Who are you and what do you do:
Peter: My name is Peter van Helvoort and I play guitar and sing.
Jeff: I’m Jeff and I play bass/sing back-ups in Teenage Kicks.
Current obsessions:
Peter: I’m currently obsessed with being in a never ending cycle of demoing songs, but since I’ve recently become unemployed I’ve gotten pretty heavy into the Uncharted video game series.
Jeff: Documentaries. Mostly musical, but I’m also very interested in historical ones. Also, Pearl Jam. It’s been a Pearl Jam-centric month for Peter and I as we saw them at the ACC and we also just bought their book and two DVDs. Went to see the doc as well!
A song or a record that will always put you in a good mood, without fail:
Peter: At the risk of sounding cliché, I’d have to say The Band’s self-titled record, but Pearl Jam’s Yield always does a pretty good job as well.
Jeff: Oasis – Some Might Say because the chorus is tooooo good.
Tell us about an album or artist you think is really under-appreciated, and why they are deserving of more praise:
Peter: Kensington Heights by the Constantines. I know a lot of people who don’t enjoy it and I think it’s really great, even though I’m over the moon for the first three records.
Jeff: Land of Talk. The fact that they didn’t get short-listed for the Polaris Prize is a complete musical injustice while some others (who shall not be named) made it on through hype alone. Liz Powell’s songs/voice are just beautiful, but the musicians behind her deserve just as much credit. They’re always playing interesting things.
Most played track on your iTunes:
Peter: I don’t own a computer of my own so if I had to guess based on my iPod use it’s probably Powderfinger by Neil Young, I really love that song. Cortez the Killer is close behind though.
Jeff: Parkette by Christian Turner. He’s our new/old guitarist and Peter and I must’ve really enjoyed this song when he sent it to us, ahaha.
Most cherished musical object:
Peter: I recently bought a ’78 Les Paul Deluxe like the ones Pete Townshend used to play in the 70’s, but I still think my early 80s Ibanez Artist takes the cake, mainly because in the three years I’ve owned it I have never tried to sell it (unlike any other musical instrument I’ve ever
had).
Jeff: It has to be my P-Bass. I played guitar for about 8 years before I started playing bass, and I ended up buying this 1982 P-Bass (first year they made Squiers) as my first bass. The neck on it is perfect, so I hope I never end up having to sell it.
Proudest moment:
Peter: Proudest musical moment? If so, our EP release at the Horseshoe was like watching my mongoloid child grow into becoming a slightly misbehaved teenager with good intentions. It felt like all of the stress, fighting, discipline and hard work was starting to fashion us into a real band. We’ve been pretty happy ever since.
Jeff: This has yet to happen for me. We’ve done some cool stuff, but it’s not enough for me to have a “proudest moment” yet. We’re playing with Sloan for a few days soon though, so that could be it.
Most vulnerable moment:
Peter: Getting hit in the head with a bass while playing in my brother’s metalcore band had me feeling pretty vulnerable. It resulted in a first date at the emergency room, 5 stitches and a gif that will last me a lifetime. Totally worth it.
Jeff: This question.
If you could score a film for anyone, who would it be and why:
Peter: If I had the chance I’d do something with Jim Jarmusch just because I love Dead Man so much.
Jeff: I can’t imagine that I would be any good at this, but I’d say PT Anderson or Francis Ford Coppola, only because they’re two of my favorites.
Your favourite use of a song in a film:
Peter: Although I’m not a big fan of them the first thing that came to mind is Sigur Ros’ Starlafur in Life Aquatic. But I’m a sucker for Johnny Depp and I always have the scene from Blow with Manfred Mann’s ‘Blinded By The Light’ in my head.
Jeff: That Requiem For A Dream song is obviously the first one that comes to my mind, but I’d say the whole soundtrack for There Will Be Blood (by Jonny Greenwood) is really, really well done.
Favourite venue to play in and why:
Peter: This currently belongs to The Horseshoe, it always feels like home and I think I’ve become very comfortable there. It was also a goal of mine to play there one day when I’d come through Toronto as a teenager on CD buying splurges.
Jeff: I’d say the Horseshoe in Toronto because we’ve had our best shows there and it’s just comfortable.
Dream venue to play in and why:
Peter: Massey Hall. Neil Young is probably the biggest reason… it’s on my home turf and it’s the most classical looking of the places to play in Toronto, lots of history.
Jeff: I haven’t really thought about this but I guess I’d love to play any of the medium size venues in the UK like the O2 or something.
First band t-shirt you ever purchased from a merch table:
Peter: I believe it was Dashboard Confessional, when I was in grade 10.
Jeff: Probably Incubus. Embarassing yes, BUT when I saw them in Hamilton Phantom Planet opened so that was a real treat. That was also before the whole OC craze for Phantom Planet, just after they had released the Guest.
Band you’d leave your bandmates for:
Peter: I’d like to play in John Fogerty’s ‘Fountain of Youth’ band, he surrounds himself with a bunch of youngish greasers and feeds on their rock and roll souls.
Jeff: I wouldn’t leave these guys for any band… We’ve got a pretty good dynamic that I wouldn’t want to have to try and achieve with other people.
Album you want to expose your kin to whilst in the womb:
Peter: Pink Moon, or Big Pink. (Only if it’s a girl)
Jeff: Heavy question. I’m going to say Owls – Self-Titled just because of the profound impact the Kinsellas had on me while I was growing up. Some people may suggest Owen for a baby, but I want to show the kid how beautiful the world can be as well as how ugly it can be, and Tim Kinsella’s the right vocalist for that.
If for some reason you lost the ability to make and play music, what would fill that gap:
Peter: I would probably find some other insane thing to get over involved in. Perhaps I’d return to my first true love of making puppets.
Jeff: Video games or cooking. Or both.
What was your last dream about?
Peter: I actually dreamt last night that only fifteen people came to our upcoming headline show at the Horseshoe in November (not a plug!). I closed my eyes on stage while doing this weird slow motion power slide and when I opened them up Jeff and Cam were gone but we still had two songs to play. Eventually everyone in the crowd left after waiting for about 30 minutes for them to come back. I have those kind of real life nightmares all the time. I also have a reoccurring dream where it takes us so long to set up our gear that by the time we’re ready to play we have to get off the stage.
Jeff: Probably something dumb. Peter and I are always having super weird dreams but I can’t remember my last one right now.
