....Oh, hello there. I didn't see you come in. Welcome to NxEW unplugged, or something. Today I have the pleasure of sitting down with one of Canada's best bands...
Two Hours Traffic (THT) from Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. Of course THT is made up of four UPEI science grads that have taken to the artsy music scene (like that angle hasn't been beaten to death, eh?)... THT has now put out four discs (
April Storm EP,
Two Hours Traffic LP,
Isolator EP and
Little Jabs LP). I caught up with the lads to ask them a few questions that were burning my brain as well as the rest of the gang at NxEW! If you have any questions about the interview or if you just want to e-mail me to see if the interview changed my life, do it (
[email protected]). So without further delay here is what transpired:
NxEW: What is your fellas favorite band in Canada right now?
THT: It's tough to name just one. We've recently really been enjoying the new
Handsome Furs (Face Control) and
Dog Day (Concentration) records.
NxEW: Gotta love that Canadian content! What about a favorite place in Canada to play?
THT:
The Towne House Tavern in Sudbury might be our favorite. It has a grungy downstairs complete with beds and couches where the bands can sleep. Everybody has played there, from
Stompin Tom to
The Constantines. Also, the soundbooth is surrounded by a cage which is pretty cool. I have yet to see a beer bottle thrown at it, but I imagine it will be satisfying when I finally do.
NxEW: What is "Collegen Rock Records"/ Who's idea was it?
THT: It was the brainchild of
Alec O'Hanley (of THT) and
Ryan Crane (of Smothered In Hugs). The basic idea is to assemble a roster of bands so awesome that the world will be forced to take notice. We're almost there. At the moment it's made up of Two Hours Traffic, the Danks, Smothered In Hugs and Mardeen. It's not really much a record label right now, more a collective of bands, but I think eventually it will become a legit little label with national distribution and all that fancy stuff.
NxEW: Most people don't know that THT and
the Danks share two band members. How do you fellas fine tune that sort of thing when it comes to recording and touring?
THT: We try and play as many shows as we can together for a start. Despite the fact that playing in both bands causes twice as much sweat and possible tendinitis it is still worth it. As far as recording goes it hasn't really been an issue. We make sure to set aside time for both. The new Danks album is called "
ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DANKS" and should be out later this summer. All the kids will be talking about it.
NxEW: How do you think the influence
Joel Plaskett has had on THT has affected some of your Collegen Rock label-mates such as
The Danks and
Mardeen?
THT: I'm not sure that it has. Joel has given us lots of little recording and songwriting tips that we've passed on I'm sure but for the most part
Mardeen,
Smothered In Hugs and
the Danks tend to do their own things.
NxEW: Is there a working title for the upcoming album, and if not can you
make a cool one up on the spot?
THT: It will be called "
Territory". If i'm forced to come up with a cool alternative I suppose I'll go with the worst thing I can think of, "
Gridlock". or maybe "
Traffic Jammed".
NxEW: ...come on, Traffic Jammed would be so...awesome? How many tracks can we expect?
THT: It should be 12 tracks.
NxEW: What is THT's new favorite song to play from the upcoming album?
THT: We've only played a handful of them live so far but "
Happiness Burns" and "
Drop Alcohol" seem to get the toes tappin'
NxEW: On your tour this past fall with
The Danks and
Hey Rosetta! how much of your new stuff did you get to play/ test out at different shows? and what was it like touring with those fellas?
THT: It was a hoot touring with them. Hey Rosetta! are a real powerhouse band live. It's tough to follow them as at that point in the night the girls are usually all screamed out.
The Danks were a nuisance but that was no surprise. Interesting fact:
Brohan (The Danks lead singer) ate only Subway tuna subs for the entire month long tour. He's never been the same.
NxEW: What was it like having your last album, Little Jabs, nominated for a Polaris Prize? and do you find it has changed THT at all?
THT: It was great. More than anything it was a nice pat on the back and let us know we're on the right track. Going to the Polaris Prize ceremony was amazing. We got to see all of the nominees perform while kicking back with a fancy bottle of Grey Goose vodka, or was it Belvedere?...it hasn't really changed the band. We don't feel any more pressure or anything like that. Hopefully when the new album comes out it will cause a few more people to give it a listen. That would be nice.
NxEW: When can the vast reaches of Canada expect to see you again? Any details on a potential tour?
THT: I imagine in the fall we'll start touring pretty hard. Hopefully we'll get to travel to a few new places.
NxEW: Last question, if for some reason Two Hours Traffic had to pick a new band name what would it be and why?
THT:
Johnny Tungsten and the Transition MetalsNxEW: Right...the whole chemistry thing...thanks for all your time, gents!
Labels: Canada, Concentration, danks, Dog Day, Face Control, Handsome Furs, Hey Rosetta, Mardeen, Prince Edward Island, Smothered in Hugs, Territory, THT, Two Hours Traffic
