Burger Boogaloo 2017 announces lineup with John Waters returning as host.

BURGER BOOGALOO, JULY 1-2 IN OAKLAND, ANNOUNCE 2017 LINE-UP!

IGGY POP, JOHN WATERS, X, BUZZCOCKS, GUITAR WOLF, AND MORE!

“I’ve been a punk at heart even before there was such a thing and hosting Burger Boogaloo always ups my street cred. I’m the oldest juvenile delinquent there.”
– John Waters

Today, Oakland’s favorite music festival (as voted by the readers of the East Bay Express), Burger Boogaloo, which happens July 1st & 2nd at Mosswood Park, announces its line-up for 2017, and whoo-boy it’s a doozy. The most ambitious lineup yet, Burger Boogaloo is celebrating its 5th year at Mosswood by announcing Iggy Pop, Buzzcocks, X, Guitar Wolf, and many more will be joining this year’s festivities. And naturally, the event will be hosted by the inimitable John Waters yet again (his third year as host! If that’s not a seal of approval, we don’t know what is!). Every year the Burger Boogaloo surprises the audience with its unique, over-the-top stage sets and productions. Last year the Mummies drove in to the park in their 1966 Pontiac Bonneville Mummies Mobile, and played their headlining set on top of the car. What surprises are in store this year? Who the hell knows?

Because Mosswood Park has always been so generous to the Boogaloo, this year, the festival donated 100% of the first week of early bird ticket sales to the park to help rebuild their recreation center, which burned down last year. If you’d like to contribute to Mosswood Park’s Rec Center fund, you can do so here. Burger Boogaloo would like to thank all who purchased those tickets for their donations to Mosswood.

Tickets go on sale at 10 AM PST/1PM EST, with 2-day general admission passes for $129 and VIP 2-day passes for $199 (includes a swag bag with mixtape, a college diploma, and more, as well as unlimited exit/reentry privileges!). Single-day tickets can be purchased for Saturday and Sunday at $99 and $69, respectively. Tickets can be purchased here: http://burgerboogaloo.com/.

 SATURDAY, JULY 1ST
Iggy Pop
Guitar Wolf
NoBunny
Baby Shakes
Bloodshot Bill
Personal & The Pizzas
Wounded Lion
Car Crash

SUNDAY, JULY 2ND
Buzzcocks
X
NRBQ
Roy Loney (Flamin’ Groovies)
Shannon & The Clams
Quintron & Ms. Pussycat
La Luz
Jacuzzi Boys
Glitter Wizard

Burger Boogaloo Online:
http://burgerboogaloo.com/

Rewind Review: The Beatles – Rubber Soul (1965)

I know what you’re thinking: “You’ve never heard Rubber Soul before?” I have, but I’ve never owned a copy. Now you’re thinking: “You’ve never owned Rubber Soul before?” It’s true. I haven’t because I have some of the songs on mix tapes and multiple tracks from it can be heard on local FM classic rock radio eight days a week. I finally found a decent price copy at a local wrecka stow and snagged it.

I don’t know what I can write about Rubber Soul that hasn’t already been written, but it’s one of their best and my favorites. I like how it bridges the gap between their bubble gum stuff and their complete psychedelic freak-outs.

Opening with a track like “Drive My Car” is genius because it gives the listener (and DJ back then) a surefire hit right out of the gate. Those same DJs and fans must’ve been flattened by “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)” when it followed with Harrison’s sitar riffs. “You Won’t See Me” harkens back a bit to their earlier pop days and hints at Paul McCartney’s future material with Wings.

Speaking of hints, “Nowhere Man” is a precursor to the political statements the band would eventually make when they had even more freedom to do whatever they wanted in the studio. “Think for Yourself” is almost a dirty blues dis on a woman, and “The Word” is early hippie rock mixed with funk. “Michelle,” with its English and French lyrics, was another surefire winner in the UK and Europe.

The country groove of “What Goes On,” with Ringo Starr on lead vocals, was probably another surprise to Beatles fans back in 1965, but I’m sure the casual fans breathed a sigh of relief when “Girl” followed, as it sounds like a throwback to their early records and love songs with John Lennon and Paul McCartney sharing lead vocals. “I’m Looking through You” is almost a flipside of “Girl,” in that the girl in question is no longer an object of love but one of confusion and frustration.

Lennon and McCartney could very well have retired after “In My Life,” because it’s one of the most beautiful songs ever given to the human race. We’re all glad they didn’t, but it’s a song that would’ve probably made me hang it up if I were a songwriter in 1965. I would’ve thought, “Well, I can’t top that.”

“Wait” is a fun rock ballad, and “If I Needed Someone” gave George Harrison a crack at lead vocals for a change. I love how the album ends with “Run for Your Life,” in which Lennon tells his girl that he’ll kill her if she cheats on him. It’s a shocking song from the guys who used to sing “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and “Please Please Me.”

The Beatles wanted to shake things up in 1965, and they did. Rubber Soul changed everything (a feat the Beatles did multiple times) for them and us.

Keep your mind open.

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Turn to Crime – Secondary

Detroit’s Turn to Crime have given us a cool record, Secondary, that I’ve read described as “record store clerk rock.” It’s not a bad description, because the whole album is full of stuff that would make you stop in your tracks and ask, “What is this?” if you heard it in a record store.

Starting with the funk bass and krautrock guitars of “Dead Man,” Secondary brings to mind beatnik dance parties and art happenings. Remember happenings? We need more happenings, and Turn to Crime seem to be providing the soundtrack for them with this record. “Chasing” is part-industrial, part-Warren Zevon and about being fed up with love, relationships, and drama (“I don’t feel like chasing you around,” they sing.).

“Get Your Pills from Tony,” a song about a drug dealer, has dark wave synths, distorted guitars, and sounds like an early Devo track. “Fall Down” brings psych-synths into the mix, showing that Turn to Crime is willing to give anything a go if it sounds good and is pure to their vision (and wait until the drums kick in!). The title track is outstanding with its hypnotic guitar riffs and late 70’s new wave synths.

“Her Love” is almost a Gary Wilson track (in terms of the lyrics about “real love”), except that it has underlying fuzz that’s absent in Wilson’s work. It’s a nice switch from the psych / no-wave guitar-driven material on the earlier tracks. “Don’t Let Go” is similar in theme (Don’t let love go once you’ve found it.), but the weird, warped guitars and vocals take the song deeper into no-wave rock. The album ends with “Mary Jean’s Chocolate Pie,” a song about a special dessert only served once a year. It’s weird and just what you’d expect from Turn to Crime by the time you get to the end of the record – a strange ending for an interesting record.

This is the quirkiest and most intriguing record I’ve heard in months. I need to track down more stuff by these guys, and I think a live show by them would be cool to say the least. Turn to Turn to Crime.

Keep your mind open.

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Ron Gallo – Heavy Meta

I first heard Ron Gallo when I saw him open for Screaming Females last year. I was impressed by his mix of punk, blues, and garage rock and picked up his EP, RG3. That EP was one of my favorite records of 2016, so I was eager to hear his full-length debut, Heavy Meta. I’m sure it will be right up there with my favorite records of 2017.

Beginning with his sure-to-be classic, “Young Lady You’re Scaring Me,” Heavy Meta gets off to a solid start with Gallo’s sizzling surf sound guitar and near-crazed vocals about a crazy lover he fears but just can’t ditch. “Put the Kids to Bed” is a 1960’s psychedelic freak-out / freak-on as Gallo pleads with his lover for a kinky quickie even though he realizes they may have passion but love has long since checked out (“When we were young, we said, ‘One day, honey, you and I we’re going to share a grave.’ I didn’t know it’d come so soon.”).

“Kill the Medicine Man” is blues filtered through a lava lamp in Marc Bolan’s living room. “Poor Traits of the Artist” continues the crunchy fuzz that Gallo and his band mates have not only embraced but mastered stunningly early in their careers. “Why Do You Have Kids?” is a hysterical diatribe against people who can’t take care of themselves trying to take care of children. “The kid’s got nothin’ to look up or forward to, no chance,” Gallo sings. We all know someone like that, and Gallo blares out the words we desperately want to say to him or her.

“Please Yourself” reveals Gallo’s love of sixties garage rock (listen to that near-bop beat for starters). “Black Market Eyes” switches gears and becomes a ballad that would make Wolfmother envious with its desert rock-like sound and rough-edged vocals. “Can’t Stand You” is an angry kiss-off to an ex. “Started a War” is a lazy psych-rock reverb dream about a woman storming out on Gallo for reasons he can’t figure (“Started a war, and all I said was nothin’.”).

“Don’t Mind the Lion” is about another woman Gallo wishes he could comfort after she’s fallen on hard times. The album ends with “All the Punks Are Domesticated,” in which Gallo offers a eulogy for everyone who thought they were going to stick it to the Man and change the world but have instead sold out and opted for smartphone screens and a world in which “Pop-Tarts climb the pop charts” and “No one really has anything to say.” He’s mostly right. Hardly anyone wants to do anything dangerous in the world of art and would rather talk about him or herself than have a conversation about anything that might challenge the fragile ecosystem they’ve built around them. Gallo even thinks that he’ll “be forgotten in two generations.”

He won’t be if he keeps up albums like this, however. He’s not only made a good rock record (which we need more than ever these days), he’s given us a glass of cold water in the face. Wake up and do something. Start with getting this album.

Keep your mind open.

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The Black Angels’ new album, Death Song, due April 21, 2017.

Austin, Texas’ psych-rock wizards The Black Angels are dropping their newest album, Death Song, on April 21st and have announced a spring tour starting in Nashville and ending in Austin.  The first single off the new album, “Currency,” is already out and a great listen.

You can find all the tour dates, album pre-sale bundles that include things like T-shirts and posters, and the lyric video for “Currency” here.

Oh yeah, they’re also touring with A Place to Bury Strangers, so don’t miss this tour.

Keep your mind open.

Kane Strang’s first U.S. tour starts in March.

Kane Strang Shares New Single, “Oh So You’re Off I See”
Listen Here
Debut North American Tour Starts Next Month

“Strang has a gift for pulling diamonds from the rough” – Pitchfork
Kane Strang has shared new music for the first time since 2016’s Blue Cheese in the form of “Oh So You’re Off I See.” It’s the first single from the New Zealander’s forthcoming album that he is currently putting the finishing touches on. That record is due out later this year on Dead Oceans.

On “Oh So You’re Off I See,” Strang has moved away from the bedroom and into the studio. The song is robust and bright, showcasing his new collaborative approach to recording and writing with his band. The four-piece twists Strang’s melodies upside down and pushes his hooks inside out.

Strang’s North American tour kicks off next month at Baby’s All Right in Brooklyn and takes him to Savannah Stopover, SXSW and Treefort. These are his first shows ever outside of New Zealand. A full list of dates is below.

Listen to Kane Strang’s “Oh So You’re Off I See”:
https://youtu.be/l1VLO17X3Is
https://soundcloud.com/deadoceans/kane-strang-oh-so-youre-off-i-see

Kane Strang Tour Dates:
Thu. Feb. 23 – Dunedin, NZ @ None Gallery
Fri. Feb. 24 – Auckland, NZ @ Cassette 9 (w/ Fazerdaze)
Sat. Feb. 25 – Wellington, NZ @ Caroline (w/ Fazerdaze)
Fri. March 3 – Brooklyn, NY @ Baby’s All Right
Sun. March 5 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s
Mon. March 6 – Washington, DC @ DC9
Tue. March 7 – Richmond, VA @ Strange Matter
Wed. March 8 – Durham, NC @ The Pinhook
Thu. March 9 – Savannah, GA @ Savannah Stopover Music Festival
Fri. March 10 – Tallahassee, FL @ The Wilbury
Sat. March 11 – New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa
Sun. March 12 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall
Mon. March 13-Sun. March 19 – Austin, TX @ SXSW
Mon. March 20 – Santa Fe, NM @ Meow Wolf
Tue. March 21 – Denver, CO @ Lost Lake
Wed. March 22 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court
Thu. March 23 – Boise, ID @ Treefort Music Festival
Fri. March 24 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
Sat. March 25 – Vancouver, BC @ The Cobalt
Sun. March 26 – Seattle, WA @ The Vera Project
Wed. March 29 – San Francisco, CA @ Swedish American Hall
Thu. March 30 – Los Angeles, CA @ Bootleg Theater
Fri. March 31 – San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar

Cold Beat’s new album due out April 07, 2017.

COLD BEAT ANNOUNCES NEW ALBUM, CHAOS BY INVITATION, OUT 4/7 ON CRIME ON THE MOON

LISTEN TO FIRST SINGLE “62 MOONS

Today, Hannah Lew signals the return of Cold Beat with the announcement of her third album, Chaos By Invitation, out April 7th via her own Crime on the Moon label. As compared with previous releases, Chaos By Invitation began in Lew’s home, alone, with additional tracking done later by Phil Manley (Trans Am) at El Studio and Mikey Young (Total Control) – only to return to Lew’s home for completion over the course of many months. As a result, the offering is much more personal and direct than Into The Air, which was more of a band effort.  Collages from Lew’s home environment make up many of the textures of Chaos By, woven in to create an intimate atmosphere, a sort of chaos by necessity and design. The album also features performances by her friends Kyle King, Alex Shen, Jackson Blumgart, and Mikey Young.

Inspired musically by bands such as NEU! and Tubeway Army, Lew was also influenced by her own burgeoning interest in astronomy. The first single, “62 Moons,” is a song about love taken for granted, analogous to the 62 moons of Saturn, which are in constant loving orbit around a beautiful siren planet with many satellites. The artwork (above), done by Kevin McCarthy – of legendary Bay Area post-punk band Rank Xerox – was made to be machine readable, with some far distant expectation some synthetic intelligence would be able to understand this extremely personal and human album.

LISTEN TO “62 MOONS”
https://youtu.be/23PgtrBYOi8

“’62 Moons’ is the first single, a synth-pop song that swims in crystalline guitars a la Modern English, with a Brill Building romanticism. In its final minute, a wistful, whistling monosynth lead launches the track from Earth, as Lew exhales her ‘fade to black.'” – NPR Music

CHAOS BY INVITATION TRACKLISTING:
1. In Motion
2. Thin Ice
3. Don’t Touch
4. Black Licorice
5. UDW
6. 62 Moons
7. False Alarm
8. Chainmaille
9. Ivory Tower
10. Strawberry Moon
11. In Motion Reprise

PRAISE FOR INTO THE AIR

“Over the four years of its existence, San Francisco’s Cold Beat has made simultaneously dynamic and atmospheric post-punk that plays to Lew’s songwriting acumen and surreal lyricism.” – NPR Music

“Cold Beat’s second album, Into the Air, reaffirms Hannah Lew’s penchant for writing songs that are at once ebullient and subtly sinister.” – Rolling Stone (10 Artists You Need To Know)

“Only two albums in, Cold Beat have nailed wiry, wistful post-punk so well; they can already play with their sound in unexpected ways.” – Pitchfork

“For as much chemistry as this four-piece has, it’s still Lew’s sugar-sweet vocals — now soft and yielding, then tough and brittle — that convey the frustration [‘Cracks’] encompasses. Cold Beat whip these emotions into a beautiful storm, fusing anger and destruction into a glassy, pulsing missive.” – Stereogum

Preorder Chaos By Invitationhttp://apple.co/2kp7UVh

Cold Beat Online:
https://www.facebook.com/coldbeatsf
http://coldbeatsf.tumblr.com
https://soundcloud.com/cold-beat-2
http://www.crimeonthemoon.com/
https://twitter.com/ColdBeatSF

Clutch announces May U.S. tour.

CLUTCH ANNOUNCE MAY HEADLINE TOUR DATES ALONG WITH FIRST ANNUAL EARTH ROCKER FESTIVAL AT SHILEY ACRES IN INWOOD, WV 
February 8th, 2017 – Clutch has just announced a string of headline tour dates for May.  Supporting the tour will be Lucero and The Sword.  The band is also pleased to announce their first annual Earth Rocker Festival at Shiley Acres in Inwood, WV on May 20th.  Full line-up to be announced soon.  Pre-sale tickets will start at 10am ET today, public stale starts 10am ET on Friday.
Ticket info available here: https://ticket.artistarena.com/events/24585.
“We did a whole bunch of touring in 2016” states the band’s front man Neil Fallon.  “Right now, we’re cooling our heels and starting to kick around some riffs for the next record.  We hope to be recording the LP come the end of the year.  Where and with whom is yet TBD.  At the moment though, we’re really just at the beginning phase of writing and we already have a surplus of ideas.”
“In other news, this Spring we will be hosting the first annual Earth Rocker Festival.  It’ll take place in Shiley Acres, West Virginia.  We played at Shiley Acres last year and it was a real blast. Our intent is to have a really diverse bill.   If all goes as planned,  Earth Rocker Festival will continue as an annual event, hopefully growing in scope over the years.”
Psychic Warfare is the latest and eleventh studio effort from Clutch.  The disc debuted at No. 11 on the Billboard 200, No. 2 on the Billboard Independent,  No. 1 on the Billboard Hard Rock and Billboard Rock charts.  On Record Store Day this past April 16th Clutch released a limited edition numbered etched vinyl 12 inch that included two previously unreleased tracks from the Psychic Warfare sessions:  “Mad Sidewinder” and “Outland Special Clearance“.   Psychic Warfare was produced by longtime producer Machine (Lamb Of God, Every Time I Die).
Clutch, Lucero and The Sword May Tour Dates:
05-10-17 in Asheville, NC at Highland Brewing Company
05-12-17 in Louisville, KY at Palace Theatre
05-13-17 in Grand Rapids, MI at 20 Monroe Live
05-15-17 in Brooklyn, NY at Brooklyn Steel
05-16-17 in Providence, RI at Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel
05-17-17 in Port Chester, NY at The Capitol Theatre
05-19-17 in Norfolk, VA at The NorVa
05-20-17 in Inwood, WV  at “Earth Rocker Festival” at Shiley Acres
CLUTCH:
Neil Fallon – Vocals/Guitar
Tim Sult – Guitar
Dan Maines – Bass
Jean-Paul Gaster – Drums/Percussion
For more  information, check out the band’s website:
Official: www.pro-rock.com

Neon Coven releases new EP.

Neon Coven, the new industrial rock band from Los Angeles, CA, has released its debut EP “Risen today via New Ocean Media. Recorded in Hollywood, the EP was produced by Jacob Bunton. The EP consists of 4 tracks ranging from songs about survival and balance to emotionally charged anthems.
The EP can be streamed at this location: https://open.spotify.com/album/1DSKprFqDMWhoj8ttiY5d8
Neon Coven is comprised of Anthony Montemarano (vocals), Jacob Bunton (bass), Ace Von Johnson (guitar), and Kyle Cunningham (drums).
The album’s title Risen is a dedication to the fallen and broken who refuse to back down and give up on their dreams. “The idea behind music is to connect, create and inspire” states frontman Anthony Montemarano. “Between life and death, we are always riding the quantum edge.”
“These songs reflect on the uncertainties of life and coming to grips with our own mortality” adds bassist Jacob Bunton. “The only guarantee we have in life is that one day it will end.  It’s up to each one of us to create our own destiny and live life to it’s fullest. The world is full of ups and downs, but I’ve always believed in the Rocky Horror quote ‘if you can dream it, you can be it.”
From Los Angeles, CA, Neon Coven abandoned much of the ethos of the tradition of heavy rock to create an intellectual and theoretical sound, linked to an emphasis on anthemic, synth-heavy dance-rock.
Risen” track listing:
01. Down
02. No One Knows You’re Dead
03. Bleeding Love
04. Queen Of Scars
For more  information, check out the band’s Web Properties:

Partner interview – January 22, 2017

Josee Caron and Lucy Niles, otherwise known as Partner, were kind enough to sit down for an interview in the Schuba’s green room before their first-ever appearance in Chicago on January 22nd.  I learned about the origin of their band’s name, their love of pop music, that Josee Caron has a delightful laugh, that Lucy Niles has a mischievous smile (and is willing to destroy a coffee table to open a bottle of beer if necessary), and more.

7th Level Music: I discovered the two of you when I almost got to go to [Chicago’s] Riot Fest last year.

Lucy Niles: We almost got to go, too.

7LM: I was researching bands, and you were the second band I looked up.

LN: Oh, nice.

7LM: I heard “The ‘Ellen’ Page” and went, “Holy cow, I have to see these ladies,” and after that I found “Hot Knives” and I thought, “Yeah, I have to track these ladies down.”

LN: You found them.

Josee Caron (laughing): You were sold.

7LM: Yeah, two songs in and I was in.

7LM: So it fell through and I couldn’t make it to Riot Fest, but then I found out you two couldn’t make it either.  I’m sorry you couldn’t make it.

JC: It’s all good.  The visas were delayed.  There were a bunch of applications and the processing time just took longer, but we used that time to find who was going to mix the album and stuff.  We took that week to finish the record and got it sent off, so it was really a blessing in disguise.

7LM: When’s the record coming out?

JC: We don’t really know.

LN: We’re looking for…(looks at Josee, and then points at a mini-fridge) Actually, you go.  I’m going to grab one of these beers.

[Lucy will spend the next few minutes attempting to open a bottle of said beer without a bottle opener since one (for reasons unknown) wasn’t in the green room.]

JC: We’re looking for an American label to help us put it out.  We’re kind of working behind the scenes right now.  Everything’s done.  It just needs to be mastered.  It’s mixed by a guy named Chris Shaw.  He is known for working a lot with Ween, and he mixed the “blue album” by Weezer.  We wanted our guitars to sound kind of similar.  We don’t know when it’s going to come out, but sometime this year, likely the fall.

7LM: So you two were first in Mouthbreathers?

LN: Mouthbreathers, yeah.

7LM: [And] I found a great clip of you two in Go Get Fucked.

LN: Oh wow!  Where did you find that?

JC (almost rolling with laughter): What?

7LM: You were playing at some deli or something.

JC (still laughing): Yes!  That is crazy!

LN: Who posted that?  I thought our friend was the only one who had that!  That’s awesome.

7LM: It was hysterical.  It was a set where, Lucy, you dropped a drumstick halfway through it and kept going.  I thought, “That’s the greatest thing.”

LN: Yeah.  That was a long time ago.

7LM: The name alone is amazing.

LN: That’s sweet.

JC: That’s how it all started, actually.

LN: That’s when we were younger.

JC: We were younger.  We had a lot of energy.

LN: We used to get drunk three times a week and practice.  Actually, [touring bassist] Kevin was in that band, too.

7LM: I’m really intrigued with how you settled on the name Partner.  I didn’t know if you approached it from the noun or the verb, as in to partner or team up with someone.

JC: Definitely the noun.

LN: It was kind of an elaborate joke.  We were kind of making fun of “normy” adults.

JC: We both worked at cafes and lots of the people there were like, “My partner…”  It was a word that we heard a lot.  To describe our relationship, we’re not partners.

LNWe thought it was funny because we’re not partners.  Obviously everyone thinks that we are, but we’re not.

JC: So it’s very tongue-in-cheek.

7LM: I was going to ask you to finish this sentence: If we had two bucks for every time someone thought we were a couple, we could buy…

LN: A lot of weed.

[Laughter erupts.]

7LM: I figured it was something like that.

LN: I guess we could buy some other stuff, but that’s probably what we would buy.

JC: We just love the word, because we have partners.  It’s just tongue-in-cheek because we’ve never…

LN: My tongue in your cheek?

[More laughter erupts.]

7LM: Tell me about the five-piece, because you’re touring as a five-piece, right?

LN: Yeah.  We’ve got Kevin [who] plays bass and he also does a lot of administrative work.  Brendan plays drums and does most of the driving.  Dan plays third guitar, and he’s a great bandmate.  We’ve had various other friends of ours fill in, and that’s pretty much our core group right now, but we keep it open if one of them can’t make it then we have other people who know the songs.

JC: This is our solid touring line-up.  We all moved to Windsor together.

7LM: Is this your first tour in the U.S.?

LN: Yeah.

7LM: How’s it going so far?  I know this stop was fairly early.

LN: Great.

[Lucy manages to knock the cap off the bottle of beer by banging it on the edge of a coffee table, forcing her to chug most of said beer before it spills all over the floor.  She then attempts to open one for Josee in the same manner, but all of us decide she needs to save her hand – and teeth – “until we can get group insurance,” says Josee.]

7LM: Where are you off to after this?

JC: We’re just doing three dates, still getting our feet wet.

LN: We did Hamtramck (Michigan), which was awesome.

7LM: Was it good, then?

JC: It was awesome.

LN: It was so great.  We ate delicious pizza.

JC: We played a little record-book shop called Lo and Behold.

LN: With a bunch of really cool, like-minded folks.  It was pretty crazy.  It was the night after the election, so we were pretty interested to go and see what everyone had to say.  [There] were a lot of queer kids and queer kids of color who had a lot of interesting input.  The next day we played Kalamazoo, which was awesome.  The American punk scene is pretty cool to be observing.

7LM: I was going to ask you two about bands up your way that you think people should know about.

LN: A lot of our friends have sweet bands. [Looking at Josee] Who’s a good active band right now?

JC: Towanda.

LN: Toward are a sick, sick, sick band from Montreal.

JC: They kind of have an L7 vibe.

LN: We love this band from Winnipeg called Trampoline.  Our friends have so many cool bands.  I’m going to forget someone.  Protruders are cool right now. Our friends are always starting good bands.

JC: We’re from Sackville in New Brunswick.  A lot of our friends’ bands started there.

LN: It was like a snowball effect.  There were a lot of people that happened to be playing in bands, and then everyone who didn’t play music started playing music because everyone else was doing it.  It was very accessible, and there’s not that shitty, macho vibe to the punk scene at all.  It’s very inclusive in Sackville.

7LM: I’d heard that you guys had a really collaborative thing going up there.

JC: Yeah.

LN: We had fairly limited resources, but the resources that were there were awesome.  We’d share gear, share a shed, and take advantage of the radio station.  Everyone had a lot of energy.  [It’s] a beautiful spot.

JC: Yeah, we’re really lucky to have art all the time there.

7LM: Are there any bands that your fans might be surprised to find you’re influenced by?

JC: Yeah.

LN: Our fans would probably be surprised by most of the things we like.  We don’t really listen to cool music anymore.  We’re really into exploring super bizarre music, and not necessarily cool bizarre music.

JC: Yeah, I listen to music for different reasons.  I got different things out of it.  I listen to a lot of pop music.  I love to do research and listen to really good songs.  I really love Rihanna.  Anti is such a great album, obviously.

LN: All the best albums last year, in my opinion, were the mainstream popular albums.  What a crazy year for music!  Beyonce, Solange, Frank Ocean, all that shit.  So crazy, so good, so much more avant-garde than most punk music, I find.

JC: We’re really excited about that.

LN: We love mainstream music, and really not mainstream music.

JC: We’re constantly in pursuit of true expression, unfettered self-expression.

LN: Sometimes really weird or bad-sounding synth, but when you can tell it’s exactly the statement someone wanted to make…

JC: Yeah, we’re really into exploring that.

7LM: I always say that as long as it’s good, I’ll listen to it.

LN: Sometimes when it’s not good, we’ll listen to it.

JC: As long as it’s pure.

7LM: Do you have any favorite misheard versions of your lyrics?  Do people come up to you and say things like, “I love your song ‘Hot Wives?'”

LN: All our wives are hot!

JC (laughing): Hot Wives!

LN: There’s probably some good ones.

JC: People have trouble hearing the words because most of our stuff is live.  We don’t have a lot of content, so people don’t really have the opportunity to mishear anything.  It’s just a mess anyway.

LN: We try to be as audible as possible.

JC: So they can hear all our punchlines.

7LM: Lucy, who do people say you look like?

LN (pointing at Josee): So she’s Ellen Page, obviously.  I’ve gotten [Dinosaur Jr.’s] J. Mascis.  I think it’s the hair and the glasses.  People say that I look like my sister sometimes.

JC: Yeah, you really do, and your Mom.

7LM: I get Christopher Walken a lot.

LN: You look like this guy Anthony we know.

JC: Yeah!  From the cafe!

LN: She looks like a kid from a horror movie, the Ring girl.

JC: When I used to have long hair.  That used to really bug me, but I’ve embraced it now.

7LM: You should rock that.  Easy Halloween costume.

JC: Yeah, start a goth group.

7LM: I’m not sure if you’ve done this, but if you go to Google and type in “Partner band,” one of the most common things to come up is this exercise…

JC: Yeah, the partner band!

LN: Yeah!

7LM: So what’s your favorite weird exercise?

LN: We should start doing that.  We should start exercising.

7LM: That’s a whole video right there.

JC: We’re going to start getting into dance soon.  Lucy has a more natural talent for it.  It’s going to be a steep learning curve for me

LN (nearly doing a spit take): Because I learned that dance last week?  A friend one day taught me this line dance to “Chattahoochee.”

JC: I was pretty impressed.

LN: It’s pretty sick.  I’ll teach it to you.

7LM: Where can people go to find your stuff?  Your Bandcamp page, obviously…

JC: On my Dad’s YouTube channel, TheStones1965, you can find tons of bootleg vids of our live performances that I did not give him permission to post.

LN: We do have a Twitter, and we also have an Instagram.  You should absolutely check it.

JC: It’s all partner_band across the board.  You can find us there and send us messages.

LN: And failing that, you can catch us wherever we’re playing.

JC: We’re going to go shoot a video for the first track that we’re going to release off the LP.  We’re going to film that in February and it should be out in March or April.

7LM: Will it involve elastic bands?

JC: No.  Hell no.

LN: It’s called “Comfort Zone,” so we won’t be exercising.

7LM: One last thing about the new record, was it you two in the studio playing everything?

LN: No, that was our original dream.  Our EP is all us.

JC: Yeah, so everything you’ve heard is all us.

LN: I played drums, she played guitar, and we both played bass.  [On] our new record, we had our friend Simone TV play drums.  She’s a big Toronto drummer in tons and tons of different cool bands, Kevin played bass, I played guitar, and Josee played fifty more guitars.

7LM (motioning toward Josee): I caught of video of you rockin’ a double neck.

LN: We might have the double neck tonight.

7LM: Double neck guitars, and if a band has Orange amps it’s going to be a rockin’ show.

JC: We don’t own amps.  We’ve gotten this far not owning any amps.

7LM: Wow!  Nicely done.

JC: Well, Lucy owns one.  It was her graduation present.

LN: My Dad bought it for me for graduating.  Thanks, Dad.  Well, we’ve got a hundred dollar Peavey amp.

JC: It’s communally owned.

LN: Brandon has a lot of gear in his basement, and that’s where we practice.  We really depend on our friends.

JC: And other bands.  Shout out to all the bands who have ever helped us.

[Shout out to Mar Sellars for setting up this interview and getting me press credentials.]

Keep your mind open.