The Painted Birds

By: Debbie

popYOUlarity: What were some of the major touchstones of 2007 for you?
Dominique: Basically the whole album and the whole process going in. Also, deciding together as the three of us to go all in, and choosing our producer Shawn Cole. He also produced “We Say Party, You Say Die.” When we started working with him, we realized that he was the right man for the job. Also, just going to the studio and through the whole process of releasing and touring. Touring is something that we had been waiting a long time to do, but there was not really any point before we had an album. Getting out there and getting to do what we have wanted to do for so long, and actually enjoying it. That was one question we had: Are we going to like it? Are we going to be able to survive together on the road, and actually enjoy doing what we do? We all enjoy it.

popYOUlarity: What do you find more exciting, touring or recording?
Dominique: They are completely different. Personally I like connecting with the audience. Playing in Vancouver now though is kind of funny because it’s like “Oh, we’re just playing Vancouver.” I like the adventure of wondering if people elsewhere are going to like it, or if anyone is going to come to the show. I like connecting with an audience; that is the most exciting. With recording though there is a whole new world you can leap into there.

popYOUlarity: What do you want out of an audience?
Dominique: An audience that will respond. That can be anything from an audience that will listen and maybe even sing along, and will respond to the music in their own way. We played Kelowna, BC once, and there were a few hecklers. I like hecklers because it is like you are into actually talking to the audience and start a dialogue between us and them. They can respond in any way, as long as they are active. The last thing I would want is to have an audience that just kind of stands there, you know what I mean?

popYOUlarity: What goes through your mind when you put a record together?
Dominique: Several things. I think the first thing is whether we have the material and if it is broad enough. You know, do we have a dynamic enough range so that we can say that we have created an album that will all come together as one piece. Then, it is just basically can we get the sounds that we have been imaging in our heads when we create those guitar sounds, or keyboard sounds, to create those effects. That is kind of what goes through our heads. The process is very mechanical and emotional when you are doing vocals. With vocals you have to take yourself back to that moment when you wrote it, and the moment you were living it. It has a lot to do with whether we can make the music as good as we imagined it to be. At the point, it is very technical.

popYOUlarity: Do you ever step on-stage and look over the crowd and say to yourself ‘damn, I can’t believe these people are here to see us’?
Dominique: Yeah (laughs). Definitely. For our CD release show it was like that. We walked in and the opening band was on, and we were wondering where everyone was. We went backstage disappointed because we had been pushing the release party for so long. We came on stage and the room was packed. Someone was wearing our t-shirt and we did not even know who they were—it was really cool.

popYOUlarity: Where does a song start?
Dominique: It sort of has to grab me, the same way when you’re listening to a radio and you hear a song that you want to play again. When you’re writing you’re coming up with melodies and you’re writing, writing and writing. Then when it finally clicks and you have a hook or something that you really latch onto and it takes you away, that is when the song starts. Then, you start building on top of it. It is usually a guitar part and a vocal line that go together, and it can even be as short as one phrase.

popYOUlarity: Do you see song writing as a gift or a skill?
Dominique: I think it is a bit of both. Some people are born with it, and those people can go onto build it. Some people hack away at it and build the skill. I tried writing when I was really young, like 13 or 14, and it wasn’t there yet. It was just melody lines and phrases, but it was 16 or 17 when it finally clicked. I would say it is a gift for me, but it goes hand in hand.

popYOUlarity: Are you ever surprised by what you write? Any tracks on the album that you were surprised by?
Dominique: Yeah, for sure. It is mostly to do with lyrics, when I look at a rhyming couplet. Sometimes I can’t remember where or how I came up with it, but it is there on the paper. An example is probably the oldest song “Sidewalk,” which is the un-listed secret track. Josh the guitar player actually asked me where I came up with the image of sidewalk and just I sang it before I wrote it down. I just kept singing and playing it, but had not actually written it down until I had to go in and record it.

popYOUlarity: What is the best advice you have ever received from a song?
Dominique: It sounds cheesy, but I was driving in my hometown two or three years ago. I was listening to an Our Lady Peace album, “Gravity.” There was one song where he was singing about a kid that wishes he was famous, and spends his time alone in the basement. It was one of those moments where I realized that I had to go after this. He’s singing about a kid who is in his basement with his guitar and pictures of Cobain. It was such a cheesy pop song, but it just hit me and we all have moments where we’re feeling like we have no hope for it, but for some reason it gave me hope. I realized that it can be possible if I try.

popYOUlarity: Is there any type of music that you don't appreciate?
Dominique: I have probably said it about a few different genres, but I don’t like when music is contrived. I think there are bands that fit into genres and it could be a heavy metal, punk, or just something that feels like the bands are just latching onto a certain kind of image.

popYOUlarity: Good music is like an onion—it has many layers to it. Agree or disagree, and why?
Dominique: When I think layers I think that we are taking out someone who is just singing. The main thing is that a song grabs you. It gives you butterflies in your stomach, or it makes you cry. Lyrically layers are important because when you have that level of multi-interpretation to a song, different people can latch on to it for different reasons.

popYOUlarity: What are you looking forward to this year?
Dominique: Touring across the country. In March we’re going to Canadian Music Week. In May we’re booking something cross-country. I am really excited to just go out into the great abyss.

popYOUlarity: Do you have anything you would like to say to the readers of popYOUlarity?
Dominique: Get the album, or listen to our tracks on our website. We will be releasing a video podcast that documents the making of our album and our first tours.

+January 25, 2008

Links:
Official Site