With a slight delay, the band stepped out on stage with an instrumental track, a sample of what’s to come, a showcase of the on-stage talent, and the vivid variety of sound and skill, in line with how they’ve done it in the past. Everyone’s phone was in the air, streaming, snapchatting, instagraming, and recording to be rewatched later. The band has been around for over two decades and has over 10 records records behind their belt so it was no surprise that the audience was a more mature crowd, dancing, swaying singing along to almost every song. My soul, at this moment, feels at home here.

For nearly two hours different singers rotated through the stage while the band played out nearly every track from their most recent release, The Temple of I & I. Lou Lou Ghelichkhani stepped out on stage for “Time + Space,” Natalia Clavier for “Love Has No Heart,” Mr. Lif for “Fight to Survive,” Notch for “True Sons of Zion” and the most recent addition to the band, Racquel Jones, for “Letter to The Editor.” And so the rotation continued in no particular order for the next hour. Ghelichkhani and Halligan joined Mr. Lif on stage for the performance of “Ghetto Matrix,” one of the most engaging performances of the night. The older tracks were sprinkled throughout, teasingly treating the audience to the highlights of their musical past with “Until the Morning” from The Richest Man in Babylon, “Take My Soul” from Culture of Fear performed by Lou Lou Ghelichkhani as it was written back in 2011, and many other classics.

The front of the venue was hot and sweaty with enthusiastic dancers, the balconies were spilling over with observers, while people in the back enjoyed the show in their own distant peace, sipping on cold beers, and having their own dance parties. “Best show ever!!” I overhear someone announced, hastily clapping behind me as the show was wrapping up. That it was, definitely one of the best ones.

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The Music Hall stage is a perfect illustration of the duo’s growth as performers – together they found a sound that helps them stand out in any playlist, win over a wide variety of audiences, and maintain their music’s originality. Those good looks are just a bonus.

The duo smoothly played through tracks from their latest release Days Gone By, occasionally mixing in older hits like “Far From The Tree”. Rarely pausing between songs, Bob Moses’ set was seamless, visibly appealing to everyone’s favorites – to many in the crowd, every track was a favorite.

A few tracks in, Vallance shared the band’s struggles – Canadian customs were harsh on their crew, and none of their equipment made it through to Canada. If it hadn’t been for event promoter group Embrace, who hustled all day to gather gear for the duo, there wouldn’t have been a show. I think I speak for many when I say we’re glad they didn’t turn back and go home, as many have after a customs hassle.

Every Bob Moses show is a memorable one – with the track they’re on, you might want to grab tickets before they become a stadium band.

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Milk & Bone at The Great Hall: This adorable Montreal duo are more than a pair of pretty faces; they’ve got a big electronic groove that radiates throughout their performances, just as it did at The Great Hall set at CMW. Peddling dreamy vocals backed by heavily synthesized beats, Camille and Laurence, who recently released their debut album Little Mourning, opened the Osheaga 10^th Year Anniversary Party. Looking a lot more like sisters than just friends, these young women presented serious vocal power and a quiet stage presence that was both endearing and impressive. While they’re just getting started, expect to hear these two on a dream-pop electronic station near you with the likes of Young Galaxy, Purity Ring, and Grimes (Canadian power!).

K.I.D at The Great Hall: Another Osheaga anniversary showcase, these three are a force of 90s pop. The sound is reminiscent of No Doubt and The Cardigans. The band consists of Kara Lane, lead vocals, her brother Bobby MoonBeam, synth and vocals, and Alex Biro on drums. For this show the band was also joined by a rather eccentric guitar player, who may have just brought back the turtle neck plus dad jeans combo back to life. K.I.D is an acronym for Kids In Despair and whatever their despair is, it seems like a good inspiration for music. We were pleasantly surprised and heavily entertained by the stories and synchronized dance moves. The music itself took us back to high school and well, there is definitely nothing wrong with that.

Verbal Jint & Illionaire at Revival Bar: Here’s what I learned from CMW’s K-Pop Night Out: 1. Covers of Western music make-up a large portion of South Korean popular music and 2. The fans go nuts for it.

Performing at a laser-lit Revival Bar, the line-up of rising Korean talent, which included rappers Verbal Jint, Dok2 and The Quiett from independent label ILLIONAIRE RECORDS, seemed understandably ecstatic to be playing. While these musicians have each accrued a dedicated Korean fan base, playing at a festival that is dedicated primarily to Canadian music had the potential for empty rooms. Luckily, the venue was packed and the crowd happily screamed/sang along with just about every lyric, getting extra loud for a beat drop. Although these artists were similar in sound, Verbal Jint seemed to bring a softer, more R&B focused approach, while Dok2 and The Quiett stuck to strictly spitting Korean rhymes (mixed with a little English). Despite my own language barrier, the crowd’s energy was palpable and this showcase proved to be not only intriguing, but a lesson in culture.

Ivory Hours at The Dakota Tavern: Prior to seeing the Ivory Hours live, I had a bit of an idea of what to expect. Based on the band’s brightly coloured, pop-indie music videos that feature dancing, tons of denim, and a pretty great time, I was sure that their CMW set would be enjoyable. And you know what? I wasn’t disappointed. Based out of London, Ontario, and fronted by Luke Roes, the three-piece band performed peppy tracks off their EPs, Mary and Two Keys, that kept the crowd moving along with the band’s high-energy performance. Playing to a half-filled Dakota Tavern, they delivered a show that, though at times sounded a bit strained, was overall heartfelt and well received.

The post CMW Friday: from Canadian power to Korean pop appeared first on Quip Magazine.

Clairmont The Second at Tattoo: I don’t really know what “the X factor” means, but I do know that, at just 17-years-old, Toronto’s Clairmont The Second is an artist (not rapper, as he cleared-up) who’s got a whole lot of chutzpah and talent going on. Spitting his own verses on his own beats, the lanky teen took command of the stage as part of CMW’s The Known Unknown presentation, also featuring JAHKOY and GoldLink. It’s not easy being the opener, tasked with warming-up the crowd, but whether the venue was populated with his fans or first-time listeners, it didn’t really matter; there’s likely not much that could rattle this young man’s confidence. Clairmont’s home-grown lyrics about nose rings, public transit, and Adventure Time may be green, but they’re heartfelt and sprouting roots that, in time, have the potential to grow deeper. Stay tuned.

Stu Larsen at The Rivoli: Australian folk singer, Stu Larsen, may have stolen a few tricks from the pied piper. Strumming songs that lulled The Rivoli crowd away from Queen Street’s busy CMW hum, Larsen’s serene vocals – not unlike James Taylor’s – were captivating. Quite frankly, I could’ve listened to him all night. Decked out in a trademark messenger cap over his long, golden locks, he was joined by Natsuki Kurai, a musician who just might be the David Blaine of harmonicas. During one song, Kurai created an incredible harmonica beat that bounced between a train and an electric guitar. I looked, but couldn’t find any signs that he is, in fact, a robot, which might better explain this man’s harmonic speed and agility. A pair that were a real treat to watch, especially with a cold beer in hand.

FIDLAR at The Horseshoe: I’ve never seen a mosh pit break out at The Horseshoe, but that all changed during FIDLAR’s highly anticipated CMW set. An acronym for “Fuck It Dog, Life’s A Risk”, this Los Angeles-based skate punk band had its rowdy crowd swinging from beams and throwing drinks two songs in. These guys are fun. And loud. And don’t take life too seriously. Although their in-your-face delivery isn’t for everyone, this band knows how to unleash an electric riff and create a real, palpable reaction in their fans. Like, you can smell it. With songs that range from topics like booze to bills to weed and rehab, their frenetic performance kept the whole place lit, from start to finish. Showcasing a variety of new songs, these guys gave the testosterone-fuelled room exactly what they came for: a show where they could release their inhibitions and dive head-first into a sea of beer and sweat.

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This Monday night González played a sold-out show at Toronto’s Phoenix Concert Theatre as a part of the Vestiges & Claws tour. A generously spaced-out crowd packed the venue in with a polite intensity particularly possessive of the square footage around their space. The anticipation was causing awkward tension throughout the room but as soon as González and the band took the stage everyone relaxed.

“Toronto loves you Joseeeé”

The line drawings of mountains and stars on the curtain backdrop perfectly set the stage for the show. Playing tracks from the new album starting with “Stories We Build / Stories We Tell” González played through a vivid selection of tracks including some classics and a cover of Massive Attack’s “Teardrop”. His band is rock solid performing in perfect sync, playing off of each other’s peaceful energy cruising through each track one note at a time. After taking a solo stage to play “Crosses” and a few other songs José asked for the band to return on stage giving Barbarossa (James Mathé), who was on decks almost the entire night, a moment to perform “Home,” a track from his upcoming album Imager. With obvious shared history among all participating members, this isn’t just González show, it’s a José González family tour.

Closer to the end as the crowd was shouting out favorable comments, love confessions, and various odd support noises a few people began to request “Cycling Trivialities” coincidentally at the same time as the band was reshuffling setting up for that track. The joy crushed through the front of the room in a subtle wave.

After a breath break for applause, the encore ensued wrapping the set into one wonderful Monday night evening.

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Rose Blanton: Tell me about how you came to do a collaboration with Run The Jewels. What was the process like?

Pete Lawrie Winfield: I was working with a rapper in Brooklyn called Mr.MotherFuckingExquire and he asked me who my favorite rapper was and I said El-P. He ended up knowing El-P and sent him some of my music. I randomly received an email for El-P saying ‘I loved your song “Pressure.” I’m making an album with Run The Jewels. Would you like to sing a hook on it?’ I said ‘of course!’ So when it came time for our record, we did a sort of swap.

RB: A lot of your music makes social commentary. Are you hoping that your music will get to a level where it influences change?

James Gordon: We try to avoid too much commentary. We’re not trying to be a proxy or be political. But having said that, Elliot does has a degree in politics so there are strands of that in our genetic make up as a band. We wouldn’t deliberately ever try to say were masters of the universe. But we do enjoy talking about how technology gets in our face as a race, like an apocalypse where machines and computers take over.

RB: Are we facing a terminator scenario?

JG: Definitely  [laughs]

RB: Pete, you wrote “Pressure” at a time of high stress, do you think you have to be stressed out or poor or in uncomfortable situations to produce better music?  Like if you’re happy and sane, does your music get boring?

PLW: We were actually having this conversation recently. At the time of writing “Pressure” I was under a lot of stress and uncertainty. I didn’t know where I’d end up or where I was going to go. I was sleeping on the studio floor and writing about all these things. So a lot of the lyrics ended up being personal. The record is a snap shot of where I was and I think that’s what will happen with this next record, which is now a much more positive place. We were saying perhaps were far too happy. [laughs] So the next record may be far too happy.

RB: Perhaps a little boring?

PLW: Yeah, that or like Reggae Christmas carols. [laughs]

RB: Hopefully, not. So why the transition from Republic to Cobalt records?

PLW: Republic is a major record label that works on the premise that you’ll work out commercial records and have quick success. I have always felt like we were a band that certainly wants a career and wants to evolve at our own pace. So working somewhere like cobalt allows us freedom, creative freedom. We feel much more comfortable with a smaller team, a smaller roster and being allowed to do what we want creatively.

JG: That’s a very diplomatic way of saying we got tossed. [laughs]

PLW: But it really was a blessing in disguise.

RB: I definitely agree. I think with smaller record companies you able to hold on to your integrity as an artist…  Your music is very production heavy. Does this make it more difficult or harder to convey your music in a live setting?

PLW: At first it was, because we were misguided in the sense that we thought the live shows should be a recreation of the record but as we evolved and played more we realized it doesn’t have to be the same animal. We’ve made it more human, put some mistakes in there ya know?

RB: I’m really glad that you have come to that because I think the beauty of live music is the mistakes and how raw it is. You’re only going to make yourself better, and happier and more unique the more you accept that as you continue to go out there and play shows and do tours.  

PLW: Absolutely, vulnerability is key.

RB: So what is the next obstacle for you guys as a band? What do you want to concur next?

PLW: We would love to make a second record, keep making music and change the way we make music. Our agenda really is to approach the second record with what we just talked about. Make it more human and less perfect.

RB: Is there anything else you want to share with your fans? 

PLW: Yeah, so we’ve sort of got a bucket list. James would like to do a gig in space and Elliot would like to go a gig on a submarine. We want to play Glastonbury. We want to be on Jools Holland.

RB: Sounds like some milestones. Best of luck with those and thanks for you time.

The post Finding the humanity in music: An interview with Until The Ribbon Breaks appeared first on Quip Magazine.

UTRB have been compare to the likes of Bowie, Prince, Portishead, and Massive Attack – all good artists of comparison. Having now seen UTRB live I would argue they sound like a love child of ODESZA and Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. Patchy beats, surprising samples, melodic rhythms and soft but sharp vocals over deep lyrics push this trio into a unique grown up territory of music.

All members of the band are in their own way multi-talented James Gordon plays keys and percussion among other things, Elliot Wall drums and programs together with Gordon while Pete Lawrie Winfield represents on the mic, guitar and you guessed it, the trumpet.

Fronted by Winfield’s commanding personality UTBR build a rather impressive stage presence. With tracks ranging from soft and powerful like “Goldfish” to the upbeat dance rhythms in “A Taste of Silver” the audience seemed to be both impressed and entertained.

Having just released their 11-track debut album, A Lesson Unlearnt, UTRB are on tour supporting London Grammar and their first post-release show happened to be at Toronto’s Sound Academy. Not a place where you commonly see new bands but being associated with London Grammar has it’s perks. One of those perks is a newly developed 700 people fan-base – Toronto may have not been very familiar with UTBR before but they will now definitely remember the band.

The post Until The Ribbon Breaks takes Toronto appeared first on Quip Magazine.

Over the years the group has recorded a box full of singles and two notable albums: Drink the Sea (2010) and Love Death Immortality (2014) and developed a deep and meaningful relationship with their fans. In an interview with Billboard the group has said that through getting to know the people who listen to their music they learned that it is “not about us getting on the stage and making tunes. This is about people using music and community as a way to get through life,” and that aspect certainly shows in the way The Glitch Mob carry themselves.

Love Death Immortality was meant to be ab album that defies the trends of EDM. Through collaborations with a fairly tight circle of friends and acquaintances edIT, Boreta, and Ooah were able to create an album that despite falling into the electronic music genre is very melodic, rough around the edges, rock inspired sonic collection of tracks in some instances embellished by the vocals of Aja Volkman.

For their 2014 live tour The Glitch mob introduced a new toy – The Blade. Created by Martin Phillips it is a new musical element created by movie set designers built to host both lights and instruments. For edIT, Boreta, and Ooah, The Blade is a literal representation of who they have become. Having recently seen the show live it is safe to attest that The Glitch Mob has grown into a solid collective bedazzled by custom toys, that allow their music to come through in very unique, and often very loud, memorable ways. Here’s what that looks like:

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While the line-ups were strong, and the vendors local, this year’s additional south stage that expected patrons to sit on a near-90-degree angle while dodging groundhog holes could have been better stationed. Aside from the usual festival nonsense, like bad overpriced beer and limited food choices TURF offered a few things that are worth talking about. Here’s a look back at some of the better TURF 2014 highlights:

Gary Clark Jr: This Texas native is a fireball on stage and on the guitar. Playing an afternoon set, the Grammy-award-winning artist played a series of blues-inspired rock ‘n roll that drew easy comparisons to Jimi Hendrix. The crowd was receptive and many a person could be overheard marveling at this rising star’s sheer talent. A treat to watch.

Beirut: Oh, Beirut. With their distinctive, and heavily brassed, indie/baroque pop sound, this band, who originated in Santa Fe, headlined TURF’s first night. Frontman Zach Condon’s silky smooth vocals were delightfully rich and colored, and awesome to witness when accompanied by the blast of trumpets and an accordion. Enrapturing the crowd, their set satisfied the needs of fans eager to hear favorites like “Nantes” and “Guyamus Sonora.”

Violent Femmes: The Milwaukee natives arrived on stage before an anticipatory crowd, including a tambourine-wielding fan whom they would later invite to join them for a song. While this is a band with a serious history, their energy remains, especially when charged by the crowd. Offering “Blister in the Sun” and “Add it Up” as set highlights, these guys still put on a great show.

Gaslight Anthem: With frontman Brian Fallon’s gregarious onstage presence (including praising the Violent Femmes for not “having any stinker songs”) the Gaslight Anthem tickled both the emotions and musical senses of TURF’s late afternoon crowd. Playing hits from their earlier records as well as a new single “Rollin’ and Tumblin'” off their upcoming album Get Hurt, the band also strayed into the cover song territory with a rendition of “House of Rising Sun.” Their matching suits and button-downs were suave, albeit palpably sweaty beneath July’s blazing Sun. For a band that’s only been together since 2006, they have a large discography that has helped to drive their appeal.

Hey Rosetta! The beloved Newfoundlanders are a fantastic choice for festivals, as they not only offer a laid-back, inclusive vibe, but folk songs that are a romp-stompin’ good time. Frontman Tim Baker tinkled the keyboard and guitar strings, with the six other members playing an assortment of instruments that ranged from violin to drums, bass, and cello. Perhaps due to the group’s sheer size, an orchestral feeling emanated, particularly with hits like “Yer Spring” and  “Young Glass.” Looking forward to new music from these guys.

Sam Roberts Band: Juno Award winning Sam Roberts finished off Saturday’s line-up with a well rehearsed set that showcased Roberts’ vocals and Canadian pride.  It felt fitting to have a Sam Roberts (despite being a Montrealer) headline a Toronto festival, and regardless of your nationality, the set’s upbeat energy was enough to garner appreciation. Playing songs off older albums and his latest record Lo-Fantasy, including crowd pleaser “We’re all in this together,” Sam Roberts is a seasoned musician that knows how to rock.

See more photos from TURF on our Facebook page here.

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Today’s music industry seems to routinely dispense the same type of manufactured artist – a seemingly innocent victim who’s been fully equipped with a courtesy-of-the-record-label Les Paul and some hair extensions, then handed a chart-topping hit single on a silver platter. But a discontinuity comes with Angel Olsen: a young and pensive singer/songwriter that seems to be breaking from the industry mold. Olsen continually questions the preciseness of the music business, offering a wake-up call for the do-as-you’re-told musicians who thoughtlessly churn out albums like clockwork.

Olsen’s signature bangs boast a girl-next-door-who-can-also-kick-your-ass distinctiveness, which nicely holds hands with her musical personality. Unfailingly, her songs meander through complex paths, with both jagged edges and delicate curves, creating an artful juxtaposition. Her lyricism is intriguingly inconsistent, yet delightfully intimate, as she discloses the multifarious workings of her mind through her words. Through her humble nature with undoubted authenticity, she assures her audiences that she’s not the artificial byproduct of some music industry science experiment, but in fact, she’s a real human being.

Olsen is Missouri-raised, but the 26-year-old now calls Chicago her home. She’s got an impressive resume, providing BGVs for Bonnie “Prince” Billy and the Cairo Gang, signing with Jagjaguwar (an indie label out of Indiana), and twice duetting with Marissa Nadler. In 2010, Olsen released her first project, entitled Strange Cacti EP, an incredibly simple collection of musical confessions, each track coated in its fair share of reverb.

A more poetically rich release, Half Way Home, served as her debut album in 2012. This piece offered more somber images of self-portrayal and acoustic melodies, while her latest album, Burn Your Fire for No Witness, presents a broadened mix of themes and varying levels of earnestness. Here, drummer Josh Jaeger and bassist Stewart Bronaugh have joined forces to further Olsen’s musical journey, adding depth and newfound levels of intensity to her sound. The result is a more sophisticated version of Olsen’s developing musical profile, paying homage to her earlier releases while still blossoming into a diversified, cultivated artist.

She’s performed at the 2012 and 2013 Pitchfork music festivals, and both years, crowds gathered around her set, both charmed and captivated by her mysticism. Her stage presence is particularly distinct: the young bohemian softly approaches the microphone, and then proposes a straightforward demonstration of her music.

Olsen presents a pale gaze as she plays, and allows an occasional shy smirk, offering her talents on a dinner plate, in a sort of take-it-or-leave-it kind of address. Even with all this frankness, there is still a whirlpool of emotion enveloped into her performances. She toys with soulful melodies and powerfully expressive bursts of vocals that demand a sense of intrigue and admiration from her audience. As her flickering vocals overwhelm the air, Olsen tends to surprise both her audience and herself, exploring her personal playground of musical personalities, wandering through intensities and levels of playfulness.

In “Tiniest Seed”, she offers voluminous vocals that radiate beyond her petite frame, as easygoing guitar riffs lull into one another. When she’s on stage, there’s an element of dynamism that proposes high-voltage energies, yet Olsen can effortlessly simmer down the intensity in seconds- a skill unique to few artists in today’s music industry.

The bottom line? Olsen’s live performances emphasize her humble badass-ness, projecting a tell-it-like-it-is demeanor in way that still seems genuine and authentic.

There’s a sense of intimacy that we get with Angel Olsen that’s hard to come by in a lot of today’s more contemporary artists. Listening to her work, it seems like we’re reading a young woman’s memoir, each page leading us further into the depths of a churning mind. Her intimate interactions with her words suggest that her songs are her sacred diary entries that she holds dearly and wants to protect. Olsen’s song structures are non-formulaic, yet still provide a sense of delicateness, while her lyricism shows ambiguity, leaving the listener enchanted by her words. She’s allusive, and suggests she’s in a world of her own, yet notions to meaningful interpretations beyond herself. She explores a host of different themes, and each track boasts evidence of her realness, swirling around her innermost thoughts and personal reflections.

At the end of the day, Angel Olsen contributes an unparalleled presence in today’s music industry, and effortlessly accomplishes a charming sense of genuineness, while still delivering musical masterpieces that are nebulously alluring and delicately compelling.

The post Angel Olsen re-imagines thoughtful expression appeared first on Quip Magazine.

Below is an interview with Grand Analog’s frontman Odario Williams and drummer TJ Garcia that happened over a slice of pizza. We talked music, vintage devices and Canadian hip hop.

Stephanie Casino: Odario, I read somewhere that you grew up listening to hip hop on your Cookie Monster radio. Is that true? 

Odario Williams: [laughs loudly] Yep, it’s true. I had the cookie monster clock radio close to my bed, and I never wanted to sleep…so I had to turn on my radio really low so my mom wouldn’t hear it.

SC: I hope you still have it. 

OW: Nooo!! I gotta find one! I wish I kept that thing! I had that Cookie Monster radio turned really low each night, and listened to this radio show that doesn’t exist anymore on CBC, called Brave New Waves. All they did was play indie rock. And out of nowhere, I remember the host saying one night “Here’s something different for you – a hip hop band called De La Soul. This is their track “Say No Go”. I was FLOORED – like, what is this music? What IS this? It’s beautiful, and it moved me, changed me.

SC: Were you a practicing musician when you heard this on the CBC radio show?

OW: Noooo, I was not even into music yet at that age! I must have been only 9 or 10.

SC: So this really was a defining moment for you.

OW: Completely, 100%. It changed me! I had to know who this group was…I ended up writing letters to Brave New Waves, asking them what the song was that was played at this certain time on this certain date…I must have written 3 letters before someone ended up mailing me a copy of De La Soul’s album 3 Feet High and Rising, all the way from Montreal! They sent it all the way to my house in Winnipeg. It meant so much to me. I loved that album and just played it over and over! People don’t do that anymore. That act of kindness changed my life.

SC: That’s so sweet. Amazing, it’s true, people don’t do things like that anymore.

OW: I opened the album, I smelled it, I kissed it and hugged it! Through this, I learned about Tribe [Called Quest] etc., etc. Amazing.

SC: How did you guys meet?

TJG: I was a fan of Grand Analog even before I met these dudes. I was high school friends with Warren, the bass player. He had already been playing with Odario, he worked in a music store that Odario worked in too. Alister, our keyboard player, had a brother named Oliver, who owned the music store they worked at, and Oliver also owned a studio that we ended up using for most of our recordings (The Hive). It was an automatic connection.

Tonight will be special actually; the first time I ever saw Grand Analog perform (before I was in the band) was at Wrongbar!

OW: Don’t mind him, if he starts crying on stage, just remember; it’s an emotional time for him [laughs].

When this band started in 2006, we had different people involved…but this core we have now (TJ, Alister, Warren, DJ Ofield and Odario) just works. Tonight though, we are featuring a horns section, with Aubrey McGhee and Max Stanutz. They’re SO good. These two are the only horns we’d ever use.

SC: What was the first major music festival that GA played at?

OW: SXSW was probably the first. Wait – our very FIRST show as Grand Analog was in 2006 at NXNE! That was our debut.

SC: What was the wildest performance you can remember?

OW: Well, Grand Analog was invited to the Winter Olympics in 2010 in Vancouver, to represent Winnipeg, which was amazing in itself. We opened for Burton Cummings, to 20,000 people!! It was insane. Madness. It was a LOT of people!! Can’t even describe it. I came out on stage, and I missed my first track because I was too busy staring at all the people!

TJG: It was amazing. It was deafening.

OW: I tested my mic, I didn’t believe that one little mic could deliver sound to 20,000 people. I knew what it felt like to be Beyonce [laughs].

SC: Do you think there’s enough support for the hip hop scene in Canada?

OW: Well, I get a lot of people asking from other cities, to describe the hip hop scene in Toronto and Canada.

TJG: It’s a tough question to answer. There’s still a lot of niches, cliques within hip hop. There are so many styles nowadays, some of them don’t even agree with one another.

SC: What do you think is trending now in hip hop? 

OW: It’s too vast now. Honestly, I don’t want to govern anything. I think that’s what’s the NEXT thing – do your own thing. I don’t want to run any “next hip hop trend”. I just want to do what I love. Trends end…I don’t plan on ending my hip hop career any time soon!

SC: That’s a great answer! Do you guys actually use analog devices in your recordings?

OW: Of course!!! At The Hive, Oliver’s studio [Alistair’s brother], has a lot of collector’s items that he found at garage sales, thrift stores, wherever! We’d literally blow the dust off and see if it worked. We’d keep working the vintage stuff ‘til it worked.

SC: Do you think you’ll always keep an analog element to your recordings?

TJG: Yea, we don’t want to be hypocritical. But I do love my Macbook and my iPhone haha [laughs].

SC: I’ve noticed there’s been mainly Canadian collaborations in your Modern Thunder album. Is this on purpose?

TJG: We just think there’s enough talent in our own backyard, and why not use it? Canadians are so talented, we should showcase that!

OW: Yea, it’s not that we’re against bringing in some foreign talent, it’s just that we are so sure that there’s enough talent here in Canada that hasn’t been featured or showcased yet.

The post Grand Analog – an interview, some pizza, and a show appeared first on Quip Magazine.