LOOKOUT » Interviews

Interview: Sean Nicholas Savage

Rachel — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 07:13:43 +0000

Sean Nicholas Savage is one of a kind. In the past three years he’s released nine albums that crack the essence of human strength and weakness. His confidence is manifested in his sincere vocals and sentimental, folk-infused lyrics; a perfect fit for that intimate time in the morning when you kiss your lover’s chin. We’re lucky to share the city he calls home, but we were even luckier to catch up with him in the greenroom of DIY performing/recording space Shea Stadium in Brooklyn, NY as he sipped Remy Martin straight from the bottle, before taking the stage in his socks.

We discussed his prolific history, what’s happening in the Mile-End, and what to expect from his tenth album due out this fall on Montreal’s promise, Arbutus Records.

RW: You’re from Edmonton, Alberta. When and why did you move to Montreal?

When I was 20 or so, a lot of friends I was living with were moving to Vancouver and a few of my friends had moved to Montreal. I was in a few bands when I was younger, one of which was with my good, friend David Carriere (Tops), we had a band called the Silly Kissers. But I started playing solo that year that my friends were moving and I’d visited David in Montreal, and he said the rent is really really good there for Canada, some of the best rent, really affordable, that I could move there and not work too much and really focus on music. So David and I got back together and made more music. A big part of it was music.

Nine albums in the past three years! Where do you find the inspiration to write all those songs?

I listen to a lot of music. I love music. There’s a lot happening in my life, there’s a lot happening in everyone’s lives. So it depends on the size of the thing you’re writing about or how much it means to you. I feel like I haven’t written about that much, but I guess I’ve said quite a bit in those nine albums. Little stories, ya know? A lot can happen in a weekend and you can make a song out of that.

Do you think you’ve developed or changed as an artist over the span of all that work?

Very much. I think my production out of three have gotten a third better, and I think my writing and story-telling have gotten a lot stronger, although maybe my vocabulary hasn’t become too much more complex. You know how I said there’s a lot of ideas in a weekend? The ones that I choose, and what I think about them and my ideas on life continue to grow because I’m 25 now, I’m getting older and I’m just gonna get smarter and smarter, wiser, I mean, not smarter. I think the things I’m saying, I’m getting better at having more ideas and being more entertaining with my lyrics and getting a strong, moving message across that someone can learn from, less big brother stuff.

On sounds changing throughout the albums…

Flamingo was really chill. I thought, ‘nobody listens to music that’s loud, everybody’s making dinner or getting up in the morning and putting on music to chill out to.’ So I want to make something very chill on the next one too. But now I’m finding myself sometimes putting on things like The Cure, Talk Talk, or some Puff Daddy, or ya know, something that does pump me up before I go out. I want to make some music that doesn’t really pump you up before you go out, but that you can put on when you’re having friends over for drinks and you actually do want to be a little bit excited.

What can we expect to hear from your tenth album? I heard you’ve been sampling with soundtracks from classic movies…

Well, I’ve been studying, I have also been sampling too. The one thing I realized the other day is I think I’m gonna sample them before I release it and try to recreate the sound that I sample so there’s not any problem with legal stuff there or other people using the same sounds. But I have been studying soundtracks so I can create a greater instrumental album. I’m highly influenced by Bernard Herman (Psycho). The thing that’s so amazing about Psycho is that if you listen to it walking down the street or something, it’s really scary. I think its so incredible; any other type of music can make you sad or happy, sad like a ballad or happy like some reggae or something, but Bernard Herman’s music, especially for the Psycho soundtrack, it really is frightening. And it’s so inspiring when I find myself being frightened, I’m like “wow, he created a scary feeling in my world. He made the world scary.” Soundtracks are cool like that, and I really wanna be influenced by that, it’s just really difficult to do that especially in pop music…But I don’t really know what you can expect from the next thing that comes out. Obviously I get all jacked up and I think these grandiose ideas, likes its gonna be this or that, but you can’t really plan it. Whatever I just come out with, obviously you are what you eat, but just still eating your favorite stuff all the time even if you’re sampling.

Your label, Arbutus, was born out of the art/loft space, Lab Synthèse. What were you doing at Lab before it became the Arbutus label?

I played shows there because it was a venue, much like this one (and a living space I don’t know if this is a living space). I started performing there about a week after I got to Montreal and I was living in an apartment that was inconvenient and kind of expensive alone, so I moved into Lab Synthèse, started living there, and we all became good friends. I recorded a lot of albums with Sebastien, the guy who runs Arbutus Records, and I would tour around a bit in Canada until Lab Synthèse came to an end, but Sebastien already had a label with myself, Claire Boucher (Grimes), and a few other bands on it. We were slowly picking up bands, and Silly Kissers joined the label eventually, then slowly turned it into Tops with a few different members, so it’s evolved a bit. I lived in my next apartment with Sebastien which was right nearby there when we had to move out of Lab Synthèse, and now I have a different apartment. A lot of valid, driven music came out of there.

Favorite memory from Lab?

It was a really calm place, lots of good sunlight in the afternoon. There was this graphic artist, or 3D artist, his name’s Jason Harvey, he’s a pretty well-known visual artist. He threw a party with another guy, Michael Farsky called Demon Night at Lab Synthèse and it was this heavily themed, like themed themed all night party, and I think I’ll always remember that party, it’s one of my most fond memories. It was so special, it took so much planning that it was basically a performing arts piece, but a real one. It had a séance, and a giant worm, and clokes, everyone wore tie-dyed clokes, hundreds of people.

What’s the creative exchange like between label-mates and those outside the immediate circle?

Everyone in the Arbutus family lives relatively close on the same block in the Mile End. So, we’re hanging out all the time, going to the same parties, playing music at these parties…same influences. And I think it’s all relatively young people. I think there’s a lot of music around North America that fits the Arbutus sound, it’s a pretty broad sound. It’s a strong label, I guess with Claire doing really well, which is super inspiring, and the subsidiary of Arbutus, Moviestar Records has had a few artists on it that are really really special, and have more coming too. But we can’t just put anyone on the label, there’s no room and we don’t have any power to offer them, so the label is sort of full up. But people are gonna be sliding to different other, obviously American labels or something. Chris d’Eon is amazing and there’s Mozart’s Sister, just tons of great acts putting out things. And what’s exciting also on Moviestar Records is people putting out albums where they don’t even play live. I know people who are just making great art, and its not some hot new track that they’re gonna go out and perform, tour around, and promote. But it’s maybe seeing a bit of attention because of the label hopefully, if people go and look at some of the stuff on the site there’s some free albums on there that are really inspired and not trying to be popular or anything like that, and that’s also something to be said for pop music, because obviously Arbutus is a pop label.

Remember when you performed at Tokyo Bar for the LOOKOUT BBQ? You were the only live act to play that party on a club rooftop amongst DJ’s. How did that performance go over in your mind?

I pride myself on the fact that I’ve played a lot of shows where I was sort of an inappropriate act and I think I have the ability to make myself as appropriate as I can, and sometimes it’s a little difficult. I judge sort of what these people need to be listening to right now and I think to myself, well not quite what I should be doing, but I have a bit of pride in my work, so I’ll try to focus their attention towards it or if they won’t, I can back off a bit. I’m not afraid to play to the audience and do what’s appropriate. So I think I’ve dealt with some pretty difficult situations, some of which are just plain impossible, but I do enjoy my music myself so it’s not total garbage.

What exactly is going on in your video, “You Changed Me?”

Angus, the director wrote a pretty big script. It certainly has to do with the different aspects of my personality battling each other. There’s the happy go lucky, the loose, go with the flow, chill guy, and then there’s the business sort of fancy guy, he’s pretty insane. The chill guy hears something the business guy doesn’t and that really frustrates him. At the end, the free guy realizes he’s in danger when the crazy/intense guy loses his shit, so the free guy throws this magic powder at him that makes the other one freeze and disappear. The image of me singing in the bedroom is just me singing, no big meaning to that.

Ready for the next Arbutus, LOOKOUT, UNO party?

Absolutely, I’ll be there.

See our earlier interviews with other Arbutus Records’ artists: Grimes, Braids, and Blue Hawaii.

Sean Nicholas Savage releases his 10th album on the same label, Fall 2012.

INTERVIEW: Raekwon (Wu-Tang Clan)

uncle-jesse — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 15:01:18 +0000

Our exclusive interview with The Chef after his live performance on October 14, 2011 at Le Belmont, Montreal.

Interview: Dam-Funk & Master Blazter

uncle-jesse — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 18:57:00 +0000

‎Dam-Funk & Master Blazter are some of the most interesting, talented, humble, nice-guys we’ve had the pleasure of working with. This is the last interview J-1 (of Master Blazter) filmed, live at Le Belmont. R.I.P.

Interview: Lunice at LOOKOUT x Pop Montreal

uncle-jesse — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 18:45:58 +0000

Lunice (Photo: Ed Gumuchian / ForYourBenefit.ca)

Big welcome home to the homie Lunice, who’s just coming off a whirlwind of European and Australian dates that followed our Pop Montreal show with Araabmbuzik in September. We caught up with Lunice before his set to rap about his new EP, One Hunned, his collabo with Ango and Prison Garde: Nouveau Palais, and whats next for the local producer turned globetrotter.

Lunice catches a couple days at home before heading out on a final tour of 2011, across the U.S. & Canada in November. Hats off to Montreal’s finest young son. Get it! One Hunned.

Interview: Azealia Banks at LOOKOUT x Pop Montreal

uncle-jesse — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 21:22:58 +0000

Current darling of blogs and bootie-shakers alike, Azaelia Banks is on a one way ticket to the top right now. We caught up with her after she wowed the crowd with rapid fire raps at our Pop Montreal 2011 show. Away from the stage it’s clear that beneath her exuberant persona lies a remarkably humble and self-effacing character for someone so talented.

INTERVIEW: AraabMUZIK at LOOKOUT x Pop Montreal

uncle-jesse — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 21:04:46 +0000

AraabMUZIK. Photo: Ed Gumuchian / ForYourBenefit.ca

It’s easy to be dazzled by Araab’s outrageous skill with an MPC. Sure, the guy knows his way around the buttons and knobs, but Araab’s greatest skill is the precision with which he matches his samples to drums. There’s no other way to put it, the man is a musician’s musician. We were lucky enough to catch up with Araab after our show at Pop Montreal 2011 and spend some time with a producer who is surely only at the start of a long and successful career.

More coverage of the night in the live footage here, and photos

INTERVIEW: KINGDOM + NGUZUNGUZU

uncle-jesse — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 20:56:30 +0000

Kingdom + Nguzunguzu (Photo: Ed Gumuchian / ForYourBenefit.ca)

Kingdom has been around the musical block, so to speak. Over the last few years he’s put in the hours and put out a range of genre-defying and forward-thinking tracks on a number of great labels. In fact he’s even recently started his own imprint ‘Fade to Mind’. First release on Kingdom’s label? The ‘Timesup EP’ by Nguzunguzu, a duo similarly respected for pushing the boundaries of contemporary dance music. We managed to catch up with both Kingdom and Nguzunguzu before our show at Pop Montreal 2011, and the meeting of wise experience and youthful verve was as insightful off stage as their music is bumping on it.

Photos from the night over here.

Interview: Kid Sister at LOOKOUT x Pop Montreal

uncle-jesse — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 20:34:05 +0000

Kid Sister (Photo: Ed Gumuchian / ForYourBenefit.ca)

‘Star quality’. They say you’re either born with it or you’re not. By that definition Kid Sister must have some of the best genes in show-business right now. Not only do her beats sparkle with the pizazz we would expect from a protege of Kanye West, but off stage she has the charisma to match. Her effortless charm almost disarmed our entire crew when we caught up with her for a chat before her show at Pop Montreal 2011.

Interview: 2010 RBMA Participant Poirier

tia — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 00:41:01 +0000

Each year, the Red Bull Music Academy brings together a potpourri of some of the most innovative producers, vocalists, DJs and instrumentalists from all around the world—and one of them was Montreal’s very own Poirier. LOOKOUT recently got the goods on the DJ/producer’s experience during the RBMA in London, just before an exciting weekend for Poirier: Karnival v.9 at Le Belmont on Friday, JunoFest at Toronto’s Wrongbar on Saturday, and the Juno Awards on Sunday. Cheer for him on March 27th, as he is up for his second Juno; this time around his album Running High is nominated for Electronic Album of the Year. Despite all that activity, this particular interview focused on one place and one moment in history: the 2010 Red Bull Music Academy in London. To apply for this year’s Red Bull Music Academy in Tokyo, or for more information, click here.

London is a unique place as home to many immigrants from around the world, and more specifically, as having a strong Jamaican diaspora. How did the RBMA’s two-week-long session, and especially that exposure to the London scene, affect your music?

It had already been an influence for a long time. Since 1991, London, the UK, has deeply influenced my love of the bass coming from the sound system culture that Jamaicans brought into the UK back in the ’50s and ’60s (I highly recommend watching the BBC documentary Reggae Britannia about that specific subject). The UK urban scene, from ragga jungle to UK Garage, from Hip-Hop to UK Funky, has deep roots in the Jamaican sound system culture. Being part of the RBMA in 2010 gave me the opportunity to see that scene and be part of it. It also gave me a spot to DJ with Face-T at the Notting Hill Carnival in August 2010 at the RBMA x Major Lazer stage. Playing soca in that context was SO nice.

What RBMA lecture did you find the most inspiring?

The gold medal goes to Gabriel Roth from Daptone Records who was super honest and direct. I’ve been following what he’s been doing since day one and I really respect what he has achieved. I remember buying The Daktaris CD a long time ago. It was discounted at Archambault probably because at that time nobody knew what the hell that afrobeat CD with lions on the cover was. I love when stores don’t know when they have gold.

Mark Ronson was quite interesting, sharing some stories from the inside.

As well, seeing Steve Reich in person was something I was looking forward to.

I read that out of the sixty artists chosen for 2010′s RBMA, there were four Canadians and three of those four were from Montreal. This can’t be a coincidence, if you ask me. What is it about Montreal artists?!

What is it about Montreal, we might even say. I think Montreal gives people a nice context to think, elaborate, meet and create. The city size is perfect. Big enough to be a big city, but not too big so people have time to chill and have a quality of life. These ingredients all together give artists fresh air to expand their thoughts into reality.

I was looking through this year’s RBMA application and it was extensive, but also really thought-provoking (for instance, one question made me recall the records that bring me to tears). Do you remember the funniest or most interesting answer you gave when you applied?

I still have the scans, let me check. To the question: “Which technical set-up do you usually utilize for your musical activities?” I answered: “The best plug-ins are IDEAS.”

And later to the question: “What’s the things you can live without and why?” I answered: “Food. Water. It’s pretty obvious.”

Do you have any advice for this year’s applicants?

Do it. Be honest. No need to brag. It’s about music. It’s about the love of music. Making it, discovering it, sharing it. You don’t need to pretend you’re somebody else and if you’re trying to be somebody else for any reason, please save yourself some time and go play outside with the kids.

Interview: 2010 RBMA Participant Amenta

tia — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 02:25:25 +0000

Amenta, a Toronto-born vocalist with an electro-soul sound, was one of the sixty participants in 2010’s Red Bull Music Academy in London. She has collaborated with Portformat, fLako and more recently, Mau’lin on a funky project dubbed “Deeper Than The Sun.” LOOKOUT recently interviewed her by email and got a glimpse into her overflowing memories of her time in London and what her musical career is like post-RBMA. To apply for this year’s Red Bull Music Academy in Tokyo, or for more information, click here. The application phase ends April 4, 2011.

LOOKOUT: How did you decide to apply to RBMA?

Amenta: I heard about RBMA in 2007 when it was being held in Toronto. I saw Muhsinah perform and a friend Jesse Ohtake encouraged me to apply. By the end of 2008, I was reminded by another friend, My Man Henri, and thought I really need to do it this year. I attended the info session where Flying Lotus was speaking at RBMA Toronto and was further inspired by his account of his experience.

Do you have a hunch as to why you were picked over all the other applicants?

You mean they didn’t pick me for my amazing hula-hoop skills?? Well then I don’t know.

What’s your most profound memory from your time at the Academy?

There are sooo many to choose from. But the show I did with Hasan at the ICA (Institute of Contemporary Arts) comes to mind. I remember telling myself: “do not **** up.” I recall seeing my classmates at the very front screaming and cheering and I got all choked up. The audience was sooo amazing and I received a lot of love and support afterwards. It was a memorable night.

How has your experience with RBMA affected your musical career? Has it affected your sound or musical style?

It has helped me meet wonderful fellow artists. Who you know and who you vibe with is VERY important. The power of partnerships and friendships is not to be underestimated as a strong force that can drive and influence your career. I’m so thankful to know the people I have met through RBMA. There were a lot of instrumentalists in my term – this has influenced me greatly and allowed me to really dig deeper vocally and find new approaches with melodies and much more. One man in particular who helped me discover my potential is Hasan Hujairi – Oud Master. As I touched on before, our performance at the Institute of Contemporary Arts really taught me a lot about myself. As well, being a participant of RBMA looks damn good on your resume. Upon hearing that you were a participant, people who know you give you major points and people who don’t are inclined to learn more – and that’s worldwide. It’s pretty amazing.

You recently collaborated with another class of 2010 participant, Mau’lin. What’s life like post-Academy in terms of sustaining relationships?

Life is good! Most of us are pretty tight. A week will not pass without me talking to at least 5 or 6 of my 2010 classmates or term 2 homies. We roll deep . We hit each other up for vocals or drums or relationship advice. Not to give away our class secrets, but we still use our group email to connect. It’s a beautiful thing. We continue to collaborate and share ideas and/or goals for the future or simply make faces at each other on Skype. We really support each other. They are definitely family.

Do you have any advice for this year’s RBMA applicants?

Be yourself. Put as much of yourself into your application as possible. Leave an imprint. By the time you’re finished your application, RBMA people should be able to tell what you smell like. I’m not joking . Let your funk shine.