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Ep. #277: Rob Benvie of Bankruptcy

Rob Benvie is a novelist, writer, musician, songwriter, and singer currently based in Toronto, Ontario. Raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Benvie has published two acclaimed novels, 2004’s Safety of War, and 2011’s Maintenance, both of which are available via Coach House Books. He is also well known for playing in bands like Thrush Hermit, The Dears, Camouflage Nights, and Tigre Benvie. His latest outfit is called Bankruptcy, which just released a new record called For the Future” on 1.7 Publications. Bankruptcy play Adelaide Hall in Toronto on September 8, 2016 and here, Rob and I discuss Toronto’s blazing hot summer, Montreal, living for the city, caring about Toronto, a penchant for obnoxiousness, not pessimistic, funny or not, irony, prose writing and songwriting, wordiness and Bob Dylan, scrapping it all, Murray Lightburn, states of completion, barf, a meta section, where Bankruptcy came from, Wayne MacPherson, starting the band, democracy, anxiety, addiction, malaise; fortitude, togetherness, optimism, propulsive energy and fun, The Clash and “the only band that matters,” turning to synthesized sounds after Thrush Hermit, Sandinista!, late 90s home recording technology and the birth of Tigre Benvie, how Thrush Hermit worked together and why they broke up, Clayton Park, Rob’s singing, Joel Plaskett, the Steve Miller Band set at Edgefest ’95, Nazareth on MuchMusic, sincerity and detachment, restlessness, maturity, “Swim for the Light” and “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” U2, when Rob initiated the Thrush Hermit reunion tour in 2009, being an angry young man, the Hermit’s lasting legacy and the band’s future, a Clayton Park vinyl release, seeing the Hermit at the Volcano in Kitchener, Bankruptcy plans and a new novel, getting the word out, stuff glut, brown blushing, mature, sincere, and sexual, the song “Barfed-up Candelabra,” and then we headed for the future.

Related links: robbenvie.com bankruptcymusic.com vishkhanna.com

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Ep. #270: TUNS

TUNS is the mighty new Halifax/Toronto supergroup featuring Chris Murphy, Matt Murphy, and Mike O’Neill. Chris Murphy has ushered some excellent music into this world, both as the co-curator/co-founder of the murderecords label and as a quarter of one of the world’s finest and most successful rock bands, Sloan. Matt Murphy is an accomplished journalist who has worked for CBC and Vice Canada and is one of the most dynamic musicians and showman anywhere, who’s likely best known for his work in the Super Friendz. Mike O’Neill is a busy and gifted screenwriter and sound engineer for Trailer Park Boys and Black Jesus who has released criminally under-appreciated solo records since disbanding the wonderful indie-rock duo, the Inbreds. So, if it’s not clear already, when it comes to thoughtful pop and rock music trios, this TUNS configuration couldn’t possibly be more top shelf. The band’s self-titled debut record will be out August 26 via Royal Mountain Records and they’ve been playing select shows of late, including an upcoming performance at the Hillside Festival in Guelph on Sunday July 24. I met up with TUNS at the Pho Asian 21 restaurant in Toronto recently and we had a revealing conversation about Mike’s desire for Vietnamese food in Toronto, working with Trailer Park Boys co-creator Mike Clattenburg on a new TV show about a guy who re-locates raccoons, the song “Back Among Friends” and what it captures about TUNS, Zeppelin covers and joy, positive pressure, recycling things and writing new songs, Mike’s inventive bass playing, the writing process and its progress in TUNS, Chris’ songwriting, giving the singer some, the song “Look Who’s Back in Town Again” and various TUNS Easter eggs, the song “Lonely Life” that Mike sings, whomever sings generally wrote it, Mrs. Claus, lyric collaboration, wisdom and experience and democracy, magical harmonies, being in Sloan for 25 years, “Gimme the Keys” and the extreme rarity of Sloan members’ doing solo work, Eric’s Trip and Elevator to Hell, realistic TUNS, being perceived as ‘Halifax Pop’ artists, the Technical University of Nova Scotia, the lawn jam, why Halifax people seem to get along so well, footloose and fancy free, friendly competition, strength and talent, an influence like the Police on a song like “Mind Your Manners,” talking about the band U2, also R.E.M., The Unforgettable Fire, The Joshua Tree, the “Sunday Bloody Sunday” drum beat, Larry Mullen’s parts, filling and leaving space, scrutinizing Chris’ lyrics in TUNS and also in Sloan, self-awareness and self-consciousness, entitlement, purposeful pronouns, new stuff by TUNS will be more like TUNS, thinking about time and relationships, not a throwback, a Golden Girls analogy, too much like Sloan, hits, making music for fun, Royal Mountain Records and the self-titled TUNS LP is out August 26, a world premiere of the song “Back Among Friends,” and then Chris got the cheque.

Related links: tunsmusic.com royalmountainrecords.com vishkhanna.com

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News Podcast

Ep. #204: Michael Franti

Michael Franti is a musician, filmmaker, and humanitarian currently based in California. Emerging as a founding member of Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy more than 20 years ago, Franti has cultivated a loyal and large following for his nuanced and positive solo work, fronting his own band, Spearhead. His latest album is 2013’s All People, but he has just released a new single and video for the 2015 song, “Once a Day.” Franti is headlining the Main Stage on Friday July 24 at the Hillside Festival in Guelph and here, we discuss San Francisco weather, living in Edmonton at 15 years old during the winter, opening for U2’s Zoo TV Tour in 1993, the Ed, when U2 was cool, Primus, expressing a range of emotions, music as a form of inspiration, positivity and cynicism, meeting the Dalai Lama, Unrestricted Monk, the song “Once a Day” and how it reflects a health scare involving his son and the love it inspired, the new album, the lowdown on a new documentary about himself tentatively called 11:59, the song “Once a Day,” and that’s it.

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

©Jay Blakesberg

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