Quip’s Richard Moore:  Tell us a little about how you two met?

Sebu Simonian:  I put out an ad on Craigslist as a producer looking for artists, and Ryan was looking for a producer and he was the only one to actually respond. He came over to the studio and the musical chemistry was instant and we started working together. We worked on commercial music for a while until we decided to form a band. So we met in 2008 and formed the band in 2010.

QRM:  Did working on commercials before forming the band help at all?

Ryan Merchant:  It helped us in a number of ways. Firstly when we were writing for TV commercials we would be writing constantly, so when you do that on a daily basis I think creative moments tend to happen more often because you’re creative on a daily basis. It was a very prolific period for us.

Secondly when you’re writing for TV commercials, you’re asked to produce in numerous styles of music. So naturally all these different styles of music get infused into your personal music because all the different styles are in your head.

Thirdly it teaches you how to write really fast and how to just grab a creative spark and just run with it and not second guess your ideas. It was extremely helpful for us and I do not think Capital Cities would be what it is today had we not had that background.

QRM:  You mentioned that you used to make jingles, any that I might know?

RM:  We did some work with Shaw Communications in Western Canada.

SS:  One of our songs was used for a Shaw commercial and is technically the Capital Cities track called “Beginnings.”  Then we did a Helzberg Diamonds ad, which can be considered a jingle, but mostly we wrote background music and not just jingles.

QRM:  “Safe and Sound” is currently the most popular song off your album but which song is your favorite?

SS:  I honestly don’t have a favorite song. We don’t get to play our entire album live so I guess those 8-10 are our favorites.

RM: If I had to pick one it would be “Farrah Fawcett Hair” just because it was the most fun to produce and it’s the most experimental track. So it is an interesting representation of who we are as musicians and kind of takes you beyond the pop veneer of “Safe and Sound.”

SS: Funny enough that’s the only track on the album without our voices on it.  Maybe that’s a sign we should sing less!

QRM:  What was it like getting to work with Andre 3000 on your track “Farrah Fawcett Hair?”

SS:  We were blessed to have the opportunity to have him record a verse on the track. We actually didn’t get to meet him, we sent him the track and he recorded his parts and sent them back to us. We had a quick conversation.

Check out some of the photos from the show on Facebook.

The post Five minutes with Capital Cities during their stopover in Toronto appeared first on Quip Magazine.

The main stage was occupied by the bands that really know how to bring down the noise: The Neighborhood, Mother Mother, Monster Truck, and the Band of Horses. It was impossible to get close to the stage, but if you did you had to fully commit to the headbanging, the jumping, and the crowd surfing. At least ten people had to be booted from the mosh pit for crowd surfing – how’s that for a sense of adventure.

This summer it seems no festival goes by without a little rain. Fortunately, Mother Mother lucked out with a dry performance but for the rest of them rain became a part of the atmosphere. You roll with it, or roll in it, or just wear a poncho. During Monster Truck, unlike earlier that day, the rain wasn’t going to let up. A large portion of the crowd had left, leaving only a couple thousand of hard-core fans to see the headliners.

On the side stage the shows started earlier and ran more frequently with very little time to waste in between. With bands like Hey Marseilles, Great Bloomers, Twin Forks and Capital Cities playing this side of the park some people maintained their position only taking breaks to grab a slice of pizza and an overpriced beer. Capital Cities were the last band to take the side stage and had easily doubled the size of the crowd. As the rain picked up, the crowd stayed put, eyes glued to the stage as Capital Cities danced and sang in their matching team jackets.

For a festival held in the middle of the week in one of this Summer’s most impressive thunderstorms, Edgefest 2013 was a rocking success. Some lucky bride even had her dress signed.

See more photos from Edgefest on our Facebook page

The post The Neighborhood, Mother Mother, Great Bloomers and more at the Edgefest appeared first on Quip Magazine.