Riding Shotgun With The Lovely Feathers
I think at this point there is no denying my recent affinity for most bands of the Canadian variety. This week, it is my pleasure to present to you the Lovely Feathers, hailing from Montreal. They are quirky (as in, let's have a nifty little ditty about Pope John Paul), they are wondrously magnificent, and darned if you shouldn't already have them in frequent iPod rotation. Intrepid keeper of the bass Noah Bernamoff took time out of the Feathers very busy tour schedule to answer some questions. I trust you'll find them highly educational. Scroll on to see what gets Noah dancing, why he likes Florida, and what bands he'd love to play with. And then get your booties up to the Black Cat this Sunday, to see the Lovely Feathers with another of my favorites (and theirs), the Spinto Band (also with Dr. Dog - $10).Fill in the blanks:
Touring is: Much better than sitting at home feeling depressed.
Our first gig was: playing in front of drunken McGill
students (we were also pretty drunk) at a winter tent party...we didn't
know the songs...broke into spontaneous rapping...
Our favorite venue to play is: La Sala Rosa here in Montreal.
Hygiene on a tour is: an afterthought.
Our favorite thing about touring is: playing the same songs in front of new strangers every night.
And the least favorite thing: going to cities but not having the time to visit them.
City with the best audiences: people really know how to get down in Florida.
The tour bus/van smells like: Chinese food with an infusion of man and a zest of Febreze.
Laundry is: a) washed regularly, b) washed irregularly, c) we go shopping a lot: definitely b.
What's the most unusual item on your rider? Gorgonzola cheese.
Who controls the music in the touring vehicle? And what are you listening to at the moment?
The driver makes the call, but lots of Run Chico Run, the new Fiery Furnaces, and the standards like Neil Young and Frankie Valli.
Your new favorite watering hole after being on tour? And/or the best place to get greasy, hangover-curing food? Definitely Bagel's Etc. in Montreal.
Most amusing memory from your current or most recent tour?
Watching a
crazy noise-pop band from Montreal called Duchess Says every night...they seriously entertain.
Please name the city you wouldn't ever play in again? Or, if not a particular city, which venue makes your skin crawl?
Well the
Creepy Crawl in St. Louis is quite the shit hole, and I can't say I love Peterborough, Ontario.
What bands have you really enjoyed doing shows with? And who would make
your hearts go pitter patter to tour with?
Metric was totally awesome, and I suspect the same of the Spinto Band... I would definitely have a heart attack if we toured with the Futureheads or Clap Your Hands Say Yeah.
Apart from the obvious cd, what's the merch item of yours you think people should shell out for? Definitely the girls underwear.
Have you been to the top of the Washington Monument? No, but I've marveled in its fallic-ness.
What do you most looking forward to about touring the States? And what do you look forward to the least?
Eating vegetarian sandwiches at Subway with spinach (no spinach in Canada), and conversely, constantly fearing law enforcement.
There's getting to be quite a buzz about the Lovely Feathers. How does it feel to have people noticing the music on a regular basis?
It makes us a little uncomfortable because now there are expectations of us to be what everyone else wants.
What would you like people to be saying about the Lovely Feathers in 50
years?
Wow, those guys made excellent physicians and attorneys, their
parents must be proud.
"In the Valley" makes me want to dance. A lot. What songs get the Feathers out on the dance floor?
Definitely Frankie Valli, early Prince, and specific Queen dvd's.
Please recite a line of poetry:
To Gary Snyder
The red tin begging cup you gave me,
I lost it but its contents are
undisturbed.
-Allen Ginsburg
And finally, it's BigYawn's round. What's your poison? What poison? We
plan on living forever.
To learn more about the world of the Lovely Feathers, navigate on over to www.thelovelyfeathers.com, or www.myspace.com/thelovelyfeathers.