Episode 25 of the Polaris Podcast was the final edition in a four-part series dedicated to albums that received Slaight Family Polaris Heritage Prize designation.
For this episode we talked about Kid Koala’s Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Broken Social Scene’s You Forgot It In People.
This and other Polaris Podcast episodes can be found on iTunes, Google Play or Spotify.
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Filed under Music, Shameless Promotion
Matthew Good
Matthew Good, Can-rock’s number one provocateur, says he attempted to create his own Vancouver version of Broken Social Scene, Toronto’s critically-lauded space jam indie rock outfit.
“I’ve tried to. I’ve tried to,” says Good, explaining how the BSS-imitation was one of many artistic ventures he’s embarked on since the Matthew Good Band officially dissolved in 2001. “I’ve tried to form tons of different side-projects. But you get involved with people and — a lot of the people I’ve been involved with — they just, it just turns into a power struggle. And all I ever want to do in those bands is just play rhythm guitar. I don’t even want to sing.”
As part of an interview for the cover story of Chart Magazine’s upcoming September 2004 issue — his first interview with the mag since ’01 — Good discussed BSS, as well as a wide range of topics including the final days of MGB, his new album (White Light Rock & Roll Review), his humanitarian efforts and related fights with right-wing organizations, his affection for country music, and some of the artistic ventures he hopes to tackle in the future.
Good’s Social Scene attempt came after listening to BSS’s You Forgot It In People album, one of his recent favourites.
“The last Broken Social Scene record I listened to quite a bit and I thought was really interesting,” he says. “A lot of the ideas on it were really, really good.”
Don’t think Good’s motives were all pure, though. Seeing how Good has been the rock ‘n’ roll point- person/figurehead for the last 10 years as a band leader and solo artist, being part of a jam-out gang would have given him some time to, in Don Cherryspeak, have a few “pops.”
“My idea of paradise is going on tour once in my life where I don’t have to go to bed early because I have to sing the next day,” he says. “I can just have a beer and talk to people and play guitar. Paradise.
“The collective idea is really interesting. It would probably be more interesting to see how long it would last really. ‘Cuz it can get a little convoluted… And it does have that kinda really cool factor to it.”
This news piece was originally published August 13, 2004 via Chart Communications.
Filed under Music, Recollections
Broken Social Scene
Broken Social Scene are going to be all over the 2011 Juno Awards. The indie rock Voltron was nominated for four awards — group of the year, alternative album of the year, video of the year, and music dvd of the year. Band member Justin Peroff was also part of the design team nominated for recording packaging of the year for the Forgiveness Rock Record box set.
The BSS crew will be up against a wildly diverse list of opponents throughout the various categories. Arcade Fire, Hedley, Celine Dion, Billy Talent, Metric, Rush, Buck 65, Owen Pallett, Tokyo Police Club… apparently everyone will be gunning to take BSS down.
CHARTattack spoke to BSSer Brendan Canning at the Juno Awards press conference.
I’m going to start off with the cliché question How does it feel to be nominated?
Brendan Canning: AMAZING!
It’s the only time you’ll ever be probably ever be competing against Buck 65 and Celine Dion in the same category.
For what?
Music dvd.
We were backstage and I can’t read backwards and I have a bit of hearing trouble right now so I couldn’t really tell what was going on. Celine and Buck.
And Rush, too, And there’s someone else I can’t remember [The Virtual Haydn].
Y’know what, it’s gotta go to Rush. What are you gonna do? Are you gonna mess with “Fly By Night?” “Xanadu?”
“By-Tor And The Snow Dog.”
You can’t fuck with that. And I’m buds with Alex Lifeson.
C’mon, you gotta be a little competitive about this.
Y’know what, the performance that was captured on that movie [This Movie Is Broken], I’m very, very proud of because it was a killer show for us and it was shot great and it sounds great and it happened to be, “Whoa, we actually sound like a good band. That’s amazing.” I don’t hate hearing it. I actually like hearing it because I like hearing everyone perform.
What was the one gratifying moment in the film where you were like, “Yeah, this was awesome.”
Hearing Andrew Whiteman rip a solo during “Almost Crimes.” It’s just like, the guy’s a fucking maestro. He’s a virtuoso. He’s the best guitar player in Canada and he doesn’t get heralded.
It’s true, he doesn’t get that credit.
He doesn’t get that credit because we’re a big band and we’re not, like bass player-guitar player-frontman… but to anyone with a set of ears, nobody can beat him.
In group of the year you guys are up against Arcade Fire. Who do you think will win in an actual fight?
In an actual fight? Well, they’re younger…
And Win’s a big dude. Wasn’t he a basketball player or something?
We’d have to get [Jason] Collett back because he’s got the height, but he doesn’t have… I think Win’s got some big shoulders. How many girls are in their band?
It depends on whether they’ve got their string section and that sort of stuff.
Right, right. We could bring in some ringers in the horn department. We’d be, like, “Yeah, this is Brent. He plays, uh, tuba… and he’s gonna beat your ass.” All kidding aside, they made a killer record. They made their best record. I don’t listen to a ton of new bands, but they made a wicked record.
Neil Young may be there. If there was a dream scenario where you got to maybe be on stage with him and got to pick a song or have input, how would that scenario play out?
What song are we going to play together? “Good Vibrations.” I think he played keyboards on “Good Vibrations.”
Really?
Yeah. I think he got on stage with the Beach Boys one time and played keyboards on “Good Vibrations.” I’m pretty sure.
That’s crazy.
It would be amazing, Neil Young on keys doing “Good Vibrations.” It’s a wicked tune. So there you go, that’s one idea.
Getting rid of all modesty, why do you guys think you had a good year?
Just because we’re still a band. We’re still doing it. We put out a record that wasn’t shit and that’s what it comes down to. It was not a shit record and we can still stand behind what we’re doing and the family’s still intact. Y’know, we haven’t lost anyone, which is, again, amazing.
This story was originally published Feb. 1, 2011 via Chart Communications.
Filed under Music
Amy Millan of Stars/Broken Social Scene
Later this week Stars/Broken Social Scene singer Amy Millan will be receiving the Planet In Focus Eco-Hero award for her work in the past year on the USC “I Am A Seed Saver” campaign.
I asked Millan what that’s all about and how she got fellow musicians like Leslie Feist and Sam Roberts to participate.
To read the full story head over to Samaritan Mag by clicking here.
Filed under Environment, Food, Music, Shameless Promotion
Broken Social Scene
The latest edition of my Polaris People column is online over at the Polaris Music Prize website.
This week we investigate some of the many evolving new Broken Social Scene connections, track the excitement for Arcade Fire and find a use for Colin Stetson‘s music.
To read the column go here.
Filed under Music, Shameless Promotion
I Overcame My Autism And All I Got Was This Lousy Anxiety Disorder: A Memoir
Risky Fuel 