Woolly
Leaves
Aaron Booth
Nash The Slash
The Battleship, Ethel
Slight Return
The Barcelona Pavilion
SherpaFeast
Broken Social Scene
Quinimine
DJs
Above:
Whil Kidman (guitar, voice)
Below: John Pinnington (drums)
WOOLLY
LEAVES
WAVELENGTH 142
SUNDAY DECEMBER 1, 10PM
Purveyors of:
Wonky wide-eyed wonder
woollyleaves@hotmail.com
Whil Kidman and John Pinnington are the Woolly Leaves,
a guitar-and-drums duo full of shrugged-off exuberance and off-the-cuff
hooks aplenty. In anticipation of their second-ever Toronto appearance
Dec. 1st (and in celebration of their debut album Dew Dap's re-release
on Die!Venom, Whil spoke to Craig Fraid:
Have you been getting a chance to work on Woolly Leaves material as much since moving to town (from Guelph) this fall?
Well, John and I have been sending tapes back and forth a lot, and we jam once in a while, but as far as playing live, for now we're just doing old songs so that it's easier for practicing, since we already know them.
You played Sneaky Dee's a few months back, opening for Gentleman Reg (for whom you often moonlight on bass) -- so that was the Leaves' first show here?
Yeah. We haven't played that much in any case, only... 22 shows so far.
You've been keeping track?
Actually, I was just looking at a list I made before you showed up!
With new songs, does the riff tend to come first, or do you get a vocal melody stuck in your head?
It works both ways, whether just jamming together for a few hours and finding a melody line after that just fits, or coming home and playing something that works after walking around for a while...
I've noticed that sometimes in your songs there's a neat contrast between the bombastic playing and the poppiness of your singing...
I never think about that stuff very much, but lots of the time there's just a little song, with not very many words often, and I just try to come up with different riffs to make it more interesting.
That makes sense, because I especially like it when different sections of the song jar up against one another, those subtle stutters that kind of grab you...
Well, I've always liked music that has parts that stick out and make you smile.
Recently, I've been thinking about creative slumps and streaks, and different strategies that get used. How does it work for you?
I always go through slumps, but then, there'll be a week where I come up with everything that I play for the next year. Like, each batch of songs represents a certain specific period for me.
Are the songs on Dew Dap all from the same time, then?
Yeah,
they all came together over the space of one month, from the same headspace.
I'm pretty excited, actually, because I just figured out the next batch
of songs for the new year!
AARON
BOOTH
WAVELENGTH 142
SUNDAY DECEMBER 1, 11PM
Purveyor of: Delicate pop songcraft
www.aaronboothmusic.com
Wavelength regular Aaron Booth returns to our stage on Dec. 1 for a rare performance backed by a rhythm section.
Read a review of his latest disc, Transparent, here.
Or, read a recent interview with Aaron for Home Invasion.
NASH
THE SLASH
WAVELENGTH 143
SUNDAY DECEMBER 8, 11PM
Purveyor of: Flaming
violins in Bruce McDonald movies
www.nashtheslash.com
Nash The Slash has been making music for almost 30 years now... an introduction really doesn't seem necessary. Paddy O'Donnell goes headfirst into the interview, like this:
You have been making electronic music since the mid-'70s. How has the music scene changed since those days?
Obviously, it is easier to create, distribute and market music, even at a grassroots level. What is your take on the current music scene? "Electronic music" doesn't mean turning on your computer and going to a standard "sound bank." It involves an ear for sonics. In the "old days" we used to twiddle dials and come up with some really weird sounds. Nowadays, everything is digital, and in order to make radical changes to your sound, you push a button that says "increment." Everyone's too lazy to figure out the "parameters" of the sound, so they use the existing sounds. The sounds are therefore not unique, but disposable. If everyone uses the same disposable sounds, then the music itself becomes disposable. This is what I hear today with computer music. I think everyone who pretends to make "electronic music" with their computer should go out and buy a cheap fuzzbox and put everything through it, including their fancy drum mix. Even the big boys are starting to cash in on this omission of creativity. The companies that make the most common gear, such as Roland, Alesis and Korg, have all put out new devices that are meant for hands-on performing and sound-shaping. There are smaller companies, like Electrix out of Vancouver, that have also made some clever new loopers and such, but they're harder to find.
You've been inspired by silent film, and lately, have been working extensively on film soundtrack material. Describe how this passion began and where it's taken you.
The very first Nash the Slash performance was at The Roxy Theatre in Toronto, performing live to the Salvador Dali/Luis Bu–uel silent film classic, Un chien andalou. Through the years I have always had a desire to do more silent films. I feel I have an affinity for them, and like Dr. Frankenstein, when I have finished composing the last note and suturing the cadaver, I too can say "It's Alive!"
Your stage appearance has been a big part of your mystique and appeal. Have you ever performed unmasked? Is there a philosophy you have as to what makes a performance compelling or interesting?
When I first performed live, there were no bandages. All images from this period have been erased. Then came Three-Mile Island, a near-catastrophic nuclear disaster in New York State. My next performance was the "Neighbourhood Alert" show and I wore bandages that glowed in the dark. The bandages stuck and have become my trademark ever since. There is also a theatrical purpose to the image. On stage, I dress entirely in white and the only light is from multi-coloured psychedelic images from the slide projectors. I become part of the stage design, and disappear. A great performance is often an enigma: Arthur Brown, Bowie, The Residents.
There is a comprehensive gigography at www.nashtheslash.com -- what are your favourite moments during your impressive career, and why?
Performing live is the ultimate high. There is no greater adrenaline rush than the immediate buzz of the audience. Whether it be a small club or a stadium filled with rabid hooligans who just want to hear the headliner, your focus and intent is at its peak. I have the distinction of being one of the few opening acts ever to survive an entire tour with The Tubes. Their audience is very demanding, and they usually hate the opening act. (Imagine Wire opening for The Tubes. Not a pretty thought.) I survived tours like that, and I enjoyed touring with the likes of Gary Numan and Iggy Pop because I'm original, I'm good, and I have the nerve to go out on stage alone. I thought opening for The Who was pretty cool until I was invited to play at an avant-garde music festival in St. Petersburg last April. The Who never played Russia!
Your website states you have recorded "the first record playable at any speed (reviewed in Playboy Magazine, 1982)." I have heard about this. Was it difficult? Are you sure your claim is irrefutable? Do you hold a world-record Guinness-style for this accomplishment? Was it difficult?
No! I just recorded four instrumentals, put them on an EP and declared it "playable at any speed." I listed the times for the different speeds (78, 45 and 33.3 RPM) and if your turntable could do the speeds, you had a whole new listening experience. Existentially, all records are playable at any speed, but I defined it. Were people nuts before Freud came along?
This question kind of relates to the first one, but how do you change with the times over a career as vast as yours without sounding opportunistic, retro, or like you "just don't get it anymore." Do you worry about this, or is this not a concern? Why or why not?
I play a variety of musical styles that I'm comfortable with, and these range from classical to punk rock to experimental electronic. All of these styles have stood the test of time, so there will always be a listening audience for these kinds of music. As a performer, I refuse to play in retro clubs because I never quit the band! I'm not playing old tunes for an old audience. I play all my material for a new audience. I certainly enjoy listening to new artists, but I can't sound like them and they can't sound like me. The younger fans who are discovering my music recognize and appreciate my originality.
What do you feel is your greatest accomplishment in life thus far? If it is not musically related, then include your greatest musically-related accomplishment also.
My greatest career achievements are having my own record company, owning all my original recordings and having a website. My cult following has exploded, and I can now offer all my back-catalogue to thousands of fans around the world.
You seem to have developed an affinity to fellow Hamiltonian outfit The Battleship, Ethel. What is it about them that captures your interest?
The Battleship, Ethel fires cannons of sonic bombardment. Even if you try to duck, the concussion blast will lay you out at a hundred yards. Keyboards scream in diatonic pain. Rhythms pound like flagellating sailors on a burning ship from Hell. The Battleship, Ethel is out to sink your Bismarck!
What can we expect to see at Wavelength?
This will be an evening of pure, electronic THRASH. Both TB,E and NTS will try to live up to the hype.
photo by Roman Sokal
THE
BATTLESHIP, ETHEL
WAVELENGTH 143
SUNDAY DECEMBER 8, 10PM
Purveyors of: Drones, crescendos, found sounds, found members
http://thebattleshipethel.tripod.com
TB,E: Mike MacLean (Arp, wind organ, guitar), James Andrews (keys, guitar, insanity), Kevyn Wright (drums, melodica, tapes, packaging), Carl Didur (competent keyboards, cosmic dust, generators, modulators).
The Battleship, Ethel are this era's Battleship Potemkin. Consider this, by Helen Grace:
"Independent filmmakers, restricted to limited exhibition outlets in a world of media conglomeration, can take heart from the fact that Battleship Potemkin, one of the most renowned films in the history of cinema and containing perhaps the best known sequence in the medium's entire history, was initially seen only by small audiences of film society aficionados and trade unionists. In this sense, it represents one of the most successful instances of niche marketing the world has ever seen." Like Battleship Potemkin, The Battleship, Ethel approach their medium in a new way... all the elements have always been there, but what is edited together and composed is almost revolutionary in its approach. Hamilitonian musician, legend and journalist Bruce (The Mole) Mowat contributes the following...
Together for just over a year, TB,E is dedicated to the improvisational ethic, as the core members never rehearse, or "jam," for that matter. Whenever they assemble for a performance, they tend to record and release whatever they come up with, with whomever feels inclined to join them at the time. So far, the trio has recorded three EPs, and four full-length releases. At this rate, within two years, they will surpass the total recorded output of The Beatles.
They have been compared to Hawkwind ("sans bass or Stacia"), however, the group is capable of coming up with transcendent material that approaches the Spacemen 3 at its meditative best. Specifically, the self-titled disc's two pieces, "Long Song" and (of course...) "Longer Song" respectively invokes Suicide's "Cheree" and the S3's "Dreamweapon". And For The Queen is a collection of short (3-7 minute) pieces. It is a somewhat atypical release for the group, as its live improv pieces are usually anywhere from 15 to 59 minutes in length. Guests who have appeared on the TB,E's recordings and stage shows include Dave Byers (of the Shangs and early Simply Saucer) and Mark Raymond (see Hunter Eves). Damo Suzuki, the former lead vocalist for the '70s German avant-rock group, Can, has a link to them on his site under the heading "strange." That alone should speak volumes.
Visit Bruce Mowat's site and archives at http://www.e-mole.com.
SLIGHT
RETURN
WAVELENGTH 144
SUNDAY DECEMBER 15, 11:45PM
Purveyors of: East Coast complication rock
www.slightreturn.ca
"Complicated" and "intense" are two words that come to mind when describing Nova Scotian rock band Slight Return. The same words could also be used to describe their Torontonian Matlock Records labelmates Holding Pattern -- well, at least their personalities. In advance of the two bands' imminent split single, HP's Lee Sheppard threw some questions out there...
Who are you?
I am one of four personalities in a Dartmouth, Nova Scotia band called Slight Return. My name is Jonathan Samuel, but how relevant is that?
What instruments do you play?
I easily dismiss my guitar playing as mediocre. Because it is the only instrument in which I display any sort of skill, I shall refrain from listing the other few devices I have tried to play.
Describe your music for the people out there.
I have read that people with perfect pitch, when processing music, often see colours. While I do not mean to imply that the clockwork universe has bestowed me with the gift of perfect pitch, I do often associate music with tincture. I think this is a method of describing music reviewers should employ more. My favourite bands have an earthy colorata to their sounds. Most of Slight Return's euphonic endeavours bring to mind a red and orange blush.
Please explain what "bouncing" is.
A bouncing begins with the four personalities of Slight Return encircling a person. We then grip the victim in something resembling a four-person bear hug. Struggling by the sufferer is futile, and before long, the strapping young lads of Slight Return take to jumping up and down, their hands firmly locked on the torso as we pummel our easy prey into submission. Bouncing, for reasons that I am not comfortable with, has been a gender-specific caper to date. We have bounced only males. If any of the Wavelength zine readers would like to voice their opinions on the gender exclusiveness of Slight Return's bouncing practice, please feel free to send all inquiries to stockholm44@hotmail.com.
Why do you feel so threatened by Holding Pattern that you feel you must menace them, and even "bounce" them?
Dare I pay the cadastres of Holding Pattern a compliment and first cite the level of efficiency with which they play jazzy indie rock. However, that being said, it is clear to me, and I suspect the greater independent music community, that the collective known as Holding Pattern is far too wimpy to be walking the path that our punk forebears have paved. Slight Return feel obliged to thrash Holding Pattern at every opportunity. Luckily enough for them, HP travels around in an ambulance.
What are the most likely subjects of conversation in the Slight Return van (as you traipse across Nova Scotia, through New Brunswick and Quebec)?
Since we are not like-minded individuals, after a few hours, conversation in the van can be disastrous. To avoid a communal breakdown, we adopt personas. Chris and Matt are especially gifted at creating eccentrics.
Why do interviews always seem to make reference to inside jokes and otherwise flounder terribly?
I will answer this question as if it pertained to the indie-rock community of which I consider myself a part. Honestly, I think indie-rock people tend to have a narrow view of things. Perhaps we think that only our friends could possibly want to read an interview. Slight Return is a band that has had very limited exposure. It is best to keep that in mind and approach every show and interview as if we are preaching to the unconverted.
What does the future hold in store for Slight Return?
This past year Slight Return has ventured out on a few short tours of Eastern Canada. These jaunts have ignited a strong desire to travel to the farthest reaches and bring our brand of rock'n'roll to many people. Our goals are to: 1. Continue to work with great people by way of writing music we care about. 2. Tour endlessly to support ourselves.
L to
R: Ben (plays the enabler), Maggie (plays the expounder),
Kat (plays the moderator), Steve (plays the agitator).
Photo by PeMo.
THE
BARCELONA PAVILION
WAVELENGTH 144
SUNDAY DECEMBER 15, 10:45PM
Purveyors of: Hauling gear in Dad's Van der Roe
www.barcelonapavilion.cjb.net
The Barcelona Pavilion is a bunch of endearingly snotty semiotics majors who want to attack and hug the audience at the same time. The Barcelona Pavilion is two basses, a laptop and a vocalist, though this fact bypassed Doc Pickles, who went ahead and interviewed them anyway.
The Barcelona Pavilion is two basses and a keyboard. What drugs should people consider taking before seeing The Barcelona Pavilion?
Modernism. High Modernism. Drugs that make you see what instruments we really play. You Fuck.
The Barcelona Pavilion weren't being considered for an Emmy for their critically acclaimed but poorly watched series on Fox. Why is TV bad for independent thinking?
IT'S ONLY BAD IF YOU ARE WEAK (TV).
The Barcelona Pavilion were never banned from Cuba. Why does America have such a hang-up about Cuba?
Jealousy. What was Kennedy when put up next to the mighty beard of Castro? They've never had as handsome a leader as Castro in America.
The Barcelona Pavilion never once got hammered with Ricky Lake in a train station in Geneva. Have any of you done any travelling lately?
Finland is fucking fantastic. Helsinki in summertime is probably one of the nicest cities imaginable, it's kind of like being in Ontario, only having everything done nicely, properly and for the communal good. We've also been in Berlin, Vienna, Budapest and Stockholm in the last year, and our business card CD is out in Austria, available from Mego's web mail-order service MDOS. Berlin had lots of good bands but only one, Puma, was good enough to compete with the kind of amazing scene they have in Helsinki. There's this band in Finland called The Rollstons who are so unbelievable, they're kind of like Ottawa's HiLoTrons crossed with Sweden's Bob Hund. They're fantastic.
Somebody once said that it's really easy to learn to play a bass guitar. What do you do after you've learned to play it?
Start learning how to make cool "rock" poses while playing it.
Did you like your high school English teacher?
(Note: for this response, the BP collective was broken into its individual atoms.) Yes. I wanted him to be my boyfriend. My last boyfriend looked just like him. And sometimes I had "the thoughts." / My Grade 11 English teacher once told me that I reminded him of the days when he started teaching and people cared about "the humanities." / My Grade 9 English teacher looked like Paul Simon and didn't wear "the socks."
The Barcelona Pavilion don't care what the punters think of them because...?
hhhWe have yet to
have any solid proof that "punters" anywhere have given us any thought.
We can't care if we can't know we've been thought about. Since these thoughts
are, presumably, interior states or mental acts, as opposed to physical
acts occurring "in the world" (that is to say on a material level), we
can't say whether such thoughts exist. To care about these hypothetical
thoughts when they don't even exist is not really useful. We've got lots
of work to do and we don't have the time to work on "this stuff."
SHERPAFEAST
WAVELENGTH 144
SUNDAY DECEMBER 15, 9:45PM
Purveyors of: Lobster Feast!
sherpadee@yahoo.ca
SherpaFeast. They are from the York that is North,
not the York that is East. You've seen them rush the stage at the Wavelength
Halloween show. You've touched their homemade costumes and felt their
hometastic rhymes. Dee and Matt answered questions by Paddy O'Donnell...
What exactly ARE the eating habits of Mongolian descendants who reside on the Southern slopes of the Himalayas in Nepal? Do they really consume large quantities of food?
Dee:
The most memorable meals are the ones you throw up. I was traveling around
Europe and ended up dining in a little Nepalese restaurant in Amsterdam
with two boys from Denver. SherpaFeast is what we ate that night and what
I ended up puking in a "coffee shop" toilet a few hours later and that's
the only meal I still remember from my entire trip. So it makes a good
band name for us since Matt and I are also memorable for all the wrong
reasons.
Matt: SherpaFeast isn't muthaphuckin' LARGE quantities of food. Shit,
you think we eat a lot and then we gotta dance and shit? Binge and PURGE,
son.
You wear costumes and carry props. Why is this part of the SherpaFeast Experience?
Dee:
Our songs change every time we perform them. Some of them are written
just before, or while, we are on stage. Our costumes are destroyed at
the end of every show. We're still surprised that people actually like
what we do, so we get all excited and dressed up for every show thinking
that it's gonna be our last. We also just enjoy destroying it all at the
end of every show. Bring it down muthafucka'!
Matt: We got some new shit comin atcha in the Threepio, Ninja High School
producing our shit, a back-up band, all kinds of shit. People still care
about the costumes and shit, but whatever. You also repeat multisyllabic
words in a pseudo-rap style.
Is the main intent of SherpaFeast to amuse and perplex, or is there a deeper meaning at work here?
Dee:
We're oh-so-shallow and so are our lyrics. We put way more effort into
making our cardboard box costumes than we do our music. We like to think
of ourselves as more of a Theatre troupe (that's pronounced: "The-ate-a").
Matt: Who's a better actor than Eminem? Will Smith. I think he's a better
rapper too.
I understand you've "custom-designed" some new homemade "beats" for your Wavelength show. Is this the first time the taped accompaniments have been self-composed? How do you find that process?
Dee:
Shit! You mean to tell me we're not playing the Concertmatesª anymore?
Matt: Fuck that Electroclash bullshit. I heard Fischerspooner and was
all like, "Where's my fuckin' 'Nova Heart' twelve inches?"
Will there ever be official SherpaFeast paraphernalia? Will we see the recorded works of SherpaFeast hit the market? Will it be possible to purchase baggy pants with handstitched "SF" embroidery?
Dee:
If you wear a white T-shirt to our show, I'll bring my black Sharpie.
SherpaShirt!
Matt: We just got sponsored by Ecko Unlimited, so the sky's the fuckin'
limit. Expect to see ads in Vice with us and Mos Def.
Describe the average rap fan.
Dee:
6'1".
Matt: 12 years of age.
Describe the average hip-hop fan.
Dee:
5'3" with Enyce.
Matt: 24 and female, from an all-white small town and attending art school.
Describe the average Wavelength attendee.
Dee: Fair game for Dean Wales (ohhh he's gonna bust some Hapkido on my ass!).
Describe the average Sherpafeast fan.
Dee:
4'10".
Matt: Homeless but thinking about being a naked Jesus bike courier at
a metal show. I call bullshit on Bike Couriers! Stop acting like heroin
addicts! You ride bicycles for a living, you non-criminal element fuckin'...
uhhh.
How would all these people likely interact in the same room?
Dee:
They would all be very orderly at the bar. And tip well.
Matt: The Sherpa-est.
BROKEN
SOCIAL SCENE
WAVELENGTH 145
SUNDAY DECEMBER 29, 11PM
Purveyors of: The indie scene
www.paperbagrecords.com
Broken Social Scene would like to salute the following bands for making Toronto a lovely city to see music in:
Marco Landini & the
Shin Slashers
Do Make Say
Think
Stars
Deep Dark United
The Creeping
Nobodies
The Hidden Cameras
Feist
The Lullabye
Arkestra
Kid Sniper
Tangiers
Doc Pickles
Blackeyes
Shut-IN
Logo Hoax
Raising The Fawn
Mean Red Spiders
Gentlemen Reg
Fembots
Bob Wiseman
The Apostle Of Hustle
The Constantines
Kid Lunch
Tetrezene
Cuff The Duke
Jason Collett
Randwiches
Eighthrib
The Deadly Snakes
Bodega
The Uncut
Royal City
Metric
Hayden
Beef Terminal
GUH
Currently In These United States
The Dears
Elevator
Pony Da Look
Jim Guthrie
The Silver Hearts
Suzie & the Full Body Rockers
Nancy, Despot
By Divine Right
Drummer
N.Q. Arbuckle
The Woodchoppers Association
Howie Beck
The Sadies
The Fabulous Mr. Muli & the Dirty Hearts
Precious Little
Mantler
Bill Priddle
Stumpy Godhead
Picastro
Tamara Williamson
Wayne Omaha
Danko Jones
Speedway
Sloan
Jimmy P. Express
Christiana
Cookie Duster
More Plastic
The Two Minute Miracles
Fantastic Lovers
Starvin' Hungry
Gesundheit
The Strap
Beer Yoga
Holding Pattern
Blurtonia
Peaches
Dodge Fiasco
Ruby Drake
Someone Is Flying
Marc Goldstein
Dime Store Orchestra
The Dinner Is Ruined
Adrian "The Sheriff" Millar
Neck
The Eric Yealand/Chris Harper Experience
Dave Newfeld
L to
R: Peter Burton, Carrie Haber, Keith Marchand,
Alice Cantine, Gary Jansz
QUINIMINE
WAVELENGTH 145
SUNDAY DECEMBER 29, 10PM
Purveyor of: Slo-mo drones and tasty twang
www.greyflat.com
Give us a run-down of the early days of Quinimine and how you got to be where you are now.
Quinimine started around 1998 as a very vague idea, in the tradition of wandering minstrels, trying to find a home, musically. More or less, the beginning was essentially me and Alice doing our bad Lee Hazelwood and Nancy Sinatra imitations in my kitchen. The band and its current sound is very much the sum of its parts. This means that each member who has come through the revolving door has left an indelible mark on what the sound is and how it is has evolved. To this end, all the members play an integral role in indulging my half-baked ideas, and turning them into something that i'm really pleased with. The most recent incarnation is by far the strongest, and more importantly, the nicest people to work with. And they also smell nice too.
Quinimine claims to be a product of its Mile End neighbourhood in Montreal. However your sound is profoundly "rural." How does this work?
Well of course everyone knows that Mile End is the Mississippi of Canada, and we're all issued copies of The Ballad of the Sad Cafe, and watch John Ford films religiously. Seriously though, being a product of "Mile End" means that you share some kind of musical and philosophical aesthetic with a couple of like-minded bands, that's all. I think some of these bands hold fast to the tenet that commerce doesn't necessarily have to supplant a grassroots art aesthetic that's built around a community of good people, and I'm all for that. Rural?? That's a tad misleading, I think. Just because some banjo and slide guitar make an appearance on some songs, journalists are ready to make us out to be some No Depression poster children. "September Song" is a classic German cabaret song, and the banjo is played more like a bouzouki than anything Dock Boggs would play, so I'm kind of disappointed that people don't pick up on the context, instead of isolating the source. Anyway, there's no more banjo in the band, and I lost my slide.
Your latest release, Filaments, is on the Chicago label Greyflat, also home to the likes of Shannon Wright, Drums & Tuba and Palaxy Tracks. How did you end up in such esteemed company?
We short-listed a few labels in the U.S. who all reacted enthusiastically upon hearing the demo, but pretty much left it at that perhaps owing to their reluctance of working with a band that was in a different location and/or country. Grey Flat not only were enthusiastic, but were willing to take a risk with a bunch of Canadian neophytes, and let us map out our own vision of our music, right down to the packaging and the artwork, which we feel equally strong about.
What social function should music play in this bizarre 21st century milieu in which we find ourselves?
The unfortunate reality is that most popular music is a social and cultural vehicle for consumption, as well as a cynical tool to further that agenda. In a way, the question is kind of like asking what role clothing should take in this 21st century milieu. Music and clothing are both necessary creations and reflections on the current cultural climate. As for what role our music may play, I think the music we create comes from an expression of an appreciation of certain principles: a quickly disappearing aesthetic and principle, predicated on appreciation of duration, in a disposable bulk pop structure. Perhaps it's vain, but I would like to think that Quinimine give another voice to the quiet insistence that subtlety can be stately and enduring, and need not be old and without value.
Many musicians from your geographical area have a reputation for their political stance and/or consciousness. Does this apply to Quinimine as well?
I would have to question the idea of isolating a very small scene of musicians as being more politically conscious than others in Montreal. There's been a long-standing tradition of punk rock in this town, which is what many of the members of Quinimine were reared on, that has in varying degrees, existed cyclically for 20 years or so. Bands like the Ripcordz, and many more have worked on a community level supporting worthwhile causes or performing benefit shows for a long time. While the 'Mile End' scene may similarly act pro-actively and take up causes, there are other scenes, especially in the French music community, that do likewise. I do know what you're getting at, but by the same token I feel the inference of the question puts a self-aggrandizing slant on a scene that is ultimately more focused on the quality of its music rather than its politics. If one becomes so stringent in their ideals and philosophy to the exclusion of others, this leads to a form of hackneyed middle-class social and political dilettantism that, in my mind, ends up being exactly what you're railing against in the first place. If I may speak for the band temporarily, I would say individually, the members of Quinimine are certainly on the same page politically. There are certain basic thoughts, values, and conduct that guide each individual's moral compass in the band. Perhaps this comes out in metered doses through our music, however it is not the catalyst.
Filaments includes covers of Kurt Weill's "September Song" and the traditional ballad "Knoxville Girl."
How did you choose these numbers, and what significance to they hold for the Quinimine aesthetic, if any? There's no real significance other than I just happen to love those songs. Apart from that, the impetus was also part experiment, as opposed to karaoke jukebox or aesthetic intent. I like the idea of deconstructing and dismantling a song and then reassembling it, kind of like Cat Power's approach on her Covers record.
Is art anything more than a process of mystification?
Art is perhaps more a process of clarification, but that's more for the artist than anyone else. I can create a work of art that I know is complete when it speaks back to me about the expression that had been sitting inside me, which was previously unclear. What exists within us beyond the basic need desires is pretty convoluted gobbledegook. An artist attempts to try to express something of his/her inner gobbledegook with his/her art, so I imagine what to some may be clarifying, to many others may be mystifying...
-- interview by Jonny Dovercourt
Dec. 1
DJ Eric John
Abboud
Luc Sante defines nostalgia as "a state of inarticulate contempt for the present combined with a fear of the future." DJ Eric John Abboud will deliver to Wavelength, The New Hope.
Dec. 8
(DJs) Eat
The return of Eat to Wavelength. This duo will be living large the entire weekend right through to your Sunday night!
Dec. 15
DJ Lullabye
Lullabyes, soul and onward...
Dec. 29
DJ Heavy Early
Taken from this month's Top 4-T: DJ Heavy Early -- Saturday nights at Tavola Calda. 671 College St. These are the people in your neighbourhood. Good vibes.