en http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/ Thu, 1 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000 Thu, 1 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000 60 http://www.audioscrobbler.net/data/webservices http://www.last.fm/user/april_r/journal The Last.fm journal for april_r. Last.fm journals are a place to talk about all things music. http://www.last.fm/user/april_r/journal/2012/02/11/5brc2o_porcelain_raft%3A_floating_on_the_here_and_now Sat, 11 Feb 2012 01:20:48 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/april_r/journal/2012/02/11/5brc2o_porcelain_raft%3A_floating_on_the_here_and_now A musical adventurer with past stints playing indie rock in London, gypsy klezmer music with the traveling Berlin Youth Circus and piano in off-Broadway productions, Italian-born New Yorker, Mauro Remiddi, has decided there’s nothing quite as meaningful as effectively capturing the present. His latest musical endeavor – and first as Porcelain Raft – is called Strange Weekend, and it’s surely the most compelling collection of billowing, synth-filled dream-pop ever recorded within the confines of a small, Brooklyn basement. Between tour dates in Europe, Remiddi reflects on the creation of his Porcelain Raft debut, his explorations of musical context, and on his strangest (read: best-ever) weekend spent hunkered down against a hurricane.

Where did the name Porcelain Raft come from?
I just put the two words together and it felt right straight away. It feels like a name that won't allow cynical people to like it. They’ll see the raft made of porcelain sink in the water. People that use their imagination however, will question themselves: 'If it's not floating on water, what’s it floating on?'

Your musical experience is so diverse, how do you begin to whittle down your influences and extract Porcelain Raft?
I think influences are always unconscious and you never really know where an idea has its root, really. That's the beauty of it: you make music and then it tells you what has remained inside you after all this time.

Where were you at in your life when you wrote Strange Weekend - and did it shape the sound and feel of the record?
I had just moved to Brooklyn deciding that it was my new home. I met the most important woman of my life –Grace – and we were preparing to be married right after the album was recorded. It was a new place and a new chapter of my life with so much going on, but I didn't really forge or shape the sound. It’s the way it came about and I let it be without touching it too much.

Is it meant to tell a story of any kind?
It’s a snapshot of me at that moment when I wrote it. It doesn't talk about my life as a whole or anything life changing. All the thoughts I had that 'weekend,' and all the feelings that passed through me are all recorded in the album. Sometimes they were silly, light thoughts and sometimes they went way back to the past.

Atmospheric, dreamy and wistful are all words that come to mind listening to your songs – particularly tracks like Drifting In and Out, Shapeless & Gone, Put Me To Sleep and The End of Silence. What kind of headspace do you need to be in to conceive of pieces like these?
I'm interested in that moment in the morning when you open your eyes but you’re still half asleep. For a fraction of a second you maybe don't remember where you are, or you look at your hands and don't recognize them as your own...

So what is your writing process like?
I tend to write and record at the same time; I improvise the lyrics and randomly say things that might start a song. I edit a lot - it's so much fun for me – and so I feel more like a Director and that the themes and parts of the songs are like actors…I like to move them around to see if the scene works better.

I read something about your penchant for white space…Tell me about that.
To me, sounds are like the lighting of a movie, and that's where the idea of white space comes about. If you put any given object into a completely white room, that object is stripped of its context and its relation with the world. It’s interesting to put musical material which isn't new or groundbreaking – something that everybody recognizes – into ‘a white room.’ Suddenly even the most common drum machine, rock and roll beats sound alien.

The last two tracks on the album – Picture and The Way – are much more straightforward in their structure, and your lyrics are significantly more intelligible. Is there a reason why they’re different?
The order of the songs on the album respect the way I composed and recorded them. Those two last songs were actually the last two I recorded. I was tired, and I didn't really spend time in finding anything more than what I had in front of me. That's why they sound more straightforward. I put them on the album because they feel very natural to me. Like when you talk to a friend, for example; in the first moments both of you are totally into whatever you’re discussing but slowly the focus of the conversation goes somewhere else until you eventually say, ‘Bye see you later; it was great to see you.'

Are your songs quite different beasts when performed live?
Some songs have a completely different approach. Now I have a drummer with me on stage and we’re having so much fun reinventing some of them. They were composed and recorded purposefully very quickly so as to not let the dust settle on them – like a snapshot of a work in progress. Now they seem to grow in the live setting, and I see them taking shapes I’d never imagined.

The video for Unless You Speak From Your Heart is compelling in its simplicity and its lightheartedness. As Director, what were you imparting about yourself and/or the song?
The idea is rooted in what I saying before about the white room: I just wanted to put myself and my alter ego in a white room and improvise something; I wanted to be joyful with not much planned - just like the song. I composed and recorded it in a day, while a bit tipsy.

So tell me, what’s the strangest weekend you’ve ever had?
There’s so many! The one I loved the most was the hurricane Irene weekend. Everyone in New York was waiting for the Armageddon. The supermarket was full of people buying water; shops were closing up display windows with wooden panels...It was just like a movie. Grace and I were at home with wine and a record player. It was the best two days I’ve had in a long time.

Porcelain Raft is on tour now in Europe with M83. The album can be streamed in full below.

02/16 - London, UK @ Shepherds Bush Empire
02/23 Copenhagen, DK @ Vega
02/24 Oslo, NO @ Rockefeller
02/25 Stockholm, SE @ Berns
02/27 Helsinki, FI @ Tavastia
02/29 Malmo, SE @ KB
03/5 Munich, DE @ Hansa
03/6 Milan, IT @ Magazini Generali
03/9 Barcelona, SP @ Bikini
03/10 Madrid, SP @ Shoko
03/11 Porto, PT @ Hard Club
03/12 Lisbon, PT @ Lux

*Originally published on TalkRockToMe.com]]> http://www.last.fm/user/april_r/journal/2012/02/03/5be2w6_hospitality%3A_happily_at_home Fri, 3 Feb 2012 20:04:08 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/april_r/journal/2012/02/03/5be2w6_hospitality%3A_happily_at_home Brooklyn’s Hospitality is an intelligent, immediately likable indie-pop outfit whose brand new, eponymous LP – released this week – is pricking up ears and making listeners feel fine. Fronted by Amber Papini (vocals, guitar, piano) and backed by Nathan Michel (drums) and Brian Betancourt (bass, vocals), the trio has breathed new life into works from a few years back and assembled them into a re-energized collection that both The New Yorker and Wired.com deemed among their most anticipated for 2012. From her sister’s home in Connecticut amid the sweet din of nephews playing nearby, Amber shares what it was like finding her best voice, details of their recent, celebrity-studded video shoot, and how now, with their debut finally released on Merge Records, Hospitality are feeling completely at home.

Where does a name like Hospitality come from?
We mulled over a few different names – I think we were called Trumpet for a week – but Hospitality just stuck. I liked how it looked, you know? It has lots of letters, it ends in a ‘y,’ and it’s also not a typical rock and roll band name. It actually sounds quite…anti-rock and roll.

What struck me about this record was that there’s such clarity and immediacy to your vocals; you’re not hiding behind anything. Can I take this to mean you’re a very confident singer?
I don’t know…I think I’ve grown into being more confident with Hospitality. Some people are very loud and proud when they sing, but I’m not. It took me awhile to find my voice. When I was a teenager I used to write songs and I loved to sing but I was shy and I had to find my own style. I’ve always enjoyed proud singers with attitude: I love how Mick Jagger sings and I love how the guy from The Fall sings – he has this particular style that is so great.

Has singing got easier for you over time?
I think I’ve evolved from our first recording. I was allowed to be quiet before because we were using acoustic instruments so I didn’t need to be forceful. When we moved from acoustic to electric, I learned how to sing louder – and I actually think I over sang for a bit there. I had to learn how to balance my vocals and know when to be forceful and when to hold back. Circumstances like playing in loud clubs make you louder and force you into being more confident.

How does this new record translate live?
We recorded it live in a room over four days essentially, and so live, things don’t change too much. There are some horns and synthesizers on the record that we’ve adapted to guitar. Nathan – who played drums on the record – plays our second guitar live and fills out the harmonies and melodies.

How much of the material on this record was re-recorded from older versions?
Well, we did an EP in 2008 that we considered it a sort of demo in our early configuration of acoustic guitars and an improper drum set. There were six songs on that EP and we felt like five of those needed to be revisited and done in a way that would show how we’ve evolved from then to now: more electric and more confident. We got a professional studio and got a professional engineer and mixer…and we just felt like, why not, you know?

I noticed that ‘I’ shows up in your songs quite a bit – is your writing often personal or do you create personas?
I am interested in the ‘I’, I guess – and I love personal stories – but the songs aren’t strictly personal. I’m inspired by everyday things that I notice and things that I feel but I like to stretch the truth and bend the narrative into something not expressly autobiographical. I think that’s okay to do and I’m comfortable doing that.

So tell me: who is this Betty Wang?
When I first moved to New York I had massive credit card debt and student loans, so I worked at a bank on Wall Street as an administrative assistant. Betty was a manager I worked with and she was a good friend to me. I was writing songs at night when I’d go home and Betty Wang just sort of became a muse. There are lots of songs with women’s names in them that I’ve enjoyed and I thought her name was really pretty. The song is generally about the feeling of being an outsider and I think it was really more about me and how I felt in that very male-dominated, corporate world.

Do you feel at home now in your world with Hospitality?
For sure; I feel great. I feel like finally we’re getting the support I always wanted us to have: a great record label helping to push our record and a booking agent to get us shows. It all feels very…welcoming.

The Friends Of Friends video is so entertaining; I was giddy to see one of my favorite TV characters – Maeby Funke – in there.
(laughs) It is a great video but we can’t take any credit for it really. Scott Jacobson (former Daily Show writer) wrote and directed it and got the actors (Alia Shawkat of Arrested Development and Gabe Delahaye, stand-up comic and Videogum editor) and it was really his creation. But we love his work and totally trusted him and we just wanted him to do what he does. We were totally surprised and pleased to have celebrities appear in it.

I think it’ll make people smile, considering every person on the planet can relate to being forcefully cheered up during a breakup.
(Laughs) Yeah, I think the narrative he wrote goes really well with the song and compliments it so well.

Being your first video, did it feel completely surreal and unnerving to be in front of a camera?
(laughs) Yes! I mean, we did it in our apartment and these actors were coming over and we were kind of…star struck. We’re all pretty shy and not what you would call big ‘performers.’ Scott wanted something…lively…that I guess we weren’t really giving him because he had to give us whiskey to loosen us up.

Outside of tour dates coming up, what else is on the agenda for 2012?
Well we’re going to see how this record does and tour as much as possible, and I think that will dictate whether we head into the studio again sooner rather than later. We’re playing it by ear right now.

And are the creative juices already flowing?
For sure. Now that I know more about how the studio process goes I’d like to do more preparation the next time and not restrict the songs to a live, electric quartet. I’d like to give us more freedom with arrangement, you know? You can conceive the songs anyway you want in a studio and so I’d like to go in with more acoustic songs and exploit the power of that a little more.

Hospitality celebrates their debut tonight in Brooklyn with a record release show at the Glasslands Gallery and will tour North America throughout February and March with Archers of Loaf and Tennis. For a complete list of dates visit their MySpace profile, or follow the band on Twitter and Facebook.

Original post on TalkRockToMe.com]]> http://www.last.fm/user/april_r/journal/2011/04/06/4bd9tb_tokyo_police_club%3A_the_little_indie_band_that_could Wed, 6 Apr 2011 20:11:04 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/april_r/journal/2011/04/06/4bd9tb_tokyo_police_club%3A_the_little_indie_band_that_could Interview by April Robinson

April 1, 2011

(bum) - From the unassuming small town of Newmarket, Ontario, Tokyo Police Club is a band fated for big things. From their 16-minute debut EP, A Lesson in Crime (2006) to their recent 2011 Juno nomination for alternative album of the year, members Dave Monks (vocals, bass), Greg Alsop (drums), Graham Wright (keyboards) and Josh Hook (guitar), have steadily gained momentum in their unwavering climb to all-out rock ‘n’ roll success. Drummer Greg Alsop reflects on an action-packed 2010 and how Tokyo Police Club has changed for the better by freeing themselves from a predefined style.

2010 was a big year for you. What were your favorite moments?
Releasing Champ was a huge accomplishment. We worked on that for months on end, so to finally get it out and have people enjoy it was humungous for us. And being able to tour off that record for 6 to 8 months straight makes us really happy, too. Playing Coachella obviously was amazing and, uh - it sounds like a cliché - but everything else seems like a blur (laughs).

What are the little day-to-day things that tell you the band is making an impact?
Mostly, it’s the interaction with our fans. Playing every night and having people pack a venue and sing along makes us feel like we have some really dedicated fans that are into our entire body of work rather than just a couple singles. It’s so rewarding.

You’ve toured with esteemed bands like Weezer and Flaming Lips. Are you often fans of the bands you play with?
I don’t think we’ve ever opened for a band we weren’t already huge fans of. Those dates in 2008 with Weezer were just mind-blowing. That’s a band I’d been listening to since I was 10 years old, so be able to meet them, share a stage with them and learn from them was definitely formative for us as a band.

Do your fans’ favorite songs align with the band’s favorites?
Every so often we get a request for a song that we’ve stopped playing because we no longer feel the same connection towards it - but we have a set list of about 14 to 18 songs that we can play without any of them being a drag for us – even after having played them for almost five years now.

With your blog, vlogs, Twitter account, etc., you seem to maintain a lot of ongoing communication with your fans.
It’s necessary. You fade out of people’s consciousness so quickly with all the new music coming out. You need to remind people: “Hey, we’re here and we’re coming to your town and don’t forget about us.” Also, we love meeting the people who listen to our music and talking with them after shows. Being online means you can maintain a relationship with them even if you can’t get to their town to play.

How did you come to work with Rob Schnapf on your latest LP, Champ?
We’ve been huge fans of pretty much every record that he’d done: early Foo Fighters, Beck, Elliot Smith, and out of all the producers we talked to, he had the clearest idea of what we wanted to do. But it’s not like you plug into the Rob Schnapf machine and all of a sudden you have a hit album. He’s adaptive to your style.

Your bio states that with Champ, you “challenged and redefined” your songwriting. How so?
We moved beyond what we had originally set as our band’s M.O. - to write fast, angular, two-minute pop-punk songs. This time, we got more comfortable playing around with different genres and allowing ourselves to move beyond how we had defined ourselves as a band and as musicians and as songwriters.

So you’ve grown?
Definitely. We’re more capable with our instruments now. You can only write the same song so many times before you get bored, so you need to deviate and try whatever comes to mind. You change with the times, too… you’re influenced by what you’re listening to and what others listen to. You always want to sound modern and on the forefront of what’s getting people excited.

You must be pleased to have been nominated for alternative album of the year at this year’s Junos.
[We were] up against some pretty hefty competition…but even just being considered and being included with other such great artists is an amazing honor.

For Tokyo Police Club’s spring tour dates with Dinosaur Bones, Hollerado, and Said The Whale, visit the band’s official website.

source: http://www.mytelus.com/musi /interview_details.do?id=942092]]> http://www.last.fm/user/april_r/journal/2011/03/28/4are1i_michou_celebrates_love_and_a_new_decade_of_possibilities Mon, 28 Mar 2011 18:06:14 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/april_r/journal/2011/03/28/4are1i_michou_celebrates_love_and_a_new_decade_of_possibilities Interview by April Robinson (BUM Interactif/BE Interactive)
http://bit.ly/eors6H

(bum) - Windsor quartet Michou has much to celebrate says vocalist Mike Hargreaves: a brand new EP, Celebrate Love, a cross-Canada tour set to commence in May, and their recent appointment as artist of the year at Toronto’s 2011 Verge Music Awards, winning over Stars, Arcade Fire, Zeus, and Tegan and Sara. Alongside Hargreaves, Michou’s members – Sasha Appler (keyboards, trumpet), Ryan Frith (bass), and Stefan Cvetkovic (drums) –have played an astonishing 300+ live shows in just two years. With this hearty work ethic underlying their infectious, lighthearted pop, they’ll almost certainly find themselves celebrating further accolades in 2011 and beyond.

Congratulations on your Verge Music award for artist of the year.
Thanks so much! It feels pretty amazing. It’s been an interesting couple of weeks… We’ve noticed some new activity online and of course, sharing it with our family and friends and everything. Just talking about it has been really fun.

Another musician told me that awards validate his success to family and friends. Would you say this is true?
Absolutely true. You can be supported by your family but they’re not always able to keep in touch with what you’re doing. Bringing home an award is important – not only because you want to share it with them – but because it reinforces the good vibes and supportive feelings.

You were up against some heavy hitters, including Arcade Fire. What made you come out on top?
Our fans and the fact that they voted so many times to allow us to win. Arcade Fire didn’t really fit here because they’re beyond the verge. They started 2010 that way, but by the end of 2010 they were in a very different place. Gathering votes perhaps didn’t mean as much for them because they’re off doing bigger things, so it gave us an opportunity to sneak in and promote ourselves online and get our fans involved. They really came through for us.

I just saw one of your videos, Growing Younger . It’s so basic yet quite fun to watch…
I love that video… the way the sky was and the way that we were feeling in contrast to it… it communicated a subtle message of us being excited to forge forward down the road and weather the storm and to stick it out through any gloom.

Any wipeouts that day?
So many! We did, like, 50 takes of that video. Cars would come down the road or we’d fall over. I think our bass player even got his scarf caught in the tire at one point.

Tell me about your new EP, Celebrate Love .
There are four tracks, and we worked on them for six months. They’re really fun and I’m proud of them. They’re a bit more upbeat and pop/rock than our previous sound. It was kind of an accident on my part too. I ordered an electric guitar amp instead of an acoustic amp, and when it came in we were like, ‘Uh, well, let’s see how the songs sound using this.’ We fell in love with the sound. So there was sort of an accidental progression.

You’ve played 300+ live shows. How has the live experience shaped your sound?
We started in small cafés and as we built awareness of what we were doing, the demand came for amplifiers and having our sound grow to match the venue we were in. Our songs still come from our lives and our personal experiences – they’re just flushed out differently thanks to that live atmosphere.

Do people become fans once they’ve seen you live?
People get a better understanding of us when we play. A recording, a photo or a video can sometimes make it difficult to see how we fit together as a musical act, but when we’re able to express ourselves live, they get the message.

You’ll be playing Montreal on the 31st. Have you played here before?
A few times. Last time we played at Club Soda and it was the best show on that tour in our minds. The crowd was fantastic! We’re hoping some of those same people come out again because we had a blast.

You were quoted as saying, “2011 is going to be a very important year for us as musicians.” Can you elaborate?
There’s something about the start of a decade. If you look back through history, you see that whatever happens in it is usually defined within the first couple of years. We saw it in the ’60s, ’70s, ’80s, ’90s… so we feel like what we do now is going to be of the utmost importance.

Hear Michou play live March 30 at eBar in Guelph; March 31 at CFC in Montreal; and April 1 at Isabella’s Chocolate Café in Oshawa. More Canadian dates will be announced at: http://www.myspace.com/itsnicetomichou.]]> http://www.last.fm/user/april_r/journal/2011/03/12/49po79_dinosaur_bones_launch_debut_album Sat, 12 Mar 2011 19:39:26 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/april_r/journal/2011/03/12/49po79_dinosaur_bones_launch_debut_album Interview by April Robinson (BUM Interactif/BE Interactive)
March 11, 2011
http://bit.ly/dSDjPM

(bum) - Toronto band Dinosaur Bones, comprised of members Ben Fox (vocals, guitar), Branko Scekic (bass), Dave Wickland (keyboard), Lucas Fredette (drums) and Josh Byrne (guitar), has been steadily unearthing a healthy legion of followers over the last couple of years with countless gigs and loads of perseverance. Thrilled and admittedly relieved to have released their debut full-length album, My Divider, this week, singer Ben Fox touches on honesty in music, playing live, and the fun that comes with a day spent outdoors in the sunshine.

How did Dinosaur Bones come together?
I’m from Toronto, but I was going to school in Montreal. I was writing songs but didn’t really have the guys around me for the project. I knew a bunch of guys from high school and we played music together before, so in my second year, I decided to pack it in and move back home.

The band’s name, the music and even your artwork convey an air of ‘old souls.’ Where does it come from?
I don’t know… I think it comes from the quest to make music that has a lasting quality to it. That’s pretty important to us. Disposability is not something we’re interested in - at all. We want to try to make something that will have legs enough to stick around and be interesting for some time.

My Divider is your first LP. How does it feel to have it released?
It’s a relief, really. We recorded the album some time ago now, so feels good to have it finally exist and have people hear it. And it’ll be great for people coming out to see our band to have a full length to take home with them.

From the album’s first track, Making Light, your lyrics suggest that this is a deeply personal album.
Absolutely. I can’t detach myself too much, so it’s kind of inevitable that real life slips in there. I’m pretty comfortable with writing what I know - and I think you can feel honesty in music. To me, that’s more important than trying to create some fictitious representation of who I am.

I found videos online for Sharks in the Sand and Making Light shot at the CN Tower. Tell me about them.
It’s a series called Southern Souls, which is shot by a guy called Mitch Fillion. He finds cool places for bands to play and puts them in interesting scenarios to see what happens. It was really fun. We were playing a show that night just across from the CN Tower so we figured it’d be cool to do something there. And they look awesome!

Billboard magazine said: “In less than two years, Dinosaur Bones has been creating significant buzz out of the Toronto music scene, without releasing a proper full-length.”
What do you attribute this ‘buzz’ to?Things like getting the demo recorded quickly, knowing to be social and to get out there and tour to get the project off the ground… Our goal from early on was to have people at our shows and to be playing as much as possible. We’ve definitely been conscious about the decisions we’ve made but at the same time, ‘buzz’ can feel really arbitrary sometimes.

You’ve recently played the U.S. and you’ll be playing Canada over the next couple of months. Are you enjoying it?
It’s great. We’ve really been pushing to play in new cities and in new markets and making a point to return to places where we’ve had really good shows. We’ve got a team that’s steadily growing and that makes it easier to tour more. And that’s the whole reason why we’re doing this: to play live.

Playing live allows you to sell yourself in a different way than your recordings?
Yeah, you know, from a band’s perspective, the live show is the band. The record means a lot for us, but isn’t as much ‘us’ as a live show is…though it may not seem that way to the listener.

And you’ll be on the main stage at Edgefest this summer?
We played Edgefest the year before last on the side stage. It’s exhilarating to play for an audience of that size. It’s not something that happens all the time and it’s not always the people that would ordinarily come out to see our shows, so it’s a great opportunity. Plus it’s one of the most fun things in the world to do: walk around the festival, take in the music and spend the day in the sunshine.

Dinosaur Bones will play SXSW in Austin, Texas, March 15. For Canadian dates with Tokyo Police Club and Said The Whale, and to view their videos, visit MySpace. Their brand new My Divider album is available now at http://www.dinosaurbones.ca/.]]> http://www.last.fm/user/april_r/journal/2011/02/25/48o0wy_the_disciplines%3A_ken_stringfellow_and_crew_no_virgins_to_musical_success Fri, 25 Feb 2011 16:17:38 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/april_r/journal/2011/02/25/48o0wy_the_disciplines%3A_ken_stringfellow_and_crew_no_virgins_to_musical_success Interview by April Robinson (BUM Interactif/BE Interactive)
http://www.mytelus.com/music/interview_details.do?id=934990

February 18, 2011

(bum) - Ken Stringfellow (Big Star, The Posies, R.E.M.) is one of those rare, consummate, multifaceted musicians who lives and breathes his craft. Among his multitude of ongoing projects is The Disciplines: a band formed in Norway that is notably louder, rockier and more raucous than any of Stringfellow’s bands before - yet still, as he attests - is “pure and elegant.” En route from Amsterdam, Ken takes time out to discuss The Disciplines new sophomore release, Virgins of Menace.

How did you originally hook up with bandmates Bjorn Bergene, Bård Helgeland and Ralla?
Bjorn, Bård and our first drummer Claus, all came from a band called Briskeby, who were really popular in Norway. Their singer, Lise, approached me years ago about doing something together, which we did: a duet on Briskeby's final album. It was apparent that Lise was going to move on and the others were looking to stay in music. Claus retired eventually, but after we toured with Animal Alpha, featuring Ralla, that band split up and we took Ralla in. Basically, I'm a carrion bird.

You’re active with several bands. Does The Disciplines satisfy something the others don’t?
The Disciplines is simplicity at its most deceptive. There's precise engineering and MIT-level calculating going on here, but the result is something pure and elegant. It’s just so easy, so efficient… it doesn't need much to make it rev. It's really liberating. Most bands I'm in are brainy, and it shows. Here it's built into the curves, not the filigree.

How does Virgins of Menace differ from your debut, Smoking Kills?
Maybe it doesn't...why mess with perfection? We recorded it in a proper studio, as opposed to our rehearsal place. You'd like us to say we've grown as songwriters. I'd like to say we haven't. I'd like to say we've been true to what's great and unique about us.

Some tracks are quite melodic, while others, not so much. How do you arrive at such different sounds?
It just comes up. The Disciplines are a band that has the closest [thing] to a formula of any band I've had, but the nice thing about discovering your formula is you can mess with it here and there...therein lies the fun.

Fate’s A Strong Bitch features punk legend Lydia Lunch. What was that experience like?
I've known Lydia for years...the 'experience' was simply chatting as we do, about wanting to work together. I was in a snowbound studio in the Arctic, and she was in Barcelona, decidedly not freezing her ass off. She sent me a file. She's a love…one of the great ones.

You seem to travel constantly…so where is home?
I’ve lived in Paris since 2003. I have a few other homes tucked away. My time there can be brief or lengthy depending on where the work is. I will say, in Europe, I am central to the places where I have the most fans and friends…

It’s been said that you writhe, squirm and pretzel-bend “to a degree that would make Iggy Pop fold his cards.” What are your thoughts on showmanship?
I like sincerity and what I can do with my voice and my body. As we humans move deeper into fusion with technology, I love that my own body is a special effect. No electricity necessary except the synaptic. But before you say I'm 'acting', let me say that great performance in music is based upon bringing up something true from yourself and using your experience to connect you to others. No one is a natural leader but you can be a good communicator. If you are genuine, people will follow you to - and over - the edge. I've never needed to fake it. I love what I do, I love to communicate, and I'm always inspired. So far, so good.

Tell me about the projects you’re currently involved with.
I work in studio with many different bands. I am just now coming back from a few days in Amsterdam with a great band called, Avant La Lettre. I mix, play, engineer, arrange and produce. I play solo shows, have The Disciplines, The Posies, and a new project called, Landing Strip Choir. I played with the late Alex Chilton for almost 20 years in a revitalized Big Star. I played with R.E.M. for ten years. And, hopefully, there’s more to come…

You also blog quite a bit. Is writing yet another passion?
Seems to be. I'm not rewarded more than my own satisfaction for the blog. It's exercises in memory that will lead, someday, to a book, I'm certain.

Virgins of Menace is available in stores and online now. For a preview, see the album’s trailer here. Learn more about The Disciplines by visiting their Facebook page or visit Ken Stringfellow’s blog at http://www.kenstringfellow.com/.]]> http://www.last.fm/user/april_r/journal/2011/02/15/47ycsj_darker_circles_forge_brighter_future_for_the_sadies Tue, 15 Feb 2011 15:24:20 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/april_r/journal/2011/02/15/47ycsj_darker_circles_forge_brighter_future_for_the_sadies Interview by April Robinson (BE Interactive/BUM Interactif)
http://www.mytelus.com/music/interview_details.do?id=933775

February 11, 2011

(bum) - With more than 10 years of songwriting and performing under their belts, Toronto band, The Sadies, have been steadily accumulating both momentum and critical acclaim with their latest offering, Darker Circles. Following up 2009’s New Seasons, this haunting and pensive album brings musicians Dallas and Travis Good, Mike Belitsky and Sean Dean together with sought-after Jayhawks' producer, Gary Louris, to create a distinctive blend of country, psychedelic, rock and surf. Taking a break from their current tour, drummer Mike Belitsky, speaks on the band’s history, their shared aspirations and what’s planned for the future.

How did you come to be a part of The Sadies?
I joined The Sadies in 1998 after their second drummer left the band before a tour. I wasn’t living in Toronto at the time so we existed as a band for five years without all of us being in the same city. Strangely enough, when I did move to Toronto, Travis moved away…I guess we weren’t meant to all live in the same city at the same time!

Does each record get you closer to the best music you’ve made together?
Yes…I think we’ve been working to make each one of our releases more accomplished than the last. We’re always trying to think of ways to improve ourselves both on album and on stage. As far as specifics, it’s hard to say. We just keep trying to grow as musicians, writers and performers.

How do your songs typically take shape?
We have no set formula. Sometimes [our songs] come out of intense collaborations and other times they arrive more fully realized by an individual. However, once each of us puts our stamp on a song - it inevitably becomes its own entity. [The guys] surprise me…positively.

Why such wistful undertones on Darker Circles?
I suppose as [we] get more comfortable in the studio, there is a tendency to be able to express deeper and darker emotions… without being self-conscious.

You’re currently touring to support the album. How’s it going?
I enjoy being able to perform on a consistent basis, and I like the routine of knowing where I have to be each day and what I have to do. I also like the feeling of being a ‘part of the whole,’ if you will. Being on tour and recording are two of the biggest ways I feel I am part of something bigger than myself.

Do your performances differ greatly from your recorded music?
Live shows have a tendency to evolve and adapt on a nightly basis. Recording is finite. Once you record, mix and produce it, it will forever be heard as that. Live shows have that ‘intangible’ element of being a different venue and a different audience night to night.

You recently covered This Wheel’s On Fire with Neil Young…
Yes! We were asked by Garth Hudson, who was curator of [A Canadian Celebration of the Band], if we would want to be Neil Young’s band for the recording. Of course we said yes - and the experience was one of the high points of my life.

Have you developed many meaningful relationships within the music community?
Definitely, I have. When we first started touring we relied on other musicians for their support - and often their couches and floors. The relationships and bonds we formed then are everlasting and will transcend any successes or hardship.

What aspirations do The Sadies share for the future?
I think we aspire to always challenge ourselves to make the best music, both live and recorded, that we can. There’s always room to improve as individual musicians and as a band.

And what projects are you looking forward to?
We’ve been working with Gord [Downey] from The Tragically Hip on a recording project. I’m really stoked with what we’ve come up with so far and am looking forward to completing that recording, and then starting to think about a new Sadies recording. As of today I have no exact timeline for these… only the future!

See The Sadies live on tour – visit www.thesadies.net to find a concert date near you.]]> http://www.last.fm/user/april_r/journal/2011/02/15/47ycj2_young_galaxy_alter_course_with_shapeshifting Tue, 15 Feb 2011 15:20:37 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/april_r/journal/2011/02/15/47ycj2_young_galaxy_alter_course_with_shapeshifting Interview by April Robinson (BE Interactive/BUM Interactif)
http://www.mytelus.com/music/interview_details.do?id=932789

February 4, 2011

(bum) - Montreal-based band, Young Galaxy, has set out to take listeners on a whole new aural journey with their upcoming third release, Shapeshifting. Shipped off to Sweden and sonically repackaged by Dan Lissvik of Swedish electronica band, Studio, guitars and drums have been replaced with keyboards and reverb so that their once signature, artful rock sound has become sleek, spacious and decidedly lithe. Catherine McCandless (vocals/keyboards) talks about the band’s ongoing reinvention and their recent, bold shift toward a new sound.

How did you choose Dan Lissvik to produce Shapeshifting?
It came out of being huge fans of his band, Studio, originally. Earlier, we’d sent him Invisible Republic to see if he could do some remixing, and loved what he did…but it wasn’t the right feel for that record. Actually, it wasn’t that it wasn’t right… we loved what he did so much we thought we’d rather have him produce for us. Later, when we started writing tracks for Shapeshifting, we knew we wanted them to be more organic and re-thought a little and knew he’d be perfect for that. He was totally into it, so we were happy. It was mutually enticing.

Is it true that you sent your music off to Dan and he simply returned a finished version nine months later?
It wasn’t entirely ‘no strings’ where we sent it off and abandoned it. We’d have conversations via Skype and discuss the shape the songs were taking. He’d play us samples and sounds, but it definitely wasn’t the typical recording or production scenario where you’re sitting in the studio together saying. “more of this” and “less of that.” We knew we loved his music with Studio and the remixes he’d already given us, but we didn’t know what our music would inspire in him. It was a very… calculated risk.

You’ve been compared to Spiritualized, Slowdive and Galaxie 500 in the past, but this record is different. Have new comparisons begun?
To be honest, I don’t read our press, so I don’t know what people are saying about this one. Steve [Ramsay] was totally willing to make our sound change and make that move away from the guitars all the time. He’s the composer of our music, really. And he was very ready with Shapeshifting to get more into atmosphere and different sounds.

So would you say this is a reinvention of Young Galaxy?
I feel like we’re in a constant state of reinvention - and that’s more of a natural state. We’re writing what we know and what we know is change. Half of it is who we’re inspired by, but the other half is where we are personally and what’s going on in our lives. We never know what our writing process will reveal but we’re always shooting for the right energy and for the melody to be right. We definitely nailed a lot of bittersweet melodies for this album.

You sing more on Shapeshifting than you have in the past. What’s the reason?
Again, Steve was ready to focus more on atmosphere and keyboard sounds and to give up certain things - like singing. I’m not trained and I don’t practice very much (laughs) but I love to sing. I feel tapped into something very…elemental. I was contributing melody and lyrics and I just felt like, “Okay, I want to contribute my voice.” So basically, the songs I wrote I was singing, or Steve would write something and hear my voice on it.

Besides your upcoming tour, what else is planned for 2011?
It’s going to be a productive year. We’re writing some material for [Swedish artist] Hanna and we’re talking about soundtracking a friend’s film. We’re really interested in working from home in the spring because I’m pregnant right now… so we’re doing the tour for a month and a half. The baby is due in May and we want to have time at home to keep writing material and not feel like we’re losing the plot. Hopefully in the fall we’ll start touring again – maybe Europe; we’ll see – but it’s all going to be really interesting…a really good year.

Shapeshifting will be launched February 8 on Paper Bag Records. For a complete list of the band’s North American tour dates with label mates, Winter Gloves, visit www.paperbagrecords.com.]]> http://www.last.fm/user/april_r/journal/2011/02/15/47yc7a_seems_so_long%3A_the_musical_life_of_emilie_mover Tue, 15 Feb 2011 15:17:33 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/april_r/journal/2011/02/15/47yc7a_seems_so_long%3A_the_musical_life_of_emilie_mover Interview by April Robinson (BE Interactive/BUM Interactif)
http://www.mytelus.com/music/interview_details.do?id=931740

January 28, 2011

(bum) - Her name may not sound familiar, but it's likely you know Emilie Mover's songs from the occasional TV series (Grey’s Anatomy, Ghost Whisperer, Ugly Betty) and even the commercials in between (BlackBerry, Bounce, Sears and a couple of Telus spots). Born in Montreal, raised in Toronto and a one-time resident of New York, she’s a big city girl with a surprisingly simple acoustic sound. And with a musician dad who routinely performed with jazz legends like Chet Baker and numerous childhood evenings spent backstage, Emilie’s musical career is an obviously heartfelt and natural one.

Tell me about your relationship with music growing up.
Music’s the family business. My dad [Bob Mover] is a sax player and when I was a kid he’d bring me to his gigs. He played a lot at the Rex Hotel in Toronto, but he brought me with him to Europe a few times, too. He’d let me stay up and hang out with his friends while they played music or talked about life, or whatever musicians do until sunrise. When I finally got tired, many a club owner would set me up in a little corner with a couch and a blanket, and I’d drift off into dreamland while the music played around me.

Did your dad encourage you to pursue music?
He encouraged me to listen carefully to every song; taught me a million lyrics and would walk down the street singing them with me until I had all the notes just perfect. We talked a lot about music. He was interested in what songs and sounds I instinctually liked or disliked. He lives and breathes it, so having it around all of the time was just a lucky perk of being his daughter.

What is your songwriting process like?
Mysterious and unpredictable. I’ve had a journal I write in almost every day since I can remember... and there’s nothing better than a walk around the neighborhood to conjure a good melody. I think it’s important to set a good amount of time aside to practice your instrument so that when inspiration comes you’re well-oiled enough to just let it happen. You have to go with your instinct and let it take you…trying too hard or paying too much attention to how people might perceive you…well, there’s a good chance you’ll screw it up.

What songs have you covered and what makes you decide to select them?
P.O.V. Waltz by Harry Nilsson and Chove Chuva by Jorge Ben are a couple. I love singing Paul Simon’s Run That Body Down and there’s a Willie Nelson song called I’ve Just Destroyed the World that is just so beautiful. Lately though, my favourite song to cover is You and I by Stevie Wonder. It’s funny - with some songs, you love ’em to death but then when you actually try to sing them it just doesn’t work. And then some do. I try to only cover the ones that do.

Your music isn’t exactly ‘commercial’, so are you surprised when you hear them on commercials?
Yes! I don’t have a television so I can sometimes forget how neat it is, but I think it’s great that people actually take the time to look up a song they’ve heard for 30 seconds. It’s an interesting way to get the music out there and I love how my family and friends recognize my voice. I’ve been really lucky to have the opportunity.

What are you keeping busy with currently?
I’m going to New York to write the next record. I have a friend there who’s originally from Toronto, and we’ve always written songs together (he co-wrote the song Pain and Regret on Seems So Long). We’re going to hunker down and try to write an album’s worth. There’s also a couple projects planned with my dad: I’m going to help him write his memoirs, and we’re planning to record a Peggy Lee tribute record. She’s one of my favourites - and he knows the right people to play on the record - so that’s pretty exciting.

Emilie’s newest atmospheric and velvety release, Seems So Long, is available now on http://www.emiliemover.com/.]]> http://www.last.fm/user/april_r/journal/2011/02/15/47ybgs_no_joy%27s_airy_vocals_layered_under_big_riffs Tue, 15 Feb 2011 15:08:25 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/april_r/journal/2011/02/15/47ybgs_no_joy%27s_airy_vocals_layered_under_big_riffs Interview by April Robinson (BE Interactive/BUM Interactif)
http://www.mytelus.com/music/interview_details.do?id=930610

January 21, 2011


(bum) - Borne of a long-distance collaboration spanning Montreal to L.A., No Joy’s Laura Lloyd and Jasamine White-Gluz happily came together to create lovely, fuzzy, shoegazing songs replete with airy vocals softly layered under big riffs. With the freshly launched album Ghost Blonde under their belts and a current tour of North America, guitarist Laura Lloyd talks a little bit about subliminal messaging, social networking…and naked babes.

How did you meet Jasamine and decide to start creating music?
We met on JDate.com a few years back and hit it off. Jasamine is originally from Montreal, but skipped town when the winter came, leaving me alone and miserable. I was living vicariously through her sunshine-filled days, and she began writing the songs that were in my head. We e-mailed these ideas back and forth and eventually came up with our first two songs, No Summer and No Joy.

Sune Rose Wagner of The Raveonettes mixed Ghost Blonde. How did you enlist him?
We got lucky! We cold-called Sune and he was into the idea. He was on the exact same page as us when it came to the sounds we wanted to bring forth, so it became kind of a no-brainer to choose him over anyone else we had thought of.

Your lyrics are often buried and there are no hooky choruses, so what do you think that listeners are drawn to?
I don't think the hooks have to be in the vocals for it to be catchy. Vocals are always the last thing we add to a song; up until that point we're really trying to create an entire piece with just our instruments. I think because there is so much layering of different sounds in the songs, you hear something different every time you listen. We've also collaborated with McDonald’s and purchased their subliminal message software...So if you're wondering why you crave a Big Mac when you listen to our album – that might be why.

You recently tweeted, “My music is not influenced by other bands, it’s influenced by Memory Man…” How so?
I just bought a Memory Man [guitar delay pedal] and by playing it I'm getting a lot of ideas for songs. I think it's kind of backwards thinking if you pick a band you like and aspire to sound like them. For us, it's more about creating a sound we like first and then turning it into a song - regardless of what band it might be similar to.

The covers for Ghost Blonde and your No Joy 7-inch are beautiful. Who designed them?
The Ghost Blonde photo was taken by Canadian photographer, Gordon Ball, and Shawn Kuruneru, (another Canadian) designed the small dots you see on the cover. Both Gordon and Shawn are friends of ours whose work we really admire. Shawn also drew and painted the No Joy 7-inch.

Tell me about the concept for your Hawaii video.
First, we didn't want to be in it. Second, we love Larry Clark. And finally, we wanted to see naked babes. We got in touch with a great film crew called Salazar and focused on ideas around youth, nature and elements of 'crazy.' The video was shot outside Vancouver in late October…I imagine the actors were really cold.

Were you concerned that the nudity would impact the airtime it would receive?
We’re not really into compromising our ideas just to get airtime. We've never really had any illusions of our videos playing on television anyway, so it wasn't a concern whatsoever, especially with the Internet. It's accessible to anyone at anytime if they desire to watch it.

Bethany of BestCoast said No Joy was “the best band ever” on her Twitter feed and a fan tweeted to you: “…I wouldn't have bought the Weekend LP without all yr tweet.” Tell me your thoughts on social networking.
Social networking is great…but it has to be used correctly. You can sign up and not have a single follower, so it’s important to upkeep your pages, post new information and be personable. It’s only recently that my Twitter has been picking up speed and I've been getting a lot of feedback. Whenever I have a small question that needs to be answered, I tweet it and always get a response. It’s great that the things I push – like that Weekend record for instance - actually get heard.

North American tour dates including Ottawa, Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver and Victoria are listed at www.nojoy.bandcamp.com. The socially savvy can join in some No Joy conversation by following @lauralloyd on Twitter.]]>