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Ep. #193: Angel Olsen

Angel Olsen is an evocative and true singer and songwriter who originally hails from Missouri but now calls North Carolina home. A frequent collaborator of Bonnie “Prince” Billy, as well as the Cairo Gang, Olsen emerged as a solo force with her 2010 debut EP, Strange Cacti and its 2012 full-length follow-up, Half Way Home. Her most recent album is Burn Your Fire for No Witness, which was widely hailed as a masterpiece and the best album of 2014 according to the A.V. Club. The record is available via Jagjaguwar and Olsen is playing select solo shows in Canada, including a NXNE appearance on June 20 in Toronto and Sappyfest in Sackville, New Brunswick on August 1. Here, Angel and I talk about how it’s funny to be called the best, lists and friendships, the year 2014, Dude Incredible by Shellac of North America, forming a band and playing solo, how band arrangements might impact deeply personal creations, working with Will Oldham and the Cairo Gang and leadership, other people’s annoying suggestions, what Burn Your Fire for No Witness might say about Angel’s 26th year, people’s fixation on darkness in her work even though there’s lightness in there, people should be able to sense her sense of humour, comedy jokes, two nuns and an orgasm, funny and mystifying lyrics, where the songs might come from, external perceptions and disappointing media coverage, podcasts are preferable, e-mail interviews too, nosy journalists, early music days for Angel, makeshift audio engineering, Skeeter Davis and the Davis Sisters, busking in St. Louis, early days working with Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy and Emmett Kelly, people might be popping off too soon, getting into film and filmmaking maybe, writing a book, the movie Paper Moon, the next album is shaping up in some ways, recording everyday, conversations at parties that are presumably about LeBron James, a possible Angel Olsen covers album, working on piano pieces for something, the use value in learning another person’s song, the Everly Brothers and singing like you talk, the song “Iota,” insecurity, and this was fun.

Related links: angelolsen.com vishkhanna.com

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Ep. #110: Josh Salter & Matt Peters of Monomyth

Monomyth is a really cool band from Halifax that make a hazy, gritty kind of pop music. Their washed out, psych-rock-tinged new album is called Saturnalia Regalia! and it’s out July 22 via Mint Records. They’re touring through Ontario and Quebec now, with NXNE shows in Toronto on June 18 at the Drake and Handlebar, a Guelph show at 32 Essex St. during Post-Fest, a Toronto show at Saving Gigi at 1:00 PM on June 21 and a Montreal show that night at Brasserie Beaubien. Back in April, Monomyth and I were both in St. John’s Newfoundland for the Lawnya Vawnya festival and singer/guitarist Josh Salter, drummer Matt Peters, and I found time to get together at the radio headquarters of Keep Station for a chat about the band and stuff. Here, we talk about how Matt’s elbows rattle Keep Station, what St. John’s is like, moose curry, Halifax is far away from Newfoundland, the East Coast Music Awards and No-cases, how to sleep on an airplane, it happens in Florida, Josh cruises with his dad, Josh is actually from Hubley while Matt is actually from Upper Tantallon and they’ve known each other since grade one, Josh’s dad has learned to party, little league of horrors, the Matt Peters Erection, Overlord Sinner and Windows 95 Media Recorder, the Halifax pop explosion, 1991: The Year Punk Broke, nü metal, the Burdocks and Dog Day and Special Noise, the importance of Sloan, musical democracy, Monomyth’s other drummer, Charles Austin and Psychic Fair, Mike O’Neill and Black Jesus, songwriting distinctions, shoegaze and My Bloody Valentine, the song “Pac Ambition” and Tupac Shkaur, making lo-fi Monomyth tapes, Joseph Campbell, bottlecap toss, the song “The Big Reveal,” and that just about wraps it up.

Related links: mmyth.bandcamp.com vishkhanna.com

monomyth

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Ep. #108: Born Ruffians

Born Ruffians are a terrifically sharp indie-rock band whose latest album is called Birthmarks. Released in 2013 via Paper Bag Records, it’s the band’s third record and found them exploring more polished pop production. On Sunday July 27, Born Ruffians are playing the penultimate Main Stage set at the 2014 Hillside Festival so I tracked down singer, guitarist, and songwriter Luke Lalonde and bassist Mitch DeRosier at Ronnie’s Local in Kensington Market where they drank and we chatted about the visceral reaction people might have when they see Constantines and/or the San Antonio Spurs and Miami Heat play again, hanging out together in Elora at Riverfest last summer, Shirley Temple, Ashley MacIsaac, my unwanted festival advances, how Born Ruffians set the table for Serena Ryder, if the band has hang-ups about its status in this country, Cam Lindsay does his research, Luke does an impressive array of improvised impressions, the Canadian music industry, being nominated for the ‘Breakthrough Group of the Year’ at the Junos after being around for 12 years, always being a new band to someone, drinking with your tiny baby at Ronnie’s Local, Luke and Mitch are second cousins, I own a Beatles t-shirt older than people in Born Ruffians, family ties, the weird, lawsuit-baiting restaurant that Mitch’s family owned in Midland, Luke forced Mitch to play bass after travelling through time, Steve Hamelin got inspired to buy a drum kit, musical dads, Mitch reads other people’s sad texts, getting into music on your own, the Minutemen and the Unicorns, discovering bands and punk aggression, the bold pop moves of Birthmarks, the weirdness around making Say It, losing Steve the drummer at least twice, Luke and Mitch have been drinking, Steve will play on the new record but other drummers might too, there are 150 songs written towards the new Born Ruffians song, no, there are zero new songs written, Born Ruffians killed a guy, Mac DeMarco’s friend Chas interrupts this interview, there’s a secret Makeout Videotape show happening during NXNE either on the Saturday or the Sunday, I offended Chas, the dove-eating story could’ve been way better, Hillside hat-trick, the song “Oh Cecilia,” dove’s D, and scene.

Related links: bornruffians.com hillsidefestival.ca vishkhanna.com

BORN_RUFFIANS_05_BAND_BW_081

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