When I was a kid,
growing up in a house with Cat Stevens, Neil Diamond, and Simon and Garfunkel,
the first time I ever heard Kiss's "Detroit Rock City," it was a
moment of musical epiphany. It was just so vicious, aggressive and mean. It
changed the way I listened to music. I've had a few minor epiphany's since
then, when you come across a band that just brings something new and
revolutionary to your ears.
What have been your
musical epiphany moments?
My parents were always listening to old 60's, 70's rock, so
I grew up with Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, The Doors, The Beatles, The Stones. It's
really when I got in high school (when your 12 years old in Quebec) that I dug deeper into those bands,
listening to their full albums and getting into it. A Funny moment was when,
back in high school, we were all doing skateboard, one of the guys had Misfits
stickers and he was saying it was a skate brand. The guy next to us said: Hey
stupid, it's an old school punk band. I became good friends with that guy, we
started our first band and he got me into metal bands like, Black Sabbath,
Metallica, Megadeth, and also Nirvana. That's how it all started.
Talk to us about the
song-writing process for you. What comes first, the idea? A riff? The lyrics?
How does it all fall into place?
I write with the Kurt Cobain method, melodies first always. At
any given moment you can write a cool riff but it's when you get a strong vocal
melody over it that you know you're holding something. I will usually write the
lyrics long after the song is complete, usually a little bit before we hit the
studio. I always have temporary lyrics for singing live but it's in the studio
that it all comes together. I always thought I was weird doing so but I reed in
a lot of my favorite artists bio that they did the same.
Who has influenced
you the most?
The Beatles had a strong influence on me, not just because
of their music but their whole career. Seeing them evolve from unknown guys
living in Liverpool to one of the best
songwriters of all time really influenced me. Reading their bio they seemed
like taking influences from wherever and it led to some really great albums
(sgt. peppers, abbey road). I later got into the stoner scene (Kyuss, Uncle Acid,
Sleep...) which really influenced me to start the Hazytones.
Where do you look for
continuing inspiration? New ideas, new motivation?
Inspirations comes from a lot of place, long nights of
insomnia, touring, relationships. I'm also inspired by all the great stoner rock music coming
out these days, the scene is so strong and they are so many good bands getting
their music out there. Motivation comes from the fact that I really like being
on a stage and on the road.
We're all a product
of our environment. Tell us about the band's hometown and how that reflects in
the music?
Montreal
is a great place to start a band, this city probably has as many musician's as
people who go to gigs, which leads to a really big amount of bands playing
every night. This gives you a feeling that, when you think your band is
great, you go out to gigs and see those amazing bands and you tell yourself; I
got to get tighter and practice my scenic presence and write better songs. I
sometimes feel that Montreal would have been the
Seattle of the
2000's if the music industry had stayed the same.
Where'd the band name
come from?
We had been trying to find a good name for at least a month.
We did a show under the name Stoneage (lol). I wanted to have a stoner
reference in the name, Frey suggested the Baritones over facebook and it made
me think about Hazytones. Right then and there we kept it and it felt right
You have one chance,
what movie are you going to write the soundtrack for?
I'm a big fan of old westerns (Sergio Leone, Clint Eastwood,
Tarantino) but the music on those movies is already pretty good! So I would say
the next film by Tarantino, I would love to do some desert rock/stoner on one
of Tarantino's or even Scorsese!
You now write for a
music publication (The Ripple Effect?).
You're going to write a 1,000 word essay on one song. Which would it be
and why?
Probably Marked by the Devil, cause it's a metaphoric dark
vision of life that I enjoy singing live. I assume people can relate to it in
any ways they want.
Come on, share with
us a couple of your great, Spinal Tap, rock and roll moments?
Well there are so many things that I can't say in an
interview (lol). Touring is all about the after party's in my opinion. If you
don't enjoy the after show's well it must be tough to be on the road. One night
on our last tour we were playing in Prince
Albert, Saskatchewan,
not a big town. I could not find a venue so we ended up in a library with 3
other bands. I managed to get a liquor license to sell in 30 minutes
(gotta love Saskatchewan),
so obviously we got drunk. Just when we started our set about 8 stoner kids
walked in and knew all of our lyrics. They invited us for a crazy after party
at their place. This is what makes the road fun, you never know what to expect.
Tell us about playing
live and the live experience for you and for your fans?
Playing live is something magical almost spiritual. Nothing
else compares to a band and an audience connecting. What's great about being on
tour is when you play your set every night, you start to improvise some things
but you feel confident about them. What makes a great live experience is when
the crowd turns you on (we usually end up acting crazy on stage when that
happens) which then turns the crowd on. I think nothing beats this feeling.
What makes a great
song?
I think good hooks will make a great song. A lot of things
can be a hook, a great riff, a good melody or the arrangements. But you need
something that, from the first listen will make you go; what is this I'm
hearing, it caught my attention. I think you have to stay away from having a
sound that is too similar to somethings that's been made. I am not saying our
music is reinventing anything but I want people to recognize the Hazytones
sound as soon as they hear a couple of notes.
Tell us about the
first song you ever wrote?
What piece of your
music are particularly proud of?
Well I am definitely not proud of the first songs I wrote. To
me my first real album was The Hazytones. And we wrote the music when the band
was fairly new so, I am really eager to get a second album out. I feel like
this one is really going to be the album of a lifetime, now that we gained a
lot of experience with the first album and the touring.
Who today, writes
great songs? Who just kicks your ass? Why?
Josh Homme is really doing great at the moment, I think he's
a really talented songwriter. I think King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard are on the right
track too, releasing so much new material like they were a 60's band gives me
hope that the market is big enough for lot's of new music. Ty Segall is also a
good example, he gets involved in multiple projects, he's always touring, and
he has killer material. Also a big shout to smaller stoner bands like Elephant
Tree, Black Mastifs, and Mothership (which is becoming huge).
Vinyl, CD, or
digital? What's your format of choice?
Vinyl to me, is the only real format for listening to music
the way it was meant. It is the only format that is going to make you listen to
the albums the way the artist wanted you to listen to it. Digital is made a bit
more for ''hits''. Nowadays if you have one strong hit on an bad album your
band can still get a lot of exposure but it will never be as rewarding as
having a good full length.
Whiskey or beer? And defend your choice
Whiskey!!! If all venues could bring me coca-cola, whiskey
and ice I would be a happy cat. I'm a big fan of bourbon and old fashions too.
The problem with whiskey is if you have only 2 drink tickets, you will last
longer with two pints than two whiskey coke.
We, at the Ripple
Effect, are constantly looking for new music. What's your home town, and when
we get there, what's the best record store to lose ourselves in?
I grew up in a really small town with no record store. But
if you're in Montreal
check out ''La table tournante'' (the turn table) it's the best in the city in
my opinion.
What's next for the
band?
More touring cause we enjoy it so much. We want to hit the
U.S.A in January and Europe again in April. Between
those tour we will work on an second album that is 60-70% written.
Any final comments or
thoughts you'd like to share with our readers, the waveriders?
Continue to support emerging bands and go see them live! You
guys are making bands go somewhere. I am really thrilled with the ''stoner''
community, you guys are rad and I love you all.
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