the interview show: Me TalkPretty

When young Julia (above) first came to North America from her homeland (Romania), all she wanted to do was sing in a band. She sang in a pretty successful band in her homeland, so she thought she could just continue her music here. That should be pretty easy right? All she would need to do is find three or four like-minded people who could play some instruments… Well, it was not as easy as she expected. And this was only the beginning of the journey for Julia and her band Me TalkPretty. Tune in to hear her amazing story!

Strange band fact: Me TalkPretty is named after a David Sedaris book!

the interview show with Me TalkPretty

Me TalkPretty “Wake Up”

Me TalkPretty “BrokenHearted”

Well, 2011 is nearly done and we only have one more new show this year! Who will it be? Well, we are going local and I’ll give you a hint: It’s a Surrey Boy! See you next week.

the interview show: Bonjay

Toronto-based Bonjay are an interesting duo. Talented singer Alana Stuart almost signed a big record deal, until she found out they wanted to make her over into “Donna Boogie.” Instead, she found DJ Ian “Pho” Swain at a party and Bonjay was born. Bonjay‘s music starts at dancehall, but veers off somewhere different. They are both strongly committed to creating something new. You have to respect that.

the interview show with Bonjay

Bonjay “Jamelia” (Caribou cover)

(If you listen carefully, you can hear Diamond Rings talking in the background of this one. For such a quiet guy in these interviews, he is sure loud in others.)

the interview show: Tarun Nayar

You may know local beatmaker Tarun Nayar from his very popular touring group Delhi 2 Dublin or from Beats Without Borders. This year, Tarun released a solo album 22º of Beatitude. Like all his projects, the record is a fusion of more mainstream beats and music from Eastern cultures. But the record also serves as a travelogue of sorts, compiling of all the sounds Tarun has collected from over 10 years of traveling around Asia.

Join us this week as we talk about Tarun’s fantastic journeys.

the interview show with Tarun Nayar

Tarun Nayar “Kezang La” This track merges a traditional chant of some Bhutanese monks with a hip hop beat.

Tarun Nayar “Daybreak”  It took a couple of attempts to combine the typical morning sounds from a city in India with the right beat.

the interview show: Austra

Imagine yourself trapped in traffic on your way down the west coast. That’s when I caught Katie Stelmanis, the frontwoman of Austra.

Katie and her crew have made one of the best electronic albums for the year with Feel it Break.

This week, I get Katie to talk about The Knife comparison, her show choir childhood, sorcery and critics calling the record “sleazy new wave.” Hey, she was trapped in her car, I could pretty much get her to chat about anything! :) Do I get her to sing a Christmas Carol? Listen to find out!

the interview show with Austra

Austra “Beat and the Pulse” One of my fav tracks this year!

Austra “Lose It”

Austra is in town this Wednesday at The Electric Owl. See you there!

the interview show: Kim Churchill

If I had to describe Kim Churchill to a stranger, I would classify him as an extremely talented surfer singer-songwriter, like a young Jack Johnson or Xavier Rudd.

Kim would probably not like the last part. During our chat, he bristled at the “surfer singer-songwriter” tag.

His twitter tag line is “on tour somewhere” and he is one of those artists who tour like a mofo. And when he is not touring, he is busking, testing out new songs for street reaction. Kim has been doing this almost nonstop from high school and you would be wise to catch him when he comes to your town soon–before you can only see him at those impersonal arena gigs, like Jack and Xavier.

the interview show with Kim Churchill

Kim Churchill “Turns to Stone”

Kim Churchill “Rusted Walls”

the interview show: Mother Mother

It has been a great year for Mother Mother. Their song “The Stand” from their latest record Eureka has caught a lot of attention.  And this band deserves more attention. They are a must listen for any fan of Metric.

When I reached Ryan from Mother Mother, he was doing the dishes at his father’s house on Quadra Island. Ryan was enjoying a bit of down time.  I am glad he was relaxed because I could ask him questions like “What does wearing women’s underwear onstage do for his swagger?” Listen to the interview for his answer and more crazy questions!

(This show goes out to Coral, a devoted Mother Mother fan who insisted that I have them on the show.)

the interview show with Mother Mother

Mother Mother “The Stand” It’s great to see your hometown team knock it out of the park. One of my favorite songs of the year.

Mother Mother “Ball Cap” Ball Cap is one of Ryan’s first MM songs and one of his most favorites. It shows the band was hitting home runs from their first record.

the interview show at the movies

This month, the interview show attended the Vancouver International Film Festival and chatted with some of the brilliant minds behind some of the best shows on TV: Alexandra Cunningham started on HBO’s Rome and spent some time on ABC’s Desperate Housewives and now is the head writer on NBC’s Prime Suspect; Aaron Zelman started on Law & Order then moved to Damages and now heads up AMC’s The Killing.

We also chat with 3 of our favorite local bands about how film has influenced what they do: Peter & Robbie from Humans, Parker from Gay 90s and Steve from Philoceraptor.

the interview show at the movies

Gay 90s “Coming Together” (What does this song have in common with William Shatner? Listen to the interview to find out!)

Humans “The End” (What secret [about Robbie] does Peter accidentally reveal? Listen to the interview to find out!)

Philocerapter “Clever Girl” (Which 90s blockbuster inspired this song? Listen to the interview to find out!)

Next week: MOTHER MOTHER!!!!

the interview show: Skrillex

This interview was one of the most crazy ones I’ve done recently.

Deep into a grueling tour, Skrillex did not want to do any more interviews. He was getting burned out from press (in our chat he tells me why), but somehow he got convinced to meet.

We chatted in the basement of Celebrities nightclub, since Skrillex would only do the interview in the club. If you listen closely, you can hear the beats from upstairs and the taps of feet on the dancefloor above us, along with pieces of the ceiling falling down on us.

His tour manager stood beside us during the entire chat, handing Skrillex cigarettes and drinks.

A completely insane situation, but completely worth it for the chance to talk to one of the most interesting, not to mention most talented, upstarts in electronic music.