Buzz Deluxe: Looks Good, Sounds good too.

Who: Jesse James Dale and Kerry Lyn Dale of Buzz Deluxe
Where: The basement bar of The Army Navy Air Force Hall (A.K.A The Legion), Barrie Ontario
When: Sunday December 30 2007

-start-


Kerry: I don’t want to speak…

Alana: I have one question for you though… will you answer it when we get to it?

Jesse: You gots to…

(Everyone laughs as Kerry shakes her head in refusal)

Alana: Alright… so there’s a TV crew here today, you guys have been on TV a couple of times, I saw you on Party Mamas yesterday… how are you guys getting all these TV deals?

Jesse: I guess it’s because we’re the only band that dresses up anymore.

Alana: So things have been falling into your lap because you’re snappy dressers?

Jesse: Ya. That one was just cuz some lady sent me an email and said: oh, I saw you on Myspace, we think you’d be perfect for our show, you guys look great!

Alana: Really?

Jesse: Lucky for them we also sound great. So I don’t know… also, I mean, I guess she was looking for a 50s band that wasn’t in the union. I told her we’re not exactly 50s but we could play a few tracks that were more traditional.

Alana: Was it a fun party to play?

Jesse: Ya, it was a real party. It was a really weird bar… like really weirdly shaped, but it was neat in a mod kind of way. I mean, it was like a cheesy 50s bar, with all the typical stuff… pieces of cars and James Dean pictures on the wall, but the layout of the place was really interesting. And it’s neat to work on TV. It’s neat to do something in this industry where you’re there for your art, you’re not just there to make money. That’s how people treat you and they take what you’re doing seriously, you know? Because that doesn’t happen very much for bands where we are so that part was nice.

Alana: You’ve played major rockabilly festivals and you’ve done Punktoberfest and you’ve been on compilations and you’ve been in Kneedeep in Squaresville Magazine…

Jesse: Ya, the biggest rockabilly scene in Toronto is perpetuated around John and Jenny’s Rock And Roll Party and they book a lot of shows for us. They’re really good. Even though they are rockabilly, they have a really open mind when it comes to all the different bands that range anywhere from really straight traditional country rockabilly to psychobilly. Sometimes I feel like we’re playing grunge music at a rockabilly show or something, but they like it and most people in the scene like it, even the most traditional purest types. I think people are ready for somebody to stop trying to mimic somebody exact. Back to the magazine: they started a fanzine and it was kind of neat because when I first came to Toronto, when I first started this band, I noticed that all the big shows were being thrown by them, that was 4 or 5 years ago and I figured I had to get in with these people.

Alana: So that was a big accomplishment?

Jesse: Ya. I started emailing them and for them to make a magazine and feature us like three times, they reviewed our album… they also throw the rockabilly weekend in Toronto and they had us play it.

Alana: You guys obviously work hard to be where you are and to get TV spots and get so involved with festivals and stuff, what’s it like to be a working band? Is this what you guys do for a living?

Jesse: It is. I mean, you go into a lot of debt doing this but maybe one day we’ll start making money and we’ll be doing something for a living that we want to do. I don’t know…. There’s a lot of pressure. But you know you’re working for the greater good. There’s a lot of pressure to motivate yourself and create opportunities. It’s hard, it’s like being a salesman or something, you’ve got to send a million emails and make a million phone calls and play a million free gigs, all the time there is opportunities. I mean, I don’t consider us successful by any means at this point, but at least we kind of know what we have to do now. Whereas before it was like: we’re going to start a band and make it big I guess. The hardest part is, once you get into it and you want to do it seriously and do it forever and start to think about the business side of it you start to realize that the meat of it all is really the quality of your music, so you want to spend more time writing. You have to figure out how to use both sides, and then you’re sort of destined to having a life of not having a real job ever, because you want to be flexible if you do take a gig. But um… it’s good. I guess all in all its good, but you know… it is hard.

Alana: What keeps you motivated?

Jesse: Just the long term… thinking about where you want to end up. I don’t want to be the manager at Home Depot or something. It’s not my dream. I have a problem staying and settling and doing one thing for a long time, I start to see the faults in it all. Plus, you know, if I can make this work it would be a job where I can be myself. What’s your motivation Kerry?

(Silence)

Jesse: Don’t say: because I tell you to do it.

Alana: She’s giving you the dagger eyes right now for pulling her into this interview.

(Everyone laughs)

Kerry: Um…. No. it would be nice to be able to make a living at what you want to do. And to travel.

Alana: Do you think Myspace is helping or hindering indie music?

Jesse: I think it’s helping it, but what it is now is the standard, so it doesn’t really make any difference. Now we’re all sort of on an even field and it doesn’t really matter, anybody can make a Myspace and everybody knows if you want to get to the next level from your garage you gotta get a Myspace. It doesn’t even matter how much you spent on your real website, you gotta have a Myspace now. Even though people are leaving it, people in the music scene and really good fans of it aren’t because they know that’s the direct source for everything. Big bands update their Myspace before they do their real website now.

Alana: A bunch of big bands are abandoning real websites… The Ataris are an example: their website doesn’t exist anymore, they’re just on Myspace.

Jesse: Exactly. I just put on my news section: check Myspace. It’s redundant to go write the same news on two pages and have to deal with html code and everything when you can just put it on Myspace. I think at first, it helped, but at the same time it doesn’t because everyone is just as anonymous as they were before. I guess it saves money on press kits.

Alana: So, you’ve been recording at One Star here in Barrie, why Shane?

Jesse: Well I did it in my basement before and I wasn’t unhappy with it but my prior recordings to this one didn’t go into mastering so… that’s one of the big differences. Also, Shane has a really great sounding room and he’s made it even smaller, I think in a recording environment that makes the sound even better. He knows exactly what I’m going for, there’s no beating around the bush. No ones feelings are going to get hurt and we just hang out for hours every day. He’s got really good equipment now, he’s invested a lot of money into microphones and stuff like that. When I’m in a position and can get enough equipment, I probably will go back to recording myself. But until that time, there’s a good chance we’ll go there again.

Alana: Kerry… one question for you. You stand when you play the drums. How did that come about?

Kerry: I think it happened when we became a two piece…

Jesse: No, we did that before. We wanted more of a stage presence. So we wanted to be right at the front of the stage. It was just a coincidence that we changed the format of our band at that point.

Alana: I like it, I’ve never seen anyone else stand up to play drums. Is it common in rockabilly?

Jesse: The Stray Cats did it. And maybe some jazzier sort of bands would do it. We actually tried to go back to sitting. I had set it up for my other band to practice in our house and it was low and I was jamming on it and I felt maybe I had more rhythm that way so we thought maybe the possibility would be there.

Kerry: When you’re sitting the sound is different…

Jesse: Ya, that’s true. You can do more double footwork and stuff. So she tried it and didn’t prefer it.

Alana: What is your current obsession?

Jesse: Skating. I never skated before until like three weeks ago. I’m from Florida originally. They don’t skate in Florida. The concrete is bad for the blades. I want to play hockey because I have this famous grandfather who played hockey. My family is originally from Canada but I never skated and I just felt kind of dumb having all this family history without even trying. So eventually I want to play hockey. That’s my obsession: playing hockey.

Alana: Are you going to start a Buzz Deluxe hockey team? Play the Old-timers team or something?

Jesse: I’m going to join The Legion actually.

Alana: This is a weird event. One thing you always take with you when you go to a gig?

Jesse: Besides necessary equipment?

Alana: Ya.

Jesse: It should be a drum key for Kerry. She never has one. I don’t know… besides necessary equipment, what do we….

Kerry: I always bring a folder of every set list that I’ve ever had. It’s this thick. I always have it and it’s funny because I don’t have it today.

Jesse: I don’t know… you can say… a joint. I guess.

Alana: What’s the best thing a fan has ever given you?

Jesse: CDs from other bands… we trade. I mean, just compliments. Finding out we’re somebody’s favourite band or whatever… or for the moment anyway. That’s neat because you never know if what you’re doing is right or not you know?

Alana: What’s your favourite 50s slang?

Jesse: Let me pause and think about that…

(Silence)

Jesse: I don’t know… that’s a tough one…

(Silence)

Jesse (to Kerry): Do you even know any?

Kerry: I do…

Jesse: Well name some, maybe its one that I like.

(Silence)

Alana: I’ve put you on the spot now.

Kerry (to me): What’s yours?

Alana: I don’t know if I have a favourite… I say ‘jazzed’ a lot. I don’t know if that counts as 50s slang, I’ve been reviving it slowly for a few years now.

Kerry (to Jesse): Did you hide your guitar?

Jesse: I put the one behind.

Kerry: What do you mean?

Jesse: I don’t know… but we’re on tape here.

Jesse (to me): You know what… pass. I’m sorry. I’ll email you an answer in the next 30 days.

Alana: What’s one thing you’ll always find in your messy bedroom?

Jesse: A Jack Russell. We have two.

-end-


Notes: I was not emailed an answer.

Live Photo shot by me at The Legion, Barrie.

Four Star Daydream: Sloppy when Sober

Who: Matt Haskill of Four Star Daydream
Where: The room formerly known as the smoking room at Mitzi’s Sister, Toronto Ontario
When: Sunday December 2, 2007

-start-


Alana: Obviously, as you know, you record all your own music, mix it and produce it, you make your own posters… why so much focus on the do it yourself attitude?

Matt: Because… pretty much it’s the way to get things done if you don’t have anyone else to do it for you, which is the case with most things. You can’t get anyone behind you unless you’re behind yourself. That’s the main reason I do everything myself, no one else would care unless I put my heart into it and give people a piece of my soul with every little thing. Here’s my soul… have it.

Alana: Do you think indie music is losing the do it yourself attitude? Do you find bands are abandoning that idea in favour of a more commercial sound?

Matt: I definitely see that happening in some aspects. There’s always been people who are shit upon and have actually something good to put out. It’s usually the ones that actually persevere with their own stuff and get the mainstream acclaim and everything like that and they’ll probably get polished afterwards. But there’s still a lot of bands that are hardworking and they’ll always be that way. Everything’s sort of like a double helix, there could be times where everything is really commercial and then it will revert to something else cuz there’s always a need for constant change and re-occurring themes as well. To reiterate the question itself, whether indie music is losing its do it yourself attitude, I’ve seen it wean out. I think there will always be a comeback of that and it’ll go in waves. I think we’re going to head back into it pretty soon cuz record labels are getting smaller and bigger at the same time. A lot of indie labels are getting bigger and major labels are weaning.

Alana: Do you think Myspace has helped or hindered indie music?

Matt: I think the biggest hindering that Myspace has done to music is it’s given every band a cliché to hang on to. Every time a band has a flyer its like ‘oh… you’re still on Myspace. I have Facebook, I don’t have Myspace anymore…’

Alana: Is this an attack on me?

Matt: No, no, no… I hate Facebook but its inevitable… kind of like digital recording. You can’t afford to do analog anymore so you have to do digital… it’s the same… no one does Myspace anymore, you have to adapt to Facebook and bribing people to your shows. But I mean, Myspace has been great. You can network with other bands. I’ve gotten to know a lot of bands who have helped me out and I try to return the favour and promote them and go to their shows.

Alana: Best and worst thing about being a one man band?

Matt: Best thing is you don’t have to fight for creative control with anyone. You can just do your own vision and you can change your sound. You’ve not forced to conform to anyone else’s ideas. There’s no arguing involved. The one thing that sucks about it is you don’t have anyone to bounce ideas off so you…

(Door opens)

Matt: Hi Michelle!

Michelle: How’s it going?

Matt: This is Michelle, Michelle this is Alana.

Alana: Nice to meet you.

Michelle: Where are the girls?

Matt: They’re on their way. They’re stuck on the streetcar.

Michelle: Oh, they’re not here?

Matt: Ya. I got a ride with Casey’s girlfriend Jenny… So I got here a little early and they were stuck waiting for a streetcar cuz the weather is so poor.

Michelle: I know! Crazy weather eh? It snowed so much last night.

Matt: I know. I was pressing all my CD’s last night, cutting them all and burning them up and what not and I looked out the window, its 3 am and I’m like ‘fuck! Its snowing’ and I woke up this morning and I’m like ‘fuck! It’s raining’… what else could happen?

Alana: You would have a show on the worst weather day Toronto has seen in years.

Matt: I know! That’s definitely a Four Star Daydream thing to happen… but I really like winter so it’s quasi-suiting. I like the miserable, cold, bleakness of winter… I like to think of Four Star Daydream as a warm afghan next to a fireplace on a cold winter day.

Alana: That’s good… I’m glad I have that on tape.

Matt: Ok… I’ll see you inside.

(Michelle leaves)

Matt: So… ok…

Alana: Worst thing about being a one man band?

Matt: Worst thing is the fact that you don’t have anyone to bounce ideas off so you’re badgering your girlfriend… so you’re like: what do you think? And they’re like: it sounds the same. And its like… no. its not. Here’s this little twiddley bit. So definitely playing with other musicians you get their ideas and you’re like: so you totally get what I’m saying here? And they play something totally different and its like: that’s not what I was saying… but that’s better than what I was thinking… so you miss the accidents that happen in music. And it’s lonely. You could make this opus and you do all the parts and when you go to play it it’s like… missing the orchestra. It’s like listening to “A Day in the Life” without the orchestra.

Alana: I swear it sounds good on the CD.

Matt: Ya… you have to apologize and be like: trust me. Buy my CD, you’ll hear how good I am. I apologize for the lack of… everything. Especially when I like the largeness and dense layers of music… harmonies…. you constantly have this orchestra going… its not like I hear a single vision of a song. I’ll be playing and all the sudden in comes cellos or pianos or some sort of crescendos of greatness. It’s like I have The Royal Philharmonic in my head. The worst part about being in a band by yourself is not knowing how to get that out of your head. You’ll be able to hear it perfectly and you go to translate it into real music and you’re like: what am I hearing in my head? I can’t dissect it cuz it’s all one piece of work. It’s definitely frustrating. I know what I want but I can’t get it.

Alana: Is that going to be your demise? Is it going to make you insane… Orchestras in your head?

Matt: Yes… I can only hope to be the next Syd Barrett or Daniel Johnston. I’m gonna like… have a collapse from momentous potential.

Alana: So alright… tonight you are playing with a different drummer then usual, you occasionally play with other artists… if you could build a dream band with anybody in it, who would be in your band?

Matt: I’ve often though of this…

Alana: I knew it.

Matt: If Val would ever listen to me while I’m drifting off to sleep… dream band… I’d probably have Brian Wilson as at least a singer, if not doing bass as well. Um… as a singer and orchestrator of all things vocal. Up to Dark Side of the Moon, I’d probably want David Gilmour on my side just doing guitars cuz… come on. Some of the solos on Dark Side of the Moon are just momentous. Let’s see here… Brian Wilson, David Gilmour… I’d probably want Robert Pollard from Guided By Voices writing for me cuz I’ve never known a guy who can write more than 900 songs in a sitting of 3 years. So I’d have him writing and also singing. On guitar: probably Frank Black or Joey Santiago from The Pixies. Or George Harrison on guitar. His guitar stuff is just phenomenal. If I could rip off any guitar player for life it would be George Harrison. He’s what made the hooks and guitar lines in The Beatles as far as I’m concerned.

Alana: Totally the best Beatle.

Matt: Ya… I rotate through Beatles… but probably my all time favourite Beatle has to be George just cuz he’s so under-rated as a favourite Beatle.

Alana: I know… everyone’s like: I love John. I love Paul. It’s like: way to state the obvious. Ringo is nobody’s favourite…

Matt: No, I think Ringo is so awesome. You don’t think of Ringo as a driving force, but he’s the drummer, what can he do? He wasn’t song writing all those years… he was making the band good. For that matter… I’d put Ringo Starr or Keith Moon on drums. Actually… I’d put them both on drums. I find bands with two drummers momentous. On guitar I’d put J Mascis or possibly Kevin Drew… all these people would be singing as well cuz the more voices the better. So I’ve covered vocals, I’ve covered drums. I’ve covered quasi-bass… actually I’d put Kim Deal on bass from The Pixies. So, apparently I have The Pixies backing me up. I’d probably put Frank Zappa in there just for…

Alana: You need a little Zappa.

Matt: Everyone needs a little Zappa. Um… this would be a super group by the way.

Alana: This is an epic super group.

Matt: I’d probably have a string section. I don’t know necessarily who I’d put in there… maybe Gretta Cohn from Cursive, er, formerly of Cursive. Tim Kasher… I’d really like to put in there as well cuz he has a great voice and great guitar lines. So, we’ve got: Brian Wilson, Ringo Starr, Keith Moon, Frank Zappa, Joe Santiago, Frank Black, Kim Deal… and… just for his multi-instrumental usage I’d put Edgar Winter in there and I’d definitely put Alan Parsons in charge of sound. And if we could remove the guns from him, Phil Spector would definitely be on hand. Anything after that is just excess. If you add any more people into that band…

Alana: You’re getting pretty intense.

Matt: Ya.

Alana: You can have multiple guest musicians.

Matt: Ya… I’d have features definitely. But not in a cheesy Neverending White Lights kind of way. It would be like George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass… or like Ringo Starr’s album. He was the first Beatle to have all four Beatles on the same album again but on separate tracks. Oh… I love girls in bands… I’d probably add Leslie Feist, Tegan and Sara cuz they have such odd voices, almost childish but at the same time its so sweet you just want to make out with them. So, Tegan and Sara, Kim Deal, Feist and possibly Emily Haines and Amy Millan for a girls section. Oh how about… I also want…

Alana: This is the worst question I’ve ever asked…

Matt: This is a traffic jam. Ok… and to round everything off just as a final round up: Carl Newman and Dan Bejar. And that’s probably it. Dan Bejar definitely because I love Dan Bejar. He’s so odd and I don’t know… I’m obsessed with Destroyer.

Alana: So there’s approximately 78 people in this dream Four Star Daydream…

Matt: I would like to give The Polyphonic Spree a run for their money.

Alana: Are you going to all dress the same too and be all cult-like?

Matt: Um… not as cult-ish… more taking a step towards how Green Day went with the black and a tie.

Alana: So, uniform?

Matt: Ya… no robes. I’m not so much into the religion thing…

Alana: Four Star Daydream could be the name of a cult though.

Matt: Ya… its like: let’s all get together and drink some punch… Four Star Daydream suicide.

Alana: Sounds like somewhere you’d drop a lot of acid…. So, current obsession. What are you totally obsessed with right now?

Matt: as of today, everything I find, as I said before, goes in circles. I get fixed on one thing for a while then I’ll drop it… top 5 on my obsession list:

Alana: I didn’t say top 5...

Matt: Top 5, all time 5 with a bullet: right now I’m obsessed musically with Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. I’ve raked up everything I can on it, all the production stuff and all the shit that happened. Dark Side of the Moon is the album to listen to in headphones in a dark room and everything makes sense for like 35 minutes and 43 seconds.

Alana: I like how you know exactly how long the album is.

Matt: I’m also obsessed with Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells. It was his first album, he was 17, another one man band sort of thing… he did all the parts himself and he was the first guy signed to Virgin Records. Richard Branson had enough heart to believe in him and he was actually number one until his second album came out and replaced it as number one and it’s all instrumental. He’s fucking 17 and he did this epic instrumental. Where was I when I was 17? Next album I’m obsessed with right now: probably The Kinks. Right now it’s a tie between Arthur and Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One. Otherwise I’m really obsessed with collecting new sounds. I’ve been recording. If I could ever find one, I want the electric harmonic random tone generator. All it does… you know that random 80’s computer sounds that’s like: Beep, bloop, bloop, bleep… you know, like Mr. Butlertron on Clone High. That’s all it does, it doesn’t play guitar tone it just place bleeps. I want one but they’ve been extinct forever and they cost like $800. Other than that I’ve just been obsessed with making things.

Alana: Things in general?

Matt: Ya… like doodling and drawing, making characters up. I’ve also been keeping a journal which I’ve become sort of obsessed with… just writing down the kinds of shit we’ve been talking about in this interview. I really like: this. And I’ll obsess about it in a journal form for half and hour. That and I’m addicted to YouTube.

Alana: Who isn’t right now? Honestly.

Matt: its so cliché, but I’ll spend hours… I’ll be like: I want to get a different outlook on doing music or something like that and I’ll go on YouTube at 8 o’clock, after dinner and all the sudden its 2 in the morning and I’m like: I’ve got an idea but I can make noise cuz I’ve got neighbours and they’ve got a baby right next to the studio. Other than that…um… that’s pretty much my main obsessions: listening to albums in headphones and trying to find new things I’m interested in.

Alana: Most important thing you take with you to a gig?

Matt: Stuff to give away or try to sell.

Alana: So… swag and merch.

Matt: Ya… swag and merch. I usually just try to talk to everyone I can.

Alana: You’ve been working the crowd tonight already.

Matt: Ya… I enjoy bands who have that working band status. Who are earnest and humble about, you know: we’re all just trying to make a living out there but some are trying to do it more casually than others. I always bring stuff to give away or to give people so they have something to remember me by… and of course a guitar. Guitar is always handy. I did show up to a gig without an amp once and they were like: we don’t have an amp to give you, what are you going showing up to a gig without an amp? I was told there was going to be one there, I got yelled at by the sound guy.

Alana: Best thing a fan has ever given you?

Matt: Um… probably the best thing a fan’s ever given me is… I can’t say I’ve ever been given anything specifically made for me but I appreciate the exchange of CD for CD. Then you have a token of them and they have something of you, that way you can keep on promoting each other… especially if you really like it. It’s a bonus if it’s good. But definitely handing out buttons or whatever you can get your hands on. It’s all about friends and trying to build up a network or just mutual respect. It’s hard to give away your stuff if you don’t have the money to but at the same time, they’re in the same boat. So its fair trade.

Alana: Best place to daydream?

Matt: Best place to daydream… I’d have to say is a darkened bedroom in a lot of pillows and blankets with the headphones on just listening to something that brings you to another place. You get taken away to a different place, which is what I’m trying to apply to my music more. I’m trying to wrap up what The Beatles did in 10 years into like 3 months. From the juicy two minute pop tune to more textures…

Alana: You’re like the concentrated pop syrup of The Beatles… you’re like how the cops in the States carry around Coca Cola concentrate to get the blood off the highways… that’s you.

Matt: I am pop syrup.

Alana: One thing you’ll always find in your messy bedroom?

Matt: Some sort of record or paper and notebook. That’s the main thing you’ll find anywhere I go… a spare piece of paper and a pen… I’ll have that in my bag, I’ll have that in my room, I’ll have that in my studio… or ‘messy bedroom’ which incorporates my bedroom slash studio space that I’ve got across the hall. I sometimes fall asleep on the floor…

Alana: It’s bedroom part two.

Matt: Ya, well this new apartment has pretty much been dubbed Messy Bedroom Version 2.5... I had the one upstairs at my parent’s house, the one downstairs in my parent’s house, I had the one across from The Opera House, my old apartment… and then there’s the new one. I’ve just sort of graduated from place to place and I just bring my junk along with me and fit it in where people let me.

-end-
























Notes:

Photos by me at Mitzi's Sister.

Sunday Night Cruise: Overnight Success

Who: Nathan, Jon, Dave and Dean of Sunday Night Cruise
Where: A dark and creepy alley behind True North Music in Orillia, Ontario
When: Tuesday July 3, 2007

-start-

Alana: So, if you guys want to tell me who you are and what you do in the band, well get that out of the way

Nathan: Nathan Woods. I sing.

Dean: and his name is spelled exactly the way it sounds Woodz but without a ‘z’ at the end.

Jon: So, I’m Jon Niskanen and I play guitar.

Dave: I’m Dave Janzen and I play bass.

Dean: I’m Dean Stamler and I play drums.

Jon: Is there supposed to be a red light on there, because it went… oh there it is…

Alana: Its on. Its sketchy. Its second hand. My friend is a journalist so he sent me one of his tape recorders. So I was stalking your website and your Myspace…

Nathan: Awesome…

Alana: …to figure out what you guys are all about and on your website it says you are the creators of redesigned rock. You guys want to explain that whole scene?

Nathan: Well its cool that we seem to get a lot of feedback and even tonight was a good example. We get a lot of feedback about our sound, and people tell us that its got an original touch to it and it just kind of kept developing and so its not like were trying to make a huge claim… like I don’t know if we’d put that in The Rolling Stone.

Dean: Redesigned implies that there is really nothing new. Its just the idea that its kind of rebuilt and the reworking of what’s already been. Cuz its really impossible to break new ground in music after having centuries and centuries of music you can, but its inaccessible to a certain extent. So for us its like: take what you know, take what you can do best, reassemble it into something that’s a new way of presenting old ideas and then there’s a certain amount of wisdom to that too and you can hear the music come out and it has all that vintage aspect to it but at the same time its a refreshing take on what you might have heard before.

Alana: So are there other bands that you guys have heard that you would consider fitting into your genre that you’ve kind of created, or are you the only one?

Nathan: I just think something inspires you to write a certain way for one song and a different way for another song and sometimes its just completely random. There’s definitely musicians and stuff I know I look up to. I definitely don’t think any of us want to mimic anyone that’s for sure.

Dean: I would also say that our genre is more the way we write than what we actually write. For example: our process of writing is very different than most bands. Its very democratic in that well come up with an idea and unless all four of us thinks its like the way we should be doing it, no song makes it to completion without all four of us having a huge dissection of it and that whole process is kind of uncommon. When you read the liner notes of most albums, you see Lennon/McCartney, or you see names. All of our records and all of our songs that we’ve recorded have always said all of our songs are by Sunday Night Cruise. So I’d say the genre… actually I haven’t actually thought about who this would be but the way a band writes would be what most identified them with us or us with them.

Alana: So, their writing process would make them redesigned rock, instead of their sound?

Dean: Instead of their sound

Nathan: Yeah, I don’t wanna draw comparison but I really liked one quote Brandon Flowers said from The Killers. He said that ‘We’re just fans of good songs.’ You know? Its not like we’re trying to write a certain style, its just we’re fans of good writing, you know?

Dean: It lets you go where you wanna go later rather than being pigeon-holed.

Alana: I also saw on your myspace it says you are indie and proud. Why are you guys so proud to be indie?

Nathan: Whatever we accomplish, we’ve accomplished on mostly our own terms and its based on our own work and work ethic. So its like…

Dean: Obviously we’ve had help.

Nathan: Yeah, obviously you get help. You network with people and you know, they help you and you help them. That’s not to say that we’d never ever sign a record deal, cuz I think the music industry’s changing a lot and in a lot more favour for bands now a days. I think its because of bands taking that step to say: we want to do this our way and do it ourselves. You know? Not as much caught up with fame, just being able to do what you do by yourself on your own terms. That’s a huge goal of ours and were accomplishing it step by step.

Dean: I wouldn’t even I wouldn’t consider it selling out either to sign to a label. So many bands are just like uh…

Jon: Yeah, sell out…

Dean: Sell out. Whatever. Its case by case. You’re getting a deal, you’re getting a record deal if that’s what you wanna do.

Alana: Yeah, I don’t think you’ve sold out unless you’re doing Tylenol ads or something…
(everyone laughs)
Like Wayne Gretzky: one minute you’re the greatest hockey player in Canada, the next minute you’re selling Ford cars… you’ve sold out.

Jon: Yeah, but when Wayne Gretzky tells me to buy a Ford, I want one.

(everyone laughs)

Alana: Ok… so do you think online communities like Myspace have helped keep indie music alive? Or do you think its kind of hindering things?

Dean: I think its good because an indie band like us can record something and put it on Myspace and people will see it and its like a free way of promotion. I mean its definitely helped us.

Nathan: Yeah I mean, we even booked half the gigs on this tour through Myspace.

Dean: I think the other side of it that at least I see is that there’s just millions of bands… anyone with a little recording tape can just throw down and be like: hey, this is our band. There’s just so much more music its almost harder for people to find you now. There’s so much noise and not a lot of signal.

Nathan: Oh.

Alana: That’s a good quote

Jon: You might want to quote that verbatim.

Nathan: Its funny that that comes up because I don’t mind that there are a lot of people who are experimenting with music because its a good thing culturally. In our country we need more of that. You get that a lot more in Europe, you don’t get that very much in North America.

Dean: But it does do a certain amount to dilute the artistry of music because a lot of it has been brought down to loops. Or… well loops is just one example… and sampling. I’m not saying that those things are not artistic, cuz they can be very artistic. Its more that, its very casual its a very noncommittal thing I think that the noise part of it would be the lack of commitment, sort of nonchalant foray into music that a lot of people take and it might seriously hinder people who are making a legitimate shot at I guess a certain cut of music. So…

Nathan: The only thing is that I sort of disagree with you.

Dean: Yeah, I knew you would.

Nathan: Because I think in any industry if you want to succeed, its your job to come up with something better. Whether its in your live show, in whatever you’re selling you gotta do something better if you want to succeed. Its just that the industry’s always changing… music, or television or movies or whatever… the forest industry…

Jon: Soft wood lumber baby.

Nathan: You know? Mills are closing down because life changes and if you don’t adapt you’re never going to survive anyways.

Dean: But now its it’s just democracy. That’s all it is democracy.

Nathan: Dave, so you agree?

Dave: I conquer.

(everyone laughs)

Chantelle: You’re so quite over here

Alana: He’s playing the quite, mysterious one… So what’s the best thing that’s happened as a direct result of a Myspace message?

Nathan: Um… the best thing…

Dean: No, no, no. What about this? So, we were playing a show in Medicine Hat…

Nathan: Oh, why is this the best thing?

Jon: No, no!

Dean: Ok, I’m going to tell the story anyway I just wont give names. So, were playing a show in I think it was Medicine Hat…

Nathan: Yeah.

Dean: And there was some huge brawl and ambulances showed up…

Nathan: It got pretty serious.

Dean: Yeah. And some guy got injured badly and he was in the hospital. And he reamed us on Myspace the next day.

Nathan: His friend did.

Dean: His friend yeah, ok. That we were the ones that instigated.Nathan: He said that we got a security guard to beat him up or something.

Alana: That you were the ones responsible for his friend being in the hospital?

Dean: Yeah. And anyways you have to understand where our bands coming from. Our tagline in life is basically love songs for the unloved. There’s this massive push towards the fact that the world just needs love. Above all. Always.

Nathan: So as tempting as it was…

Dean: As tempting as it was to just tear into this guy were like no. you know what, were not going to tear into this guy. I think is was Nathan that responded…

Nathan: Yeah…

Dean: …and in a very… you know: sorry. I mean, it wasn’t us, we feel for you, we really hope that he gets better. To which he replied back and got even more agitated. And then we tried to respond again nicely and then the most amazing thing happened he apologized and asked to retract his statements on Myspace.

Nathan: Yeah, to pull his comments off.

Dean: So we did and its wasn’t its not victory for us, its victory for the whole idea that there’s a certain amount of anonymity on Myspace where you can just write whatever the heck you want and it gets published and there you go, you have the upper hand. It reinforces the fact after that whole ordeal that love really does conquer this everybody just really needs love and really needs second and third and fourth chances.

Nathan: Yeah. I think the best of all is when random kids from Europe add you.

Jon: Yeah, and Brazil and Korea and you’re like: awesome how’d you hear about us? Usually they can barely respond, but I appreciate when they try.

Nathan: Yeah. I music your like. (laughs)

Jon: I music your like too man. Thanks. That’s awesome. I enjoy that.

Nathan: I like when people say: I went to your show and it made my life. If you can just positively affect someone whether its a small or big thing just being there and just taking a second to say hey, what’s up? and it makes their day.

Alana: Right... So, you guys are all about World Vision as you said on stage tonight... Why did you decide to deal with people instead of being like most bands and being like: go veganism like all the huge revolutionaries in rock?

(someone says: “don’t listen to George Bush” here but I’m not sure who it was)

Nathan: Yeah, yeah, yeah the thing is…

Sterling: I love animals.

Nathan: …in a lot of our recent music we’re just telling people about crap going on in the world that’s really bugging us and trying to give that instead. There’s a lot of negativity in some music where its just showing the negative side and that’s it. We’re trying to show the negative side and tell people there’s a solution. There’s a way to start making it not negative anymore. You know? You can only say that so much until you’re like: what are we actually doing? We found out about the artist association program that they have which like I’m surprised more organizations don’t do it but we found out we could do that and we were just like: you know what? There we go. That’s our thing. We can say go help and you can actually go do it right now if you want.

Jon: Its not like its the only thing they can do but its…

Nathan: No, but its a start.

Alana: It brings awareness for sure.

Nathan: I feel like sometimes everyone sort of feels like they have a certain job in life and I think when we’re on stage, its our responsibility to make people give a crap. Start changing attitudes. Start bringing awareness.

Dean: I’ll add to that… its funny you bring up veganism and George Bush and everything. Politics. I happen to be a very politically motivated person, but I believe that the way we’re going about things is very accessible which is super important. Offstage I’ll talk to somebody and be like: I’m not a Conservative, and I stand for these principles and I’m a Christian and these things work together if you can believe it, even though it doesn’t make sense to you. I actually don’t eat meat at home, but I’m not a vegetarian. You add all these things together but when were on stage, were trying to convey as much positive information in the shortest time possible. Its like you need to say something that’s totally accessible.

Jon: Simplify.

Dean: Its people loving people.

Alana: Its an easy message for the fans

Dean: If everybody leave and goes out and wants to react to negativity with positivety, that will change the world. Really fast.

Alana: Would you guys consider yourselves rock revolutionaries… like on the local… on the indie forefront?

Nathan: I think that the revolution… this is going to sound so cheesy, but the revolution can only happen per person. I could have said that way cheesier but I decided not to…

Jon: Can I hear what the cheesier version would have been?

Nathan: Uh…

Alana: He doesn’t want that printed online…

Nathan: Yeah.

Jon: But they like that stuff…

(everyone laughs)

Mike Pardy: To comment on the World Vision thing… you have four members in your band. When did you decide as a group that you were going to like… all the kids in Africa and sponsoring a child… how did you all agree on the same motives?

Nathan: Like, individually sponsoring, or…

Mike Pardy: Well… going about it as a band…

Dean: It was January and it was my wife (Sammy). She motivated that pretty much. We worked with an organization who worked with World Vision as well and we saw that and thought it was something we wanted to become involved in and it lined up with what we were doing… and Sammy said one day: well I’m gonna just do this. She’s really taken the bull by the horns, she manages all the back end of that, its very complicated to do. Its been a beautiful thing because sometimes at the end of the day you’re like: I wanna know how many kids got sponsored tonight… and she’s like: oh, I know… this many… here’s what happened, it was so cool.

Nathan: You gotta network with people and then marry them…

Alana: … and then keep networking with other people…

Dean: Yeah… but only get married once.

(everyone laughs)

Alana: So I guess probably community is important for you guys. You’re from Thunder Bay… what’s your community like up there? Do you find that people receive you well?

Nathan: We have a lot of friends there. We just had a pretty cool EP release show and it was a lot of fun. For a couple of nights after, the bar staff was just like: you guys had such an awesome show, everyone was so good, everyone had a great time. And its kind of interesting cuz it wasn’t the first time we felt that way with our hometown but it was just kind of nice to feel that way…

Jon: I love Thunder Bay… it’s a nice city.

Sterling: I hate it… its too far from Orillia…

(everyone laughs)

Dean: We actually spent two years in Winnipeg… the name Sunday Night Cruise comes from there. Now we just say it embodies community, because it does… but I mean, it was an event in Winnipeg… where we’d just drive around on Sunday nights…

Nathan: …didn’t matter what kind of car you drove…

Dean: Didn’t matter what kind of car you drove… or how much it polluted… now a days its just like… that’s a really really bad thing to do… spewing oil all over the place…

Nathan: Maybe now it would be like… a bike ride…

Alana: Sunday Night Bike Ride…(everyone laughs)

Nathan: Yeah… we’re waiting for that band to come out.

Jon: They’ll come… they will. In time…

Mike Pardy: It will be done.

Jon: Or Sunday Night Electric Car…

Nathan: But anyways… the idea is that…

Dean: Yeah, its community. Its people getting together to do something. In this case its something different than cruising around, it’s a bit more serious. So Winnipeg was cool for that because it kind of, I guess, incubated us a little bit that way.

Mike Pardy: Bands like mewithoutyou, they’ve rigged their vehicle to run on oil, like vegetable oil and grease oil, that’s better for the environment, have you guys looked into it or thought about that?

Dean: Yep… I’ve actually thought of that for the bus. I’ve also looked into, in the immediate future, purchasing carbon offsets for the bus. So its something we’re looking into… it’s a bit pricey and I don’t even want to use money that’s kind of accessible as an excuse for not doing it. So, rest assured that its in the cards… either purchasing carbon offsets and/or switching to fryer fat. The biggest issue for fryer fat in Canada is that whether you’re using straight vegetable oil or fryer fat or whatever… where are you going to have it processed and where are you going to get it? This whole ethanol thing is just a rabbit trail… it really is. It takes so much energy to make it. So… yeah. I’ve considered it. There’s a whole bunch of things being tossed us right now. Actually, we’ve been studying that to see what we can do…

Jon: Wind… wind power. Sails. Solar and wind.

Dean: We actually figured it out… for the record… the five of us that regularly tour in the bus, we’re getting the same passenger fuel economy… so if you multiply people by miles per gallon… as a couple driving a pick-up truck.

Alana: No kidding.

Dean: So it gives you the idea of kinda what we’re doing… we get roughly the same fuel economy as a hummer… but we live in it. So…

Alana: That’s crazy.

Nathan: And I can make toast.

Jon: We’ve got a microwave and a fridge…

Nathan: Can you make toast in a hummer?

Jon: I don’t know… they’re pretty tricked out these days…

(everyone laughs)

Dean: We’re very much aware of how much fuel we’re burning… its just…

Alana: Its kind of unavoidable as a touring band…

Dean: We really want to… we’re working on it.

Nathan: Routing is important.

Dean: It’s a whole process… lowering the amount of energy used. Its definitely a process…

Mike Pardy: As the music goes… I’ve heard a lot of people say that you (Dave) have a very unique scream… how did you develop it and does the beard enhance your scream?

Dave: I wish it did… but it doesn’t… um…

Mike Pardy: Chick magnet?

Dave: For the most part its not a chick magnet.

Sterling: I certainly like to give it a good scratch Dave….

Dave: As for my scream… uh… I don’t know. I just scream into the microphone and what comes out comes out.

Jon: He can’t do it at home.

Dave: I can’t do it at home though! It’s just like… I don’t know…

Jon: He can only do it on stage…

Dave: Yeah. I don’t know… its funny cuz I see a lot of bands and I’m like: aw, man… I wish I could scream like that! It sounds so good… and then I’m just like: man… mine sucks. And then, like… a guy tonight was just like: dude, I loved your scream. And I was like: what?

Nathan: I think it’s the emotion you put into it.

Alana: Yeah… it’s the love.

Nathan: We’ve seen guys scream with a straight face and its not the same.

Chantelle: He just has that passion… that love.

Jon: Every time Dave screams I always look and… I’m pointing at him sometimes… look at that guy. And I’m not even playing guitar anymore… I’m just like…

Alana: Are you amazed he’s in the band sometimes?

Jon: Yeah. (laughs)

Dave: No… I actually bought a DVD to help me sing better and further my scream. I haven’t even touched it in forever. Nathan’s been using it…

Nathan: It works. I get little growls here and there. He adds balls to it. Its super nice.

Jon: Add some balls to your voice…

Nathan: Yeah… let’s put that in there…

Jon: Crunch.

Mike Pardy: When you guys aren’t touring, do you guys have actual houses or do you just bunk with each other in the bus?

Nathan: We’ve bounced all over the place within our own town… living with parents, having our own place, living with friends.

Dean: We spend between four and eight months of the year on the road. Its you add it all us and to all the math as to when we’re gone and when we’re in town, its true.

Nathan: I’d say closer to four…

Dean: No dude… two years ago, in 2005 we did 167 shows. That was largely abroad. We’ve been to Europe twice, last time we went to Europe for two months. Its really hard to hold a house.

Alana: Or an apartment when you’re not there…

Nathan: Yeah. You leave the country, you just move out. So we don’t own a lot of stuff.

Dean: We’re not sure where we’re going to be permanent yet, whether we’re going to be in Thunder Bay permanently yet or somewhere else. I’d like to buy a house. I think we probably all would… but it’s a matter of co-ordination.

Dave: I’d like to buy a dog…

Alana: And live on that?

(everyone laughs)

Mike Pardy: A dog with a beard?

Nathan: He needs something to make that dog grow a beard.

Chantelle: You can get a Jack Russell, they have beards.

Nathan: Yeah. But that’s the goal I guess… to kind of have a base to call home. Which right now is a city rather than an actual house.

Jon: I’ve got a corner in my mom’s basement…

Alana: Set up waiting for you? So… how many of you are married?

Dean: Two… Nathan and I… not to each other…

Alana: What’s that all about? What’s it like when you’re on the road?

Nathan: We kind of have the opposite… cuz Dean’s wife is always on the road… Sammy is always with us. My wife, Sheena, she’s pretty much always home. Not every single tour, but for the most part. The long, deep version answer: we’re all really different guys, including myself. Even me and Sheena, we have a great relationship but we’re way more different, we can handle more time apart. Whereas, it wouldn’t be a good thing for Dean and Sammy… and its not like that’s a problem, its just who they are. The fact is that we work together so well. Sometimes it surprises me, cuz so many bands just break up because they can’t get along… and I hear about it a lot. It makes us feel like if we can just survive and deal with each other when we have to we’re going places.

Dean: It’s a taste of our own medicine, right? Showing love to each other.

Alana: You have to practice what you’re preaching.

Dean: Yeah, that’s right. Its hard… I suck at it. I’m learning slowly. But I become really edgy sometimes…

Alana: That’s what busses are all about though… when you’re trapped on a bus for any amount of time.

Jon: Better than being trapped in a van… in the bus you can lay on your bunk and be in your own space and stuff.

Alana: Yeah. Flip on your IPod and chill out.

Jon: Pretty much… 24 hours a day. All I do is sleep. I wake up every couple of hours and eat and go right back to bed.

Nathan: And guesses where we are… (laughs)

Jon: I remember one morning, I literally just woke up and I was like: I’m in where? I called my Dad and I’m like: Its real flat here Dad… and he’s like: you’re in Saskatchewan Jon…. Should I eat?… Get some orange juice, you’ll meet Gladys, she’ll take care of you…

Mike Pardy (in a truck stop waitress voice): How ya doin’ darlin’? Would ya like some orange juice?

(everyone laughs)

Alana: Ok… we’ll wrap this up cuz you guys are probably exhausted…

Nathan: Yeah… its midnight…

Alana: A few quick questions: what’s your favourite obsession right now? What are you loving?

Jon: Paramore’s new CD.

Mike Pardy: Yeah!!

Chantelle: I agree, I love it…

Nathan: Are we talking about musically…?

Alana: Anything… whatever you’re obsessed with right now.

Nathan: I gotta think about this one…

Dave: Oh… Kraft Dinner. I don’t know what it is.

Nathan: My long board…

Jon: Everybody’s talking about it in Thunder Bay: there’s that guy with the long board.

Nathan: I ride it all over town.

Dean: I wanna convert my 1996 Toyota Corolla to run on electricity.

Alana: That’s your obsession right now?

Dean: Yeah. I actually have wanted to do that for quite a while… I saw…

Nathan: these are the quick questions…

Dean: Yeah, yeah… I’ll do it quickly. I was in Disneyworld in 1995, so this is like… 12 years ago… and I saw the original GM EI electric car, before they destroyed them all and I was like: I want one someday. And now I still want one.

Chantelle: I have one… what is your favourite animal?

Dave: An elephant.

Jon: Panda bear for sure.

Nathan: I don’t even know that… I don’t know the answer to that question. Well, ok… it probably doesn’t count anymore, but when I was 14, I was that kid who liked wolves.

Jon: You had the wolf tee shirt didn’t you? I had the wolf sweater from Northern Reflections. Dave still has the wolf sweater.

Alana: I love it.

Nathan (to Dean): What’s your favourite animal?

Dean: Oh dude… you know that’s impossible…

Jon: Turtles.

Dean: I like rabbits… I think they’re cute.

Alana: What’s the one thing you guys need with you when you’re on tour?

Jon: IPod.

Nathan: um… Jon, I’m sure that you’d say something different if somebody reminded you…

Jon: I can’t sleep without it.

Nathan: Cell phone?

Jon: Oh! I couldn’t even go to the bathroom without that! But I honestly, unless I have an IPod, I can’t sleep. Oh… but my phone’s got an IPod in it. So, my cell phone.

Nathan: I think it would be my acoustic guitar.

Dean: I’d say my bible and my cell phone. It would be those two for sure. (pause) Oh, no… no, that’s ridiculous! I would say my bible and my wife.

Nathan: There we go… I was gonna say…

Dean: I just thought about that and was like… wait a second!

Alana: Well I did say things, not people…

Dean: I like my wife… yeah, she’s not a thing. So it would be my bible and my cell phone.

Nathan (to Dave): Janzen, what you got bro?

Dave: I don’t know…

Mike Pardy: Me baby!

Alana: Mike Pardy… definitely.

Nathan: You need your CDs and your pillow… that Hot Wheels blanket…

Dave: My Hot Wheels blanket.

Chantelle: I wanna know what your favourite band is right now.

Dave: Chariot.

Jon: Radiohead.

Nathan: Artic Monkeys.

Dean: I really can’t answer that…

Alana: So where was the best place to go on your Sunday night cruises in the prairies?

Nathan: In the prairies?

Alana: Or anywhere… best place to go on a Sunday night cruise?

Nathan: Portage.

Dean: Oh yeah, if you’re gonna be a real Sunday night cruiser in Winnipeg… down Portage Avenue.

Alana: What’s the best thing a fan has ever given you?

Jon: Food.

Nathan: The best thing a fan has ever given us… for me… I got some Chinese coins on the last tour with Worthless Without.

Jon: If you go to China you might use it.

Nathan: Its a fake one. From the old days.

Dave: I got a bracelet.

Dean: Its probably people coming up to me and crying and telling you their life story about how they were just totally broken and saying that because of the encouraging words you said to them during the how, that they’re not going to kill themselves. That’s happened maybe four times. That’s a big deal. That’s the best thing for sure.

Jon: Yeah… that’s better than food.

Alana: What is the one thing you will always find in your messy bedroom?

Dean: Um… stacks of paper.

Sterling: Old food.

Nathan: British music magazines.

Jon: Packs and packs of gum with one piece left in them. Trident White Peppermint.

Dave: Everything I need that I can’t find…

Nathan: Keys… wallet… but even when you look for it when your room is messy, you can’t find it until you clean your room.

Dave: And then you don’t need it anymore.

-end-

Notes:

Other players in this interview: Mike Pardy (the reason I met Sunday Night Cruise in the first place), Chantelle (a girl I know from St. Catherines), Sterling (from the band Worthless Without).

Live photos shot by me at True North Music, Orillia.