The Soft Pack: Fuck then, this is now
Once, Matt Lamkin (vocals, guitar), Matty McLoughlin (guitar), David Lantzman (bass guitar), and Brian Hill (drums), were known as The Muslims, but the name (as you might’ve already guessed) attracted much “ignorant and racist” attention. So, the quartet made the bold move to instead become The Soft Pack — which sounds considerably…errr, softer, but here’s...
Jeff the Brotherhood: Less talking, more rocking
As growing boys with healthy appetites for rock, Nashville siblings Jake and Jamin Orrall formed Jeff the Brotherhood in their early teens. Schooled by classic rock and psych, but mostly interested in punk, they messed around with instruments after class and on weekends. Nonplussed by day jobs they drove off into the night, landing gigs...
Brian Borcherdt: Holy Fuck, he’s totally Dusted
A Nova Scotian turned Torontonian, musician Brian Borcherdt is best known for his work with the salaciously named, electro-noise outfit, Holy Fuck, though he can also be credited as a solo artist and as founder of the collective, artist-run label, Dependent Music. With more than seven years of music making under his belt, Borcherdt (with...
A PBR10 Q&A: Jessie Stein of The Luyas
Montreal’s The Luyas are Pietro Amato, Mathieu Charbonneau, Bucky Wheaton, Sarah Neufeld and Jessie Stein, a “retro-futurist” five-piece whose debut album, Too Beautiful To Work was not only celebrated by critics and long-listed for the 2011 Polaris Music Prize, but lead to a deal with their brand new label, Toronto-based Paper Bag Records. Their forthcoming...
TOY: If psych be the food of krautrock, play on
Regrouped from a stint with the buzz-worthy Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong in ’08, Brighton boys Tom Dougall (singer), Dominic O’Dair (guitar) and Maxim Barron (bass) — joined by synth player Alejandra Diezand and drummer/vocalist Charlie Salvidge — are back as the Kraut-infused, Korg Delta-powered TOY. Kicking around in a sandbox of experimental,...
A PBR10 Q&A: Charles F. of Winter Gloves
A few years ago while taking a breather from heavy guitar rock, Quebec native, Charles F., penned some light-as-air synth tracks as a personal musical exercise. Almost immediately however, his electronically-driven ditties met with unexpected praise, encouraging him to stash the guitar and officially form Winter Gloves. Fleshed out by Vincent Chalifour, Patrick Sayers and...
A PBR10 Q&A: Amy Cole of The Rural Alberta Advantage
Don’t let their name or the fact they play percussive folk songs about hometowns and heartbreak fool you into thinking that The Rural Alberta Advantage haven’t been making a ruckus. As one-time holders of the “Canada’s best unsigned band” title to to sold-out tours, Juno noms, and international critical acclaim, you could say they’re almost...
Julian Koster: Some other lovely reality intruding into ours
Julian Koster — member of Neutral Milk Hotel, The Music Tapes, and contributor to The Olivia Tremor Control and Elephant 6 — reminds me a little at times of Ralphie from A Christmas Story (even though he’s exponentially sweeter, incapable of manipulation and clearly, neither tortured nor neurotic). When he talks about his music, singing saw...
Julian Koster: ‘The Traveling Imaginary’ becomes reality
Julian Koster’s The Music Tapes — an offspring of musical collective Elephant 6 — have conceived of an ambitious spectacle for their forthcoming tour supporting September 4th album Mary’s Voice, dubbing it, The Traveling Imaginary. Deemed by Koster as “a long-dreamt-of undertaking on a grander scale than anything we have ever done,” The Traveling Imaginary...