant front man,” explains Tranter about the jewelry’s weapons theme, “and adding that element into an idea of rock n roll that already exists but dropping this other thing into it. So to me the idea of precious weapons it all went together.” One of Semi Precious Weapons songs and catch phrases is “That’s Kunt,” “I never even realized that people would be so shocked a bout it,” says Tranter. “Growing up with the family I grew up with, which is the most loving family in the world, but really funny, vulgar, and very rock and roll, I never really thought about it, because my mom says it all the time.” The expression is meant in a positive way, continues Tranter, “then when I moved to NY and met Tommy Couture who makes all my clothes, he said the same thing. He would say ‘oh my god she is so cunt, her outfit is so cunt.’ So I thought it was amazing.” “That’s Kunt” is the new “Bitchin’” meaning really fabulous, cunt is just a step up, although, Tranter uses a “k” instead of “c.” “I’m really into rappers and in hip hop music they use so many words that mean something different. You spell it a different way and it changes its meaning.” Tranters influences are varied, “I’m interested in music with a sense of urgency, whether it’s Kurt Cobain’s type of urgency, Cindy Lauper’s or Little Kim’s urgency, its all over the top and its all really intense and its what I relate to more than anything. If you missed Semi Precious Weapons the last few times they performed in Toronto, don’t worry, they will return because they love Toronto. “We filmed an internet TV show in LA and I wore this Toronto shirt on the show,” says Tranter, “I cut up this cheesy souvenir Toronto shirt, its super fabulous and everyone asked ‘are you from Toronto?’ and I’m like ‘no, I just love it there, because they love me.’” - Diane Foy http://www.semipreciousweapons.com/
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From the trendy, sophisticated setting of the Drake Hotel in downtown Toronto to...the Dawson City Music Festival? Such has been the life for singer-songwriter Mike Feuerstack, who performs under the name Snailhouse. While touring for his recently released album, Lies on the Prize (Unfamiliar Records), the Montreal native travelled across Canada and found himself performing to hipster crowds in towns like Dawson City, Yukon, with dirt roads and a population of just over 1,300 people. “One of the things I like about playing is it brings you to different places every day and you have to sort of learn to get into the rhythm of it, getting by in unfamiliar places and still try to feel comfortable somehow,” Feuerstack said. “The Toronto show was the total opposite of it, right in the heart of the city, bus loading in and out, worrying about your gear and stuff like that but I always love making music and that show was totally fun.” As for being able to play in front of a diverse range of audiences, Feuerstack hasn’t really thought of it being that odd. “Music that I’m interested in doesn’t really fit in to any sub-culture scenes or anything like that and even if it does, there’s usually something about it that transcends those labels,” Feuerstack said, adding with a laugh, “If someone says, ‘Oh, I listen to Snailhouse, I don’t think it will really help their social status.” Lies on the Prize took about a year to make, as Feuerstack’s ‘partner in crime’, Jeremy Gara, was busy touring with Arcade Fire. Gara pitched in on the drums, keyboards, guitar and bass on Feuerstack’s album as well as helped record and mix it all together. “He recorded it and between the two of us we played most of the rock band style instruments, so it was pretty leisurely,” Feuerstack said. “We just did it on the cheap; on the computer, in the band’s studio for some of it but we did all the overdubs and all the mixing just at home.”
Juggling multiple projects at once isn’t new for Feuerstack. He spent the 1990s slugging along with Snailhouse and handling lead guitar duties for indie rock band Wooden Stars. In 1999, Wooden Stars collaborated with singer-songwriter Julie Doiron on the album Julie Doiron and the Wooden Stars, which won the 2000 Juno Award for Alternative Album of the Year. Feuerstack said winning the award was a surreal experience, being in a band as unknown as they were at the time. “My dad told me (about the Juno win) and I thought he was kidding. It took a long time to digest, I had to actually look it up,” Feuerstack said. “It was interesting and it was kind of validating in terms of families, colleagues and co-workers and stuff saying, ‘Hey, maybe the guy is talented.’ It hasn’t translated into any major success but it’s nice to be recognized by the music establishment.” Following the win, Wooden Stars went on hiatus and Feuerstack concentrated on Snailhouse. Doiron also helped Feuerstack on his 2001 Snailhouse release, The Opposite is Also True. The two-disc album features nine songs, with different variations on the second disc. Wooden Stars reunited in 2004 and after touring, they released People Are Different in 2007, their first new album in eight years. Fans waiting for the band’s follow-up shouldn’t hold their breath. “If we have something we want to show the world then we’ll step it up and show it to them,” Feuerstack said. “Otherwise, I don’t think there are thousands of people on the edge of their seats waiting to find out. Maybe there are eight or ten people but we can just e-mail them.” Feuerstack has also made a few guest appearances of his own. He played lap steel guitar on Islands’ debut album, Return to the Sea, when the band was still forming and he almost became a permanent member. “It was just fun, we had a few laughs and they asked me to join the band,” Feuerstack said. “I did all of their warm-up shows and I did a couple big shows with them at the beginning but when it came time for major touring, I had to make a decision and I chose to stick to doing my own thing. It would have eaten up a lot of my time so I couldn’t do it.” He also appeared on the 2007 compilation Friends in Bellwoods, created by members of Ohbijou and all proceeds go to Toronto’s Daily Bread Food Bank. Feuerstack contributed the Snailhouse song “Salvation Army (In Four)” even though he didn’t have a band at the time and assembled together a few musicians who were also in Toronto at the time. “We had a little mini-band, we just had one rehearsal and threw it together,” Feuerstack said. “It was kind of a country-ish thing, all very low-key, off-the-cuff and a lot of fun.” With Snailhouse his main priority, Feuerstack also actively performs with Bell Orchestre (set to release the follow-up to their debut album, Recording a Tape the Colour of the Light) and Angela Desveaux. Reversing the roles of singer-songwriter and collaborator is an experience Feuerstack enjoys. “Being a songwriter, it’s fun for me to play other people’s songs and I know what it’s like to lead a band and what it’s like to try to get what’s in your head out with other people’s help,” Feuerstack said, “So it’s fun for me to help other people out.” -Jon Brazeau
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Seven years after landing a record deal with Toronto-based Linus Entertainment, the world still can’t seem to get enough of Sophie Milman. With two albums under her belt, a Juno award and a long stream of world-wide tours, Milman seems to have settled back in Toronto just in time to discuss her third recording, Take Love Easy. Amidst a jazz community that has shifted more and more towards analytical playing, it is refreshing to find that one of the most successful young jazz singers of our time resorts to intuition and emotion when it comes to musicianship rather than theory and “intellect.” Covering everything from Paul Simon to Janis Joplin to the American songbook, Take Love Easy dances with different feels, surprising tempos and of course, Milman’s signature sultry phrasing. Always one to avoid mega hits, Milman claims that a lot of the song choices were obvious and came from listening and seeking the opinions of not only band mates but the people closest in her life. When asked about the surprising Bruce Springsteen cover, “I’m on Fire,” she explained that while she’s always been a fan, she found that most of his songs were “dripping in testosterone” and was eager to find a way to do one of his songs with a more feminine, mellow touch. With soft husky slurs, and a laid back feel accented with brushes and bluesy guitar licks, the goal was definitely achieved. The album is seemingly more fun than her first two recordings; the moodier torch songs replaced with groovy jazz fusion and a bit of swagger. “The first two albums still dealt with my life in Russia and Israel, my move to Canada, and general teenage angst,” Milman said. Now in a more settled frame of mind and ready to embrace the new chapter of her life (she is getting married in the fall), the album reflects all the different aspects and sides of the multi-dimensional Milman. When asked about her approach in getting to the meat of the songs and figuring out how to deliver, Milman talks about the different schools of thought in jazz. “There’s the Kurt Elling school where everything is overly theorized, planned and thought about. Then there’s a singer like myself,” she said. “I listen, I move, I sing. Whatever comes out, comes out.” After spending four days locked down in the studio, Milman and her band did have time to prepare a bit, but like many jazz sessions, a lot of the tunes came together on the spot. When talking about the dynamics between her and her musicians, Milman laughs at the spontaneity of figuring things out together. “Some of the songs I have sung a bunch of times, but other’s, like Paul Simon’s ‘Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover,’ I had just learned,” she said. “Once we released Robbi (Botos) on the track, I was like, ‘Oh okay, this is how we’re going to do it.’” A consummate professional but still human, Milman admits that being able to get into the head space to deliver a song in a way that does it justice is not always easy. “You have no choice, things are riding on you. Sixteen hour days in the studio are going to happen,” she said. “You can’t put a sticker on the cover of the CD reading ‘Sophie had the stomach flue, it won’t be up to par.’” Apparently delirium can really pay off. Milman light-heartedly explained that “My One And Only Love,” a sigh-provoking Latin ballad, was recorded ridiculously late at night when she and guitarist Rob Piltch created some beautiful moments simply based on the interaction between them When asked the inevitable “tree falling in the forest question,” would she still sing if she never had an audience, if no one ever heard her, Milman paused for a moment, then chuckled. “Certainly not for a living,” she said. “I guess if I had to name one negative thing about being a professional singer that would be it. My family and fiancé are always lamenting that I don’t just sing anymore. I guess I’m always saving it for a show or recording.” Listening to the album, one could easily forget that Milman sings for a profession, it just seems to come out of her naturally. Take Love Easy is in stores May 5 and features an all-star band consisting of Paul Shrofel, Rob Piltch, Kieren Overs and Mark McLean along with special guests. - Melissa Pisarzowski
______________________________________________________________________________________ This indie rock group decided on the name of their band because they kept switching it so many times. They felt the last name they came upon on would be a good permanent one. And so, all you fellow indie rockers, we have “The Switches.” This London bred band consists of Matt Bishop on guitar and stellar vocals; Thom Kirkpatrick with his skills on the bass; Ollie Thomas, backing vocals and guitar, and Jimmy Godfrey, rocking out on the drums. “We’re just four regular guys who like to rock,” said Bishop. The guys met in University in Surrey and have been jamming out for approximately the past three or four years now. Describing the bands music in a general sense would be “guitar, bass, rock,” said Bishop. In a personal sense Bishop continued to explain that the entire band does it’s share of singing. “We’re a barber shop quartet within a rock group, like The Beatles meets the Beach Boys,” he explained. On their myspace page it also mentioned Toronto as one of their many influences. When asked, Bishop said he spends a lot of time in Toronto visiting friends and loves to go to Queen West. “I love Toronto and hope they love me too,” he said kindly. The band has been touring with The Bravery, who they think is an amazing band, and they love it! Bishop finds it exciting and think touring with The Bravery will definitely widen their fan base. The bigger the venue, the better for them, just more people to experience and dig their music. The Switches influences come from a lot of 90’s Britpop music including the bands Menswear, Pulp, Sleeper, and Blur. “We just like Britpop,” Bishop simply answered. “Personally I’m into 70’s music like Roxy Music, and Blondie.” The guys were recently listening to the new Hives album and Bishop has been listening to a lot of, Of Montreal, Ratatat, and the Gorillaz B-sides.
-Danielle Cowie
______________________________________________________________________________________ With the plethora of indie bands making up the Toronto music scene, it’s easy to get lost in the shuffle. If you’re like me, most of the time you leave a show feeling a little less than satisfied and wonder when the next great band will emerge. Well, one group of guys in particular has managed to restore my faith in the Canadian music scene. Ariane Leazza
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Perhaps it’s ironic that a band with the word “sunset” in its name plays a show where the sun doesn’t really go down but that was exactly the case for Sunset Rubdown when they performed at the Dawson City Music Festival. Currently on tour in support of their latest album, Dragonslayer, the Montreal-based band travelled to new places like Poland, Croatia and the Czech Republic but their tour has also taken them to the Far North where the band had a memorable experience. “It’s a pretty crazy festival, just the place itself is really amazing because the sun doesn’t really go down, which is incredible but also confusing,” says Camilla Wynne Ingr, who performs keys, percussion and vocals for the band. “Everyone in that town cares so much about that festival, everyone is really into it and supportive and there’s parents with babies there, it’s really cool.” Also at the festival was ’60s a cappella group The Persuasions, who happened to be everywhere Sunset Rubdown was as well. “They were always singing at like breakfast and at the airport,” Ingr says. “It was really amazing to be hanging around them.”
“We toured all the songs into it so all of them were — as much as we could — recorded live off the floor to capture our live sound,” Ingr says. “We’d done two records at home and we thought it would be interesting to do something in a foreign place so that all our attention would be focused on the record.” Ingr describes the ordeal as a “really intense experience” and doesn’t think it was such a smart idea when all things are considered. “Coming off a tour, not having any days off and going straight into the studio was probably one of our dumbest ideas ever but I think for the recording it worked out,” Ingr says. “We maybe hated each other a little bit.” Although Dragonslayer was released in June, the album was recorded in October of last year and almost a year later, the band is performing the same songs live. “Oh it’s weird,” Ingr says. “By the time you’re doing interviews about it, you have to really think about what happened during the process because it was such a long time ago.” It’s not that huge of a jump when one considers that the band didn’t mix the album until January and they were working on the production side of things until April. But when touring began in the spring, the band already wanted to get on with it. “It is a little weird because we’re already wanting to write new songs and play them live but obviously we have an obligation to play our new songs but we played all of those songs live before we even went into the studio,” Ingr says. “We’ve been playing Dragonslayer live for a long time now.” Sunset Rubdown has certainly come a long way since the band was simply Wolf Parade’s Spencer Krug’s solo project. Krug started recording Sunset Rubdown material in his bedroom using a cheap microphone hooked up to his PC. Ingr was in the band Pony Up! at the time and remembers seeing Krug opening for his other band, Wolf Parade. “I remember trying to tell Spencer that I liked one of his songs in the back room there,” she says. “I didn’t know him back then and he just stared at me kind of blankly; he’s really shy. He doesn’t remember that moment but I do.” Krug released five EPs and a selection of those songs were compiled for the 2005 release, Snake’s Got a Leg. Sunset Rubdown then expanded as Krug invited Jordan Robson-Cramer (drums, guitar and keys) and Michael Doerksen (guitar and bass) but something was missing or rather, it felt like deja vu. “Spencer was already in a band with two guys in Wolf Parade so I think he felt it was a little too similar,” Ingr says. “I had just gotten kicked out of Pony Up!, we had a phone conversation and he was like ‘You might not like the songs at all’ and I was like ‘Well you might not like my playing’ but it worked out.” As a four-piece, Sunset Rubdown released two critically acclaimed albums, Shut Up I Am Dreaming (2006) and Random Spirit Lover (2007), which received 8.6/10 and 8.5/10 reviews respectively from Pitchfork Media and both garnered four out of five stars from Allmusic. While Krug maintains the “frontman” role in Sunset Rubdown, Ingr explains how the songwriting process works for the band. “(Spencer) comes in with something — some bones — and then everyone gets into the jam room and builds upon that but Spencer provides the basic structure,” she says. “Occasionally, he’ll have specific parts in mind that he wants people to do but for the most part everyone has the freedom to figure out what they want to do with the songs.” Following the release of Random Spirit Lover, Marc Nicol (bass, drums and percussion) joined Sunset Rubdown and made his album debut on Dragonslayer. Their latest tour took them across Eastern Europe but it also brought them to familiar places like the United States. “We’ve been to (the States) a lot at this point so it’s kind of comfortable going to those places because you know where you’re going to eat dinner and stuff,” Ingr says. “It’s just nice knowing what you like to do there and get to go hang out. It’s kind of a big year for us, it’s exhausting but it’s also exciting.” As for the future of the band, expect them to take some time off following their fall tour and Krug may see how things are going with Wolf Parade. However, Sunset Rubdown has floated around some interesting ideas for new material. “Spencer’s talked about a lot of things like just doing digital releases, one song at a time, or we talked about having a double album where we each get our own side to do solo material,” Ingr says. “I think we’ll just keep carrying on, it seems to be working, so we’ll see.” — Jon Brazeau
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Tindersticks can be best described as an anomaly of a band, somewhat elusive yet lurking not so distant. After a five year hiatus, and nearly 20 years since forming, the band returned to record a new album and is currently on a tour in support of it. The Hungry Saw Tour touches down in Canada as a seven-piece outfit consisting of three founding members: Stuart Staples (voice, guitar), David Boulter (organ, keyboards) and Neil Fraser (guitar), along with an ensemble of selected guests, Dan McKinna (bass) and Thomas Belhom (drums), and Terry Edwards (brass) and Andrew Nice (cello). Despite their melancholy sound that didn’t fit in with the pop music dominating the British charts at the time, their 1993 self-titled debut album was named Album of the Year by Melody Maker and they went on to record five more albums before calling it quits, temporarily at least. The U.K. band later re-grouped again in 2007 to record their first new album in five years, The Hungry Saw, released in 2008. There’s many terms that have been tossed around to try and describe the bands unique satirical moodiness. Their sound is lyrically rich and textured, supplemented by divine orchestral poignancy, and drawn on dark elicit feelings of emotion. This Brit-Noir group were successful in garnering accolades from the press, and a somewhat cult following of dedicated fans. “The music does that more than the words sometimes. I've been buying music since I was eight or nine and punk, or what followed in the late 70’s, was very important in making us want to make a noise. Also films and their soundtracks are big in my influences,” he states. The Hungry Saw continues in the vein of a conceptual piece of musical magic, and has already been called a classic by many fans and music critics. The band started writing lyrics in January 2007, recorded throughout the year and the album was mastered by the end of December that same year. Many musicians helped put this latest release together, and the horn arrangements by Terry Edwards are nothing short of haunting. “It actually came together quite naturally as we were collaborating with a collective of friends who we’ve worked with before,” Boulter states. The album was recorded at Stuart Staples private studio, Le Chien Chanceux, in a small village in central France. “It's just Stuart's old barn really,” Boulter laughs. The quirkiness of Tindersticks has often led them in directions many others may not have opportunity to experience. Actress Isabelle Rosellini worked with the band in 1997 on an updated version of “A Marriage Made in Heaven,” which was recorded in New York. “It was very nice of Isabelle to sing for us,” Boulter smiles. Other studio activity saw the commissioning of their music for a Louis Vuitton fashion show in Paris. French filmmaker Claire Denis also asked the band to work with her on Nénette et Boni back in 1996. “We had an interest in making film music and felt she had a similar way of working with film as we had with music. With soundtracks you're responding to someone else's ideas, imagination, and dreams, so it becomes a very important statement, or release,” Boulter comments. During the band’s five year hiatus, Stuart Staples made two solo albums that Boulter and Neil Fraser were involved with, and Boulter also made a children’s themed album with Staples called Songs for the Young at Heart. The band first reunited to perform live in 2006, as part of the “Don’t Look Back” music series. Their previous British shows sometimes offered up every song from The Hungry Saw played in order, with a few classics thrown in between. While Staples and the band create an intimate experience, they seldom interact with their fans, preferring to focus on the task at hand which is to put on a great show. “Canada was very enjoyable last time we came for the Stuart Staples solo shows,” Boulter remarks. “We feel good and excited about the future. It's what we do and as long as we feel good we'll make music together. We've started working on new songs and are planning some time to put them together. There's also more soundtrack work planned. It's quite busy actually, and hopefully there will be time for a holiday by the sea soon.” - Bryen Dunn ______________________________________________________________________________________
A lot of people will say that North Dakota’s Tom Brosseau is “of another time” or as he puts it: “they say I'm folk, I'm old-timey, I'm country, shit, one review said I was like Beck. Beck!” Why is there so much trouble describing Brosseau? Perhaps it is just that he is unusually articulate. Perhaps, as he believes, he “[doesn't] fit in anywhere.” Indeed, Brosseau seems to straddle many contradictions, but it is this complexity that makes him seem infinitely more human, somehow, than anyone you know. “Labels,” he says, “they kill me.” I’ll let him describe himself: “My guitar playing, it's way out there. Someone sings a song, alone on a stage, you call them a singer-songwriter. I'm so sick of singer-songwriter. I wish singer-songwriter would die. I really do. I can't tell you what it is I do. Maybe I don't care. Maybe I just do what I do. Read the chapter in Moby Dick about the carpenter.” What he does is craft elegant, moody songs with lyrics that are somehow fragile and intense at the same time. He “think[s] of [him]self as a writing man,” and it shows. His newest, Posthumous Success, is striking and original. Brosseau’s unique voice threads the songs together — not necessarily telling any stories that have never been told before but something about the way he tells these old stories is inexplicably new. It is in the gulf between those worlds that agelessness — and Tom Brosseau — reside. He says of the moment when the cover photograph was taken — on the opening night of the new Largo Theatre location in Los Angeles, with “lots of laughter, lots of warming up,” “June heat”, and the smell of a trading post — “ I suppose at that moment I felt a little old and a little new.” Brosseau, it seems, is a man who knows how to live. “There should be no pressure in anything creative,” he says, “The best, if you've tapped into it, once it's properly developed, if ideas are like cattle, is to corral to the entry gate. Don't get me wrong, some of those bastards are stubborn, real stubborn. Nothing worse than a damned stubborn beast.” If any of the songs on Posthumous Success were ever damned stubborn beasts, it doesn’t show, perhaps because Brosseau is also wise enough to advise no to “start getting behind every one of them, pushing, pulling, yelling, working yourself into a fit. Any kind of frustration and it kills the process.” Brosseau’s process begins mostly by “stealing…any one cool thing that arises in an anonymous conversation.” It is not hard to imagine the seeds of these songs being born in the mind of this avid, self-described people-watcher. “With hope,” he says, “it's a nice day, the grass is green, and no one suspects you or notices your every cast.” For as much thought as he supplies to strangers, he seems to avoid wondering what people think of him. Although he notes “you don't want people thinking you're too cool,” he questions “how long [you can] be concerned with what other people think about you.” Not very long is the answer. “At some point you've got to believe whatever people are thinking about you is only in your head, and if people are, in fact, thinking things of you, and they don't even know you, well, who's life are you living? Stop thinking like that, will you.” These are the kind of truths that Brosseau seems to effortlessly produce, with nary a notice that most people live out everything within a confusing mess of quasi-truth. He seems to cut straight through pretensions and falsehoods. Brosseau says “everyone’s on the same ride,” yet that “it's hard to tell what you're in when you're in it”; it’s just another perfectly appropriate, relatively contradictory statement that seems to fall from his thoughts. It’s a reflection of the complications of life, and we should count ourselves lucky that we have Tom Brosseau to listen to while we muddle through. - Sally Walker Hudecki
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For generations, Aesop’s famed fable has told the story of a greedy, boastful hare losing to a steadily hard-working tortoise, teaching the lesson that anything can be accomplished with a little persistence. The tale of Tortoise the band bares many resemblances and the group’s dedication to their art has resulted in a rare 20 year career in the music industry. Known for their unique amalgamation of diverse musical genres, Tortoise continues to stand out with their latest album, Beacons of Ancestorship (released June 23 on Thrill Jockey), proving that their music only gets better with time. “We began recording sessions for a new album in 2005, immediately after we were done touring for our last record, It’s All Around You,” explains guitarist Jeff Parker. “These initial sessions were highly experimental in nature . . . mostly exploring general conceptual frameworks and ideas, as opposed to trying to compose new material. Eventually, we started meeting regularly at our practice space to start writing some new songs. Things progressed pretty quickly after that but it took a long time to get to that point. The whole process went through a few different phases over the course of four years. “For Beacons, we wanted to make a leaner, tighter album. We definitely experimented with some harder sonic textures. The sound of it is more minimal, less layered, with a more prominent synthesizer presence. We were growing tired of the mallet instruments (vibraphone and marimba) and we made a conscious decision to leave them off. We have to set limits on ourselves sometimes, to push us in different directions. One of the main things we always try to do is something different, in order to push ourselves in some different directions.”
A lasting rock star life is anything but a race to the finish line; it is becoming increasingly difficult for any artist to remain relevant for any length of time in the world of entertainment. Over the past two decades, Tortoise has successfully put together the pieces of a career, wholly understanding the requirements for success. Consequently, the band has mastered the balancing act of attracting new fans while satisfying those who have been there since the beginning. “Our audiences keep getting younger, and that’s a really good thing,” Parker recognizes. “They’re also more musically diverse than they were in the past. Some folks like us for the beats, some like us for the rock, some folks who are more into jazz, etc. “We appreciate the fact that we’ve been able to keep going for so long, so first and foremost, I have to give thanks to our fans. Aside from that, we keep our band’s musical aesthetic extremely wide-open, meaning that we have a very deep reservoir of resources that we can tap into for inspiration. This way, what we do stays fresher for us and hopefully, that enthusiasm will translate into the music that we ultimately put out there for the people to enjoy.” This insight reflects a level of maturity only possible after years of reflection and growth. Looking back, Parker reminisces: “When we first started out, it was completely different, . . . crashing on people's floors, playing our strange music for unfamiliar audiences. “One of the craziest experiences was when we were supposed to play the Glastonbury Festival, in England, in ’98. We were running late and our crazy bus driver tried to drive our nightliner, with a trailer full of our gear, down a fairly steep hill to the stage where we were scheduled to perform. It had rained heavily for several days prior, so the grounds were covered in mud and driving was difficult . . . it was kind of like driving in tar. There were festival-goers surrounding us on all sides: I had a nightmare vision of our bus sliding out — luckily, our driver wised up and realized that there was no way he would’ve gotten through and he backed the bus all the way back up the hill. At the same festival I saw Nick Cave walking around in an Armani suit with waders on, there was mud up to his knees!” — Heather Adamo
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If you’re looking for the Two Koreas’ latest album, you won’t find it in the CD section. In fact, you might not even find it at all if the store doesn’t carry vinyl. The Toronto-based alternative rock band’s EP Sessions is only available on vinyl (and online in digital format) but as far as a CD release is concerned, one doesn’t exist. Vocalist Stuart Berman said the decision was simple; nobody in the band has a working CD player currently hooked up and none of them actually listened to CDs anyway. “When we put out this EP we were like, ‘Why make it in a format none of us interact with that much anymore?’” Berman said. “It seems like there is a little bit of a resurgence of vinyl as music becomes a series of ones and zeros; people want something a little tangible to hold on to and feel like you’re actually buying something and not just a computer file that can be wiped out in an instant.” Berman himself came to this realization last year when he moved and having tons of CDs lying around proved to be a problem. “To save space, I actually took an afternoon, took all my jewel cases and removed all the CDs from them, putting the CDs in little plastic bags and you save a ton of space,” Berman said. “Then I realized I did all this work for things I don’t even listen to really, like it either goes right onto my computer or I listen to vinyl.” Featuring new recordings of tracks from their last LP, Altruists, remakes from their debut, Main Plates and Classic Pies, plus exactly two and a half unreleased songs, Sessions serves as both a retrospect for the band as well as a sign of where they’re heading in the future. While catering their album to a tiny market like vinyl, Berman doesn’t expect there to be another format war.
It’s almost a surprise Sessions even came to fruition as the band was close to losing a member. This past winter, guitarist Kieran Grant was seriously ill with a case of ulcerative colitis and was in the hospital for two months. Grant made a full recovery and the band was happy not only to have him back with the band but healthy as well. “There were times in January and February when things looked kind of grim but it was a great way to get back into it by playing at the Beaver, which is not really a venue but we made it one on a few occasions,” Berman said. “It was a great way to get back into the swing of things.” Their June 12th show also marked the Two Koreas’ EP release party and they were joined on stage by former Pavement guitarist Scott Kannberg. “He’s one of our favourite songwriters so that was our ‘we can retire now’ moment,” Berman said. –Jon Brazeau
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Passion Pit: Hot and Heavy in 2009
Paul Collins: The Beat Goes On
The Presidents of the United States of America: Still Lumping Around
These Are the Good Times People is their latest album, released March of last year and shares the same influences from all their other albums. 
Propagandhi: Stepping out of a Supporting Role
Meet the Rebel Emergency
Sleepy Sun: Because the Sun Sets in the West
After their late-night band practices, the group would order pizza from the one local pizzeria that was still open at that time of night. Constantino said if the band was a food, it would be a tomato basil mushroom pizza. Guitarist Reiss would take this love to the next level and often order from that very pizzeria when he was alone in the house, but he tended to pass out before it was delivered. Reiss has since been blacklisted from the establishment. 
Guest musicians on the album include Sarah Neufeld (Arcade Fire, Bell Orchestre) on violin; Pietro Amato (Bell Orchestre, Torngat) on French horn; Jeff Debutte (the Acorn) on six string electric guitar and Angela Desveaux with background vocals on “Salvation Army” and “Homesick.” Their appearances shouldn’t be too surprising as Feuerstack is an active member of Bell Orchestre and plays guitar for Desveaux’s band. . 
Singing From the Heart, Not the Heart, not the Head makes Sophie Milman Stand out Among Young Jazz Musicians of Our Time 
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The Switches are a hit! 
They will be releasing their third record (their second full-length one) on March 18th, titled “Lay Down The Law.” They are currently touring in the States at the moment but will be making a stop at our very own Toronto’s Opera House on February 12th with the Bravery. The guys are stoked about coming and playing in the city again and it should be a stellar show. Bishop said they played at the Mod Club last year with The Fratellis and had a blast. You can check out more info, pics, and music at their 
Sunriser and the City
Sunset Rubdown: When Sun Never Sets
With Dragonslayer — released on June 23 through Jagjaguwar — the band wanted to try something a little different and following their 2007 tour, the band went straight into the studio in Chicago. 
Tindersticks: They’re Back $ They’re Hungry
Tom Brosseau: Don’t Call Him a Singer-Songwriter
Tortoise: Slow and Steady Wins the Race 
Indeed, Beacons of Ancestorship forges into foreign territory, oftentimes resembling a symphony of synthesized sound. Instead of reproducing the musical tricks that have made them successful in the past, Tortoise embraces the opportunity to take risks and try something new. 
Dropping the Needle on The Two Koreas
“There’s been a lot of articles about how vinyl’s making a comeback but it can’t be coming back from being nil to like maybe less than one per cent of the market or something,” Berman said. “But vinyl survived CDs and there’s nothing MP3s can do to threaten it. If music ever becomes more digital, you’ll still have vinyl.”