Quip had an opportunity to catch up with the band prior to their afternoon set and discuss everything from festivals to being proud female role models, and their upcoming plans.

Laura Eley: You guys have played a ton of festivals. Is there one that sticks out as a favourite?

Michelle Bensimon: Hillside was so great. Everyone there just wants to have a good time, even volunteers and people who weren’t being paid for their time.

Lana Cooney: Also, people were just putting in such an effort to make the festival hurt the planet as little as possible, and were so passionate about it. Everyone there is just so down for art, all day, every day, they just wanted to soak it in.

Isabelle Banos: You hear stories of families that come every year. Hillside is what they do every summer.

MB: People there are discovering new music constantly. [The crowd] is willing to spend money on art and supporting bands. It was pretty surreal to walk around and see lots of people wearing your [band’s] t-shirts, tank-tops, and hats. So strange.

LE: Why do you think Montreal’s such a special city to be part of in terms of its musical scene?

LC: From a logistical point of view, it’s really cheap to live in Montreal. It’s cheap to have a rehearsal space, and it’s cheap to get around. I feel like it’s a breeding ground for creative things because anyone can just find a space anywhere and create a band. Culturally, it’s a huge melting pot and there are a ton of different influences and backgrounds, as well. It’s easy to find someone who, musically speaking, plays an interesting instrument you maybe haven’t come across before.

LE: Do you feel like there’s a lack of pretension in Montreal?

LC: I think there are pretentious people everywhere.

MB: I think pretension comes from people being afraid to show their love for something, it’s almost like it’s become not cool to care. And we don’t fall in the category because we can’t hide the fact that we really care, and I don’t think we want to because we love it. Why hide the fact that we love this so much? Like, in any pretentious city, you find the people who are willing to get vulnerable with you and go there at shows, and every city we’ve been in has those people in the audience. That’s what makes it the most special. We just want people to feel something for 30 minutes and let go of those walls, we try to provide a space where it’s comfortable for people to do that.

LE: You’ve been at this for a long time — what motivates you to keep creating music?

LC: For me, it’s even meeting one fan afterwards who’s had such a great time watching us. If I helped someone have a great day, even just momentarily, that means the world to me. It’s super motivating.

LE: Do you find that festivals really promote that experience for you?

MB: Festivals are interesting because there’s this huge gap between you and the audience. A festival show and a show at The Silver Dollar Room, for example – really it’s like night and day. And they both have their pros and cons, but at festivals it’s just like everyone has paid a decent amount of money to come so they’re willing to enjoy it as much as possible, which is always really nice.

LE: Do you think it’s important for governments to invest in artists and musicians, like it does here in Canada?

MB: Music is therapeutic. We’re all firm believers that art and the way it affects people, and the way that music has touched our lives and kept us going and motivated, is such a positive thing. For the most part, it’s about people shedding their skins and really giving it. I think it’s so important for governments to support that; it should be part of curriculums and socializing. You learn about being part of a community, it only brings positivity.

LC: And if you get a chance to go outside of Canada and travel, you have the opportunity to bring that love back to Canada.

LE: What’s coming-up next for Caveboy?

MB: Well, we just got back from [recording in] Ireland. When we release our new music, we want it to be right and be really proud of it – we’re working the tracks right now. Definitely, by the fall or maybe earlier we’ll have a new single.

LE: Will it be self-produced?

MB: This time around, we’ve decided to produce it ourselves, which has been an interesting journey.

LC: With some interesting co-production situations with a few really talented people we were able to share some input with. But, the majority is self-produced. We’re so excited for people to hear it.

MB: It’s a little scarier to self-produce, because you have your name on it, and if people are like “I don’t like the arrangement” – it’s our fault. I think we’re just really proud to be three women who are able to self-produce and that’s kind of powerful.

LE: Do you feel responsibility as women to be role models for girls?

MB: Totally. That pressure is never going to not be there.

LC: We’re really proud to have the opportunity to potentially be role models for anyone – whether it’s girls or boys. We don’t take that responsibility lightly.

MB: We don’t take it lightly, but we also don’t play that card too much. On one hand, people will say, “you have to play-up the fact that you’re women” and “women power”. Of course I believe in women power, but I also believe it shouldn’t matter what your gender is, if people like your music. We just want people to like the music first – as three girls, when people see us online, they might think we’re a ‘70s rock band or a chick band, and we’re just making the kind of music we grew-up on and that we love.

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Formed in 2014, the band cites indie influences like The Strokes and Tokyo Police Club, which came as no surprise given their speedy, lyrical style. Serving-up a mix of their own tracks with covers including Modest Mouse and the Arctic Monkeys, Good Kids offered a pretty good time.

The dream-pop trio CAVEBOY (originally born as Diamond Bones) and Canadian Music Week veterans returned, once again, to Toronto from their home base of Montreal. Playing a light, groovy set, with plenty of crowd interaction, the gals – also know as Michelle Bensimon (lead vocals, guitar and synth), Isabelle Banos (synth, bass, vocals), and Lana Cooney (drums, vocals) – delivered a dynamic selection of songs, including the rhythmically beautiful “Home Is Where” off their 2015 album of the same name. Moody but still bright, their live sound was sharp and landed well.

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Kateryna Topol: I’ve read that you had an instant connection after your first jamming session but how did you three meet?

Michelle: We’re all from the same Montreal suburbs. Lana and Isabelle met in college and started a few projects together, while Lana and I were actually childhood soccer buddies (yes, there are pictures to prove it). I was in town from Toronto visiting in 2011 and jumped in on a jam session with Lana and Isabelle… and I never left.

KT: Your self-titled debut EP dropped on the 9th of October, how long did it take to put it together?

M: This EP was originally a full length album recorded in 2014 at Breakglass Studios, with additional songs done with Joseph Donovan earlier this year.. so it’s definitely taken a while to decipher and decide what this body of work would actually become, but we’re so happy with the outcome!

KT: Do you have a favorite track on it?

Lana: Mine is “Love Song”.

Isabelle: “Monochrome” is my fav.

M: I would have to say my favorite track is “Something Like Summer” – it just makes me so happy.

KT: “Something Like Summer” has some disco undertones in it, is that one of your musical inspirations?

M: Our influences range from the old and the new, Fleetwood Mac being a huge inspiration on the songwriting front, with some New Order bass and some Florence & The Machine vocal belting… it all comes together in the Caveboy sound.

KT: On that note, what is the first album you ever bought?

M: Tracy Chapman New Beginning (on cassette)

L: Spin Doctors Pocket Full of Kryptonite (on cassette)

I: Will Smith Big Willie Style (on cassette)

KT: Nice! Ok moving on, you’ve been touring city-wide festivals and what not since May, how is the tour so far?

M: It’s been incredible. We’ve met some really awesome bands, new friends, and new fans – if we could do this 365 days we totally would.

KT: Any interesting stories or experiences from the tour?

L: CMJ is an experience in itself. Its pretty incredible to see and hear so many bands, from every corner of the world, and have every one of them be really, truly, overwhelmingly talented. It puts things into perspective. Not to mention getting really good at setting up and taking down our gear in 5 minutes. New York is always a personal favourite of mine. The USA is a whole other beast in itself, but playing in New York always makes the aspiring rock star in me feel like I’m a little closer to realizing that dream.

KT: Each of you has a pretty extensive musical background, is Caveboy a natural progression from all of that music education or did you have other career goals in your early years? In other words I guess – what did you want to be when you grow up?

M: I wanted to be a singer for a long time, and then I wanted to be an actor and actually went to theatre school only to realize in full circle that I wanted to be a musician. I’m pretty self-taught when it comes to music, but I don’t think I’ve ever strayed from the dream. 

L: I have my father to thank for most of my musical background. Being exposed to tour life, basement rehearsals and a constant cornucopia of instruments to play around on at home, I was definitely immersed from a young age. I have no formal musical education though, just a holistic one. I’d always had the dream of being a rock star and touring the world but it didn’t really kick in for me that I wanted to actually pursue a career in music until I finished university and realized I wanted nothing to do with anything else but music.

I: I’m a hybrid between these two. I played around with the idea of being an actor for a while, but then, thanks to my dad and his intense love for The Beatles and Pink Floyd, I started playing guitar in my early teens, and everything changed. I’ve wanted to make music my life since then, and it feels pretty incredible to say that I’m doing it.

The post Interview with Montreal’s Caveboy appeared first on Quip Magazine.