Wintersleep - Printable Version
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Re: Wintersleep - MattyM - 04-21-2009
Okay peeps, I did a short email interview with Paul, it goes out on <!-- w --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.subba-cultcha.com">www.subba-cultcha.com</a><!-- w --> later this week, but I thought I'd post it here for you guys to read. Bear in mind it's intended for UK audiences who don;t really know the band, so there's a fair bit of info most of you will already know.
I got sent acopy of the European album release too so I'll be reviewing that in the very near future
Quote:Hi guys, I guess we should start at the beginning, tell us about how you all met and what persuaded you to form Wintersleep?
I guess it started unassumingly enough.. Tim and I played in a band called Kary and Loel and Tim played in a band called Contrived.. We were big fans of each others bands.. We ended up recording a bunch of songs for fun in Loel's apartment at the time, which was basically this big, badly built 30 story tower that swayed in the wind [I think it is swaying to this day].. Ugly, ugly thing. It's a Halifax problem actually.. Big ugly buildings.. Anyway, nice acoustics in Fenwick Towers.. I guess after recording and then showing the songs around to people, the response was really positive.. and we had a lot of fun doing it most importantly, so we wanted to make a full length record.. which involved touring enough to pay for the full length.. I guess it kinda went from there.. It has certainly come a lot further than initially intended. We're all really grateful for that.
How would you describe your music?
I've always thought descriptions were best coming from objective sources... and not band members
You're from Halifax, Nova Scotia, which isn't an area traditionally known for its music scene. Do you feel your home has shaped your music and given you a different perspective to other bands?
Ever hear of the Rankins?
We actually aren't from Halifax proper.. We grew up in really small towns, Yarmouth NS and Stellarton, very much on the outskirts of Halifax.. Well, hours away really... We started playing music together in Halifax though.. I guess NS is a pretty rural feeling city, which makes it different than a city like Toronto... A lot of green, pretty landscapes.. the ocean.. fishermen.. farmers.. a great sense of community.. A cool art scene.. A horrible bus system.. Propeller beer [yummy local micro-brew beer].. Some great coffee shops.. Good music.. A great appreciation for music and art in the community.. A nice place to be a band in for sure.
I came across you guys after a recommendation from a Canadian friend and ended up at your gig at The Mod Club, Toronto in November 2007. It was a superb night and I was struck by the response from the
crowd, who were both rowdy and at the same time very attentive, how do you find the crowds differ in the UK from Canada?
I guess generally the UK crowd is slightly more reserved than the Canadian crowd, that is just judging on the limited amount of shows we've played in the UK of course.. I guess we're relatively new to the UK, so a lot of people come not really knowing what to expect and I guess they're making us earn it a bit more in the UK.. Which is a good thing!!
Welcome To The Night Sky is your first UK release, I think it's probably the most instantly accessible of your three albums so far, was this a conscious move and if so why?
I think writing songs together and playing live, you get better and more confident at what you're doing, you learn how to drive the point home as quickly and clearly as possible. I think Tony really helped us bring the more melodic parts to the forefront and was all about getting the best possible performances of the songs.. I think it was a pretty natural "move," if a "move" can be natural in this context.. I guess it wasn't a move really.. it just sorta happened.. so maybe "move" is the wrong word.. "move" is actually kind of a cool word. It feels weird on the lips when repeated as much as I've repeated it here. I am on a plane, and will be for another 3 hours.. And then a 5 hour layover.. Forgive me for dwelling on this move thing..
You're openly supportive of tapers and photographers at your gigs; this is something you don't often see from UK bands, was it a conscious decision to allow tapers to set up at your shows?
We have lots of friends that are interested in that sort of stuff and yeah, as long as you ask before hand and make intentions clear.. People have been very respectful thus far with that sort of stuff.
Are there plans on the table for your next album? If so, what can we expect from you guys in the future?
I guess we are always working on new material.. We have some songs in the works. Been hard to really suss them out with all the touring. BUt.. all in due time as they say
You've shared the bill with some big names in the past, are there any bands that stand out and any stories you'd like to share with our readers?
Hmmm. The tour we did with Wolf Parade was pretty stand out for us.. Just being on a tour with such a solid band.. We got robbed on that tour actually too, in Louisianna.. and then had to fly to a music festival in British Columbia that day, minutes after finding out all of our stuff had been robbed.. Pemberton festival in BC.. It was a pretty big festival.. Jay Z played it and I think Coldplay did too.. Needless to say, the line-up of cars to get in the festival was completely blocked. .So we had no way of getting into the festival to play.. Except that the festival arranged for a HELICOPTER to fly us in
You guys won a Juno award (Canada's equivalent of the Brit awards) in 2008 for Best New Group, it must have felt good to get industry recognition for your work?
Yeah.. Was a pretty boozy night... Forgot to thank a bunch of people..
Thanks for taking the time out to answer our questions, is there anything else you'd like to say to our readers?
Thanks so much.. A pleasure to do it..
P XOXO
Re: Wintersleep - trevor - 04-21-2009
Awesome Matty! You're my hero! :thumb:
Re: Wintersleep - BrenTheodore - 04-21-2009
That's interesting. I will give more recognition to Fenwick towers, before it gets taken over this year. Never really thought much ever happened down there...
Re: Wintersleep - MattyM - 04-22-2009
Thanks Trevor! :thumb:
Glad something new came out of the interview too!
Re: Wintersleep - markslog - 04-22-2009
Great article/interview Matt. Enjoyed it.
Mark
Re: Wintersleep - MattyM - 04-22-2009
cheers Mark!
Any of you guys heading over for the tour this time?
Re: Wintersleep - markslog - 04-22-2009
Unfortunately no ... their May tour clashes with all the Hip shows over here.
The last time I talked with Loel he said they might be playing Glastonbury .. not that I would
be going .. just saying.
Re: Wintersleep - MattyM - 04-23-2009
That'd be cool if they play Glastonbury. I know they're supposed to be playing Great Escape again (it's an independant music festival utilising all Brighton's gig venues, you get a pass and just wander from one to another).
They've got aSouthampton date on the new tour that I'll be trying to get to!
Re: Wintersleep - Zenith - 04-23-2009
Nice work, Matt! Did you get the WTTNS with the extra tracks? That makes an already amazing album even better! :thumb:
markslog Wrote:The last time I talked with Loel he said they might be playing Glastonbury .. not that I would
be going .. just saying.
I got the same impression when I spoke to Loel and Paul at the London show in Feb. I think they'll be doing a few festivals which'd be cool. I'll definitely try and get along to those to make up for missing this upcoming tour (GUTTED!)
I freaking love this band!
Re: Wintersleep - The Heron Outside - 05-12-2009
Anyone ever read Popmatters? Made my debut there reviewing Wintersleep's Vancouver gig...
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/92674-wintersleep-johnny-and-the-moon-an-horse/
Re: Wintersleep - trevor - 05-12-2009
The Heron Outside Wrote:Anyone ever read Popmatters? Made my debut there reviewing Wintersleep's Vancouver gig...
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/92674-wintersleep-johnny-and-the-moon-an-horse/
Nice review Josh! Really enjoyed the read!
Re: Wintersleep - MattyM - 05-12-2009
great review man, really nicely written!
Re: Wintersleep - Drez7 - 05-12-2009
Do these guys have any live show recordings floating around out there anyone knows of? I have all of their albums and am interested to hear how they play out live. I imagine it is great stuff. Hopefully they will come close enough to Buffalo in the future to catch a show.
Re: Wintersleep - kieffer - 05-13-2009
I really like anything I have heard of by this band, and a buddy of mine who has seem them live says it is such an amazing experience.
Is there any word on any shows in Canada after their European tour?
To Answer the above poster; I believe you can find a few recorded sessions on the CBC radio 3 website.
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://radio3.cbc.ca/concerts/Wintersleep-2006-12-23/">http://radio3.cbc.ca/concerts/Wintersleep-2006-12-23/</a><!-- m -->
Re: Wintersleep - Drez7 - 05-13-2009
kieffer Wrote:I really like anything I have heard of by this band, and a buddy of mine who has seem them live says it is such an amazing experience.
Is there any word on any shows in Canada after their European tour?
To Answer the above poster; I believe you can find a few recorded sessions on the CBC radio 3 website.
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://radio3.cbc.ca/concerts/Wintersleep-2006-12-23/">http://radio3.cbc.ca/concerts/Wintersleep-2006-12-23/</a><!-- m -->
Thanks for the link Kieffer. I did download their releases from their website of Oblivion Live, Weighty Ghost Live and The Kids Are Ultra-Violent. I would love to get to a show someday.