Eternal Husbands. A Q and A with Jay's Topics

Eternal Husbands bring their own brand of rock to the table with this latest release French Exit. You can visit their website here. I recently did an interview with Matt from the band, you can check that out below. Be sure to give these guys a listen!

Jay: thanks for taking the time to answer some of my questions guys! First off, congrats on the new album French Exit. Now, about the name: is there hidden meaning to it? Why did you decide to go with this title?

Matt: According to public myth, a 'French Exit' is when someone leaves a party unannounced.  There is a slight reference to Rick's rapid departure from Montreal September 2013 after our first tour.  It sounds a bit better than 'Ghosting' though, no?

Jay: I've read that Eternal Husbands sound is described as fog pop. Can you comment on what that means? Is this a fair description of your sound? Personally I feel like maybe there is a bit of a 70s rock influence. Not to pigeon hole anybody of course!

 Matt: There are new musical descriptive terms popping up every single day so we thought we would have some fun with it and coin one for ourselves.  It was either that or twangaze.  It's much easier than saying "Diverse, experimental, pop music" and is clearly the reason neither of us are music journalists.   

Jay: You've had a few tour dates in support of this release between Alberta and BC. Do you find a difference in terms of the support for the music scene between the provinces? Where would you rather play?

Matt: We have played in Vancouver 30+ times in various bands and it has always been incredible.  It's a tight nit music community, with everything out-flowing from our friend/producer Jesse Gander.  All jokes aside, scene's are scenes.  Edmonton is a massive sprawling city but the people in the city really come out to support one another.  Half play in each other's bands, make videos for each other, record with each other, etc.  Then again, I'm sure if I spent enough time in Vancouver, I might say the exact same thing.  It's the same everywhere, people help each other out.  Some cities have more venues, some have more DIY spots, some have more house shows, but people are people are generally like to help each other out.

Jay: Any plans for a cross Canada tour? Surely you can't leave the east hanging!

Matt: We will be touring Ontario/Quebec/Maritimes and potentially NYC in October.  We need to debut our song 'Halifax' from the record in the city itself.  Maybe Joel Plaskett can come play guitar on it, the fellows from Kestrels doing some noise on the outro of it, and the Scoop Outs on harmonies.  All in a dream world I suppose...

Jay: Lets talk about the music industry for just a moment. There are so many musicians scrambling to be heard everyday popping up on SoundCloud, Bandcamp and the like. For touring musicians such as yourselves, do you find that the accessibility to music both professional and DIY over the Internet is a disservice or an advantage to bands who work hard and tour in support of their art?

Matt: I noticed that as more people had Macbooks, Garageband or any other free program, a lot more bands started popping up.  I don't know if everyone is recording at home, or what they are doing, but the fact that people are creating a ton of music is sweet.

An issue though is that more bands -or "artists"- can mean more people doing shows which can clog up a touring circuit.  For example, if we tour and always play the same bar in Winnipeg, have a great relationship with the promoter, and there is a newer band that is ultra tech savvy and can get the word out to 100x more people than we can, the promoter may choose to do a show with them.  Even though he/she may like your music better and want to help you out with the show, depending on how the venue is doing, they may choose the latter.  At the end of the day, it forces everyone to work harder to get people out to the shows but at the same time it makes you just another blip.  Maybe it is weeding out the lazy ones who don't want to tour but at the same time it is making it more difficult for those that tour all the time.

The internet gives you a platform to spread your music worldwide instantly, but at the same moment it opens the door for you, you look around and see one million others let into the same field as you.  It's there, we work with it, it isn't going anywhere any time soon so might as well use it. The important thing to remember I suppose is that the numbers and stats mean nothing.  There will be a time when facebook is not the most important thing in the world and likes don't mean anything.  That being said, I still log in every day or so...

Onto the next question!

Jay: Time for a controversial question. Which is better Alberta or BC? And...GO!

Matt: BC is leagues ahead of Alberta environmentally, but their handling of the Mt Polley disaster with the government and their mining interests is sad.  Alberta did itself a huge favor by electing the NDP, which blew my mind.  I truly never thought I would ever see anything but a conservative majority in Alberta.

There is a rational part of my mind that tells me no politician anywhere should be trusted, it is a giant game and there is no such thing as good or bad.  There is another part that says maybe some times you have to be a cog to change the machine and truthfully I don't have an answer. I want to believe that things change but I'm not sure the government is the place to do it.

I would suggest buying our new album 'French Exit' -available now on Clamour Records-, going for a walk to your campus radio station, and volunteering some of your time.  That is a meaningful use of time.

Jay: Back to some music questions. If you were to recommend an album to fans, what would it be? Anything in particular that comes to mind?

Matt: I'm not sure if you are meaning one of our albums or an album of someone else's so I will do one of each:

Eternal Husbands- French Exit: best thing we've made since our last one.

Baptists-Bushcraft: Heaviest stuff around since Propagandhi

Colin Stetson-Any record.  Colin played on our last band The City Streets' record "Winter Lightning" and blew my mind.  Circular breathing, one note held for 15-20 minutes, crazy syncopated stuff via Steve Reich, check him out

Mike McDonald-Live at the Blue Chair Cafe.  Jr Gone Wild frontman, always worth its time.

Jay: Thanks again for taking the time out of a hectic schedule to have a chat. Much appreciated!

Matt: Roger that, over and out.

-Jay Caption

"Coming Home": An interview with Gerry Hannah

For years now, the idea of composing a solo record is something that has gained considerable momentum in the music industry. From Punk Rock, to Hip Hop, Soul, Folk, it seems that at least one of the members from any given group will inevitably depart from the pack to piece together something personal, different, raw, unique to the artist, at some point in their musical career.

However, Gerry Hannah is no stranger to writing song material away from his fellow musicians. 

When active with the members of Direct Action (otherwise known as The Squamish Five), Gerry was subsequently arrested and imprisoned for 5 years. During this time, he wrote and recorded a more folk sound than would be familiar to fans of the influential Vancouver band, The Subhumans. 

In speaking with Gerry, he commented that these recordings are virtually impossible to get, and in his words, "Production wasn't all that great" so only a handful of people have them. Fast forward to 2014 though, and some of these songs from his previous projects have made it onto Gerry's new solo album "Coming Home", available through CD Baby via hardcopy or digital download.

 Inspired to connect..

When I asked Gerry what his initial inspiration for making this album was, he cited the book Redemption Song: The Ballad of Joe Strummer, saying: 

"There was a lot in it that made me think 'well I haven't been doing anything musical for a while, but I have all these songs I have been sitting on that I haven't released but have always wanted to release.'"

Gerry goes on to comment about how Joe Strummer was in The Clash, and then after the disbanding of the group, went through a phase where he [Strummer] was lost for a number of years in terms of a definite musical direction. 

"After the Clash, [Strummer] didnt really have a direction, he dabbled in this and that. Then finally, he decided to start writing again, and get another band together and to give it another go, and thats what he did by putting The Mescaleros together"

"It was a revitalizing experience for him [Strummer] and anyone who liked him as a musician and as a person. That was quite a bit of an inspiration to me."

One of the things throughout this interview that I found interesting was that Gerry did not feel at all uncomfortable to be as open and vulnerable as some may feel when taking on a new direction artistically speaking. Here is where he allowed himself to get very personal. He went on to say:
 
"The other thing [That inspired me] is that I would go sit in a coffee shop where I live, and I would read a good book or whatever, and I would hear music. Often folk music, or folk rock or whatever, and I would really feel it speak to me. It really kinda felt like the artist was touching me and opening a door inside of me that I didn't know was there, let alone did I know there was  a whole room behind that door to be explored"

"I decided that I wanted to connect with people that way too. I hadn't done that  before and I really wanted to."

"I knew that some of my songs that I had written on acoustic guitar, some of them were of a caliber that had more of a direct impact on people on a more personal level than the Subhuman stuff did. So that was another catalyst for getting me to decide 'Im gonna release a bunch of these songs'"

Hard Work..

"Coming Home", as Gerry explains, contains seven songs that were originally a part of his previous project "Songs from Underground" which was recorded during his time in prison. As he explains, he always wanted to redo these songs, and he viewed his new album as the time and opportunity to do them "properly" as he puts it.

"I knew how much work this was, because the last two Subhumans albums that we did, was a Huge amount of work. I knew that it would actually take money out of my pocket, not put money in my pocket. Basically, nowadays if you are an independent musician, and are not playing a lot of gigs or going out on tour, you are usually subsidizing you career from your own pocket. And its probably going to get worse"

These days, it seems that almost anyone can pick up an instrument and make a song that will somehow make its way into everybody's homes. With the amount of independent musicians hitting the scene and everybody clamoring to be heard, Gerry felt that although the competition was fierce, he knew what he was up against, and how hard it would be to breakthrough this time. Would it be easy to find press? Publicity?

Without any doubt, it would be tougher to do so. However, Gerry pressed on, and felt that "Coming Home" was an album that needed to be heard. 

And rightfully so. If you have had the recent pleasure of listening to the record, you will find that the songs emanate the kind of honesty and raw lyrics that you would still find among the punk rock genre. Here in this album, however, we have the opportunity to listen to Gerry's voice from a very different angle. One that is perhaps his most transparent as a musician, and as a person. Head on over to Bandcamp to stream the album online, if you haven't had the chance to hear it.

"The Woman Reborn" is one of my favorite songs off of "Coming Home". It is such a sad yet powerful sound. Venturing into the story of a person becoming a shade of somebody who was once recognized by him, the song talks of a person once dear to Gerry, slowly and desperately doing things they may not have done of their own will at one time, becoming somebody he no longer knew. 

There is one line in the song that says: "Mouth moving by mechanical means, ideals trampled and torn." 


Most times throughout our lives, we strive to do what is right whether in the interests of ourselves, our family, friends, society etc. 
[Unless you are completely devoid of any moral compass whatsoever, in which case I encourage you to visit your nearest psychologist] 
However, how are we to determine whether we will remain faithful to our values? Our core beliefs? I believe this song is a very true and honest statement as to what can happen to us and to the ones we love when they are pressed and bullied, if you will, to satisfy the whims of those in positions of authority.

Getting back in..

When asked whether or not his reputation from being in The Subhumans plays a part in getting his foot in the door to distribute this latest release by him, Gerry had this to say:

"It helps a tiny bit for sure. A tiny bit. It has its disadvantages too. The foot in the door that you mention, allows me to connect with a publicist from punk rock days who was very supportive."

"I hate to say this but I'm on facebook now [laughs] so i'm able to reach out to people through there. And I have alot of people who want to be my 'friends' and why do they want to be my friends? Not because I put out an album called 'Coming Home'  but because I'm Gerry Hannah from The Subhumans."

Gerry goes on to talk about the disadvantages of his punk rock reputation:

"You tend to get slotted into, you know, punk rocker, or post punk rocker category, and that can mean that alot of people dont even bother looking your way twice, because they arent really interested in that genre. So they skim over and say 'oh well i'm not interested in that' and carry on. But there are those that in fact might be interested in folk rock or whatever and will hear that 'Gerry Hannah from the Subhumans' put out a new album and wont be interested because they arent into punk rock, but would actually really enjoy the music"

"It's a double-edged sword I guess is what Im saying. But It does help a bit for sure." 

Not for free..

Within the last number of years, the landscape of the music industry has changed dramatically. Right from the inception of the file sharing software Napster, music artists and others alike have been at odds in regards the matter of media distribution. Just last year a major case involving the now defunct isohunt.com, was successful in shutting down the torrent hosting site setting the precedent for future file sharing sites like isohunt. 

These days however, there can be literally dozen's of new artists emerging overnight just by using a simple recording platform on their iPad, Android device, or PC to name a few. As a result, the need for easy distribution (and sometimes free distribution) has become a necessity for the aspiring musician hoping to get their sound heard. 

However, the question remains: Should the downloading and sharing an artists music be limited to platforms such as iTunes, Bandcamp and Amazon? Does the convenience of access to online downloading justify the acquiring of an independent artists music for free?

Gerry weighed in on the matter:

"You hear this myth that 'oh yeah, putting out an album has never been cheaper or easier. You can record it yourself on your USB microphone in front of your computer and throw it online, and Bob's your uncle'"

"Thats Bullshit. That's not how it goes at all. If you want to do it right and if you want alot of people to see it and know about it, it costs Money. And it takes alot of work. Alot of hard work."

"It ends up being a huge chunk of money to do it right. I got into a debate with a friend of mine at a party not too long ago because he was happily admitting that he does illegal downloading of music and he thought that I would be fine with that because so MANY musicians have come out and said 'Oh thats OK'.
The musicians that are coming out and saying that's OK, are musicians that DONT stand to lose everything they could possibly make from selling their music."

"The musicians that rely heavily on selling their music to help finance them playing music, and recording music and putting out another album, they're not saying that, ya know? They're not saying illegal downloading is fine. They're saying: 'Hey, if you really like our band as much as you say you do, then why wouldn't you help me put out another record in the future by buying this record?'"

To put things into perspective, Gerry comments what this would be like for somebody at their everyday job.

"Think about your job. Would you do that for free? Say you clean the toilets at the local hospital. That's your job. Would you do that for free? No, you wouldn't do that for free, you expect to be paid right!?"

"If you want artists to keep making art, you have to somehow make it possible for them to do that. The simple way that always used to always work in the past is that you would pay them money for their art. That's how you did it. You want some great painting that took somebody a month to paint, you pay them for it! You don't go into their house when they're not home and steal it and then say 'hey I love your art I stole your painting in fact!' And then the artist is supposed to be flattered and supposed to go 'Oh! Thank you for loving my painting' How does that work!? [laughs] That's my take on it." 

Gerry's feelings on the matter no doubt resonates with many artists who can share the sentiment on buying an independent musicians albums to support them to make more music and being able to share their music live on tour.

I recently saw a quote that read something like this: People have no problem paying $5 dollars for a cup of coffee that costs a few cents to make. But they have a problem paying $5 for an album that cost thousands to create. 

Sadly, this does rings true in many cases.

"People are being ripped off left right and centre. If you really like a musician, then BUY their art. BUY their music. The general public needs to understand that independent music is economically very difficult to make. It's not like it was 10-20 years ago. The expenses are much higher. People need to be aware of that"

Coming Home..

One of the last things that Gerry had to say in regards what to expect of this new endeavour:

"This album is a bit of a psychological or emotional history. It's a chance for me to present one of the members of 'Direct Action' in kind of a human sense, where you become familiar with this person on an emotional level. And its even an emotional historical perspective of something important, I think, that happened in Canadian history. The actions and arrests of 'Direct Action' in this country, is something that's kind of swept under the carpet."

"As with most things in history, I think that this is something that we need to revisit. So this is my attempt at allowing people to revisit this moment in Canadian history and see what it was actually like from a musical perspective if you will, an emotional perspective by the thoughts of one of the people that was involved in it."

You can pick up Gerry Hannah's new album "Coming Home" from CD Baby available for digital download, or physical copy, as well as iTunes and Amazon.

You can listen to the full interview on Soundcloud here

-Jay Caption-


(Note: This interview was done before the passing of Brian Goble, longtime friend and bandmate of Gerry Hannah. Our condolences and fellow feeling to the families affected by Brian's passing)