Tag: Halifax Pop Explosion

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Ep. #145: Cousins

Cousins is an excellent two-piece band from Halifax, Nova Scotia featuring Leigh Dotey and Aaron Mangle. They make an impassioned, fun kind of indie-rock and their latest album, The Halls of Wickwire, is rad and out now via Hand Drawn Dracula Records. A few weeks ago at the Halifax Pop Explosion, Aaron took me for a drive and chat while he was running errands. Here, Aaron and I discuss running stopping signs and narrowly missing a limo, Aaron’s 1985 Mercedes Benz station wagon, in the Maritimes the pedestrian is the king of the road, Athens Restaurant, fancy car vacuum, stopping by a Halifax liquor store, Aaron’s house show featuring Joyful Talk, Jon Mckiel, and Freelove Fenner, Boxing Rock Beer from Shelburne Nova Scotia, house comedy shows, Wolfville Nova Scotia, King’s College, 19+ or 30+, security, no hoods, Back to the Future, Reduce Reuse Recycle Responsible, Jay Crocker’s car, the bands Bad Vibrations and Husband and Knife, down at the Khyber, Charles Austin’s Ultramagnetic Studio, there’s Cold Specks, Sarah Mangle, Aaron is a letter carrier for Canada Post, weird mail, oh I meant weed mail, the new Khyber, asbestos, city ruses, meeting people, Aaron Levin from Weird Canada, some background about Cousins and their new album The Halls of Wickwire, Aaron’s late, beloved grandmother and her influence on Cousins, Leigh from Cousins, Ben from PS I Love You, psychic grandmother and the game of Scat, Nicole from Aux and two North of America records, the song “Body,” a murder mystery, specific writing, Cousins is taking a break, yelling at Paul from PS I Love You, the song “Death Man,” and then we were alone.

Related links: cousinscousins.bandcamp.com handdrawndracula.com vishkhanna.com

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Ep. #143: Cold Specks

Cold Specks is Al Spx, a talented and fearless singer, musician, and songwriter who calls Montreal home. Originally from a Toronto suburb called Etobicoke, Spx has garnered international attention for her powerful voice, dark-hued lyrics, and post-punk aesthetic, which is all the more unique given the rather folk-oriented feel of her 2012 debut album, I Predict a Graceful Expulsion. In late August, Arts & Crafts and Mute co-released its follow-up, a decidedly more forceful and sinister record called Neuroplasticity. Beginning November 5 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cold Specks is on tour across the world for the foreseeable future but we connected for a candid conversation at the Halifax Pop Explosion last month. The discussion covered topics like living in Montreal and visiting Halifax, Loel Campbell and Tim D’Eon of WIntersleep, living in England, the concept of neuroplasticity and how it might apply to Cold Specks, getting bored, trying to perform songs from I Predict a Graceful Expulsion, destruction of melody and subtle aggression, London and Glastonbury, hills and pagans, corporate witchtowns, no socks, sonic goblin, wearing capes and goth people, the trumpet of Ambrose Akinmusire and the voice of Swans’ Michael Gira, growing up in Etobicoke with her Somali parents, Rob and Doug and the Ford family, not quite apolitical, Al’s oud-playing, soul-singing dad ‘Dr. Love,’ the late, popular Somali singer Saado Ali Warsame, Swans, Bill Callahan, the Strokes, Tom Waits, and Nick Cave, the Strokes on Letterman and emerging after 9/11, the Backstreet Boys have come up on two straight episodes now, having a persona, creative pursuits, loving True Detective, Vince Vaughn, Colin Farrell, and Rachel McAdams, Band of Brothers, shooting a cannon at The Nutcracker, meeting Joni Mitchell who is awesome, the art of the interview, yelling at a Q guest host and other bad journalists, why I talk to people, being and not being a diva, touring a lot behind a record that came out kind of quietly, the Hotel2Tango and Howard Bilerman, why Montreal is good, not wanting to interact with anybody, the song “Absisto,” a nervous breakdown, and then the exit plan.

Related links: coldspecks.com halifaxpopexplosion.com vishkhanna.com

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Ep. #142: Ryan Hemsworth & BADBADNOTGOOD Live at the Halifax Pop Explosion

Ryan Hemsworth and BADBADNOTGOOD each appeared at the 2014 Halifax Pop Explosion last week and we took part in a live, panel interview together at the Museum of Natural History. Ryan’s a talented electronic artist who originally hails from Halifax and whose new record, Alone for the First Time, is out November 4 via Last Gang Records. Keyboardist Matt Tavares, bassist Chester Hansen, and drummer Alex Sowinski are the brains behind BBNG, a popular instrumental hip-hop trio from Toronto whose latest album, III, is out now via Innovative Leisure and whose new collaborative album with Ghostface Killah, Sour Soul, is due out this February. Here, we discuss first encounters with the internet, dial-up and ICQ, Duke Nukem, Goldeneye and N64 and instructions, Napster, having a strong but casual social media presence, being online and sharing things all of the time, the importance of twitter, shy and quiet irl, virtual trolling and real-life confrontation, how BBNG posted a video of an Odd Future cover song online and it blew up, Alex is extroverted and smart, being angry at Lenny Kravitz, Ryan’s label Secret Songs and its connection to finding music on Soundcloud, crate digging and Muchmusic, Nelly and porn, ogg, why hip-hop, electronic and computer sounds perk Ryan’s ears up, soaking in music and putting it back out, BBNG drinking Ryan’s rider, how BBNG got together, great Indian food in Mississauga, MF Doom and Humber, Chester Hansen is pretty great, jazz time and hip-hop time, what’s the deal with rap shows, a surprise but delayed collaboration with Ghostface Killah and Raekwon, fusion ska, hardcore punk scenes within Toronto suburbs, loving the Backstreet Boys and Blink 182, Travis Barker, Matt loved Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Dinosaur Jr., Ryan’s life in Halifax, playing guitar and singing badly, the stifling creative environment in music institutions, rude messages from music teachers, BBNG got no kick against modern jazz, heroin or something crazy, Tom Grosset, Ryan’s journalism studies in Halifax, media manipulation, putting music out there, the rave cruise Holy Ship, not having an EDM moniker, freaking out about Ghost and Rae, the BBNG Slick Rick story, Ryan’s new album Alone for the First Time, looking up to Caribou and James Blake, the song “Surrounded,” the BBNG/Ghostface collab album Sour Soul, Ghost wants to play music like he’s flipping channels, Ryan’s song “Snow in Newark,” Flea and Kobe, BADBADNOTGOOD’s song “Velvet,” and that was it.

Related links: ryanhemsworth.com badbadnotgood.com halifaxpopexplosion.com vishkhanna.com

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