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Ep. #162: Janet Weiss of Sleater-Kinney

Janet Weiss is a tremendously powerful drummer based in Portland, Oregon. Weiss is originally from California and, over the past 20 years, has played in notable bands like Quasi, Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, Wild Flag, and Drumgasm among others and she has an administrative, behind-the-scenes position on the IFC show, Portlandia. She is most celebrated, however, for her essential role as the drummer in one of the world’s greatest rock ‘n’ roll bands, Sleater-Kinney. After going on an indefinite hiatus in 2006, Sleater-Kinney shocked fans by slyly and sneakily announcing a new album via a new box set towards the end of 2014. That album is the critically-acclaimed No Cities to Love, it’s out now on Sub Pop, and the band is touring behind it now, including a Toronto stop on March 2. Here, Janet and I discuss my 15 minute intro, Tony Kiewel and the secret message in the box, how No Cities to Love is all new songs, Quasi playing Touch and Go’s 25th anniversary show in Chicago and possibly covering AC/DC, how touring so much impacted the band, Sleater-Kinney’s chemistry, making magic in a tiny, airless basement, hanging out with Carrie a lot even after the band ended, playing together again for the very first time, touring again, surprises involving clowns, the song “Surface Envy,” and then it’s enough.

Related links: sleater-kinney.com subpop.com vishkhanna.com

Sleater-Kinney Band Photo

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Ep. #161: Siskiyou

Siskiyou is the musical moniker of Colin Huebert, a gifted and evocative songwriter who lives in British Columbia. With his previous two albums, Huebert emerged as a strikingly emotive voice in subversive folk music, unafraid to house pretty melodies and hopeful lyrical notions in somewhat surreal and unusual musical packages. The new Siskiyou album is somehow more forceful than any before it; it was borne of physical pain and mental anguish and that shapes one of the most haunting and riveting albums of the year. Siskiyou’s latest record is called Nervous, it’s out now via Constellation Records, and here Colin and I discuss east Vancouver, Nardwuar the Human Serviette and the Tomahawk Restaurant, Colin’s terrible ordeal with a rare hearing and ear disorder, Ten Year Drought and Great Lake Swimmers and Ed Video, leaving Toronto and Great Lake Swimmers, Sandro Perri, mandarin oranges, tension and playing live, playing the drums, hi-fi production, feeling haunted, feeling fear, blaming yourself, funny lyrics and song titles, doubt and intention, explosions and the funniest moment on Nervous, scoring The Happy Film by Stefan Sagmeister, moving back to Ontario, the song “Wasted Genius,” the Smiths, We all used to listen to the Flaming Lips, and that was it.

Related links: siskiyouband.com cstrecords.com vishkhanna.com

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Ep. #160: PS I Love You

PS I Love You are a tremendous, melodic noise-rock two-piece band originally from Kingston, Ontario. This past October, Benjamin Nelson and Paul Saulnier were at the Halifax Pop Explosion touring behind their latest PS I Love You album, For Those Who Stay, which is out now via Paper Bag Records. Over the next two weeks, they’re wrapping up some support dates for Death From Above 1979 with METZ and so this seemed like a good time to share our conversation while we were both at the Halifax Pop Explosion. Here, Benjamin, Paul, and I talk about wandering around Halifax, how Ben loves Chad VanGaalen, O.M.D. and Black Buffalo Records, how Paul thought he’d live in Halifax, how Ben loves Mike O’Neill, Jerry Granelli, the Creative Music Workshop jazz camp, directions to Gus’ Pub from a woman with kale, massaging the kale, the Inbreds, Randy’s Pizza, Seafood, and Donair, running into the band TEEN on the street, kitsch, garlic fingers, living in Toronto, how Ben ate donkey, eating and not eating meat, the boar in First Blood, the story of Ben and Paul, David Bowie, Stephen Morris of Joy Division, Jon Wurster’s touching tribute to Tommy Ramone, how Paul wanted to be like the late Cliff Burton of Metallica, really getting deep into Jimi Hendrix, the latest PS record For Those Who Stay, health talk, Bad Brains, David Lynch documentaries, touring with METZ and DFA 1979, the song “Hoarders” and that’s the end of pizza time.

Related links: paperbagrecords.com/artists/ps-i-love-you/ vishkhanna.com

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