I Heart the Music: Your Online Source for Live Music Reviews and Interviews in Toronto!

Since releasing their latest album Blood, Guts, Bruises, Cuts last summer, The Dudes have been dealt a couple of shady hands, most notably enduring a plethora of injuries. iheartthemusic sat down with them to see just how things are looking (up) these days.

iheartthemusic: I take it you guys are quite accident prone- between broken collar bones and broken moustaches, this past year has been a crazy one for you guys! Tell me, what has been the worst?

Dan: I guess I think mine is worse, but he [points to Scott]  would say his moustache pains were worse.

Scott: [laughs] Well you suffered through pain but I lost my identity! What do you [looks at Dan] think is worse?

Dan: Ya, you’re right. I guess it’s the price you pay when you choose to live the lifestyle we do.

iheartthemusic: Such a great lineup of artists this week [CMW]. Who are you looking forward to checking out?

Dan: Bend Sinister is really great

Bob: Look, I’ve got the T on here

iheartthemusic: I noticed you are giving away a free track on your website. Do you feel that that is a necessary thing to do in today’s dwindling industry?

Dan: Well they [fans] are going to get it anyway. We don’t mind, we have been giving music away forever. I mean the weird thing now is not giving it away.

Scott: You’re in la la land if you think everyone is going to buy it.

iheartthemusic: “Had Enough of it” is a great track on the album with a great guest spot by Lisa Lobsinger (Broken Social Scene). How did you guys hook up?

Dan: Ah, well Lisa is an old Calgary girl and we chilled years ago. We actually tried to release that song like maybe five years ago and it just sort of took that long to get it all together and get it out.

iheartthemusic: Did you write it together?

Dan: No, it’s just that she has the very best voice in Canadian music. We asked her if she wanted to do it with us and she said yes and that was rad. All she wanted in return was one of those bathroom placards (boy or girl) in return. So if you ever see one, just rip it off.

iheartthemusic: [laughs] Tell us what the writing process is like for you guys.

Dan: I write most of the words and then we collaborate.

Scott: Getting loaded in the basement (laughs).

iheartthemusic: When you do sit down to write, do you keep mass appeal in mind?

Dan: I don’t know. It kind of feels more channeled, like the song was already there.

Scott: Definitely not, no mass appeal. We just want music that sounds good.

iheartthemusic: Is there anything you are trying to achieve tonight, i.e.catch the attention of anyone in particular?

Scott: There are some Australians scouting for this festival that is happening in the summer. We can just hope that somebody shows up tonight (laughs).

iheartthemusic: The Dudes, as a band name, has existed since 1996, but the members have changed around right?

Dan: Bob and I have been friends since high school, we were just wee children and now we have achieved our dreams. [laughs]

iheartthemusic: What has been the biggest struggle so far?

Scott: Driving across Canada is probably the hardest part. It is fucking huge!

iheartthemusic: Who is the driver?

Scott: I am.

iheartthemusic: [laughs] Well that explains why you don’t like it! Tell us what your favourite games are to play in the car.

Bob: The alphabet game but that gets old pretty quick.

Scott: Have you ever played Cow/Horse? Crazy good game. [laughs] “cow horse cow horse”, but you know these are all games that come after you go fucking insane being on the road [laughs].

iheartthemusic: Every band has that moment when they realize they are starting to gain momentum and that they must be doing something right. Tell us what that moment has been for you.

Dan: Well I think we have had that feeling from the beginning. It’s like every little bit counts.

iheartthemusic: So I guess you could sum it up as a sequence of mini achievements along the way?

All: Yeah definitely.

iheartthemusic: What are your goals as a band?

Dan: Just to keep doing it.

Scott: You know even if you were to win a Juno or whatever you can still go down the toilet.

Dan: We don’t want to go into the toilet that’s all (laughs). I don’t care where we are until then.

iheartthemusic: Anything you want to say to the i heart the music readers?

Scott: Come to our show, we’d love to show you a good time!

We wish this hard working band the best of luck. Considering the chain of events they endured subsequent to the release of their album, hopefully they will choose their next album name more wisely

interviewed by Catherine Russell

photography provided by Mike Palmer

With the rapid success of their debut album, Say Us, Toronto rockers Zeus are quickly becoming the band to watch in 2010. We here at iheartthemusic were lucky enough to sit down with Mike O’Brien of Zeus during CMW to discuss the bands breakout success, new album release and their latest performance at SXSW.   Here is what we were able to learn from the Zeus front man:

iheartthemusic: First off, congrats on the Now Magazine cover, that must have been really amazing for you!

Mike: Yeah it was really exciting especially because we are from Toronto.  We have a really great publicity company, Canvas Media, that works at the label and they are just really on top of their shit.

iheartthemusic: Well it’s been a crazy time for you considering your album just dropped last month!

Mike: Yeah, actually on February 23rd. So it’s all been a bit of a whirlwind since then.

iheartthemusic: Fill us in on what your life has been like since the album was released.

Mike: Well we didn’t really get a chance to party that much because we were so busy, but it was really exciting for us.  We had been keeping the album to ourselves for so long that it felt great to put it out and hear feedback and share it with everyone.

iheartthemusic: We think it’s a really incredible album with a totally unique sound and we are interested to learn how you would describe your sound?

Mike: Basically its Rock and Roll or “Pop and Roll”. To me, Rock and Roll has always meant a synthesis of different music and that’s what we are trying to do: we are drawing from all of our different influences and trying to mix it up to make our own little stew.

iheartthemusic: Who are your influences?

Mike: When Carlin and I first met in high school we bonded over Nirvana from the beginning, along with NOFX and other Punk bands that were around at the time.  And then a little bit after that, we were really into the Halifax pop explosion like Sloan and all those bands we were super into as young teenagers. But throughout all that there are also some classic influences like the Beatles, the Stones, the Kinks and the Zombies that were our bread and butter.

iheartthemusic: We read on your website that you guys aim to make “timeless songs”, so what are the elements of a timeless song? How do you try to put that together?

Mike: A “timeless song” can be in any genre and presented in any way. I don’t know if we have succeeded in making timeless music but the main thing to focus on is the songwriting and that comes first. We take a lot of care in the arrangements and the construction of our songs. That’s our benchmark—to  make sure the song is solid—and then we add all of the frills.

iheartthemusic: What’s your favourite song off of the album?

Mike: All of them have been my favourite at different points in time. We recorded the album over the course of almost two years. They’re all so much fun to play and totally feel fresh every time we play them.  But a personal favourite of mine is “At the Risk of Repeating,” because I really love to perform it.

iheartthemusic: We have noticed that your album bears a strong connection to nature, especially the video for “Marching Through Your mind.” How does nature connect to your music?

Mike: Well the video came about through Adam Makarenko’s vision.  We had seen his photographs and found out that he makes little models like the ones in the video. He builds really realistic things from nature like a ribcage of a deer with birds feeding on it. He builds them out of all these different things like pill bottles. The video came about because we loved his work and thought the video would be great using his visual style. I had the idea to take our EP artwork (a picture of our boots) and envisioned that our boots would come to life and have a journey up the mountain.  We brought that to Adam and he fleshed that out and also introduced the nature sounds to the beginning of the video.  It was really fitting because we are from North of Toronto and grew up cottaging and camping so it really is an extension of our experiences.

iheartthemusic: What sets Zeus apart?

Mike: We are a band that has three songwriters, which is important to us.  I don’t think that’s an easy thing to pull off but I feel like we have the people within the band to be able to do that.  It’s tricky to balance, to incorporate three different artistic visions and make it cohesive at the same time.  But hopefully we are doing that and I feel that we have achieved that on the first album.

iheartthemusic: Rapid Fire Round, ok?

Mike: Ok (laughs)

iheartthemusic: What is your favourite Toronto venue to attend or perform at?

Mike: The Magpie.

iheartthemusic: Favourite Breakfast Cereal?

Mike: Um…Cinnamon Life

iheartthemusic: Favourite Romantic Comedy?

Mike: Before Sunrise and its sequel After Sunset. They were both really natural and realistic.

iheartthemusic: Favourite Woman?

Mike: My girlfriend Andrea Wilson

Enough said. Great band. Great sound. Go check them out now!

interviewed by Victoria Kuketz

photography provided by Aaron Alleyne

iheartthemusic was pumped when we heard that our beloved favourite, Bend Sinister were kicking off the Friday night showcase at the Horseshoe. With the sea of talented and hard working indie bands our fine country has to offer, penetrating a fan base other than the devout indie scene can be a challenge. This performance proved Bend Sinister has the range and appeal to connect with masses. Unbeknownst to front man Dan Moxon, we were on the scene prior to the band’s sound check.  His calm nature was evident as he gathered his thoughts and prepared his set list prior to the show. Once the band hit the stage they unleashed a collective surge of energy which earned them the unwavering attention of the audience for the duration of the show. Stand out tracks included a new addition to their repertoire “Can’t Change Your Mind” and the better known track “Time Breaks Down”. Dan displayed his impressive vocal range in “It’s the Little Things You Do” and the ever uplifting track “Things will get Better”. Featuring an insane guitar riff by Joseph Blood, they finished off the set with a cover of “Don’t Stop Believing”. Check out their website where they are giving away their music for free! Or better yet, see for yourself next Thursday March 25th at the Rivoli!

Next to hit the stage were CMW veterans, The Dudes. These guys are incredible musicians with a lot of heart-displayed greatly through their lyrics. Notable tracks included the cheeky track “Girl Police” and “Pretty Lies” which, front man Dan Vacon remarked “was on the radio” so don’t hate them. Dan has great performance ability, prefacing all songs with relatable stories. He wrote “Not S’Pose to Call” about his ex which he wrote when they “weren’t cool for a while, especially when I broke up with that bitch.” Yikes. While the subject matter may lead one to expect an aggressive sounding track, it is actually an incredibly catchy tune which showcases the bands southern sound. The Dudes kept the passion going with “Mr.Someone Else” featuring the cowbell, which is arguably the best instrument ever. Another highlight included “Ghosts We’re Buried On” which Vacon wrote about his grandfather. We were fortunate to catch up with these likable dudes before the show. Look out for the interview later next week.

It was refreshing to hear the female voice of Antonia Freybe-Smith (Vocals/Keys) when Jets Overhead hit the stage.  Simply put, Antonia brought this performance from good to great. They started things off with an incredibly unified performance of “Sun, Sun, Sun”. It was uplifting, inspiring and memorable, attributes which can only truly be recognized when hearing this song live. With the bar set high, they kept the quality going for the entire set. The bands introspective vibe shone through in their performance of “No Nations”, “Heading For Nowhere” and most notably “Where Did You Go” which marked another exceptional performance. “Where Did You Go” is an absolutely beautiful song, I suggest going to listen to it right now.

Next on the roster was Melissa Auf der Mar; to say the vibe changed drastically would be an understatement. It felt as if we were teleported into the early 1990’s. I suppose this makes sense considering Auf der Mar toured with The Smashing Pumpkins for their 2000 tour and was Hole’s bassist for five years. While there is no denying her talent, it felt like we were in a different decade. It’s a shame her solo career didn’t start earlier. That said, she rocked the Horseshoe. No complaints here. The only thing missing from this performance was pyrotechnics.

Hot Hot Heat hit the stage next and brought us back to 2010. These guys played an amazing set showcasing great new material and the better known tracks “Middle of Nowhere” and “Talk To Me Dance With Me”. Having just signed to Dine Alone records, (which picked up the CMW award last Thursday for Best Canadian Independent Label) their collective energy was palpable.  At the end of the set, Steve Bays (vocals and keyboards) gave a shout out to the couple making out during the whole show. That was funny. Look out for their new album Future Breeds which comes out in June.  

as reviewed by Catherine Russell

photography provided by Mike Palmer

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