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Ep. #249: Puff Pieces

Amanda Huron and Mike Andre are two-thirds of a wonderfully sharp band called Puff Pieces. Based in Washington, D.C., Puff Pieces write very catchy, somewhat minimal punk songs that are pointed and clever. Their new album is called Bland in D.C. and is out now via Lovitt Records. Here, Amanda and Mike discuss chopping down cherry blossom trees in Washington D.C., George Washington was an axe-wielding monster, politics, being from D.C. as opposed to moving there for a job, Amanda’s job teaching at a local public university, many trees, capitalism and skepticism, Germany before Hitler and American decadence, blame Washington, big cities versus small ones, the meaning behind Bland in D.C., Bad Brains, the nefarious nature of the new gentrification, Salt & Sundry, satiric music, being a musician as an adult, Chain & the Gang, the humour and the anxiety, rocking beats, what we try to do with art, effective messaging, being in a band in the world today, Ryan Nelson of Soccer Team, where Puff Pieces comes from, not moving to China, how they got funny, the song “Mindhead,” the movie Bowfinger, Broadway musicals, conceptual music, being taken seriously if you’re funny, the music comes first, bouncy bass, not a lot of touring, weekend warriors, Canada and Nova Scotia, a new Puff Pieces record, the band’s tumblr page, the band’s name, the song “Wondrous Flowers,” and that was it.

Related links: puffpieces.bandcamp.com store.lovitt.com vishkhanna.com

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News Podcast

Ep. #248: Ray Robertson

Ray Robertson is a noted author and novelist based in Toronto. Originally from Chatham, Ontario, Robertson has written 10 acclaimed books, including his engaging and excellent new collection of biographical music essays, Lives of the Poets (With Guitars) – Thirteen Outsiders Who Changed Modern Music, which is out now via Biblioasis. During a chat in his living room, Roberston and I discuss the drunken debauchery of a book tour, reading in Chatham, away is better than home, going to school in Toronto and Texas, picking up an American drawl, studying philosophy, discovering great writers, his wife and renowned visual artist Mara Korkola, mistrusting the Canadian literature industry’s star system and presentation of this country’s literary landscape, Dan Wells and Biblioasis, knowing sentences and craftsmanship as a writer, his book Why Not? Fifteen Reasons to Live, all the Nicks, what obscurity does for an artist and their fan(s), the bitterness and insecurity within Ramones, his book Moody Food based somewhat on the life of Gram Parsons, resentful of success, Jerry Garcia’s guitar and the Grateful Dead, being first, Al Tuck, romanticizing illness and struggle, how we know the world and artists via their work, why he wanted to write The Lives of Poets (With Guitars), the personalized aspects of his writing here, political correctness and prejudice, Alan Wilson and Canned Heat, formative periods and passion, U2, how it’s hard to be cool, false inclusivity, nice turns of phrase, going through the book, Gene Clark of the Byrds, Ronnie Lane of the Small Faces, RAMONES, Dee Dee and Jackson Browne, “Danny Says,” Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Townes Van Zandt, Little Richard, Alan Wilson of Canned Heat, Willie P. Bennett, Gram Parsons, Hound Dog Taylor, Paul Siebel, Willis Alan Ramsey, John Hartford, things to do before we die, his new novel 1979, and that closed the book.

Related links: rayrobertson.com biblioasis.com vishkhanna.com

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News Podcast

Ep. #247: Cupcake Ductape

Cupcake Ductape is a very cool noise-infused pop band consisting of Steph Yates of the band Esther Grey and a folk-oriented singer and songwriter named Alanna Gurr. Based in Guelph, Cupcake Ductape have become local favourites on the strength of their live show and their 2015 EP, Get Over It. They’re playing a show at Kazoo! Fest in Guelph on Thursday April 7, and here, Steph, Alanna, and I discuss Steph’s chest cold, Alanna’s curiosity about being sick, how Alanna loves driving, stormchips, how we combine everything now, worlds colliding, the song “Champagne Birthday,” pronunciation, sparkle punk and playful music, the song “Whose Hair?,’ servers and customers, revenge, Steph meeting Alanna at the Homemade Jam Festival, getting Alanna a job, Scott went to the washroom while Cupcake Ductape wrote songs, bass and drums and Mike O’Neill and the Inbreds, melodic bass, being bratty, serious music, who cares, Alanna comes out of her shell, singing pretty versus singing roughly, being girly and tough, internalized perceptions of women, possible mutual interests, the Slits, working songs out, personal voids, getting an encouraging push from Brad McInerney, Lowlands, Nicolette and the Nobodies, growing up in Guelph, the Hillside Festival, piano tuning, Mona Lisa and Whip Cream Bikinis, two songs about hot dogs, Hamilton’s Art Crawl, Guelph needs a music infrastructure, a trip to Aruba, $1300.00, a happenstance band, fun, Too Bad So Sad Hire a Lawyer, Steph’s aunt, Little Room Labs, summer plans, the song “Unique New York,” lawyering up, and then we get over it.

Related links: facebook.com/cupcakeductape vishkhanna.com

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