Talking to the guys from Stabilo. Sarnia, Ontario. Place called Woody’s...Beach Bar, I think?
Jesse: Woody’s
DJ: Woody’s....funny word
Jesse: We just played ....
Jesse & Chris: We just played the Chubby Pickle
Chris: Last night
DJ: No way! Where is that, Windsor?
Chris: uhhh.....
Jesse: Yeah
Chris: Windsor
Jesse: Yeah. So we’re doing a tour of phallic named bars around Ontario
DJ: You’ve been on the road for a while now? Couple of months?
Jesse: Yeah. These guys....I’ve been.....I live in Toronto now, so I’ve kind of been back and forth to home, but they’ve been away for ...
Chris: Two months
Jesse: two months now.
DJ: You still living in B.C.?
Chris: Yeah, Vancouver
DJ: Nice. Start the show off with a song. What do you guys want to hear? One of your tunes. Maybe something off the new record...
Jesse: Yeah, let’s do something....
Chris: Let’s do......
Jesse: Doesn’t get heard too often.
Chris: Kidding? Kidding Ourselves?
Jesse: Yeah, sure.
DJ: Cool
*Plays Kidding Ourselves*
DJ: You guys recorded it out in L.A.?
Jesse: Yeah. That was great. We did it with Brad Wood....produced it. And he’s got a sort of a home studio kinda set up in his backyard....a separate, like, room and a bunch of different rooms.....
DJ: Nice
Jesse: and it was great....
DJ: Where in L.A.?
Jesse: Studio city
Chris: Yeah....it’s like...
DJ: Okay
Chris: North Hollywood
Jesse: Yeah
DJ: Did you guys get to actually hang out in Hollywood and like check out the whole scene and stuff like that?
Jesse: Well....
Chris: We did a little bit, not too much
Jesse: We could’ve, but it was just sort of....it was sort of out of our budget...
DJ: Fair enough – actually, I know what you mean.
Chris: We were working.
Jesse: Can’t really go anywhere down there without dropping, you know, a lot of money in one night so....
DJ: You’ve got to drive everywhere......
Jesse: Yeah....van and trailer...yeah...
DJ: Beautiful Madness....on an EP from a while ago, comes up on the album again....how come?
Jesse: Re-Recorded it....
Chris: Re-wrote it....
Jesse: and re-wrote it....new chorus
Chris: Wrote a new chorus....
Jesse: So....yeah....so it’s.....we thought.....always liked the song, but it just kind of...it was kind of like a five part song that went through each part and we’re like well, you know, let’s sort of make it a bit more, you know, pop formatted and just give it a chorus and have a few parts that it comes back to and....did that right before we went into the studio and I really like how it turned out.
*Plays Beautiful Madness (BM EP version)*
DJ: You guys are doing quite well up here....has the album been released out in the States? Is there plans for it at all?
Chris: Not yet....
Jesse: We have some serious plans but we’re just trying to get other people to plan it as well so.....
DJ: Oh yeah?
Jesse: Yeah.
DJ: Very nice
Jesse: Yeah
DJ: Is that something you guys want to do, kind of break in the States too? I know some bands like Matt Good doesn’t give a shit at all about doing that but.....
Jesse: I doubt that he doesn’t give a shit, but....you know....
DJ: That’s what he told me...
Jesse: Yeah
DJ: I was very surprised, I was like whoa....
Chris: I don’t doubt he doesn’t give a shit, but I think we’re.... you know, he’s kind of got it made in Canada already and you know, we’re still that space...place where we don’t mind playing small bars and playing for nobody so we’ll go tour down there.....
Jesse: I think we’d prefer to get to just sort of get to the rest of the world, but right now the States is you know, much closer than Europe and everywhere over there, so.....it’s....you kind of....you break in the States and it’s almost a guarantee that you’re gonna break out there...
DJ: That’s true
Jesse: So....it’s just a lot harder for us to be recognized out there before you get recognized in a bigger territory, so.....
DJ: Have you guys played anywhere else other than Canada?
Jesse: A little bit in the States but.....
Chris: States.....
DJ: Oh yeah?
Jesse: Not too much ....
DJ: Just like near the north border? Or.....
Jesse: Yeah. We did a small tour...just....I mean, six or seven dates, just me and Chris. Kinda, it kinda took us like, quite a distance, you know, from East coast to West coast...not really the East coast, but you know.....
Chris: Like Denver.....
DJ: Oh no way....
Chris: Tuscon, I think....Arizona....
Jesse: And then in Detroit and all that stuff, so......so that was kind of fun but...yeah, not long enough
DJ: Well hopefully, soon enough
Jesse: Yeah.
DJ: Let’s play another song. What do you guys want to hear?
Chris: Habit
*Plays Habit*
DJ: You just heard Habit...talking to the guys from Stabilo. You guys both write songs, you both sing......is it like the Beatles, where you sing what you write? Or do you kind of write songs for him and he writes songs for you, and.....
Jesse: Usually sing what we write.
Chris: We’re very similar to the Beatles....
Jesse: Yeah....Although I thought they......I thought they sing each other’s songs...quite often...or no? Was I wrong?
DJ: I always thought, you know, McCartney would write something and he would sing that....
Jesse: Yeah...I don’t know...
DJ: I’m sure it happened back and forth sometimes....
Jesse: Yeah....there’s not many tunes, I’m sure it happened once or twice, but probably..generally..
DJ: How does it work for you guys? Do you come with a guitar part and you throw something on or do you start with stuff? Or?.....
Chris: Usually it’s...I come with you know, just acoustic guitar, chords, melody, lyrics and then everybody else will throw their....add their...
Jesse: Throw their shit on top....
Chris: Into the mix....
DJ: Very nice...
Chris: And then.....yeah and then you know, once we come together and jam out a song, everybody will kind of give their input and maybe tell the drummer what to do.....
DJ: Is that the way it works? John from Marcy Playground worked with you guys on Cupid.
Chris: Yeah
DJ: How did you hook up with him?
Chris: Through.....we played new music West in Vancouver and he was.....I guess he was on the panel of judges who decides who gets in and heard our stuff, came out to...invited us to come play, came out to the show and then after the show invited us to record at his studio and.....
DJ: That’s pretty cool
Chris: For whatever we can afford, so....
Jesse: Yeah. It was great
DJ: That was very nice
Jesse: It a sweet....it’s Mushroom studios in Vancouver so it kicked ass. It was awesome.
DJ: Yeah. A great place.... It’s supposed to be nice
Jesse: Yeah. Totally.
DJ: How do you guys feel about the downloading of your music? I know you guys threw all the tunes on the website....you can listen to everything there, which is really cool....do you think it’s helping you or harming you more at this point – the illegal stuff?
Chris: The illegal stuff is probably harming ......but.....
Jesse: I think it’s harming the whole industry, but whether or not......you know, it’s so tough to break down on an individual band scale...you know, you never really know if it’s...... if more people are downloading it and then buying it as opposed to.....you know, I mean globally with the whole industry, way less records are being sold so..... you don’t know if it comes down to us or just....Britney Spears kinda thing....so.....
Chris: I think...I think most of the harm comes from people downloading it and then burning the whole CD and then selling it, you know....
DJ: yeah
Chris: Like more in third world markets and stuff like that.....but.....I think if you....we give people the opportunity to listen to the music before they buy the album just on our website or myspace and so.....I mean, I think with those opportunities nobody needs to illegally download it.
DJ: Yeah. Well, it’s true. I mean, you give the option out there .....I mean, kids can come out to the show if they hear something on the website they like, it’s pretty cool. You think we’re getting away from albums though? I mean, kids can just download a track now, you don’t really need, like, a full album with artwork anymore....seems that’s the way it’s going with iTunes and stuff....
Jesse: I think maybe we’re getting away from the packaging, but you know, you still like to hope that a full album is where people are at in terms of ......well, it’s hard to say because an album consisted of, you know, the amount of music that you could fit on a record at one point, and so ....
DJ: Yeah
Jesse: now there’s really no limit with that....so, where do you say an album starts and an album ends, kind of thing in terms of time, so....it’s probably going to stay around the same amount and you just kind of hope that if people hear your music they will end up buying it....so....
Chris: I’ve heard....I can’t remember exactly who it was, but I’ve heard of some bigger bands that are actually just releasing 3 or 4 songs every couple of months.....on iTunes or whatever....not even putting out albums anymore.....
DJ: Really? See, that’s what I’m scared of....you’re not going to have that whole ...thing anymore...
Chris: I mean, I think....
Jesse: It might go back to the day where it’s singles on LP’s that people are just buying......
Chris: I think that’s the direction it’s headed.....
DJ: Yeah.
Chris: I think we’re kind of getting to be old timers, 26, 27.....do you remember the times of CD’s and....for all I know, I’m......we’re probably out of touch with, you know, the people in high school these days and their listening and buying habits and.....I know my young sister-in-law doesn’t need.....none of her friends buy albums, you know, everything is...
DJ: Online
Chris: MP3’s and online and.....
DJ: Scary
Chris: Yeah
Jesse: I think probably what scares labels the most about downloading is that now people have the opportunity to hear the record before they buy it. And so when they hear and.....
Chris: They know if it’s shit....
Jesse:....they realize it’s shit , they don’t go buy it. Whereas before, you know, you had a couple of singles on it and they tricked people into buying it, and then they’re like, crap I want my money back! And so.....
DJ: Which is....
Jesse: Now......
Chris: That’s what hurt the industry in the first place, I think.
Jesse: Exactly. So...
DJ: Speaking of singles, what’s your next one? Do you have a choice or is it a label thing?
Jesse: It’s going to be “Kidding Ourselves”. It’s sort of, you know, it’s between us and the label. It’s just....it’s been a long, actually....process to decide, but....we’re all happy with what’s going to be next, so.....
DJ: Cool. Let’s play that right now.
Jesse: For sure. Oh! I think we....I think we already did. Let’s try....”If it was up to me”, the last track on the album.
DJ: How come?
Jesse: ‘Cause..... it’s my favourite.
*plays If It Was Up To Me*
DJ: We do the same – read 5 quick questions. One word answers....iPod or CD’s?
Jesse & Chris: iPod
DJ: Whoa. At the same time. Cool. Lennon or McCartney?
Jesse: Lennon
Chris: uh...I’ll go with McCartney
DJ: Cool.
Jesse: I mean McCartney
DJ: Alcohol or Marijuana?
Jesse & Chris: Marijuana
DJ: Good answer. A song you’ve written you’re most proud of...
Chris: “Coffee Spills”
Jesse: uhh.....”If it was up to me”
DJ: In one word. Stabilo.
Jesse: Boss
Chris: Music?
DJ: Nice. I haven’t heard that before. Weirdly enough. Um.....
Jesse: Band
DJ: One song to close us out. What do you guys want to hear? Any song of all time.
Jesse: All Time....
Chris: Any song of all time.....
DJ: You can each pick one, ‘cause it probably won’t be the same one....
Jesse: Let’s hear.......Blackbird
DJ: Beatles?
Chris This.....
Jesse: Yes
Chris: This is....what? my favourite song of all time, or......?
Jesse: No, just one you wanna hear....
DJ: Anything..... you wanna hear. Anything you think people should listen to.
Chris: Alright, well uh.....well I’ve just been getting into Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds...I don’t know if you’ve heard of them, but...
DJ: Oh yeah...
Chris: Song called “Breathless”....pretty cool....been addicted to that for...the last day.
DJ: Nice. Well, thanks guys. Really appreciate it.
Jesse: Thank you.
*Plays “Breathless”*
*Plays “Blackbird”*