“A painter paints a picture on canvas.
But musicians paint their pictures on silence”
-Leopold Stokowski

Tuesday, September 18
-Bonde do Role w/ Juiceboxxx @ Sala Rossa
-Turbo Fruits @ Main Hall

Wednesday, September 19
-Anthony Gomes @ Caf

Sean Penn, Liv Tyler, Scott Speedman, Geoffrey Rush, and Josh Groban were among the many A-list guests at actress Sienna Miller’s Twenty8Twelve launch party. The celebration, simply dubbed “The Party”, was hosted at Holt Renfrew in Toronto (aka Hollywood North) in honour of the new clothing line launched by Sienna Miller and sister/business partner designer Savannah.
Twenty8Twelve is a reference to Sienna’s birth date, December 28. The designing duo’s first collection of the line is entitled An Anthology of Rebellion and will be sold at Holt Renfrew (Canada) and Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman (US). The Miller sisters drew their inspirations from Dickensian London, 19th Century France and New York’s 70s rock and roll scene. Twenty8Twelve is a sensibility and a vision that the siblings both share.
The sisters also share the spotlight. “I’m Sienna, nice to meet you!” the blonde beauty beamed as she posed for a photo parting from Savannah’s side. As charming as she is humble, Miller grinned in excitement as she described the evening at hand just hours before its start.
With three lanes of Bloor Street closed off, 40 some security guards, 11 police officers, 15 odd members of Holt Renfrew security and the red carpet rolled out, the guest of honour made her entrance at night fall. The starlet arrived sporting a top hat fit for a ringmaster along side her parents and sister ready to steer the circus-carnival themed gala into play.
This was just the beginning of Toronto’s International Film Festival.
For one entire week, Hollywood’s sparkling sky was bare, stripped and missing its stars.

Visit the collection:
www.twenty8twelve.com

The Misshapes are not misfits when it comes to the art world. The New York based trio (Geordon Nicol, Leigh Lezark and Greg Krelenstein) set up camp in the intersection of art, music and fashion.
The Misshapes have hosted events for institutions like the Whitney Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art and for fashion icons Chanel, Calvin Klein and Versace.
Throwing parties since 2004 the threesome has captured countless celebrities in frames.
“We’ve been taking photos for a really long time,” Geordon Nicol explained. “At some point last year we realized just how many photos we actually had. We had been posting them on our website themisshapes.com for years. We thought it would be such a waste to let them evaporate into the internet and it would be a great idea to put them into one capitalized unit. After being approached by some publishers we came up with the book idea.”
The Misshapes released Misshapes Book, a collection of fashion portraits including Madonna, Interpol, Arcade Fire, Chloe Sevigny, Franz Ferdinand, Mandy Moore, Leelee Sobieski, Simon Rex and Yoko Ono to name a few. The book features contributions from photographers such as Karl Lagerfeld, Ryan McGinley and Nick Zinner.
“It’s nearly 300 pages of portraits that we have taken over the past five years. Artists, celebrities, people, children and anyone who has crossed paths with the Misshapes,” Nicol described.
September has been like a wild whirlwind for the New York collective. The trio’s book was released and within days the three were off touring US cities Phoenix, Austin, Miami and LA hosting release parties.
The Misshapes then found themselves requested at actress Sienna Miller’s clothing line launch the day after their Toronto book release.
“We met at a party and bonded over our similar music tastes,” Nicol said reminiscing on meeting Miller.
“We just kept seeing each other out at different things. She asked us to Dj at her first party in London. She and the people she works with liked what we played.”
The Book means more to Nicol than assembled fashion portraits and a collection of the faces that The Misshapes have encountered. Nicol sees the project as a means to reflect on the work that they have done together over the past five years.
“It’s about looking back seeing all the people’s faces and the different performances all in one document. For the people who have been there they get to see what they were a part of. And for the people who couldn’t be there and who don’t live in New York, this is an interesting way to experience a part of New York that they may not be able to experience.”

The book is in stores now and retails for $33.50 For more info visit www.misshapes.com

There has been much hype surrounding the release of Kanye West and 50 Cent’s albums that hit stores Sept. 11.
According to Billboard charts, Kanye outsold 50 Cent by 127,000 albums on the first day of release. Both rappers were confident they would outsell the other.
50 cent was quoted saying that he would retire from rapping if Kanye sold more albums than him. 50 cent is confident that the race is not over.
Kanye’s album Graduation is full of different and creative beats. His track list includes the smash hits “Stronger,” “Champion,” “Flashing Lights,” “Glory” and “I Wonder.” Kanye’s songs make you want to move. “Stronger” is a great work-out tune.
Not to mention, you will also be able to hear his tracks at clubs and on the radio with relatively few words censored.
Kanye’s smash album features artists such as T-Pain, Lil’ Wayne, Mos Def, and Dwele. The album also includes scratches by DJ Premier.
50 Cent’s album Curtis also features an impressive inventory of artists including Justin Timberlake, Timbaland, Robin Thicke, Tony Yayo, Mary J. Blige, Akon, Nicole Scherzinger, Young Buck and Eminem.
However, 50 Cent’s album is not as impressive. His tracks sound very similar.
Nonetheless, 50 Cent’s album includes a couple highlights like “Fire” and “Ayo Technology,” featuring Justin Timberlake.
You might recognize these tracks at clubs and on the radio, if the tunes are identifiable after they’ve been censored.
His track list includes songs like “My Gun Go Off,” “I’ll Still Kill” and “Fully Loaded Clip.” With that said, listener discretion is advised.
Kanye comes out as champion in regards to quality of music and quantity of unit sales.
Although he may have sold fewer albums than 50 Cent in the past, the underdog seems to have came out stronger in this round.

“Everybody’s got demons,” Holly McNarland insisted. “I just threw it all out there.” For over a decade now the Vancouver based singer-songwriter has penned her autobiography through music. Each album is like a chapter in the book that is her life.
“I can listen to this one and not cringe!” Holly admitted of her recent release Chin Up Buttercup. “Maybe one day I will, but right now I like it.” McNarland favours her confident fifth album to its predecessors. Since Stuff, her 1997 major label debut, and its colossal hit lead single “Numb”, success has not been a stranger in Holly McNarland’s world. Each album garnered significant applause and Chin Up Buttercup is no exception.
This fifth installment documents the artist’s move to Winnipeg, her return to Vancouver and her rocky relationship resulting in a painful divorce.
“I moved to Winnipeg with my ex-husband, I bought a car there and drove it all the way back to B.C. I love that car. It’s called Buttercup,” McNarland exhaled. “Chin-up because I went through a lot with my separation.”
Her sincerity is nearly painful. What does the honest truth sound like? You’ve a choice of five audaciously gutsy records. Take your pick.
McNarland’s unrivalled powerhouse vocals are equally notorious as her lyrical witticisms. If she wasn’t candid enough in song, Holly McNarland opens up about her lyrics and shares more of her core.

Is your bad ass reputation a misconception?

A bad ass? I can be and I totally have been. I’ve got one of those personalities where if you put a bottle of Vodka in front of me, I’ll drink the entire thing! But I keep myself grounded when it comes to home life. I’m very domestic and I’m with my kids all the time. I think that’s what I’m meant to do.
I have an absolute love; my kids then music.

Has motherhood changed your song writing habits and softened your edge?

Lyrically maybe. I wouldn’t say I’ve changed. But I’ve evolved, hopefully. A lot of stuff that I write about is very autobiographical. I don’t make things up out of my head very often. There’s always been a softness like “Stormy”, “U.F.O” and “I Won’t Stay”. Those were easier for me to write than “Numb”. Chin Up is my favourite album. I can listen to this one and not cringe. Home Is Where My Feet Are was tough album because I had the label wanting me to write rock songs and I just wasn’t feeling it. That’s just not where I was in my head.

On the new album in your song “Dear Pain” you sing, “Just get out of my head. Want you out of my head, why you always around?” Do you get headaches?

I get headaches all the time (laughs) but that’s not what it’s about. I don’t think I drink enough water.

Funny how you don’t intake enough water, yet water shows up in your music, for example your song “Mermaid” on your new album and “Water” on Stuff.

I bathe a lot. I’m always in the tub. When I was pregnant I was in the tub like five times a day. In the winter, at least twice a day. I love swimming and being near the ocean.

“So cold” is about an unmentioned location that doesn’t sound appealing, where is this “Town X”?

That was Winnipeg.

And now, is Vancouver home?

It’s been home for years now. We spent six months in Winnipeg and moved back to Vancouver .

Songs like “Dear Pain”, “So Cold”, “Numb” and “Mr. 5 Minutes” exude anger and resentment. Is writing music a form of anger management and release?

Absolutely! If everybody wrote it would help. It’s free therapy.

At what point in your life did you discover liberation through music?

I learned to play guitar when I was 14 and I started writing when I was about 16. When I moved to Vancouver from Winnipeg I was home sick. I lived with these women that weren’t the best women to live with and I would just hide in my room and write.

When you write a harsh, incriminating song does the person in question know that they inspired it?

Oh sometimes! I have a song called “Mr. 5 Minutes” and he wasn’t pleased with it. But he was young at the time, so we’ll let him get away with it.

Can you tell us about the lyrics of “Da Da Da”? How do you “hate gracefully”?

My ex-husband and I hated each other gracefully until we hit the walls and started to hate each other aggressively.

The word is out that someone special supplied some of the lyrics to “Fly”.

Oh yeah! My eight year old. He was five at the time. He just says so many amazing things. We were out walking and it was really windy that day. He asked me why the wind wanted to play with us and why it was always following us. I wrote it down and used it in my song and now he wants his cut! (Laughs)

Speaking of lyrics, are you “still thinking about Elmo?”

(Laughs) When I go through old pictures and see a photo of the guy. He was a drummer’s childhood friend’s grandfather. He had a secret and whiskey was his five o’clock special.

There is a special song on Stuff that stands out from the rest of your compositions called “Mystery Song”. Would you get the same release if you just composed wordless instrumental songs like that one?

I think so. I often do. I start with guitar and come up with a melody without lyrics, sing that melody and place whatever is in my head on top of that. I use mini discs to record what I’m doing because I have a shitty memory. If you went through them you’d find tons of those types of songs with no lyrics.

Would your music have the same force and affect without words?

It would be a little boring! My vocals are strong. I’ve sung since I was able to talk. First I’m a singer and I’ve slowly become a good song writer.

Is it hard to sing these personal, potential diary entry lyrics out loud in a venue filled with strangers?

I’m not a very private person. I wish I was more so, but I just throw everything out there. For some songs I think, “Oh my God, I can’t believe I wrote that and then played it!” I don’t really ever want to play “Mr. 5 Minutes” again.
I know eventually some songs I’m writing will make an album or be played for the public, but I don’t think about it. When you do think about that and worry about what people are going to think you don’t write honestly.
I honestly don’t give a shit what most people think. But it feels good when people like it. So I try to just do it.
This is just who I am. I’m an open book and I think that comes across.

Tuesday, September 11

– Blaqk Audio @ Club Studio

Thursday, September 13

– Metric (7 p.m.)
followed by K-OS (9 p.m.) @ MacKay Street, Concordia
-Dan Deacon, Girl Talk, White Williams @ La Tulipe
-Boys Noize @ Parking
-Dragonette @ Petit Campus
-Numbers @ Zoobizarre
-Ruins & guests @ Sala Rossa

Friday, September 14

– Great Lake Swimmers w/ Jennifer Grant @ Sala Rossa
-Gov’t Mule @ Le National
-Genesis @ Olympic Stadium
-K-OS & guests @ Club Soda

Saturday, September 15

-Rush @ Bell Centre
-Kid Koala @ Club Soda
-Ray Bonneville @ Sala Rossa
-Forro in the Dark @ Le National
-Sham 69 @ Foufounes Electriques
-Picastro @ Casa Del Popolo
-Bebel Gilberto @ Le National

Sunday, September 16

-Diplo w/ Switch @ Coda Club
-Simian Mobile Disco @ Sala Rossa

Tuesday, September 18

-Bonde do Role w/ Juiceboxxx @ Sala Rossa
-Noisettes @ Main Hall

This week’s pick:

Canadian four-piece Dragonette, made up of former folk/acoustic solo-artist-turned-bad girl Martina Sorbara and husband Dan Kurtz of drum & bass trio The New Deal. Drummer Joel Stouffer and guitarist Will Stapleton complete the package. Mostly labeled as an amalgam of electronica and pop, (or “purveyors of shagtronic pop” as Guardian Unlimited put it), the only sure bet is that you can definitely dance to it. Or shag.

Runner-Up:

Metric & K-OS. Like this wasn’t your first choice anyway.

“This is bad ass – breaking wine glasses cabaret!” pianist Amanda Palmer laughed. The duo, composed of Amanda Palmer, a siren with a sultry alto voice, and drummer Brian Viglione, a boy next door with a devilish grin, are definitely drumming to a beat of their own. The Dresden Dolls sound like a European flavoured cabaret production gone wild. With hopes to save their unique theatrical style from pigeonhole purgatory, Palmer coined the term punk-cabaret and branded their sound.
The Boston-based pair is fresh off Cyndi Lauper’s True Colors Tour and riding the waves of their successful provocative single “Shores of California” (off their second album, Yes, Virginia). The single’s video is a parody of David Lee Roth’s cover of The Beach Boys’ classic “California Girls” and features Margaret Cho. “Shores of California” alone captures Yes, Virginia’s dark humoristic “punk-cabaret” core with banging piano and rocking drum beats.
As unique as their sound, Palmer’s raw perverse lyrics shine a spotlight into the dark corners of the human soul, reminiscent of the old provoking habits of Tori Amos. From themes of masturbation (“First Orgasm”) to transsexuals (“Sex Changes”), alleyway-abortions (“Mandy Goes to Med School”), and Holocaust denial (“Mrs. O”), Yes, Virginia will shamelessly look you in the eye. Should you need a visual aid, the duo released the DVD The Dresden Dolls live at the Roundhouse, London not too far behind Yes, Virginia.
Whether they’re grabbing you by the heart or by the guts, the Dolls have a hold that is steady and unshaken. How do you turn your head from a twosome that hangs their sexual obsessions and human weaknesses out like laundry on a windy day? You can’t help but look.

She Said

You define your sound as Brechtian punk cabaret. Can you explain the term?

I thought it would be clever to give us a label before someone else got the chance. This is not Cole Porter showtunes, a chick in a sequence dress and laying on a piano cabaret. This is bad ass – breaking wine glasses cabaret! (Laughs)

What does the band name imply?

The name gives us a little European flavour. The city of Dresden is pretty evocative if you know your history. It’s a really dark name with a paradox. The band has a playful side and also has an aggressive side. Our name ties that up in a nice little box.

Your music is raw and honest, yet you paint your faces and wear theatrical clothing. Can’t this be confused with hiding and masquerading?

I’ve thought a lot about it and I never would have guessed that by putting on costumes and makeup someone would think that I was hiding something. It can almost be the opposite. Putting on a costume can empower you to be more expressive in your role as a performer on stage.

Would the dynamics of the Dolls be different if your counterpart was a woman and not Brian?

Oh God! Absolutely! It would be different if it were another man. Brian is a huge part of why our band has the chemistry and the tension that it does. A live show can be so compelling because we’re out there duking it out; like having a passionate argument on stage every night.

Has music and theatre always been intertwined in your mind?

When I was a kid I listened to music visually. My favourite bands were The Stray Cats, Prince, Madonna and Cyndi Lauper. I wasn’t exposed to them through radio; I was exposed to them through MTV. Back then videos were theatrical and suggestive. When I write music I imagine it being performed more than I imagine it on a recording.

How did it feel being on board the True Colors Tour with Cyndi Lauper, someone you grew up admiring?

It was overwhelming! I feel so lucky that everything has worked out the way it has. It’s incredible. Brian and I are in seventh heaven.

What fueled the True Colors Tour?

It’s all Cyndi’s vision. The overall thread that tied the tour together is the Human Rights Campaign and the Matthew Shepard Foundation. The wonderful thing about being a famous rock star is that you can take something that is important, gather people together and demand that it be paid attention to.

Has supporting gay rights provoked the media to question your sexuality?

It did come up. I’m pretty open about everything. I say I’m bisexual not because I consider it to be an important part of my personality, but because I’ve slept with girls and that’s what people call it. It doesn’t interest me to identify myself as Amanda Palmer: Bisexual.

And Brian?

Brian identifies himself as a straight male who loves to occasionally wear women’s clothing! (Laughs)

Has making your sexuality public affected the way people perceive your music?

I doubt it. If you listen closely you may pick up some of that anyway. I don’t see it as something so surprising. It’s not like all of a sudden Britney Spears comes out of the closet! Oh my God!

Do you have any surprising guilty pleasures?

Other than listening to Avril Lavigne? (Laughs) But there’s something wrong the minute I start having guilty pleasures. If it’s a pleasure it shouldn’t be guilty.

He Said

Brian, do you have a guilty pleasure?

I can’t really say that I share the Avril Lavigne thing!

What about dressing in women’s clothing? Does your manhood ever take a shot?

(Laughs) Definitely not! It’s fun for me. I get this perverse thrill out of freaking out a lot of the road crew guys. I would step out, no actually skip out on stage wearing this white nightgown and rainbow tights and all the crew guys would say, “Look at this faggot, he’s going to make me puke!” Then we would play, decimate the place and everyone’s mind would be changed. When we set up people think, “Ok, a Tori Amos knock-off with a sidekick drummer” and leave saying, “Oh, I guess I was wrong.”

Has the True Colors Tour provoked the public to question your sexuality as they did Amanda’s?

Not really. I’m not gay and I don’t have a problem with getting out there and championing the cause. I definitely believe in equal rights and I was happy to be a part of it.

Has musical theatre and performance rock always been a part of you?

I discovered the Rocky Horror Picture Show when I was 14. It made such a huge impression. But I got my first taste of being on stage when I was six.

What was it about musical theatre that drew you in?

It’s most satisfying to me when music and theatre are intertwined. It becomes more sensual. Like water doesn’t necessarily have to be the most amazing thing, but when it’s in the right setting it’s a beautiful thing. I’ve always been drawn to things that have a sensual passionate flare to it.

Is there any mental preparation involved before a performance, like stepping into character?

It’s not like I become Alice Cooper! (Laughs) I just do the things I do as they come out and it is certainly not rehearsed. It’s an uninhibited freedom. I lose myself in the music and just go with it. It’s kind of like rebounding off of Amanda and the music. The physicality is just an extension of the music.

You’ve released two live DVDs. What is the importance of witnessing the Dolls in concert?

Getting to see the music live paints the full picture. We’re not the tightest musical unit out there, but the music is benefited by the chemistry that we have on stage and what we put into it. Music and theatricality don’t necessarily have to go hand in hand, but when it’s done well one certainly benefits the other.

The music and Amanda’s lyrics benefit each other. Will you ever share lyric duty?

I’ve never considered myself a songwriter. My creative process is being on stage and when the count off happens, where does it go? I thrive on playing with people that feel comfortable on stage, that express themselves and let go. Maybe one of the reasons why I’m not a solo singer-songwriter is because I get off on the energy and that mix of creativity and imagination between all players.

Do you remember the moment you met Amanda?

It was an extremely powerful epiphany. That evening I discovered the meaning of that word. Amanda was playing solo in front of about 30 people on the top floor of this brownstone building that she lived in. I had never ever seen someone play with such conviction, passion and creativity. The music had a lot of power, drama, finesse and crazy lyrics. It felt like a definite sign and I had to make a connection. It sounds corny, but it was the moment that I realized, “Wow this is what I’ve been waiting for my whole life. I knew I found something special.”

Chantal Chamandy made her mark last spring when she released Love Needs You, an adult-contemporary album balanced between themes of love and lust. Picture if you will, Celine Dion’s pop radio-chum sound with culture, class, sass and brains. Chamandy infuses her music with culture and influences from both east and west from the Arabian vibed platinum single “I Want You” to the Spanish splashed “Music of the Moon” fit for J.Lo’s pre-gangsta breakthrough On the 6. (Remember the Latin ditties?) In Chamandy’s case, please note: this beauty writes her own songs.
Headstrong and willing, Chamandy set her heart on a vision and will be seeing this dream through on Sept. 7. The Egyptian-born Montrealer will perform at the foot of the pyramids on the Giza plateau in Egypt.
A massive sectional stage will be assembled in front of The Great Pyramid of Giza and the Sphinx. The stage is set to hold the Cairo Symphony Orchestra, Chamandy’s band, an ensemble of dancers and the star who dares to dream and aim far and high.
Lending their talents to this exceptional event is a gifted crew made up of the likes of producer, director Gerard Pullicino (Madonna, Celine Dion, Joe Cocker), set designer Guy St-Amour (Cirque du Soleil), lighter designer Matthieu Larrivee (Diana Krall, Alanis Morissette) and choreographer Genevi

Dolores O’Riordan, the critically acclaimed voice behind the world renowned quartet The Cranberries resurfaced. Last May, O’Riordan presented her first a solo album Are You Listening? written and recorded in Canada and Dublin. Montreal was graced with a tour stop during the Montreal International Jazz Festival.

“Quickly now dear!” Rufus Wainwright grinned, as he posed for one last photo backstage before running out to a sold-out crowd at Place des Arts in June.
Quick would be an understatement for the pace that the singer-songwriter’s career has taken. Between falling in love, releasing an album, riding a sold-out tour across America and guest appearances on Cyndi Lauper’s True Colors Tour, the man finds the time to pen an opera. Look out for the upcoming recording of Wainwright’s recreation of Judy Garland’s legendary 1961 concert at Carnegie Hall.

There is something powerfully alluring about Juno and Gemini nominated singer-songwriter Sarah Slean. Perhaps it’s in the way she opens her heart and lets it bleed out to whoever will listen. Maybe it is how she paints portraits of her spirit so effortlessly through her art. But as much as the accomplished artist will pull you in, the depths of her soul are never truly exposed – it’s just too deep.
Satisfying her core fans’ curiosity, Slean talks about some of the mystery and characters starring in her music.

“I Know” is an emotional song from your beginnings that you seldom perform. Can you tell us about its delicate reputation?

“I Know” is about coming to terms with the reality of sexual violence in our society. Realizing when I was around 17 that my “kind” are prey for some very specific and deadly predators. I lost a great deal of wonder and innocence when that hit me. I became afraid in a new and paralyzing way. It hurt something fundamental.

Your website is a realm dedicated to the Baroness. Who is the Baroness?

My guide, my muse, my broken and triumphant self. She is what I can be when fear and courage mix perfectly; a wild woman in a red dress.

“Eliot” as in T.S. Eliot might be a given. Can reveal who “Madeleine” is?

See the film Tous les matins du monde (sighs).

What about the intriguing “Duncan”?

He’s a dream I had. A romantic soldier. A soft heart poet rebel.

Who is “Jerome”, the leading man in a song dedicated to him and you?

Jerome, as in Jerome David Salinger.

Who is “the pilgrim” that has an eye on you in the dark, shadowy “Pilgrim”?

The Pilgrim is a seeker, the struggler. I wrote this at one of my darkest hours. I am talking to the pilgrim in myself saying, “You knew this had to happen. You have to go down into the darkness to learn. You have to be scared. You have to feel the pain. You have to take risks.” “Are you paying the birds to sing?” is a similar self-comment, “Hey, you’re not fooling me Slean, you know when it’s time to walk back into the fire, no playing safe, no hiding out, no writing safe. Blah! Unbloody songs! Show me the guts!” That’s why the response is: “It won’t work on the true path.” Where of course all the “wretched” who were brave enough to be ugly and fail will be growing wings and truly learning. Then when I start to unravel, I sort of crack and strike back at the listener, becoming horrified that some look to me for guidance when I am still “left by the roadside” confused, broken, struggling, never certain, frequently afraid and sometimes shamefully weak. It’s like a defensive retort because she’s clearly on the edge of sanity there!

Can you unravel your cult classic “Sweet Ones” that Carly Rae Jepsen performed on Canadian Idol this season?

Oy! That one I’ll have to keep to myself!

Visit the Baroness
myspace.com/sarahslean
www.sarahslean.com

Royal Wood is ready to claim his seat among Canadian Kings of pop-noire Rufus Wainwright and Hawksley Workman. This multi-instumentalist composed, recorded and produced his most rich and dignified effort yet, A Good Enough Day.

The accomplished musician is more than ready to back it up with tour dates this spring. But before gracing Montreal, Wood demystifies his album, opens it up at the hinges and lets us in.

A Good Enough Day is your second record, but your first album on Emm Gryner’s label Dead Daisy Records. How did this come about?

It was a long and winding road. My last album “Tall Tales” had found its way into DDR’s hands and started the ball rolling in terms of interest. When the new record was complete, I wrestled with how and where to put it out, and eventually Dead Daisy made the best sense. They were fully behind the record, and it is the kind of a label that allows for artistic freedom like very few others out there. At the end of the day, after every idea and discussion, the final say is always my decision with DDR – and I relish that.

What does your album title A Good Enough Day signify?

It is always a good enough moment in time to seize life. The making of A Good Enough Day meant that I had reached the next stepping stone in my career. I set out to make something different from anything I have made before. I wanted to make a departure from my last effort; a beautiful and holy record that would stand up against what usually hits the airwaves.

Can we talk tracks? What is “A Mirror Without” about?

“A Mirror Without” is about the idea that we are nothing without someone to share our life with. What good is a mirror unless there is a face to look upon it? What good is a life unless there is a loved one to experience it with us?

What inspired your song “Siren”?

“Siren” itself was inspired by the age old concept that it is better to have loved and lost, then never to have loved at all. We are the products of what we experience day to day, and a lost love helps mold us into who we are now. We should be thankful for it, in all of its stages. From the first spark to the dying amber.

What are you saying with your song “Step Back”?

“Step Back” is about taking stock of life, reviewing the situation, and dealing with what has to be done in order to better ourselves and our current predicament.

What is behind your song “Acting Crazy”?

“Acting Crazy” is about a love between two people that ends, not of lost affections, but out of situations beyond our control. Roads diverge and sometimes two can not take the same path. When this happens it is a breakdown instead of a break up.

Great Canadian musicians contributed to your album like Hawksley Workman and Kurt Swinghammer. What was it like working with them?

Hawksley, Kurt and I have been fans of each others music for a while now, so it seemed natural to finally have them in the studio. Both are beyond professional and beyond genius so I sat back and let the magic happen on both of their performances. I really tried not to influence what they played for their perspective parts and just let them take shape themselves. As expected they struck gold.

Is there a reason why Hawksley Workman appears as guest drummer on the particular song, “Forever We’re Tied” and not another track like “Step Back” or “A Mirror Without”?

Hawksley had heard some of the initial demos for the record, and was kind enough to ask if he could play on the record in anyway. My drummer Adam Hay, at the time, had very much influenced the parts for “A Mirror Without” and “Step Back” in the rehearsal stage, and I couldn’t imagine any one else playing the parts but Adam. He is a tremendous talent at what he does. On “Forever Were Tied” though, it made sense as a song to have Hawk’s style of playing on the kit. He is such an artist at the drums and plays it as only a songwriter could.

What is the common thread running through A Good Enough Day?

The theme of this record in the broadest sense is life itself and the emotions that come with it. We are on a roller coaster after all, and we are along for the ride until it stops.

Royal Wood plays Casa del
Popolo Wednesday, May 9.