Category: Music

Canadian twins Tegan and Sara Quin released their fifth album The Con in late July 2007. The Con was co-produced by Chris Walla of Death Cab for Cutie and has already generated two successful singles, “Back in Your Head” and “The Con”.
Since the release, the 27 year-old identical twins have been selling out shows all across Canada and the US on their 15 month world tour. Success of their previous record, 2004’s So Jealous, never really calmed. In 2005 The White Stripes covered the sister’s hit single “Walking with a Ghost.” 2006 brought them a Juno Award nomination for Alternative Album of the Year.
From appearances on shows like The Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn and performing on The L Word to having their music played on Grey’s Anatomy and Veronica Mars, the young ladies haven’t stepped out of the limelight and public interest.
While on their world tour, Tegan Quin picks up her mobile phone and talks about her sister, the song writing involved with The Con and relationships as inspiration.

Growing up with a twin I imagine you shared a lot. Now in song writing together do you find yourself sharing secrets and emotions that you might harbour that come out in your music?

Sara and I actually never sat down to write a song together. When I finish a song and send it to her it feels like a complete song and I feel ready for anyone to hear it. Sara is pretty intuitive and knows what’s happening in my life. I feel like I have a pretty good understanding of what she is going through.

Was there always a sense of understanding between you? Is there a special twin connection?

I don’t know anything different because I don’t have any other siblings I have nothing to compare it to. But I feel very attached to Sara and I share everything with her. If that’s the special connection they talk about, then we have that for sure.

Your music tends to reflect a lot of relationships you’ve had. Is The Con any different? What is The Con?

There are different themes on the record. Sara was writing more about looking back at her life and where she is at now and buying a home. I was writing about just getting out of a relationship and starting to date again. We were writing from different perspectives and about different things but the one thing that was common was that it was all about acts that we do to settle our lives and confirm our existence. They are all sort of cons because they don’t ensure anything. It could all end tomorrow. Our songs are ultimately about us and our experiences. It might be our experience with someone. With “The Con” I wasn’t writing to that person, I was writing to myself. I was telling myself to calm down. Even when I tried to be dramatic and tell someone, “This song is about you!” they’d say, “No it’s not. It’s about you. You’re dramatic and you’re talking about your drama.”

When you write about relationships, do you mostly write in retrospect or while the drama or heartbreak is going on?

In the past it’s been about writing about the past but with this record I was writing about current things that I was going through. I definitely feel like I was writing from the eye of the storm. We write about our own experiences and our own takes on experiences.

Why do relationships make for such good song content?

I write a lot about relationship and love because that’s the most difficult, challenging thing that I’m engaged in. Relationships have always been the drama in my life so it would be natural that I write about it.

Has writing songs about your relationships and publicizing situations made some relationships hard?

My music has never hurt any relationship I’ve had. People haven’t met me and said, “Well I thought we could be really good friends but your records seem insane.” Or “I don’t want to be friends with a dramatic person!”

What do the songs on this album in particular tells us about you as an individual?

Some of my songs on The Con are pleading songs. There aren’t any sweet loves songs. They are definitely asking for the attention that I want. I’m asking for something through these songs. I’m not good at asking for what I want.

No sweet love songs this time around, but have you wrote much about hatred or resentment?

Most of the relationships that I’ve wrote about I’m still good friends with the people. I haven’t explored the emotion or act of hate in my music.

I can’t remember a song you’ve wrote that describes the perfect relationship. Could you define one?

You could always strive for perfection but it’s a good thing that it doesn’t exist. You won’t ever have to be that disappointed when you find flaws in a relationship. You could take comfort in them because we all have them.

You’ve had songs on the hit TV shows Grey’s Anatomy and The L Word and the film Monster-in-Law. How do you decide on “lending” your music to TV and film?

Sara and I are picky about it. That’s a part of being in the business we’re in and you have to accept that maybe your music will be marketed in a different way. We haven’t thought about any songs off this record for TV yet. But it’s fun when friends and family randomly call us and say, “Oh my God, your song was on this TV show!”

What makes a Tegan and Sara concert different from any other band out there?

Sara and I have sort of always been doing our own thing. I don’t feel like we’re been grouped in with any other bands. We have this extra leg up sometimes because we have each other. We tell stories and make jokes on stage I think that engages with the audience in a different way than if we were just playing. We try to set everybody up to be different and not just stand there as a pedestrian to music. We like getting people involved.

The fact that you’re twins also must play a role in distinguishing you from other bands.

We try to get away from the fact that we’re twin sisters in a band together but ultimately that is what distinguishes us. We have each other and our voices are similar but different at the same time. We accent each other. Still we’re different. We’re Tegan & Sara. We’re sisters.

Listen up Montreal’s local scene, the bar has been raised. The threat is newcomers Mute fronted by Alex Geddes (vocals), with Marc Dahn on guitar/synth and Carl Lafontaine on bass/synth. One third Brit and two thirds Canadian are the key ingredients to this sparking firecracker. The trio takes their cue from influential bands like Depeche Mode and The Cure, but serves their tunes up with a heavier spin. Their self titled debut is a lusty dark electro-rock record with enough radio chum charm to land them stable footing in the mainstream.
Mute is the definition of do-it-yourself from their album art to self-PR. “There’s satisfaction in doing everything yourself, seeing your hard work grow into something,” vocalist Alex Geddes said on their fully independent beginnings. “You’ll always [have] some humility and remember where you come from.”
This triple threat knows where they come from and are headstrong about where they are going. Look out for these guys, they mean business. Mute has a game plan and knows how to work it. “We’re ready to tour as much as possible and take our audience somewhere else. We want to make our audience feel something. If you can do that really well, that goes beyond words.”
With a band slogan like “We are Mute. Can you hear us?” the answer is obviously yes and we’ll only be hearing more of Mute, much more. www.wearemute.com, myspace.com/wearemute

Robbie Tucker is back with his third album GreenRoom. After being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, playing has been a struggle, but aggressively treating his condition has allowed this local musician to continue to pursue his passion.
“It feels like being trapped inside your body,” Tucker said of his condition. He recalled a concert where it took him 15 minutes to get his guitar out of the box. The concert itself is something he just wants to forget because he just couldn’t play or sing anymore.
His diagnosis and the treatment that followed allowed him to start playing again. His condition is always changing, with new medications and treatment options becoming part of his routine.
Tucker has no doubt that his music is protecting him from complete depression. “You have to have something you really love, I love the music,” he said.
Robbie’s struggle spawned a short film documentary that he hopes can inspire others with Parkinson’s. The short film by Isabelle Lacombe is currently available at http://exposure.cbc.ca/category/documentary and deals with Tucker’s return to the stage. The musician also hopes that the documentary can help to create awareness of the disease, that will in turn lead to more support and research in finding a cure.
Tucker said of his love of music, “I can’t hold it back. It doesn’t matter what time it is. I have to.” He has even been known to leave his apartment late at night and head down to the subway just so that he could play.
As for Tucker’s songwriting skills, he doesn’t write songs from his own point of view, but tries to understand other’s realities. In a tight mixture of folk and rock, his lyrics are a testament.
The stage would be the best place to get to know the singer-song writer; the stage is where he lets loose. Tucker’s live performances are so full of energy and emotion. He also hopes to switch from his live acoustic sets to being backed by a full band.

“Where words fail, music speaks.”
-Hans Christian Andersen

Wed., Dec. 05
– 3 @ Bar St-Laurent 2
– Amon Amarth, Decapitated, Himsa,
Sonic Syndicate @ Medley

Thurs., Dec. 6
– Tiefschwarz
@ Club Parking
– Howe Gelb
@ La Sala Rosa
– Kevin Drew, Los Campesinos
@ Le National

Fri., Dec. 7
– Two Hours Traffic, Pascale Picard
@ Club Soda
– Colin James
@ Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier
– Jefferson Starship
@ TBA
– Matt Dusk, Theresa Sokyrka
@ Theatre Outremont

Sat., Dec. 8
– Jon Cohen w/ The Shiva Linguettes
@ The Barfly
– Two Hours Traffic, Pascale Picard
@ Club Soda
– Craig Cardiff
@ Club Soda
– Cass McCombs, Jose Gonzalez
@ Le National
– MGMT, The Fiery Furnaces
@ Cabaret Du Musee Juste Pour Rire
– Malajube
@ Métropolis

Sun., Dec. 9
– Shiny Toy Guns, Liam&Me @ Studio Juste Pour Rire
– Big D & the Kids Table + Whole Wheat Bread + Brain Failure
@ Foufounes
Electriques

Tues., Dec. 11
– Youssou N’Dour @ Olympia de Montreal

Wed., Dec. 12
– RRIICCEE @ Lambi

Thurs., Dec. 13
-John Acquavida @ Club Parking

Fri., Dec.14
– Vampire Weekend @ Lambi

Sat., Dec. 15
– Connie Kaldor @ La Sala Rosa
– Jon Cohen
Experimental
@ The Yellow Door
– Apostle Of Hustle
@ Lambi
– Alexisonfire,
Anti-Flag, Saosin, The Bled @ Metropolis

Sun., Dec. 16
– Paramore
@ Club Soda
– Adrienne Pierce, Issa (Jane Siberry)
@ Savoy Du
Metropolis

Wed., Dec. 19
– Chimaira, Kataklysm, Terror, The End @ Club Soda

Fri., Dec. 21/07
– A Life Once Lost, Dillinger Escape Plan,
Genghis Tron
@ Le National

Sat., Dec. 22
– Kaskade @ Stereo

Mon., Dec.31
– Crystal Castles, Curses, Guns ‘n’ Bombs @ TBA

Thurs. Jan. 03
– The Dresden Dolls, Meow Meow, Two Ton Boa @ Le National

Wed., Jan. 09
– Necro @ Les Foufounes Electriques

Fri., Jan. 11
– Lily Frost, Julie Doiron @ La Sala Rosa

Humanitarian, singer, actress, activist, model and mother, Cynthia Basinet is running for office this Christmas. Not really, but she sure could. For now she celebrates the 10th anniversary of her hit single “Santa Baby”.
The Christmas classic, originally sung by Eartha Kitt in 1953, has been covered countless times.One of the most notable renditions is Marilyn Monroe’s.
CORRECTION: Fans of the download and of the Xmas homemade compilation, kindly correct the misprint in your repertoire. A surprise to many, the version is Miss Basinet’s 1997 recording often wrongly credited to Monroe who never recorded the tune.
Aside from being famous for her ties to jolly old St. Nick, the fiery bombshell made a name for herself as a model and an actress. But it’s her voice that has garnered acclaim.
A voice can be a terrible thing to waste and Basinet lives by that thought. Using her voice she has become determined to bring awareness and attention to West Sahara refugees. One step further, the sultry songstress visited Africa to lend a physical hand where she could. In 2005 her efforts were recognized when she was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.
With 2007 coming to an end, the artist continues to use the internet to make her music accessible to fans. She has independently released her EP Uncovered bypassing music industry red tape and restrictions. For Basinet, releasing music online just seems appropriate. After all, it’s where her “Santa Baby” was born.

You have a new EP now available online?

It’s called Uncovered. It started with a single and we put three more. Most people download songs by two anyway. The first song is “Blue Moon” revisited but kept as a smooth standard with a flute duet in it. “Going Out Of My Head” has a great beat and is hip and contemporary. The last one is “Sweet Dreams” a cover of Patsy Cline’s cover. It’s a little more country, not because I’m trying to cross over but because it’s one of my favourite songs

What was it about jazz that pulled you in?

I was raised playing instruments. One was the flute and the other the sax. With the sax I learned jazz and the flute I learned classical. It was just as natural as breathing. Jazz just did it … There was always some jazz in the background. When I started paying attention, I remember Billy Holiday’s “Strange Fruit”.

How do you define jazz to a new generation?

Jazz is America’s roots. It’s rooted in trouble, it’s rooted in drugs, in self-expression, in love. It gets into people’s minds and into their hearts. Jazz is America’s heart beat.

Do you think jazz is a timeless genre of music that will be around forever?

I’ve come to realize that when I was singing, somehow I thought jazz was popular. I didn’t really think, “Oh, I’m competing against hiphop, this and that.” I think it’s time it becomes the pop music of today! Soul is being reinvented like Amy Winehouse’s “Rehab”. Jazz is like apple pie or a nice down comforter to get under when it’s cold. It’s something you always return to. I think it will be around until the end of time. Until water comes and floods us over we’re gonna be singin’ the jazz!

A lot of jazz artists today make their claim to fame off cover songs. Why do you think that is?

Now as a jazz artist like Madeleine Peyroux or Sophie Milman you do not only have to compete with today’s artists you have to compete with the past. In jazz it seems much easier to market a cover song like my versions of “Tea for Two” and “Santa Baby” than new material. If you’re a singer, if you’re telling a story and if you’re doing it right, it’s more than a cover. It’s going to be reinvented.

Tell us about the world renowned “Santa Baby”.

“Santa Baby” is what set me on this path. It’s odd when you dig up something that you think is not that known and you see a year afterwards more artists singing it. I recorded the song as a gift and a Christmas card. I was inspired by Eartha Kitt’s version. So many people, mostly because of illegal downloading, all think my cover is Marilyn Monroe. I recorded it in 1997. Then other artists like Kylie Minogue and the Pussycat Dolls popularized the song to a real extreme and now we have all these people dressing up in a blonde wig and doing the mannerisms of Marilyn at Christmas.

Having your cover be mistakenly credited to someone who never recorded it can’t be much fun.

It’s the entertainment business, what do you want! Now if you do a really good cover song, everybody covers it. No one touched Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas” it wasn’t rerecorded for 50 years!

Do you relate to the vixen singing out that Christmas list in “Santa Baby”?
When I sang Santa Baby, it was a gift to somebody. I mean I was kinda hoping for a light blue convertible. (Laughs) But I felt that it wasn’t about a gold digger the way everyone feels about the song. I saw “Santa Baby” as, “Help, give back.” As a woman it’s hard to keep looking good, exercise, do your nails and your hair while we’re also a lawyer, this or that and bring home the bacon, clean the house and raise the kids. You’re Santa, baby. Hit a sister up!

Associating Nadja with a particular genre or scene can be a difficult task, because for the most part there are few genres/scenes in Canada to associate them with. The Toronto duo Aidan Baker (guitars/vocals/piano/woodwinds/drums) and Leah Buckareff (bass/vocals) combines elements of metal, drone, noise and ambient shoegazer, yet at the same time cannot be fairly pinned down to any one of these particular genres.
“We cross a lot of boundaries,” said Baker. “Sometimes we’re not metal enough for the metal crowd or not electronic enough for the electronic crowd, which is cool, but also hard because people don’t know what to do with you.”
This can make performing interesting, as they often find themselves sharing a bill with bands that they musically have little relation to, and therefore audiences which might have little patience with them. But Baker doesn’t see this as a problem. “It can be fun to challenge people’s preconceptions. I know some people have come away saying ‘man what the hell was that?'”
Nadja began in 2003 as a solo project of Baker’s in which he incorporated his past experimental ambient guitar works into a heavier noise oriented aesthetic. In 2005 he was joined by Buckareff on bass to help develop Nadja into more than just a studio project, and to enable them to perform live.
Over this span Nadja has released more than ten albums, their latest, the critically praised Radiance of Shadows, on Montreal’s Alien8 Recordings, consists of three songs averaging over 25 minutes each. Though retaining many of the elements which defined their early recordings, such as heavy, distorted doom riffs, drone noise and cold punishing percussion (usually provided by a drum machine), Radiance is by far their most cohesive album. “I think we’ve evolved compositionally, we kind of started out with a bit more of an abstract feel, now I think we’ve become able to combine both the abstract and the more structured, so it gives us more cohesion while at the same time it allows us to be more experimental,” Baker explains.
Despite having a more mature sound than in most of their past work, the songs on Radiance were actually written by Baker over ten years ago. “They were originally more indie rock, they had a heavy feel, but with more of a Sonic Youth or Dinosaur Jr. sort of vibe. We revisited these songs and sort of Nadjified them.” Baker said.
One term which Nadja has frequently been labeled as is “doom metal,” often being compared with the band Sunn O))). In an attempt to stir up a doom metal beef, I asked Baker which band was better, though he was reluctant to give a definitive answer, “I don’t think it’s exactly a fair comparison, we do get compared to them a lot, but our aesthetic is pretty different, so it’s hard to say.”
Many doom metal bands develop their sound via Black Sabbath and the Melvins, and though Nadja is rooted in a similar lineage, its members were more inspired by the post punk/metal bands of the 90s, than by the stoner grunge scene. “I was into industrial stuff in the early 90s,” Baker explains. “That kind of got me more interested in noise music and experimental music, and so I actually got away from metal then, but then kind of came back to it with bands like Godflesh and The Swans.”
I admittedly was expecting Baker, the man who has produced albums such as Truth Becomes Death, Bodycage and Bliss Torn from Emptiness to be as dark and intensely unapproachable as one could imagine, but instead he turned out to be one of the nicest, most soft-spoken musicians I’ve encountered. “A lot of people comment on the discrepancy between our music and personalities,” Baker said. “We’re not actually like that.” Then what about the band name Nadja? Surely it must be some sort of mythological god of doom and destruction! “Actually it’s [Aidan] spelled backwards, but with a J.” Oh well, you know what they say, “you can’t judge a person by their morbidly dark doom metal lyrics.”

Xavier Cafeine has become a major figure in Montreal’s rock alternative scene and is now standing on the brink of international stardom. The Quebec native won the International Young Stars contest held by Sonicbirds in Germany. And the prize? Cafeine walked away with a record deal and a tour. The German label Silversonic will release Cafeine’s latest album Gisele in February, 2008 along with 10 tour dates in Germany.
Here at home, the singer-songwriter recently picked up Rock ‘n Roll Album of the Year at the GAMIQ awards and two nominations at the ADISQ for Best Rock Album and Best Male Artist. “I like being categorized under rock,” the award winner said. “There are so many sub groups right now. It’s become a great mutation of guitars, drums and attitude. It’s not the same, but change is good.”
From soundman to DJ to rock star, change is something Cafeine has become accustomed to. A lot of things have change since the release of Gisele last year. “I get recognized now and people approach me while I do my groceries,” Cafeine laughed. “Oh, and I was able to quit my day job!”
So how does one quit their day job and adapt so quickly in an entirely different world? Cafeine insists that it all comes down to comfort and self-preservation. “Don’t try to be sexy if you aren’t a sexual person. Don’t put on a disguise. You need to be comfortable. It’s all about being who you are and expressing yourself without being phoney.”
The Europeans have picked up on Cafeine’s promise and brilliance and he has become one fine Quebec export.
Xavier Cafeine plays Club Soda on Friday, Nov.30

Opera is when a guy gets stabbed in the back and, instead of bleeding, he sings.
-Ed Gardner

Tues., Nov. 27
– Celebration, Dragons of Zenith
@ La Sala Rossa
– All Time Low, Boys Like Girls
@ Le National
Michael Kaeshhammer @ Club Soda

Wed., Nov. 28
Chiodos, Emery, Scary Kids Scaring Kids,
The Devil Wears Prada@ Club Soda
– Gamma 256 @ S.A.T.
– Freelove Fenner, Soki Soki
@ Casa Del Popolo

Thurs., Nov. 29
– Bon Iver
@ Le National
– The Jimmyriggers, Tim’s Myth, Andrew vs the Enabler
@ Bar St-Laurent II

Fri., Nov. 30
– Stars, Miracle Fortress
@ Le National
– Xavier Cafeine
@ Club Soda
– Tim’s Myth @ Brutopia

Sat., Dec. 1
– White Magic, Elfin Saddle, Molly Sweeny
@ Casa del Popolo
Sun., Dec. 2
– The Hidden
Cameras
@ La Sala Rossa

Mon., Dec. 3
– GWAR, The End @ Club Soda

This Week’s Pick for band of the week:
Stars: The band’s breakthrough single was “Ageless Beauty”, from their 2004 album Set Yourself on Fire. Millan, Cranley and Campbell are also members of Broken Social Scene with whom they currently share a record label, Arts & Crafts. Campbell is also an actor and has appeared on Sex and the City. Their latest album In Our Bedroom After the War was released in July 2007. Sounds promising.

Runner-Up: Studying for your finals?

Don’t judge a book by its cover is an expression as lost to our era as the cassette tape player. Packaging and marketing is everything.
The Queens of the Stone Age have been releasing albums since 1997 and with their fifth full length studio release, Era Vulgaris, it’s fair to assume that they know a thing or two about the importance of an album’s title, track listing and image.
After a live in-studio interview at MusiquePlus and now relaxing in the MusiLounge, head honcho, frontman Josh Homme and guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen talk about the importance of band names, album titles and album cover art, that is before their ADD set in and conquered all.

Era Vulargis is a stimulating album title and has a comical album cover to match. Why use humour?

Josh: We take our music seriously but we’re not saying we’re the coolest guys since sliced bread. It took guts to put such an oddly retarded image on the cover! The art work helps lighten the load. Era Vulgaris sounds very serious. It’s not meant to be overly serious.
It means the common era, the era we have in common. But The Era We Have In Common would be a very sh—y album title. Era Vulgaris sounds way better!

“Era vulgaris” is actually a latin term for “common era” but sounds more like “vulgar era”.

Troy: Yeah, but that’s not really what we’re saying. The “common era” is something that we have right now that we dig.
Josh: Hey, a vulgar era sounds cool to me! Sounds like a loose brigade of people having a good time and that sounds like rock ‘n roll to me.
You know, this ain’t Bible studies! But isn’t that a good title? Something that has a lot of opportunity and creates discussion?
I feel proud because we didn’t know it was going to make so much discussion.
What’s the latest Maroon 5 record called?

Josh: I don’t know either! (Laughs) What’s the cover look like?

Yeah.

Josh: Yeah. I don’t know either! (Laughs) It’s good to stick in someone’s memory.

What is the matchbook character’s role below the track listing on the back of the album with its A to D options?
A) I’m on fire
B) I’m on strike
C) Blow me, I’m hot.
D) Your perfect match.

Josh: We couldn’t decide. You can choose what Matchbook is saying. Sometimes you don’t need to make a decision. I think that’s very indicative of our era. When someone gives you a choice between A or B, sometimes you need to choose C. Like see you later, I’m not making a decision. We could have put all of the above, but I hate that one because no one ever gets everything. Why even offer? Do you want everything?

Yes!

Josh: Nope! Sorry! Can’t do it. Not possible!

Alright. You have an odd album title and an odd band name. Why the stone age and why queens of this era?

Josh: For the same reasons as Era Vulgaris, it elicits a reaction. I like the work it does all on its own without hearing any of our music.
It gives you feeling. For some people it sounds quirky and cool while others say, “Queens? What the hell?” I like all that work in between those two reference points.
Plus, we knew no one would have it. If there was another Queens of the Stone Age, we’d be in trouble.

Is a band name and album title all about originality?

Josh: And the element of surprise, pushing buttons in a positive way and trying to make art. That is the job. Our obligation is to be as original and engaging as possible.
Seems like that’s the minimum. Go out as far on the limb as you can. Safety ain’t for music. That’s for helmet making.
Troy: And right now, someone’s making a helmet.

Thank you Troy. Can you tell us why your video for Era Vulgaris’ second single, “3’s and 7’s”, was made to look like a 70s movie trailer?

Josh: Videos should be like apples dipped in caramel; tasty and able to be consumed quickly. Some videos have a storyline and that’s great, if it works. To expect it, is expecting too much. But I’ll take a good song with some eye candy, something interesting and I like it when girls kick boys’ butts!

Why the 70s and not the 80s?

Josh: If we set it in the 80s it would be about angular haircuts, weird sweaters.
Troy: Sixteen Candles, John Hughes.
Josh: And leg warmers! I don’t know if the 80s are as sexy as hot pants!

What’s the last video that grabbed your attention?

Josh: The last Britney video. But I love that “Slave 4 U” video.

What was-

Josh: And I saw an Unkle video recently! They always make good videos. So jealous!
Troy: Bastards!
Josh: And don’t be fooled by those people on the television that tell you it doesn’t get cold in California.
You can get a permanent nipple erection if you’re not careful. And that’s a fact, a science fact.
Truth hurts.

Ok. I wouldn’t have pegged you to be pop fans. Britney or Christina?

Troy: Oh! I know that Spears would kick the sh– out of Christina!

Josh: No, no! I’ve got to say that I think Christina Aguilera would. And she’d be able to sing her way out of there!
Troy: Maybe she could sing her way out. But Britney’s got that thing, since she shaved her head. I think she’s.
Josh: Drug crazy? Christina Aguilera is a firecracker. She’s a tough cookie. She’s like chain metal underwear. So until the two shall meet, in the mud, to the death.

In the mud. Ok. They both have a generic sound. What about you? How hard is it for you guys to stay original?

Josh: Not that hard. The answer to that question isn’t difficult, it’s the delivery of the answer.
How do you not sound like other people? See what’s going on out there and don’t do that.
Fundamentally it’s not that hard. It’s the delivery that’s hard. But we’ve been going down that road for a long time.
It’s important for us to sound like ourselves. We aren’t aping nobody.
Troy: (Mimics the call of a wild chimpanzee) Should I take my sunglasses off now?

Yes Troy, the sun is down and it’s dark now.

Josh: (Sings) I wear my sunglasses at night so I can, so I can.
Troy: (Bellows) Hello my baby, hello my darlin’, hello my ragtime gal.

Aaannd we’re done.

French-Canadian renowned cellist Jorane knows and understands that music is an international language. She has blurred the lines and barriers of language with six successful albums recorded in French, English, and solely instrumental with vocal moans and murmurs, a language Jorane has made her own.
The musician’s alternative handling of an instrument as classical as the cello has earned her international acclaim and comparisons to Tori Amos and her grand piano. The artist’s use of tongues and songs as a means of communication has made her a goddess of language.
Jorane just celebrated her son’s first birthday and launched her sixth album Vers A Soi, a French follow up to her English album The You and the Now. The accomplished cellist talks about her pregnancy, her new album and music as an international language.
There are countless ways to express yourself. What impresses you the most about the way people communicate?
The technology. It has made this planet feel smaller and brings people closer. I like the fact that the internet can make things very accessible. It can get scary in a way, but it’s so overwhelming and impressive.

Have you always seen music as a means of communication?

Music is my strongest language to express myself even when it’s without words. But I needed help in finding a way to express myself with words. I didn’t have a technique and I needed writing tools. I studied music. I co-wrote a lot of the English songs with Simon Wilcox (Three Days Grace, Randy Bachman) and Shira Myrow (Seal, Michael Brook). I needed to write words and express all the emotions I feel or I will explode!

Can you tell us about your vocal improvisations and the sounds you use like a secret language that accompany your music?

It’s not a new language. It’s music and sounds. Just like an instrument makes sounds so do I. It’s like the cello, you can play it different ways and get different sounds.
A voice is just as much a real musical instrument as it is a way to communicate.

If you extract the lyrics of a song rendering it instrumental, would you then consider it to be the same song with the same message?

No it wouldn’t be the same. When I write a song with words, it needs those words.
I can’t play it instrumentally, it would be too different.

Does a complete song with lyrics have as much impact as an instrumental composition?

Oh yes! An instrumental song is as strong as a song filled with words. It’s all about emotions.

Emotions and communication are things that can easily be taken for granted. Can you imagine a world without these things?

If you don’t feel anything, that’s scary! If it was a world with no words we would use sounds. If there were no words, we could use our voices.

Your cello has become a partner to you in a way. If your cello had its own voice, what would he/she say right now?

It’s a he and he would say, “Oh she likes to experiment and have fun with other instruments, but I’m not jealous.” I have fun playing. The only battle I have on stage is with myself, never with my cello, vraiment pas.

Is body language and stage presence something that is on your mind while you perform?

It’s so important but it’s also natural. I don’t really think about it. But the best place to get to know me is on stage. Speaking of body language, I was in an interview, a news concept where I was interviewed through a monitor and speaking back to a monitor. I could only see her face, so I thought she could only see mine. So I was answering her questions and moving like this and that. My whole body answers the questions. So after I find out that I’m on TV moving around like a crazy person. (Laughs).

You’re very first album Vent Fou is named after a song that seems to be about insanity.

It’s a nightmare. The one where black dogs are chasing after you and you’re running and running. And there is a lunatic woman fighting against the fact that it’s so easy to slip and become crazy. In the end she lets go and finds that it’s a bonneheure to be crazy. It’s about the fine line between sanity and insanity. Sometimes we walk [down] that line.

Looking at your new release, why did you follow up your English album The You and The Now with an entirely French album?

I wanted to go back to my mother tongue with this one. There’s a link to my pregnancy. I was pregnant when I started to compose this album. While I was pregnant it was like I was absorbing every emotion and I felt more aware of everything happening around me. Even after my baby’s birth I still have that sensibility. It all just felt so natural and I naturally went back to my roots.

Can you translate and explain your album’s title?

Vers A Soi is like verse as in poems and soi is yourself. So it’s about defining yourself with words and letting words define you.

The art work for Vers A Soi has a voice of its own and speaks for itself. Still, can you tell us about the images?

It represents nature. Nature is about listening. We all should be more sensitive to what’s going on around us. The world might become a better place if we are better listeners.

Vers A Soi is in stores now. www.jorane.com

When the Sadies aren’t recording, they tour and tour. Right now the band’s back in Toronto for a bit of rest. “We’ve been on tour for a couple months since we put out the record,” said bassist Sean Dean, “we’re just at home right now, we’re playing shows on the weekend.”
Touring is an essential for the Sadies, “We tour a lot, we make our livin’ pretty much touring, it’s how we survive. So we keep busy. It’s part of our responsibility. To get our records out, you’ve gotta tour and make people know that you exist.” Despite the necessity of touring Dean still enjoys it. “I like traveling. It’s a weird balance between being busy on the road and having a home life to. Being on the road a lot, after a while you want to be at home with your loved ones. You gotta get a good balance of the two. You know sometimes when I’m at home too long, I can’t wait hit the road.”
New Seasons, the latest record is a natural evolution for these cowboys with a punk rock sneer. It combines diverse elements of rockabilly, surf, garage, punk, country and western, bluegrass, and 60’s psychedellia. The new record features the strongest vocal performances yet from the band’s fraternal front-men, Dallas and Travis Good. The shift to more and more lyrically driven songs has been a gradual one. The band used to divide their songs almost 50-50 between instrumentals and vocals.
“We’ve been trying to concentrate on the vocals, it’s been our goal to try and get better at it,” Dean said. “It’s kind of an interest that we’ve developed. Plus we wanted to feature the expertise of our producer Gary Louris, and he happens to be a vocal specialist.”
Setting was also important to the sound of the new record; much of it was recorded in southern Spain. “It’s warm, it’s beautiful. It kind of lends itself to the overall sound of the record being away from home, being able to concentrate and being in a beautiful place like Spain.”
But the band has stayed true to its roots, “We made a soundtrack record which was completely instrumental, for Ron Mann’s movie Tales of Rat Fink.” The film is a documentary about 60’s cartoonist and custom car builder “Big Daddy” Roth. “We’ve got to have some variety in our scope,” Dean said.
Dean has a soft spot for Montreal, “We love Montreal and we’re really thankful that we’ve gotten more and more people out to our shows in the last couple of years. Being from Toronto, you always want to be able to go out and play Montreal.” But he refuses to pick a favorite city to play, “I like playing everywhere basically, I just think it’s amazing that I can have a career in music and travel. So I really don’t tend to pick favorites because I’m just amazed that we can do it, I can’t love anybody more or less because of their geography. As long as they love our music I’ll love them just the same.”

Montreal’s Kids Eat Crayons hosted their album release party at le Divan Orange last Wednesday.
Kids Eat Crayons is Jean-Philippe Major (vocals), Scott Kingsley(bass), Craig Sauvé (guitar), D. W. Lee (drums), Steve Reid (alto sax), David Ryshpan (piano) and Ben Henriques (tenor sax).
The metal jazz experimentalists’ album, Is For Lovers, is available now.