andPOP » Weakerthans

Interview: Manchester Orchestra On ‘Simple Math,’ Touring with Blink-182

@coltondaniel — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 18:19:47 +0000

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Overlooking the Toronto skyline from backstage at the Molson Amphitheater, Manchester Orchestra’s rhythm-guitarist and singer-songerwriter Andy Hull took in a drag and the scene.

“It’s pretty awesome to wake up in the city that you grew up in,” confessed Hull, moments before opening for My Chemical Romance and Blink-182 as part of the 2011 Honda Civic Tour. It would almost seem that, other than sharing a stage, lyrical honesty and vulnerability is about all that these three bands have in common.

“It’s fun man, they’re all really kind people,” says Hull about being on the road with MCR and Blink. It’s been a sleepless summer for Hull and company, leaping between a plethora of festivals from Montreal’s Osheaga to Chicago’s Lollapalooza. “It’s been quite an experience to play these venues. It’s definitely this casting vision tour to really see how big a band can get. It’s kind of crazy. And [Blink-182] is definitely a band that represented a huge part of our childhood.”

“I used to hide [Blink-182's] ‘Take Off Your Pants and Jacket’ from my mom all the time,” adds keyboardist Chris Freeman, dawning a black MacBeth Footwear t-shirt, a company owned by Blink-182′s singer-guitarist Tom DeLonge.

Manchester Orchestra was founded by a 16-year-old Hull in 2004 with his buddies: bassist Jonathan Corley, Freeman, guitarist Robert McDowell and drummer Tim Very. Their suburban Atlanta walls likely plastered with posters of the English city Manchester, a city that has spawned musically rich children from Joy Division to Oasis to Stone Roses.

“Growing up at 16, we pretty much named the band after the Smiths,” reminisces Hull as he looked to Freeman’s smile. “It was a band we were all really, really into.” He also cited the range of musical influences to be “anything from Pavement, Built to Spill, Modest Mouse, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Granddaddy, the Weakerthans, and the Flaming Lips.”

The five grew to produce arena-worthy anthems that hinted at an intimacy of an “indie rock” mix-tape. This signature sound was honed in 2005, while playing over 200 shows behind their first release: “I’m Like A Virgin Losing A Child.” A massive sound emerged that rippled exploration into issues of life and the human condition, essentially shredding the chains that age and experience wrapped around him.

Inspired by classic nineties efforts like Nirvana’s “In Utero” and Weezer’s “Pinkerton,” the band shifted their distorted textures to create their sophomore album, “Mean Everything to Nothing.”

After opening for their friends Kings of Leon at Madison Square Garden in 2010, the band went into the studio to patch together a musical vengeance of emotion. Almost like Dylan’s “Blood on the Tracks” responded to his carnage of relationship, Hull painted a comparably darker and more modern picture of the lover’s debris. Its melodies sound like enlightening promise, yet the undercoated lyrics protest distraught and failure (check “Virgin”at the band’s website).

Their third full-length album, “Simple Math,” surfaced in May and critics have praised its intimacy and Rolling Stone magazine found it “tough to look away”. It debuted at No. 21 on The Billboard 200 and at No. 8 on the magazine’s Rock Albums chart. A mixture of spiritual and marital confessions, it’s not just a few good songs; it’s an album.

“We made a strong commitment to each other that we wouldn’t make any records that were a step backwards or even a step on the same plain,” Hull looks at Freeman, almost like reaffirming a non-verbal agreement. “So that was pretty simple. We just wanted to step it up and make something that was grand, potentially better. But, still have it feel like a counter-piece to our record before.”

Freeman notices that, “the writing process was kind of easier on ['Simple Math'] and it felt natural.”

For the first time, the band recorded without former drummer Jeremiah Edmond, who parted ways with the band in January 2010 to focus on his family and the band’s record label, Favorite Gentlemen. “He was such a power drummer,” Hull says. “It was cool to work with guys who had a different feel, finesse and pocket to their vibe. We were playing outside of what we were used to doing when it came to recording and writing. It allowed us to explore different areas.”

This fall, the band will be dedicating their time by embarking on a 25-city tour in the U.K. and across the States. Aside from their hometown, the band is looking forward to playing their namesake.

“It’s one of the coolest cities we play, the people are so appreciative of us,” says Hull, cracking a Jack Nicholson-esque smirk.

Imagining the scene, Freeman chuckled to himself, “those Manchester crowds are crazy.”

“They’re just ready to get it on.”

Weakerthans, Corb Lund Lead WCMA Nominees

Eva Lam — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 09:20:29 +0000

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The Weakerthans and Corb Lund will go into the sixth annual Western Canadian Music Awards this fall with a leading four nods each.

The Winnipeg indie stalwarts and the Edmonton country singer were among the nominees in 19 categories announced by organizers Thursday.

The Oct. 19 awards gala in Edmonton, to be preceded by a three-day music industry conference and festival, will honour musicians from the Yukon, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

The Weakerthans are up for Outstanding Rock Recording for their fourth studio album, “Reunion Tour,” for which the band was also nominated last month for the 2008 Polaris Music Prize.

Meanwhile, Lund garnered a nod for Outstanding Roots Recording (Solo) for his fifth album, “Horse Soldier! Horse Soldier!”

The two acts will battle it out in their other three nominated categories: Outstanding Independent Album, Songwriter(s) of the Year and Video of the Year.

Other multiple WCMA nominees include Jeremy Fisher with three nods, followed by Aaron Lines, Social Code and the James Murdoch Band with two each.

The awards gala will also see Edmonton’s Tommy Banks and Vancouver’s Spirit of the West inducted into the Western Canadian Music Alliance Hall of Fame.

More details, including the full list of nominees, can be found on the WCMA website.

Rising Stars Finalists Announced

Eva Lam — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 01:04:11 +0000

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The finalists for the 2008 CBC Galaxie Rising Stars Award have been unveiled, and the list of nominated Canadian artists run the gamut from Winnipeg folk rockers to Vancouver-based power popsters.

Among the 10 acts vying for the annual award are The Weakerthans, The New Pornographers, Tegan and Sara, Joel Plaskett Emergency and Stars.

The Rising Stars award, which comes with a $3,000 cash prize, was created to promote domestic artists. Unlike the Indie Awards, which are voted on by fans, the Rising Stars winner will be chosen by Canadian music journalists.

The journalists were initially polled for their five favourite Canadian independent releases of 2007, from which a shortlist of 10 finalists was created. From this list, they will vote for one winner.

The award will be presented at Canadian Music Week’s Indie Awards on March 8, taking place in Toronto.

Here are the finalists for the Rising Stars Award:

- Basia Bulat – “Oh My Darling” (Hardwood)
- The Besnard Lakes – “Are the Dark Horse” (Outside)
- Caribou – “Andorra” (Domino)
- Jenn Grant – “Orchestra For The Moon” (Paris 1919)
- Joel Plaskett Emergency – “Ashtray Rock” (MapleMusic)
- The New Pornographers – “Challengers” (Last Gang)
- Stars – “In Our Bedroom After The War” (Arts & Crafts)
- Tegan And Sara – “The Con” (Superclose)
- The Weakerthans – “Reunion Tour” (Epitaph)
- Wintersleep – “Welcome To The Night Sky” (Labwork)

Weakerthans, City and Colour To Play Guelph Festival

Eva Lam — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 05:12:12 +0000

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The Weakerthans and City and Colour will help Guelph, Ont., kick off Hillside Inside, a winter spin-off of the city’s annual Hillside Festival in the summer.

The inaugural Hillside Inside will be held Feb. 2 from 1 to 11 p.m. at the Sleeman Centre in downtown Guelph.

Other confirmed performers include Tokyo Police Club, Cuff The Duke, Wintersleep, Attack In Black, Xavier Rudd, Shout Out Out Out Out, Martyn Joseph, Les Batinses, The Abrams Brothers, Roxanne Potvin, Zaki Ibrahim, Bocce and Hayley Sales.

The venue will feature two alternating stages.

Guelph Lake Island will host the summertime version of the festival from July 25 to 27. Performers have yet to be announced.

The Hillside Festival, which kicked off in 1984, hosts musicians, spoken word artists, workshops and more.