Favorite Sh*t of the Year!!!

Album of the Year:

JK: Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest

This record was such a departure from everything I had been listening to at the time I heard it. In fact I only heard it about a month and a half ago when I started desperately trying to find and listen to all of the year's releases I missed so that I could compile a 'Top 10' list for Alter The Press! (which you can find HERE). I think it was the lyrics that got me. Most of the lyrics are so dark, depressing and hopeless. The music behind the lyrics are actually dreamy and ambient. This provides the light at the end of the gloomy tunnel. The lyrics make you feel sad but the instrumentation is that gleam of hope that gets you through the record without having an emotional breakdown. It's a gorgeous record. I'm really into hard rock and lately some metal, but this was refreshing. It's amazing how much you can hear and feel when you slow things down.

LLV: The National - High Violet

Have you ever been drawn to something, but could never explain why? You just loved it. Simple as that? This is how I feel about The National’s High Violet. From the first listen and every listen after that, I knew it was going to be my record of the year. I don’t necessarily understand all their songs, but there are many lines and verses that I found so much comfort in. I’m sure a lot of this has to do with Matt’s voice – deep, stern, and full of emotion, without making many or drastic vocal changes. The beautiful instrumentals that compliment Matt’s hypnotizing voice provided me with many much needed escapes for 47 minutes at a time. What did I get out of those 47 minutes? A beautiful soundtrack for solitude from the harsh realities of life.

Song of the Year:

JK: Blood Red Shoes - "Colours Fade"

The opening line got me, "You take all you have and you leave it behind in the hope that there's more to find. In blind ambition, yeah in blind faith, you wait for things to change". That's what I did when I left the city. That's the stage I'm at in my life, as are most people my age. This is when we make those first big life decisions without any certainties of a positive outcome. All we know is something has to change, we've got to move forward so we finally take the necessary steps and hope for the best. I love this band. I decided against a 'favorite new artist' category but if I had to choose, I would pick BRS. I'm a complicated person. I don't process emotions well and I've never even been in a relationship worth crying about. So it's hard for me to relate to songs about love and romantic failures. BRS write about everything else, all the other ways in which life flat out sucks. "Colours Fade" is a perfect example of that. Press Play. Cue cheesy anthemic fist pump!

LLV: Foals - Spanish Sahara

If I were to base this off of the song with the highest play count, Holly Miranda’s Slow Burn Treason would be the “winner”. I love that song; I had it on repeat for days, spending many nights in bed crying to it. It had been a while since a song (or record) had affected me to the core on such a personal level. So while it’s definitely in my top favourite songs, Foal’s Spanish Sahara – a new song I got – is my number one. I’m not even going to explain why – I’ll let the song do that. Wait until about midnight. Put on a good pair of headphones. Turn off all lights. Lie in the middle of the floor. Close your eyes. Press play.

Video of the Year:

JK: Arcade Fire - "The Suburbs"

I know, I know! So predictable. I hate myself. But it's so great! This was a great year for music videos. Which is saying a lot because I'm quite sure I'm missed some. Hesta Prynn's stop motion clip is great. Also I have to say Band of Horses have been putting out great videos as well. And I mean did any band come harder than Ok Go this year? All their videos blow my mind. In the end though, I love a video that tells a story. I love cool visual effects and great editing but I always find myself most impressed by videos that are more like short films and tell a complete story, in a very short period of time. I was going to go with Cee Lo's video for his Band of Horses cover, "No One's Gonna Love You". It's pretty much every romantic/drama film you've ever seen. It blooms then comes crashing down in less than five minutes. Perfection. However, again, romance/relationships are lost on me. But a video about fucked up teenagers in the suburbs isn't.

LLV: Hesta Prynn - "Can We Go Wrong", Blood Red Shoes - "Heartsink", The Good Natured - "Prisoner"

Three-way tie. What? I suck at choosing. Common theme: Editing and Artsy. (1) HESTA PRYNN – CAN WE GO WRONG. 13k photos! THIRTEEN THOUSAND! That’s incredible. And the video looked fantastic. It’s probably the art geek in me, but that’s how stop motion is suppose to be. So smooth. Plus who doesn't love Central Park and Simon!? (2) BLOOD RED SHOES – HEARTSINK. Simple, but effective. The editing was great, with all the shots of fans and slowing down of parts. The concept of smashing prized possessions was also great. It had a powerful effect. (3) THE GOOD NATURED – PRISONER. Alright, so I’ll admit I’m not 100% sure if I fully understand the video, but that attracts me more to it. It’s really artsy and I miss weird fucked up videos. The video and what I take from it, made me like the song more.

Collaboration of the Year:

JK: Tiesto ft Nina Diaz (Girl In A Coma) - "In Your Mind"

Probably the most unexpected, most "wtf" moment in indie music this year! But it's great! Weird, but in the best way possible! Nina's unique powerhouse vocals lacing a Tiesto beat? Amazing. When this popped up in my subscriptions on Youtube I didn't know what to expect! Nina's voice is so wonderfully odd I honestly would never think it would work with a dance/techno/trance-y instrumental (program) in the background. But it works well. She isn't overpowering Tiesto and he isn't drowning her out either. It sounds like just what it is, a collaboration and too often collaborations come across as competitions, like the artists aren't friends at all and are trying to over power each other on the same track.

Runner(s) Up: Fences ft Sara Quin - "My Girl The Horse", City & Colour ft Shad - "Live Forever"

LLV: Peter Lee Johnson - "Changes (The Way It Is)" Tupac, Bruce Hornsby cover

This is probably cheating, (*JK interrupts* "IT IS!") but I don’t care ("Fine!"). I may be a total sucker for anything with violins, but Peter Lee Johnson is a phenomenal musician. Fact. And what he does to the songs he covers is pretty much breathtaking (I mean he made me like a “Katy Perry” song o_O). Changes by 2Pac is by far one of my all time favourite/life changing songs. I didn't think anyone could make me appreciate it more than I already did…until I heard this cover. As I listened to it, I could hear all of Pac’s verses and the violin made it more inspiring, beautiful, and hopeful. It made me tear up.

Runner(s) Up: Biggie vs The XX (LLV doesn't understand the word 'collaboration'), B.o.B ft Hayley Williams & Eminem - "Airplanes pt II"

Concert/Show of the Year:

JK: Kaki King w/An Horse, City & Color/Tegan & Sara w/Ra Ra Riot and Wintersleep

I'm a loser. Well, it's not really my fault. Due to my hopeless work schedule and lack of funds I rarely even make it out to a show. I'm no concert or music snob. I'm not jaded and hope to never be. I have yet to go to a show and not enjoy myself. I have yet to leave a show going "Well, that sucked". I love live music. It's amazing to me. Live music is transcending. My only complaint is to the bands who you can tell themselves have become jaded. I'll admit this was where Tegan & Sara disappointed me. I've only seen them twice and I think I missed the phase where they were rough around the edges and really had fun doing this. I understand why they're the way they are after so long. Not much surprises them and not much is new to them. Their professionalism at times just came across as them being "over it". But I've also seen amazing footage of shows that prove they can still let loose and have a good time. I'm just referring to the vibe at that particular show I attended. End Rant.

Point. Kaki King is fucking amazing! She's charming, hilarious and charismatic on stage. When you're not laughing you're simply in awe of her raw talent. There's never a moment to relax or feel settled. You're always on edge and always engaged, simply because she is. I loved that! It took quite a few shows, quite a few months later for anything to come close. When I went on a road trip to Toronto in late August to see City & Colour and Tegan and Sara with some Ra Ra Riot on the side, something finally did. Great performances from Dallas, Ra Ra Riot and TnS. When Tegan & Sara joined Dallas on stage for "At The Bird's Foot" I almost lost my mind! Then when Gord Downie (The Tragically Hip) joined him for "Sleeping Sickness" I DID lose my mind, along with everyone else in the amphitheater who all jumped up and pushed to the barriers screaming their heads off!

Runner Up: Tegan & Sara w/Holly Miranda & Steel Train (March 27th). Yeah, they were a little uptight, but still awesome! With fantastic support acts!

LLV: Roger Waters, Holly Miranda w/Braids

Roger Waters hands down! But with the small concerts I see, it would be hard to beat this one. It was amazing to see all the different generations in attendance. The concert took me back a few years when Pink Floyd were pretty much the only thing I listened to. My love for them was born again. And that’s just the music. I can’t even put into words the visuals that were going on throughout the entire show. Things flying, massive blow up puppets, the wall made of TV screens being built and exploding, and the imagery on those TVs. It was beyond amazing. And if you caught one of his shows you know what I mean.

Out of my not-so-extravagant-concerts…aka club concerts, the Holly Miranda/Braids concert takes the cake. Braids were probably one of my biggest obsessions this year. I had never heard of them before this concert. And I kid you not from the second they started playing my jaw dropped. It pretty much stayed there through the set too. If you've heard their music, there is a lot going on and to see them pull it off live is just………. There is one moment I clearly remember. Native Speaker – the title track off their upcoming album. Watching Raphie just belt out the lyrics. Her voice is just too amazing and unique I couldn't stop staring in awe. The four of them are extremely talented and since that night I haven’t wanted an album to come out so fast then Native Speaker (Jan 18). The jaw dropping didn't stop there. I had seen Holly Miranda before, but it was only her and Timmy. This time she had a full band. Hearing her songs with a full band made them even more powerful. And holy crap that drummer can play! I can never get used to Miranda’s voice…so soulful, raspy, and beautiful. Her cover of an Etta James song sent chills down my spine. It was a very powerful night of music that I now compare all concerts to.

Runner(s) Up: Blood Red Shoes, The XX w/Warpaint

What's YOUR favorite album, song (or single), video, collaboration and concert of the year? You don't even have to pick one for all you can answer for one AND you can have ties, obviously we're not the people to force you to make a decision!

City & Colour footage: http://youtube.com/wojo4hitz

Roger Waters footage: http://youtube.com/concertaholic

Interview with Sean Moeller, founder of Daytrotter

What do Ra Ra Riot, Cold War Kids, Raphael Saadiq, Ani DiFranco, Fleet Foxes, and The National all have in common? Yeah, probably whatever you're thinking but also, Daytrotter! All these artists along with hundreds of others have stopped by the Daytrotter studios to perform quality stripped down sessions for the site. By doing this these artists have contributed to the 16 million sessions downloaded so far by members of the site since it's launch in 2006.

Usually I get obsessed with an artist and want to know everything about them. I reel it in a little bit, pull myself together, and ask for an interview. However, back in June I got more obsessed with a website than I had been with any band in a while at that point. That site was Daytrotter. I was led there by Steel Train, who have now done two sessions.

If you want to see the magic for yourself go to the site. Pick three of your favorite indie bands and search for them there. Chances are at least one of them will have a Daytrotter session. At least this has been my experience. Now when I'm researching bands one of the the first places I go is DT. If I find a session I choose to listen to it before the actual record. I choose to read Sean's essays prior to cracking open a press release. The site is truly a music lover's dream.

I'll start with the obvious question: Why did you start Daytrotter?

The reasons why aren't really fuzzy, they're just sort of insignificant, the more I think about them. I really just wanted to try something. I was working for the newspaper here in Davenport and doing a handful of freelance writing for a couple of music magazines across the country, but it felt like I was always getting pushed to write about bands and people that I didn't really think were all that great -- instead of getting to write about those I thought had the most merit. I thought, "Why not try doing something else?" and so Pat Stolley, Johnnie Cluney and I started doing this. There was no over-planning or brainstorm, just a decision one evening of, "Let's start this next week and see where it goes."

Were you at all inspired by the Peel Sessions?

I've never actually listened to a Peel Session, I don't believe. I think I own a CD of a Hot Snakes Peel Session, but I've never listened to it. I obviously respect John Peel and have read a bit about him since we started Daytrotter, but I can safely say that Daytrotter wasn't inspired by anything at all. Funny how that works sometimes.

Daytrotter promises 7 bands, 28 songs a week. Was this tough to accomplish when DT first launched?

Well, we didn't do it like that at all in the beginning. We released one session a week. Then about three months in, it was two a week. Then we jumped to three a week about a year later. Shortly after that, we were posting one a day Monday-through-Friday. Now we're at seven days a week and starting in January, you're likely to see 2-3 sessions a day. It's impossible for us not to do that at this point. It's not hard at all.

Your essays and biographies of the bands are always incredible. I read some over and over. Did you or do you write professionally for other sites or publications?

Thanks so much. I spend a lot of time on them. I wrote for 12 years for the Quad-City Times, a newspaper here in the Quad-Cities and I did some freelance writing for Rockpile, Punk Planet, Filter and a handful of other places. Mostly a ton of publications that don't print physical copies any longer.

Could you take us through the process of preparing for a band to come record and then how exactly the sessions are recorded?

There's really not much preparation. We just wait for them. I book all of the sessions and they're all recorded live in one room -- no headphones or overdubs. We have a bunch of Otari 50/50 quarter-inch tape machines and we lay everything down onto quarter-inch tape. It's pretty sexy.

Are there other Daytrotter studios now, aside from the Horseshack?

We are now using Big Orange, the studio we have used for the past five years when we travel down there to tape during SXSW, as a second studio. It's a great thing to have available. We tape about 20 sessions a month down there, in addition to our close to 40 a month here in Rock Island. We're looking into the possibility of having a third studio in London sometime soon. We'll see how that goes.

Are you always around to personally oversee sessions recorded?

I'm usually always here. I hate to miss sessions, but reality gets to me sometimes as it's really hard to write at the studio and the writing really does demand a lot of my time so sometimes I have to choose between being at the studio and being productive/prolific.

What has been some of your favorite sessions?

I really do like all of them as I personally invite every band/artist to the studio, but there are certainly some sessions that really stand out. Kris Kristofferson, Gayngs, every time Delta Spirit's here, Avett Brothers, Blind Boys of Alabama and too many others are really at the top of my list for memorability. I have a feeling our upcoming session with Naughty By Nature will rank pretty high too.

I'm a huge fan of Johnnie Cluney's illustrations, just one of many things I look forward to in a new session. I can't help obsessing over how cool it would be to own vinyls with his pictures as album art. Any plans to produce vinyls of DT sessions?

Get ready. Yes.

The Naughty By Nature session takes place at Rock Island Brewing Company in Rock Island, IL. Tickets are $20, proceeds go to QC Times/United Way Wish List.

http://ribco.tickets.musictoday.com/RockIslandBrewingCompany/moreInfo.aspx

Some Personal DT Faves:

First Aid Kit

Kaki King

Dark Dark Dark

Ra Ra Riot

Tegan & Sara

Steel Train

LINKS!!!

http://Daytrotter.com (If you hadn't figured that one out yet...)

http://Twitter.com/Daytrotter

http://Twitter.com/RealDaytrotter (Sean)

Interview with Triple Threat, Vivek Shraya

Vivek Shraya, another musical Canadian gem took time out from packing and planning and who knows what else while preparing to leave for India to answer some questions for me. The singer/songwriter turned electro-pop wonder is crossing the North Atlantic Ocean to support indie-pop band Tegan & Sara.

Shraya has been releasing music consistently over the last decade. After receiving praise for his acoustic records he switched it up and went electro-pop and doesn't seem to be looking back. I don't think he needs to as he's made the better contributions to the genre over the last few years. He truly has a talent for producing this sound in way that sounds so vintage yet completely original.

However, his talent goes beyond music. He recently wrote a collection of short stories called 'God Loves Hair' and has been touring and doing readings of it since spring. And just recently he released a short film, Seeking Single White Male, which shed light on some of the racism he has encountered as a man of color. So I was excited to get some insight about these projects as well as his music.

You've been traveling and doing readings of your book God Loves Hair for a while now. Are you excited to be playing shows again?

Doing readings has been such a wonderful change of pace after playing music shows for 9 years (not including the cheesy talent competitions in shopping malls as a teenager). I love the intimacy of readings, making a connection, not via melody or instrumentations but storytelling. But yes, I am very excited to be playing shows again and particularly excited about this upcoming tour because a) Tegan and Sara! b) it is the first tour where I will be playing shows and doing readings.

According to Tegan you've been to India "many times". What are some things you like to do for fun while visiting India?

I have been to India many times but the last time I was there was in 1998 and it was a completely different kind of trip. So in a lot of ways I feel like I will be experiencing India for the first time. That said, I am looking forward to drinking a Limca – a lime flavoured soda pop that is so unbelievably delicious – and riding the auto-rickshaws (and praying that I don’t fall out).

"Your Name" - Vivek Shraya ft Sara Quin

So much of your material has this cool 80s feel. It feels like the beginning of electro-pop and not as techno as contemporary electro-pop usually sounds. Were the 80s a particularly influential period for you, musically?

Meghan Toohey (producer of If We’re Not Talking and Keys & Machines) and I both grew up in the 80s so I think that between her love for Prince and my love for Madonna , that sound comes naturally to us. Contemporary electro can also sound a little gimmicky with random synths slapped on to a beat and I strive for a musical efficiency, where each layer serves a purpose and enhances the song.

Your song "Fevered" was featured on Degrassi. Were you excited about that at all? Are you a fan of the show?

That was definitely a career highlight for me, particularly the way the song was used in a high school dance scene. Teenagers dancing to Fevered! I have not watched the new version of Degrassi a lot, but the original Degrassi was HUGE when I was growing up.

SEEKING SINGLE WHITE MALE (short film) from Vivek Shraya on Vimeo.

I have to ask what inspired you to make 'Seeking Single White Male', your short film. It was so sad and touching but also deeply personal.

Growing up queer in Edmonton was such an isolating experience and so I often imagined that gay bars and the opportunity to connect with other queers would feel like a homecoming of sort. But as a person of colour, I found I would almost literally disappear in those spaces, even when a conversation was had with another. This triggered a slow and innocent process of assimilating to a white aesthetic to be seen. It felt important to create a piece that spoke of and brought visibility to this experience, which is unfortunately the experience of many queer people of colour.

I'd like to note how soon you tackled this race issue after addressing Gender/Queer issues in your book. Can we look forward to more projects such as these from you in the future?

For most of my artistic career, music has been my central outlet. Writing/releasing God Loves Hair opened doors I had never considered before and has made me excited about art in general, particularly art to bring awareness and change. So yes, I hope to make more projects that discuss the various issues I am passionate about.

You tweeted that there will be new music in 2011. When can we expect a new release?

Either the summer or early fall. Fingers crossed!

Quick rundown of your favorite 2010 releases:

Robyn’s Body Talk (particularly pt 1) owned 2010. Hands down. Lately, I have been listening to the new Kanye record obsessively. The production is stellar. It makes me want to be a better musician and a better man.

God Loves Hair Reading - Gay Bombay event

11/21 Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Tegan & Sara w/Vivek Shraya - Hard Rock Cafe

11/23 Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Tegan & Sara w/Vivek Shraya - Hard Rock Cafe

11/25 New Delhi, Delhi, India

God Loves Hair Reading - Bengaluru Pride

11/27 Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

LINKS!!!

http://vivekshraya.com

http://myspace.com/vivekshraya

http://twitter.com/vivekshraya

photo by: Juliana Neufeld http://juliananeufeld.com

photo 2 by: Sarah Bastin http://sarahbastin.net

Exclusive: Interview with Steel Train's Jack Antonoff

If you have internet access then you know who Steel Train are. They're one of the biggest bands in the indie scene right now. After touring with Tegan & Sara for 2 months and conquering the main stage at Coachella they finally released their much anticipated third album, Steel Train, on June 29th. The record has been receiving rave reviews and they have been packing shows in support of it. Now that the people living under rocks are all caught up, I'm excited to bring you an interview with front-man, Jack Antonoff.

I saw Steel Train during Tegan & Sara's spring tour. I've never been to a show where all the bands got along in that way. I have to ask, is there any chance of Steel Train, Holly and TnS touring together again?

That tour was very special in that sense. It felt like summer camp. Like a traveling circus or endless road trip. I was so excited to arrive at every show that for the first time in my life that I actually missed meals. Shocking. Ha. Anyway, of course I'd love to tour with everyone again soon. Can't see it happening in the very near future, but hopefully one day. Touring or not, they are all people that i'm looking forward to working with in one capacity or another. I adore them all.

How was it playing Coachella for the first time ever and on the main stage (according to Spinner, bigger than the stage Phoenix, Thom Yorke and MGMT played on)?

It was wild. We can be very nervous and self-loathing people, so it's extremely hard to enjoy moments as they happen. We're always looking at the next step etc etc. We get exciting news, are thrilled for a minute, and then immediately jump to the next thing. Find another mountain to climb. But with coachella (especially on the main stage) it was all too over the top to deny. There are very few moments like that when you feel like you've really arrived somewhere you've been trying to get to. It's not coachella specifically, it's what it represented for us. A community of bands in a way. A beacon of....something. Haha. Anyway, what i'm trying to say is that one stuck with us for a bit more than a minute.

I am obsessed with the 1969 EP on which you guys covered The Jackson 5, The Beatles and David Bowie. Were you at all nervous about recording and releasing covers of such notable classics?

Not at that time. We were younger and just excited to play those songs. It all came from a simple place. I think that's why it was so fun and easy. When we cover songs now we look at it very differently than we did then. Now we're obsessed with spinning things a different way, making it ours, which is exciting in a totally different way. With 1969, it was just about playing the songs and not thinking beyond that. I'm happy we had the chance to do that because I really can't see it happening again in that way. My next idea is to cover all the bands we've toured with. That'd be a blast

Would you consider another EP with covers from a different year?

Haha. Kinda just answered that. Besides the tour friends idea, I'd like to do 2010. It's been an amazing year for music already and I love the idea of current bands covering each other. It binds us. It's nice. Community. Etc.

What went into the decision to start your own label after cutting ties with Drive-Thru records?

Leaving drive thru is a huge part of this record. For a long time, I've felt like there was a party happening and we were on the outside looking in. We'd been tied up in an archaic and antiquated system that made no sense for a band like us. We started touring in our first bands when we were super young. We put on our own shows back then. It was all DIY, it's where we come from and it's what we know. We've always been an independent band locked up in a world that made no sense to us. Breaking out of that was a no brainer. Something we had been trying to accomplish for years. I'm so thrilled to step into the future and release this record independently. Five years from now everyone will be releasing their own music. I'm really glad to have the opportunity to do it at a time when it's still a risk.

As a member of an independent band, releasing music on their own label, who started booking it's own shows at 15, what would be your advice to new bands trying to get signed?

Getting signed is fine, but just make sure you experience the whole picture before you do. My only real advice is to just go on tour. All the questions get answered on tour. Even if you spend your life savings and play for 6 people....just go on tour.

Will you be signing other bands to Terrible Thrills?

Haven't thought about it yet, but it's not out of the question. Right now we kinda have our hands full on the label side with this record. Maybe we'll sign redd kross!!

The all-female cover album of Steel Train, Terrible Thrills Vol. 1, was such a unique idea. All of the covers sound amazing but were you at all hesitant to let other artists take your material and interpret it-make it their own?

Not at all. The whole point of the project was to hear the songs through each artists own ears (heart). The cast of characters on terrible thrills is so outstanding that I never had a worried moment. It was the opposite. The past few months of getting the songs sent to us was magical. It was better than any gift I've ever recieved.

Will there be a Terrible Thrills Vol. 2? Is this the beginning of something? Will there be other compilations in the future?

There will be something. Not sure exactly what yet...but something. Part of the glory of releasing your own music is the ability to do projects like terrible thrills without some other parties cock blocking you at every turn. We were held up for so long that we have every intention of going completely over the top with music, art and different projects like terrible thrills. Think we'll probably go with the tour friends covers sooner than later?

Do you write all the lyrics for Steel Train songs? Do you ever feel like you're exposing yourself at all or sharing too much lyrically?

Yes to both. The only way I know how to write is to be totaly candid and just to tell the stories I've lived. I believe it's the only way any writer can be unique.....to tell their story. Anything else to me feels like meaningless fodder. But that comes with a massive price. For me personally, I can only talk so much about the darkest moments in my life, and when I put it into songs, it makes me never want to go there in the other moments of my life. It disconnects me from friends and family. Almost like I have nothing left to share cause I've spilled it all out in the songs. It's complicated and isolating. That's why I love touring. I love the silence of being around people that understand that there is often nothing to say. I live my life feeling like I've constantly said too much, so you could only imagine the mixed feelings about putting my history into the songs. It also creates a real issue at the live shows. There is no way to half ass songs that mean that much to you. And that's a wonderful driving force, but it's also draining. Every show is over the top, every story and darkness has to be revisited to play the songs the way they need to be played. It's an honor to share my life, but not always easy or healthy.

I'm also a fan of your other band, fun. How do you balance being in two bands? Will you tour more with fun. later this year?

It's a lot. When i'm not on tour with steel train, i'm out with fun. I used to be in a relationship, that ended and I basically replaced her with another band. I hate not working. I hate not running. Having both bands allows me to constantly press on. It's a shit ton of work, but they are all good problems. The bands also help each other artistically. I feel less of a need to jam every idea into one band. That really helps the individual styles mature as they should.

Links!!!

http://SteelTrain.net

http://twitter.com/SteelTrain

http://myspace.com/SteelTrain

photo by: Lindsey Byrnes (http://twitter.com/LindseyByrnes)

http://LindseyByrnes.com

Behind the Lens: Angela Kendall

Feel free to geek out with me while reading this interview with the amazing Angela Kendall. She's the director behind those Tegan & Sara features we all love and an accomplished music video director. She's not any less amazing a photographer either. She has been crazy busy but took time out to answer a few questions!

How are you today? I can't see you so I just want to make sure you're in a good mood while answering these questions.

These questions are great and i am in a delightful mood (thank you for asking :)

So you just do it all: Photography, music videos, documentaries. Which do you find the most challenging?

Each have their own set of unique challenges. I would say I find music videos the most challenging because there are so many variables. First of all, you have to take someone's song and interpret it in such a way that you stay true to it while also creating something original and compelling. It's also getting increasingly difficult to be original because so many ideas have already been done. Directing the actual shoot is also very challenging. There's a lot of pressure to get the shots you want and you have to be able to think on your feet.

When you're editing footage how do you decide what to cut? For example, that teaser you made for Death Cab, it's about two minutes. You must've gotten quite a bit of behind the scenes/studio footage. How did you decide what to squeeze into the short clip?

It depends on what Im cutting. In that Death Cab Teaser I simply chose shots that I felt were my strongest, matched the mood of the song being used, and represented what you would see when you watched the full piece. In the general sense, you choose shots based on your criteria. For example, what music you're using, what story you want to tell, and what shots are your best. A lot of it, for me anyway, is instinctual; I just gravitate towards certain shots.

An Horse - Camp Out from An Horse on Vimeo.

In An Horse's video for "Camp Out", Kate falls down a few times, which is a literal interpretation of a lyric in that song. As were the phone cords in Tegan & Sara's video for "Call It Off". Is that more of an interesting concept to you; to play with the metaphors in that way?

I like to pull some meaning out of the song, something that I can expand upon to give the video some depth and purpose. I do like metaphors because they can be so creative, and its gets you away from a literal translation.

Jets Overhead - Addiction from Jets Overhead on Vimeo.

One of my favorite videos of all time is the one you guys made for "Addiction" by Jets Overhead. It's one of those "mirror to society" pieces we so desperately need more of. How was that made? That footage didn't strike me as easy to find.

I like the way that video turned out too. The footage was not easy to find, and we spent countless hours scouring public domain archives to get suitable shots.

I just want to switch gears for a minute and talk about your photography. The nature shots on your site are beautiful, some hauntingly so. Could you tell us where some of those were shot?

It's hard to take credit for pictures of nature :) All my shots were taken in and around Vancouver with the really scenic ones coming from an alpine hiking trip I took in Keremeos last summer.

I found the "Urban" photos really sad. Not sure if they were supposed to be. Were those taken in Vancouver?

I never intended for the urban photos to be sad, but that's interesting you felt that. I wanted to focus on structural composition, so there is a starkness that comes with that. Most of them were taken in east van, where I live, so I guess there's an inherent sadness to this neighborhood that might have come through as well.

For the first time in a long time on the "News" page on the Transmission 2 site, I scrolled all the way down. The earliest update being from February 2004 and was about you guys beginning the shooting of "The Making of So Jealous". You've been working with Tegan & Sara for a long time, as well as Jets Overhead. When you bring ideas to people you've been working with for a long time does that make you nervous, I mean is there more pressure there? Or is it all just natural because you guys know each other so well?

It's all very natural by this point. We've been working together for so many years, that I don't feel pressure to give ideas. Beyond a working relationship, we're all friends, so that makes things even easier.

Speaking of Tegan & Sara, you're directing two new videos for their songs "On Directing" and "Northshore". Tegan tweeted a few pictures from the set. They're known for having some pretty quirky videos. However, the shots Tegan tweeted seemed dark in a few ways, mostly in a literal way. Without giving too much away, can you just tell us if these videos will be a bit more intense or darker than their previous ones?

I will say that these videos will be a departure from the quirkiness we usually see from Tegan and Sara. We wanted to do a couple videos that were immediate and accessible to a wide variety of people.

Do you and Brian have any projects in the works you can tell us about?

Both of us are working on two separate pilot tv shows, and I'm starting up an art project with a friend, but I can't really talk about it yet. You'll just have to wait and see :)

Links!!!

http://angela-kendall.com

http://transmission2.com