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Ep. #194: Will Currie & The Country French

Will Currie & The Country French are a well-respected pop band from Waterloo, Ontario. Together since 2008, their latest album is a relatively sombre one called They Killed Us, which is available via File Under: Music and they’re playing Toronto’s Music Gallery on June 18 and Montreal’s Monument National on June 20. On assignment to write a forthcoming Music School segment for Exclaim! Magazine, I caught up with Will & The CF to discuss things like me sitting at a drum kit to stay out of photographer Dean Palmer’s way, an introductory jam/getting to know you conversation between myself on drums with only one free hand, Will on keys, and bassist Daniel MacPherson, the story behind Will’s jam space in Waterloo, this old house, musical education, the Beatles and Radiohead, Sloan and Rufus Wainwright, being left-handed and never playing guitar, his piano playing style, not being a country band, working with wood, a Korg SV-1, not being a gearhead, all about that Traynor bass, the concept behind They Killed Us and coming-of-age, jamming on “Philadelphia,” the song “No, Nothing,” and then the session was finished.

Related links: thecountryfrench.com exclaim.ca www.deanpalmer.ca vishkhanna.com

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Ep. #159: Carl Newman of the New Pornographers

Carl Newman is a well-respected and gifted pop songwriter who originally hails from Vancouver, British Columbia. Over the past 20 years, he has spearheaded bands like Superconductor and Zumpano, and released highly acclaimed solo records under the name A.C. Newman. While long-respected by peers and critics for his sense of melody and powerful hooks, Newman’s work reached a wider audience at the turn of the century with the emergence of the New Pornographers, a gang of singers and songwriters featuring Neko Case, Destroyer’s Dan Bejar, and Newman among others. Each of the band’s six albums has been called a classic by someone who could spot such things, including their latest LP, 2014’s Brill Bruisers, which, as their highest charting album to date, is their most impactful release since their 2000 debut, Mass Romantic. The New Pornographers are touring behind Brill Bruisers, including stops at London’s Music Hall on Feb. 6 and Guelph’s Hillside Inside festival on Feb. 7. Here, Carl and I talk about when your family gets sick, the measles and Disneyland and the anti-vaccination movement, freedom, science versus pseudoscience, happiness after sadness, preparing for and then having a kid, defining rock and ‘power-pop,’ Big Star and Cheap Trick, staying in the game versus retirement, false cheer, the Neko Case harmony lead on “Champions of Red Wine,” what Dan Bejar’s talking about and how he deals, talking about each other’s songs, being normal and wanting to do nothing, connecting with comedians, the older brother with the music, becoming a performer, working with Sloan and murderecords, how Vancouver music was treated by the rest of Canada 20 years ago, the rapid ascent of the New Pornographers, the future, the song “Hi-Rise,” and then I got my marching orders.

Related links: thenewpornographers.com vishkhanna.com

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Ep. #147: TEEN Live at the Halifax Pop Explosion

TEEN is an inventive pop band from Brooklyn, New York consisting of sisters Teeny, Lizzie, and Katherine Lieberson and Boshra AlSaadi. Their latest album is called The Way and Color , which is out now via Carpark Records, and it prompted them to visit the Halifax Pop Explosion this past October to play some shows. We ended up doing a live interview at the HPX and I recorded it somewhat primitively for you to listen to ahead of their show with We Are Scientists at the Brooklyn Bowl on Thursday November 20. Here, TEEN and I discuss three sisters from Halifax who live in New York, Miami and The U, partying, SMU, Syria to Pennsylvania to New York, Halifax is cool, playing Halifax for the first time ever at the Carleton last month, perceptions of Halifax, Americans don’t know much about Canada, Newfoundland time, me and my son’s Ramones haircuts, things get personal, the Halifax pop explosion and Sloan, not going to many shows, when the music scene slowed down, VICE is taking over Williamsburg in Brooklyn, following Teeny, singing Broadway tunes as kids, musical careers, food in New York, Pizza Corner, Jane’s and Edna’s, good Indian food and then a bad room service call, double entrees, going to live boring and fun talk show tapings in NYC, I went to Letterman once, taking NYC for granted, Teeny’s tenure in Here We Go Magic and why it ended, Lizzie interning at a fashion magazine, fashion people are the worst, Katherine and taking up instruments to play in your first band, Boshra is an outta hand amazing bass player, Janka Nabay and the BuBu Gang, why Katherine followed Teeny’s lead, when the Lieberson sisters lost their father and came together in a band, the strength of Jen Turner, inspiring other women to make music, a dude, pros and cons of sibling-oriented bands, Boshra walks away, the road is weird, road managers can be useful, hating the band Live and Katy Perry, Madonna made me ill, The Godfather and The Godfather Part II, loving St. Vincent, Tame Impala, Pond, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Brian Eno, Kate Bush or David Bowie, the template is no template, this is TEEN, spelling The Way and Color, what are Foo Fighters, getting robbed of their gear in San Francisco, pledgemusic.com/projects/teen, the War on Drugs bring everything inside, not dying, knowing Islands, writing this winter, the song “Sticky,” and that’s it.         

Related links: teen-nyc.tumblr.com carparkrecords.com vishkhanna.com

TEENZi_Brackbill_2

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