Hey all,

I’m on vacation this week and next, hence the delay in getting the Fridays with … column up. So, as a bit of a weekend bonus, I’m throwing up two great interviews, with Kev Corbett and Kyle Cunjak.

I can’t promise I won’t be late again this coming week, but things should be back to normal the week after. We have a lot of great Fridays with … interviews planned, and the usual crop of news and notes.

As always, thanks for your continued support. Please spread the word, and sign up for our Facebook group here.

Cheers,

Eric

Fridays with … Kev Corbett

Kev Corbett recently toured Canada.

Kev Corbett recently completed a whirlwind tour of Canada promoting his latest album, Son of a Rudderless Train, which was released last year.

Mid-tour, he fired us off an interesting e-mail painting a picture of his two-month, eye-opening journey. The Nova Scotia singer-songwriter had “the task and trip of a lifetime,” as he put it.

We caught up with Corbett this week where he shed some light on his recent experiences:

1. What are you up to these days, musically or otherwise? (Feel free to plug whatever you’ve got coming up.)

I’m decompressing from three months on the road, and sorta gingerly planning my next move. I left Halifax on March 8th, toured to B.C. and back by train over the course of two months, drove again to Vancouver with my partner for Jill Barber’s wedding, then back to Toronto where I met up with Stephen Fearing for a week’s worth of dates around Ontario, then home. I just got home a week ago, so now I’m putting a lot of work into figuring out a routine, reconnecting with my partner, listening to a large archive of old vinyl records I inherited, catching up on sleep, writing the songs that came up while I was out there, re-imagining my sound, playing drums and doing manual work to clear my head and save up some money for new gear and producing the next record. Not working, ironically, is turning out to be a lot of work.

2. How did you get into performing/recording your own music, and what was the first major lesson you learned once you got your feet wet in the ‘business’?

It was really a continuum. I trained as a drummer and really only ever wanted to be a pro sideguy, like the guys in Dave Letterman’s band, just versatile and nailing it every night. I did the waterfront cover band scene long enough to learn Crosby-Stills-type harmonies and hate everything else about it, and quickly ditched cover band school for playing in bands that did their own stuff.

There was a latin/jazz/funk project called Knifey Moloko, spent a year in Amelia Curran’s band, then took a position with a Francophone band called Blou, which toured really hard. It was 200 days a year of airplanes, and they got two ECMAs over the four years or so I was working for them. At first I loved the pace and I was proud of the work we were doing together; but in time I was feeling isolated, frustrated, and unfulfilled in the larger picture. I’d been writing a bit, just for my own purposes, and when I played some of my tunes for someone I was dating, she told me that those songs deserve to be heard and if I never played them anywhere I was an idiot.

I never had much ambition for the tunes as such, but the studio environment was a fascinating sandbox to imagine playing in, so I set about it, made my first record which came out in late 2005/early 2006, and then got invited to a huge songwriting competition at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival in Colorado. That was my first hint that I might be onto something. The more I experimented, the more people responded. I think songwriting is one way I process the world, and I think it plays into my pathological aversion to being misunderstood. Since then, for me, it’s been about finding my voice, finding my little tribe of colleagues and fans, and doing the work that I like.

Big lessons: I’d say they all come around to being true to oneself. There’s a lot of pressure to jump through stupid hoops, make focus-group music, be trendy, talk like a press release. The great thing about art is that you can choose your own boundaries, and let the chips fall. It’s empowering.

3. You recently completed a two-month cross-country tour by train and car. You sent an interesting e-mail our way that shed a little bit of light on your journey through Canada, but tell us what the trip was like for you.

It was the greatest adventure, like living in the movie One Week. I felt really lucky to be able to do it in the first place, and just tried to attend to all the tasks at hand — being easy to work with, doing a good show, advancing my places to stay and so on — while being as in the moment and openhearted as possible. I was couchsurfing a lot, and dealing with no downtime, even when I was alone on a highway. Some real highs and some real lows, constant wonder and through it all, I just had a huge job to do and I needed to keep on game. The mantra was: Enjoy this. This is just how it is and you’re the luckiest guy anywhere.

4. What was the most interesting thing you saw or experienced during the trip?

I was invested in the trip as kind of a beginning-middle-end process, but nonetheless I’d always wanted to deeply visit B.C., and I lapped that up with great gusto. I met a great friend in Vancouver, who had my back when I needed it most. I loved everything about Vancouver Island — my hosts in Victoria, old friends in Courtenay, the surfer culture and perfect tacos in Tofino, seven bald eagles circling at once in Ucluelet, the repeated wonders of Cathedral Grove. Wow. I’d long wanted to visit Nelson, and had it built up into a potential highlight, but it was ironically one of the screwiest, most painful gigs of my life. The rest of the lower mainland was stunning. I did a theatre show in Vancouver that was a lot of fun, capped it off with one on Salt Spring Island, and was simultaneously played on Valdy’s radio show there, which felt amazing. I went back to Vancouver, got a phone message that an uncle had died, and then had six days on the train to inculcate that before getting home for a week before leaving again to go back. At least on the second trip there, I could show my partner some of the things I’d seen. A large chunk of my soul lives there, I think.

5. What did you learn about Canada as you were criss-crossing it?

How really huge and diverse it is. The geographical fact is really cool: the way the rolling hills and mixed forest of the Maritimes gives way to the St. Lawrence river valley, gives way to the Great Lakes Basin, gives way to the Canadian Shield, gives way to the Great Plains, gives way to the Rockies. You really feel like you’re traveling. The people-diversity is amazing. Local food cultures are a lens through which I experience a sense of place, so things like Mennonite cream sauce on an Easter roast, or homemade elk sausages for breakfast, or a pemmican burger, or Okanagan wine, or borscht — all the things we don’t have much of here — these are gifts, ways that people say this is who we are. And especially when you’re staying at their house, you can only be grateful for the sharing. It engenders a larger sense of wonder and gratitude for the learning experience, a deep desire to make sense of it somehow.

6. On Son of a Rudderless Boat, you have a who’s who of guest musicians playing with you. What kind of an atmosphere does it bring to the recording process when you’ve got friends coming and going all the time adding to your project?

Again, gratitude. These are peers, many of whom I’ve known and worked with in various contexts over the years, so I’d ask each to come in for a part here or there, and it’d take two takes of the chorus or whatever and they’re gone. Some needed to be paid, most didn’t, and I’d move mountains for any of them regardless. It enriched the process for me, because whereas I’d performed 99 per cent of the first record myself, I can’t sing soprano, play trumpet, etc., and to hear those sounds is still exciting. Some people were game, but we couldn’t schedule anything that worked for them. Other people offered, but I couldn’t hear a part for them that made sense, in which case, I just listened to what they thought. Some people didn’t show up until the third try. It was a bit stressful, because I was on a real time crunch to realize all that I heard in my head, but in the end, it was going to be as it should. I felt like my community had my back, so you just try to pay it forward.

7. If you weren’t in the music industry in some capacity, what would you be doing today?

Tough to say, as I don’t have any other skill. Maybe food culture and/or some kind of trade. I’m a hopeless foodie and I worked in restaurant kitchens before it came down to a decision point. I like doing manual stuff, like farm work, and building things. I’m doing some work now with some friends of mine who own a food business that’s expanded ridiculously in the last year, so it gives me something to do while the tour songs come out, a pay cheque to start recording them when they do, and a nice feeling of helping my friends build their future up.

8. What song or album have you been listening to most lately?

Strict Joy, by the Swell Season. It just hits me where I live.

9. What’s the next thing you want to accomplish, musically or otherwise?

I think I just want to continue to grow. I think the rest’ll take care of itself.

—–

Fridays with … Kyle Cunjak

The Olympic Symphonium, with Kyle Cunjak at left.

Fredericton’s Kyle Cunjak is one of the busiest guys in the New Brunswick music scene. If I recall correctly, I first knew him as a photographer. Then I saw him play bass for David Myles and Jill Barber at a fantastic, low-key concert at a small gallery in Sackville. Later, we’d chat about his own bands, such as Olympic Symphonium or Force Fields (formerly Fussy Part).

Today, he fires press releases my way and drops me a line about not only his bands, but the many he helps promote and manage.

As you’ll see, Cunjak has a ton on the go. But I’ll let him fill you in …

1. What are you up to these days, musically or otherwise?

Presently I am working on:

- slowly mixing the new Olympic Symphonium album
- printing a photography show for exhibit in fall 2010
- slowly working on a Force Fields album
- bookings for Snailhouse, Sleepless Nights and Petunia
- trying to find funding for a few albums that need finishing
- gearing up for the release shows for David Myles’ new record
- helping run a label/management team out of New Brunswick
- learning how to cook Thai food

2. How did you get into the music business and what was the first major lesson you learned once you got your feet wet?

I got into the music business by necessity because there was little to no labels, managers, publicists, booking agents, etc. … in English New Brunswick and we had albums/artists that needed help.

3. What song or album have you been listening to most lately?

I’ve been listening to a lot of old country, folk and bluegrass: Bob Wills, Harry McClintock, Bluegrass Album Band. Have you ever heard the Louvin Brothers – Satan Is Real?  It’s amazing.  Also can’t stop listening to the few rough mixes from Mike O’Neill’s new album, which is going to be better than most things.

4. What’s your favourite way to waste time or relax?

Swimming.  Pretty much my favourite thing in the world.

5. The Internet and social media are allowing artists to get closer to their fans than they ever were in some respects. What are your thoughts on this?

Totally fine, breaks down the barriers that once let rock stars get away with so much crap.  Everything has been done by bands in the ‘70s and ‘80s, so when I see macho jerks in a rock band trying to act cool and do something “bad” it’s just depressing.

6. If you weren’t in the music industry in some capacity, what would you be doing today?

I’d likely be pursuing photography more actively.  I’m not complaining though, having photography be strictly an artistic practice has given me a lot more freedom and peace of mind within the medium.  I’m a huge advocate for film and every time I take on a commercial job and shoot digitally it gets me down.

7. What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learned recently?

The fact that Roger Miller did all the music for Disney’s Robin Hood gives me even more respect for the man.

8. If you could hit the “delete” button on anything related to music (a song, artist, trend, whatever), what would you delete?

I love this question and have thought about this often. I’ve tried to think of who I could erase to get rid of the manufactured music movement in the ‘80s and ‘90s and EVERYTHING that followed but that’s likely just an evolution of a pretty face singing someone else’s music that has been around forever and you can’t get rid of someone without then losing an important part of musical history.

After much deliberation it’s come down to either Smash Mouth or Insane Clown Posse.

9. What’s your favourite thing to drink (alcoholic or otherwise)?

Picaroons beer, V8 (the original, in the can), and fresh-squeezed grapefruit/orange/lemon juice (called Grarorange Juice). Not at the same time.

10. Finish the sentence below and please elaborate on what you mean:

The east coast music scene … difficult but rewarding.

Because we are so isolated from most of the Canadian music industry, we have to work harder than the rest of Canada to get respect and support. It sometimes gets me down because I see so much talent that is given up on because it’s too much work and people lose their steam and break down. However, then I go watch a show or listen to a new record and realize that the best music comes from this region and if the rest of the world doesn’t know about it, it’s their loss.

11. What’s the next thing you want to accomplish, musically or otherwise?

If I could get Forward Music Group to a point where we’d be guaranteed at least 3,000 units sold of any pressing if would give us so much more freedom to take risks and put out more experimental music or side projects and spend more time on actually doing the thing we’re working towards … MAKING MUSIC. I can’t tell you how frustrating it is to spend 1/2 of my day on the computer when my instruments are what I should be concentrating on.

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Moncton's Cop Shades will soon embark on a cross-country tour.

We’re a week behind on Fridays with … and I honestly wasn’t sure why until I finally heard back from Moncton’s Kyle McDonald (Cop Shades/The Woods) a few days ago. Unfortunately, McDonald’s home flooded last week and he’s been holed up in a hotel for a week while trying to sort through the mess Mother Nature threw at him.

Fortunately, McDonald is taking it all in stride. The ever-busy Moncton musician has a new project, Cop Shades (also featuring Remi Cormier and Colin Muir), and the band is hitting the ground running. It released a free EP (download here) earlier this year, produced and edited its own video (view below this post) has a full-length album out soon, and will soon be touring the whole damned country. Not bad for a band just getting things going, no?

McDonald fills us in:

1. Yours is a name I’ve heard around Moncton long before I met you in person. I think the first time I saw your name was on a HOPE album. Tell me a bit about how you got involved in the local scene and your experience over the years.

It really started back in ‘93 when I was blown away by the quality of the local bands. It surprised the hell out of me to think countless bands/artists are being paid big dollars to put out the mediocre stuff they do — meanwhile I’m finding some of the best stuff I’ve ever heard made by local dudes jamming in basements.

My first band in ‘94 was called THE GLADES, whose first gig was a Harrison Trimble High School Battle Of The Bands show which also featured the first gigs by local bands The Ditchpigs and Sour Grapes. I got a bootleg cassette copy of the show and it really sparked my interest in bootlegging these incredible local bands I’d seen around. Another factor in my interest was because a lot of the bands around town didn’t have a recording — I soon realized if I’d bring my own little gear setup and record the show in the best quality I could, that this was the next best thing to getting a copy of an album. From there it basically turned into a bit of an obsession in trying to achieve the best possible quality recording, ultimately resulting in me recording bands in my basement after having graduated from Recording Arts Canada back in ‘98.

2. In addition to the work you’ve done with a lot of bands, I believe you have quite an extensive collection of local music from over the years. Are you making a conscious effort to collect all the Moncton music you can?

I definitely buy as much local music as possible. The more support the better — whether it be buying it, spreading the word about it or going to see the live show. I’ve got a pretty ridiculous sized collection but I still have a long way to go. Plus I’m missing so much prior to ’93, but I’m always on the hunt. That said, I’ll take this opportunity to mention that if anyone out there has any local band recordings (releases or live shows) that they would be into sharing, please e-mail!

3. Is there a “most prized possession” amongst the collection?

The one that sticks out the most is a cassette by local band SYNTAX ERROR from 1986 called COW, SHOE, NOSE, BRAIN who are sort of like a young Acadian French version of the Dead Kennedys meets DEVO. Totally flew under the radar; these guys could have had a huge following.

4. Tell me about Cop Shades. How’d you guys form?

COP SHADES was formed by Colin Muir and I in the summer of 2009. Our other band, THE WOODS, which I sing and play bass in, were in a bit of a slow period where we were in the process of jamming with a new drummer and we were forced to kind of take our time with it as we only had one day a week to put in any progression time.

Colin and I had so much time for musical creativity that we had catalogued about three albums worth of songs for THE WOODS and it was getting to a point where we had to stop. When I started playing music back in ‘92, I was a drummer, so I thought it would be neat to jump behind the kit again, and have Colin pick up my bass which was a new thing for him as he was strictly a guitarist.

My cousin Jon 10 was initially going to sing with us but after one jam in, he realized he would be moving out west within a couple months and as such we knew we’d have to find another vocalist as the whole point of the band was to put our excess musical creativity to some active use during our downtime. Remi Cormier from the Peter Parkers and Colonial Quarrels found himself with a serious amount of musical time to spare and I always found he had a couple songs in the Peter Parkers where he would kind of really let loose vocally. I thought it would be neat to see if he would be into it and sort of take that more weird/aggressive approach to his vocal style I’d seen prior since I recorded both Peter Parkers’ full lengths. He was 100 per cent down and we decided it would be neat for him to run his vocal mic through his huge Peter Parkers guitar pedal board and try to put it all together to form something that felt different, original and relevant to us.

5. You released an EP not too long ago and have an album and extensive tour on the way … is it important to you guys to really hit the ground running?

Absolutely. The band was formed with a bit of a different mindset to that which we put into THE WOODS. With this band we wanted it to be very off the cuff, as underproduced and raw as possible. Too many bands around the Maritimes have a good thing going and have ambitions to get up and tour or give it a go as best they can, yet it never seems to amount to anything more than talk due to hundreds of different reasons.

We figure we’re not getting any younger and it’s not going to get any easier, why not just flat out make as much happen as we possibly can and just get out and do it? As such, we wrote and recorded our initial EP in 6-7 hours and decided to make it available online for free just to get out there and spread the word. A few months later we shot a video which cost us a whopping $0 with a handheld camera in our basement and I personally edited and released it. We’ll also have our debut full length released in time for our August tour.

Bands who focus too much on making money, taking weird business-like approaches to their music, or complaining that their album was ripped to mp3 and is being listened to by people who haven’t paid for it, in my personal opinion are on the wrong track. Music shouldn’t be looked at as a business until it’s somewhat forced upon you through doing what you love and people really dig what you do on a mass scale. The majority of independent bands in this day and age sell their albums to people who attend their shows and like what they hear, or just flat out want to support the band. You can’t really fight the way the mp3 has changed the music industry as a whole despite the fact there are also so many drawbacks as a result. The best music you’ll find in this world is created by those who don’t conform to any sort of code, trendiness or standard of “how things should be done if you want to succeed.”

6. Is the big tour coming up exciting? Scary?

The big tour is extremely exciting. Just prior to that, we’re doing a set of five Maritime dates in the second week of July with Pembroke, Ont. band FLYING FORTRESS, which features ZUKU songwriter/frontman Brandon Wars.

They are a two-piece sort of basement crust metal duo with a stoner/thrash edge that are absolutely blowing my mind. I really hope people come out to see them as they won’t be disappointed.

From there our first show of the tour is Aug. 4th in Quebec City, straight to Victoria, B.C. and back in town for Aug. 29th. We’re really excited to just get out and make it happen. Unless you’re a cover band, it’s completely unrealistic to expect to get big guarantees or to stay in hotels every night on your first cross-Canadian tour. Too many bands don’t end up getting around to doing it because they believe there is a “proper” or “right” way to go about it when the reality of it is to just get out there.

Unfortunately so many incredible bands don’t have the means to get out and tour because of responsibilities like demanding jobs, houses, wives and children. Fortunately for the band, we have none of the aforementioned ties, which makes it easy for the three of us to jump in an SUV and go. We’re playing with loads of different bands all across the country with completely different sounds that we specifically hand-picked to play with because they are our either our friends who we already love or bands that we’ve discovered that we personally like and would love to see live. We’re all equally excited for what I’m sure is going to be an experience of a life time (in one way or another!).

7. What song or album have you been listening to most lately?

This is a tough one as I’m constantly listening to so much “new-to-me” stuff. Three albums come to mind:

Husband & Knife – Ghost Highway (2010) which is an ambient/acoustic one-track EP by my very close Halifax friends KC and Evan. You can download it for free at http://www.divorcerecords.ca/ under the FREEWAVE section.

Acid King - III (2005) which is an album by the psychedelic stoner/doom rock band which is fronted by Lori S. who happens to be the ex-wife of Dale Crover of the Melvins. I cannot pull myself away from it.

The Doers – Gaiety (2007) which is an album by the Vancouver-based acoustic punk/pop/experimental trio who also happen to be very good friends of ours. Frontman Sean Maxey is actually doing the artwork for our debut full length which we’re very excited about.

8. What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learned recently?

Get flood insurance. My basement was recently flooded near waist-high in sewage, ruining nearly every piece of gear I owned. Luckily I had insurance though am still trying to pick up the pieces but so many don’t have the insurance or flood coverage. It’s worth the money if you own expensive stuff, believe me!

9. Finish the sentence below and please elaborate on what you mean:

The east coast music scene is … is so under recognized and appreciated — it’s unreal. People think they have a grasp on “East Coast Music,” meanwhile most are only familiar with about 10 per cent of it.

I wish there was more attention and appreciation on the efforts of those that are taking the DIY route and less of those who are being raved at because they do things like apply for grants and play the ECMAs. It would be nice if the ECMAs could accept and appreciate all different forms of east coast music equally, but unfortunately this isn’t the case.

It was cool they introduced the “Loud” category but lets be honest, it’s a pretty wide area. You could be anywhere from rock to noise to black metal to stoner to psych-rock, to punk and you’ll be lumped and judged in the same category.

Most Canadians believe East Coast Music thrives primarily with Celtic and traditional when the reality is simply if it doesn’t fit in that or another popular category, or conform to some sort of system of “how to be popular on the east coast” — it just flies under the radar and is never paid any attention for the most part.

There is this amazing website based out of Edmonton called Weird Canada which focuses on honest, DIY, original music that doesn’t get the press like everything else does. Also equally as important — the OBEY Convention (which was created and is run by Darcy Spidle of Divorce Records in Halifax) showcased a ridiculous amount of this kind of stuff, from the Maritimes and all over the world as well. In my opinion, it is hands down the best Canadian “festival-type” out there. Expect to hear about OBEY more and more as the years pass; every show part of it was sold out this year.

Check out Cop Shades’ video for North Korean Arts Degree below, and check out all the band’s tour dates online here.

COP SHADES – North Korean Arts Degree (Official Video) from Superbob Records on Vimeo.

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Seek Out Ships are planning an album release in the near future.

Sydney, N.S rock group Seek Out Ships was formed in 2005 as a two-piece acoustic act between long-time friends/bandmates Christopher Poirrier (drums) and David Daix (guitar, vocals). In 2009, after a four-year stint of “meandering between farting-around and complete dormancy,” the two decided to get a little more serious.

The band recruited Mark “John” Scott on bass and has been much more active of late, releasing some recordings and trying to spread word of the band.

Poirrier and Daix both joined us via e-mail this week.

1. What are you up to these days, musically or otherwise? (Feel free to plug whatever you’ve got coming up.)

D.D. - Um, considering we have been dormant for quite some time, I would say a lot is going on, I guess. Just practicing on a regular basis is a pretty big step for Seek Out (which we’ve been doing lately). We also have a full-length album in the works; the material is done, we just have to get some studio time set up. And maybe a short Maritime tour with our friends First to Fall.

2. How did you get into the music business and what was the first major lesson you learned once you got your feet wet?

D.D. - For a band with a nautical name there is not a lot of wetness going on in terms of the industry. haha We’ve been around for quite a while, but it feels to me like we are just getting started.

C.P. - I think, in regards to SOS, we haven’t really gotten our feet wet at all, as Dave mentioned.  We’re finally starting to get the ball rolling.  Personally, I’ve been in bands since I was 10 years old.  I’d say the first real experience with the industry would be with my other band, Drowning Shakespeare.  We’ve been together since January 2004 and have completed a few tours to Ontario.  We’ve put out a few independent releases as well.  I hope that the experience I’ve gained from that can be put to good use in SOS.

3. How did Seek Out Ships form?

D.D. - Well, me and Chris have been playing together for about 10 years now. At one point we went our separate ways musically but wanted to stay in touch, so we formed Seek Out Ships as a kind of extra reason to get together. And five years later, we wanted to start playing shows and our good friend Mark Scott picked up the bass for us and that was it.

4. What are the band’s musical influences?

D.D. - So many influences. Hmmm. What are some ones that will make us sound cool? haha. I guess our newer stuff is more influenced by artists and bands like Death Cab, Wintersleep, mewithoutYou, Neil Young, David Gray, Iron and Wine. I’ve also been listening to a lot of stuff I grew up with too: CCR, Bruce Springsteen and Steve Earle, stuff like that. A lot of the music people have heard from us is between two-five years old, so our new material is going to sound a bit different, but still sounds like us.

C.P. - For the record, I dislike David Gray. hahaha Dave will probably get mad at me for that one. In regards to SOS, my biggest influences would have to be The National, DCFC, Wintersleep and mewithoutYou.  Mark just introduced me to a new band called Biffy Cyclo.  Weird name, cool music though.

5. You guys released a four-song EP, you’ve recorded another and you mentioned having even more material coming down the pipe … are you noticing your sound develop or change at all as you guys continue to write and pump out new material at such a quick pace?

D.D. - Oops, answered that already. But, yeah, we are growing. I feel my writing style is changing a bit as I get older. Less songs about girls and more tunes about where I come from and where I want to go. Chris kind of grows with me too. It’s pretty cool. And Mark makes it all sound better than it is. hah

C.P. - I notice a huge change in our style, both musically and lyrically, but, especially lyrically. Although I don’t like to put labels on music, musically, we’re heading in a more “indie-rock” direction whereas before I thought our stuff was more “pop-rock.” The new material is still catchy and melodic, it just seems like it has more direction. It seems more mature. We’re working with dynamics and progression a lot more now. Lyrically, as Dave mentioned, we’re getting away from the “songs about girls” trend or whatever and moving into songs about life and experience. It’s refreshing.

6. If you weren’t in the music industry in some capacity, what would you be doing today?

D.D. - For my part, I’m not sure. Same thing I do now, I guess: dream of living in the country, writing tunes and planting a garden.

C.P. - Unfortunately, we’re not signed to Universal so I’m forced to work a job outside of the music industry. hahaha  I’m heading back to college in September for Pharmacy Technology. Of course, SOS will continue to write, record, play shows, tour, whatever.  We’re just having fun playing music together.  It’s very laid back and stress free.

7. What song or album have you been listening to most lately?

D.D. - Buy A Ticket – Greg MacPherson

C.P. - Iron & Wine – Boy With a Coin, Wintersleep – New Inheritors, I’ve yet to pick up the new record from The National – High Violet, but, that will be purchased very soon, First To Fall - The Dream Song.

8. What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learned recently?

C.P. - Of course, Dave bails on the toughest question. hahaha.  Honestly, that’s a hard one. I keep replaying the books that I’ve read recently in my head and trying to manufacture something witty and/or intellectual to say. hahahaha. I’m going to take the easy way out and say, go read Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser.

9. What’s your favourite way to waste time?

D.D. - Laying in the shade on a warm spring day or watching my favourite movies again.

C.P. - I don’t consider it wasting time, but, I just love being with my fiancée and our friends. I love watching hockey and drinking a few beers.  I love heading to my parents’ house for a barbecue and swimming. I love spending time with my dog. I love to travel. I’m just up for anything, anytime.

10. Finish the sentence below and please elaborate on what you mean:

The east coast music scene is …

C.P. - … hard to describe. I can’t comment on places outside of Sydney because I haven’t been on tour in over a year. From what I hear, things are great elsewhere. I take a place like Sydney and it saddens me to say that the all-ages scene is dying and has been for quite some time. There was a time when there used to be 10-15 all-ages shows per year. I think there have been four in the last 13 months. This concerns us because we don’t want to play bars. We’re going to end up putting on our own shows, which is fine by us, I just wish that there were more options for touring bands and other local bands who want to play the all ages scene.

11. What’s the next thing you want to accomplish, musically or otherwise?

D.D. - I want to make some solid recordings of our new tunes and let people hear them while they are fresh.

C.P. - I guess this is a good time to elaborate on our future plans which Dave touched on briefly in question one. Next up is our new record, which is yet to be named. We have nine brand-new songs fully written. We’ve been practicing those lately and they’re almost ready to be recorded. We’re recording in June. We’re shooting a video in July with our good friend and film production master, Matt Ingraham of MI Productions (check him out on Facebook). After that, we’re going to press the record. Probably going to use something eco-friendly as we think that is important.

Then we’ll make some T-shirts and hopefully hit the road for a Maritime tour with our friends in First To Fall (also, check these guys out on Facebook). We haven’t really thought beyond that, but, that’s a pretty good start.  In closing, I just want to say that if anyone wants to check us out, our tunes can be hear at http://www.myspace.com/seekoutships and you can become a fan on Facebook by simply typing in Seek Out Ships.

Check back to EastCoastNoise.com next Friday for a chat with: Kyle MacDonald of Moncton’s Cop Shades

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Sleepless Nights just released a new EP on its website.

Halifax’s Sleepless Nights just released the third and final installment of its digital EP series. The Communication Barrier is described by the band as a “13-minute psychedelic dance track that is a step in a different direction from Sleepless Nights typical blistering guitar riffs, captivating hooks and sing-a-long melodies.”

The EP was released earlier this week, and the band is hitting the road this weekend with Myles Deck & The Fuzz for a tour through the Maritimes, Ontario and Quebec. Maritime dates are located at the bottom of this post.

Recently, Nights’ Aaron Wallace chatted us up via e-mail:

1. What are you up to these days, musically or otherwise? (Feel free to plug whatever you’ve got coming up.)

Sleepless Nights is just about to release the third EP in a series of three that we’re posting on our website. When that comes out we’re doing a tour to Ontario and back with Myles Deck and the Fuzz. Then when we get back to Halifax we’re releasing a full length album of new material. That should be out sometime in the fall.

2. How did you get into the music business and what was the first major lesson you learned once you got your feet wet?

I first started playing shows when I was 15 and living outside of Yarmouth. At the time, no one wanted to hear anything that wasn’t really heavy or funny in some way. By playing the music I wanted to play in that environment, I learned to take a punch. If you’re going to stick it out you’ve got to be tough.

3. What song or album have you been listening to most lately?

A mixtape by this band on DFA called Holy Ghost. They’ve been doing a lot a great remixes in the last couple years where they record entirely new tracks and only keep the vocals of the original song. If you’re ever on the Internets I recommend looking up their song Hold On and their cover of On Board by Friendly Fires.

4. What’s your favourite way to waste time or relax?

Digging through magazines and blogs for new music.

5. The Internet and social media are allowing artists to get closer to their fans than they ever were in some respects. What are your thoughts on this?

It puts the power back in the hands of the artists and it’s harder for prefab artists to succeed because people can tell when something is sincere. I’m pretty excited about it all actually.

6. If you weren’t in the music industry in some capacity, what would you be doing today?

Lobster fisherman or compost.

7. What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learned recently?

It’s not good to let on that you are smarter than you should be at your day job. You may get fired.

8. If you could hit the “delete” button on anything related to music (a song, artist, trend, whatever), what would you delete?

Vampire Weekend. Fuck them.

9. What’s your favourite thing to drink (alcoholic or otherwise)?

Picaroons Warthog. That shit is delicious.

10. Finish the sentence below and please elaborate on what you mean:

The east coast music scene … has the chance to develop outside too much interference from big music industry. We’re isolated geographically and somewhat mentally so there is quite a bit of originality here.

Check out Sleepless Nights w/Myles Deck & The Fuzz at the following dates:

June 4 – The Capital – Fredericton, N.B.
June 5 -    The Seahorse – Halifax, N.S.

Check back to EastCoastNoise.com next Friday for a chat with: The Olympic Symphonium’s Kyle Cunjak

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Share's recent EP featured Andrew Sisk and Miranda Durka.

(Editor’s note: As you might have noticed, we’re running a little behind this week … so, with apologies, here is our weekly Fridays with … feature, this time with Share’s Andrew Sisk.)

As we reported recently, Halifax’s Share released a free digital EP, Coco & Co, mere months after the band’s critically acclaimed Slumping In Your Murals.

Recorded at home, it captures yet another incarnation of the band – a duet, featuring songwriter Andrew Sisk and Miranda Durka (vibraphone, organ and vocals) performing the majority of the arrangements with guests including Snailhouse members Mike Feuerstack (lap steel) and Mike Belyea (drums).

As Share continues to perform, main man Andrew Sisk tells East Coast Noise he has his own project in the works and a few other interesting things on the go:

1. What are you up to these days, musically or otherwise? (Feel free to plug whatever you’ve got coming up.)

We just released a free digital EP.  It’s a little footnote for our album, Slumping in your Murals, which we put out in August. It’s a bilingual three-song minimalist bossa nova pop thingy that I recorded myself, which is a new thing for us. Besides that I have a new side project under my name.  So you can expect to see an Andrew Sisk album come out within the next year.

2. How did you get into the music business and what was the first major lesson you learned once you got your feet wet?

The music business is no place to be unorganized.

3. What song or album have you been listening to most lately?

There is a new act from Victoria, B.C. called My Lovely Son who just released an album that is really amazing.  It is yet another example of something amazing coming from the Canadian music scene that may be ignored amidst the hype of bands who have lots of money to spend on advertising.  If there is any justice it will get a Polaris nod at the very least.

4. What’s your favourite way to waste time or relax?

Picking away at songs in my little home studio.  It is starting to make me somewhat of a hermit.

5. The Internet and social media are allowing artists to get closer to their fans than they ever were in some respects. What are your thoughts on this?

It is a business and marketing ploy, but it is what it is. It really has nothing to do with the music and if it does … then I suppose that is what happens when the business side drives the artistic side of an artist. I don’t know if that is good or bad for the music, but it certainly helps the business.

I grew up during an era where you could only imagine what the people making the music you loved were like as a person. Now you can be Facebook friends and follow them on their daily experiences. I know that I don’t like my favourite albums because of what the band looks like or the quality of their blogs and I think that is what will have longevity. Good music.

6. If you weren’t in the music industry in some capacity, what would you be doing today?

I would like to be writing, anything really.  I really enjoy the process of creating and working with words.

7. What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learned recently?

I read Malcolm Gladwell’s book The Outliers which is an amazing examination of patterns in history.  He has this amazing ability to research different subjects and extract the most interesting parts and relate them to his argument. Essentially, in this book he examines successful people and dissects the series of advantages they were given which allowed them to become so successful. It’s worth the read.

8. If you could hit the “delete” button on anything related to music (a song, artist, trend, whatever), what would you delete?

I think it would be interesting to delete band names and band images then people had to judge music on the music.  It would be interesting to see what happens.

9. What’s your favourite thing to drink (alcoholic or otherwise)?

I think that Kombucha doesn’t taste so great but I have totally bought into the idea that it makes me healthier. It is a tea beverage made through a fermentation process involving a weird fungus; needless to say I don’t know anyone else who likes it.

10. Finish the sentence below and please elaborate on what you mean:

The east coast music scene … has some really great people in it.

11. What’s the next thing you want to accomplish, musically or otherwise?

I am working on a few projects all at once right now, all musical.  The one I am most eager to complete is based on a book I found from 1918 that I am hoping to interpret musically while having my friends read excerpts, combined with a animated projection. It is a big collaboration that I have always wanted to attempt.  I am hoping to release it on cassette only and have it performed live only once. The rest is secret.

Check back to EastCoastNoise.com next Friday for a chat with: Sleepless Nights’ Aaron Wallace

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