Hopefully you've all gotten to pick up a copy of the latest issue of Youthink (if not, go get one!) and my article with my interview with Pat K from the Stereos is in it!
There is the article!
And here is the full interview:1. How long have you guys been together before the show?
As a band we were together for 2 years but, basically Dan, Rob and I were writing for a good year before that, just writing songs and stuff. So for this band, it was at least a three year process before we even got on the show. And those guys and myself have been a band since high school too so it’s probably like 10 years of working on being in the band before we got the TV show. But again, after the show, I guess it was kind of overnight, as far as everyone else is concerned.
2. So how did you guys end up on the Much Music TV show Disband?
The way that worked out was, when we started writing songs, we were sending out our demos to basically anybody in the Canadian industry we could get to listen to our songs. And one of the first people to actually like our songs was Greg Nori, who’s on the TV show, but at the time there was no TV show. But when the TV show came to him, he kind of put 2 and 2 together and got us on the show. So Greg was able to get us on that.
3. What was the highlight of the show for you?
I’d say the first time we played and got the thumbs up was probably one of the best moments of my life because up ‘til then we’ve always thought we were a good band but I guess every band thinks they’re a good band so when we finally had the industry professionals or whatever saying that they agreed with us, that we had what it took, was a really big push in the right direction I think.
4. So then what was hardest part of the show?
The hardest part of the show was not knowing, I mean you know, TV kind of chooses what it wants to show in terms of what makes the best TV show, so a lot of people think it was an easy ride for us but until we got the thumbs up we had no idea that we’d even get told ‘you have what it takes’ let alone the record deal or anything that happened after that. So I think the hardest part was just working so hard; I quit my job just to go out and film the show and possibly get a thumbs down just because I thought it was good to get the exposure. So not knowing whether or not it would even work out for us was really, you know, you question a lot, so that was difficult.
5. There was an episode where you guys were critiqued by Gene Simmons; what was it like to perform for such a legendary figure in the entertainment industry?To be honest this is like going to be the worst answer, but I didn’t care. I’ve never been a fan of KISS and I’ve never been a huge Gene Simmons fan either so it didn’t faze me at all. I think it was great to be able to get that opportunity, don’t get me wrong, like the guy is obviously a genius and so any feedback he gives is something you should listen to. But any feedback he gave was just ridiculous, and I think it was cool to say that I’ve met Gene Simmons, but Gene Simmons is about Gene Simmons and that’s it.
6. So what do you think set your band apart from the others in the competition?
I feel like we’ve worked so hard at this, to the extent that we’ve always known what we wanted to sound like and look like, basically what we wanted this band to be, that I think it came across that this band had its stuff together. Just when we put ourselves out there, I mean like, I’ve been working on writing songs since I was 15 years old so once we put the package together and put it towards people, I guess they made the decisions for themselves.
7. So since being on the show, I understand that you guys have changed the name of your band multiple times. How did you end up sticking with The Stereos?
To be honest, it was the first name that like really didn’t have a lot of opposition and it was simple and it wasn’t taken, so that was good enough for me because we had to change it twice and I was so sick...I think that the one thing this band is not good at, is choosing band names. So we had Stand By Me, which I loved, but for legal reasons wouldn’t work, then we changed it to Turn It Up, which is the worst band name ever, so they made us change that, which was a good thing. Stereos just stuck, so there’s no real...I could make one up, there’s no cool story about the name. It’s just, it stuck and it’s simple and we didn’t have to change it so it was the best name ever for me for that reason.
8. So you guys are from Edmonton. How has your hometown influenced your sound or your band in general?
You know what; I think it’s influenced our band immensely in the fact that Edmonton is so isolated and so far from everything else that I think... We go out to Toronto now and bands can play 15 different towns so close to where they live and I think the industry down there is so much easier to pull off there, and Edmonton is so much harder just to get out and you know, play shows. So it influences our work ethic and having to work that much harder, so now that we’re in Toronto...[interrupted by Dan and Robb]. That’s a really good question though...too bad they ruined that [laughing].
9. So your debut album was released earlier in October, how was that recording process?
It was intense. It was a blessing and a curse that the one single took off so well because when one song gets you that much exposure, like we were able to play all these festivals, fly across the country, flew overseas, which is great, obviously a dream come true, but at the same time we needed to put an album together and we had to record it. So it was great, we were busier than we ever thought we’d be, but at the same time, you know, you get one day off or two days off and you’re spending 14 hours in the studio on those days off, so it was really really, you know, it was tiring, but again, it’s like would I rather be working at Winners like I was? No. So it was tiring but very very good to be able to do.
10. What was it like working with Juno Award-winning producer Gavin Brown?
It was amazing. And that is probably the only way to describe it. It was amazing. It was awesome, it was frustrating, I love the guy to death, and I would definitely work with him again. He knows his stuff beyond anybody I’ve ever worked with and he’s a character.
11. Are there any songs on your album that you have any special connections to?Yeah definitely. I think that I always kind of put myself back where I was at the time when the songs were written because like 99% of these songs were all written on my days off from my day job and stuff. Especially Summer Girl, has a huge sentimental value because I remember that was one day off I had from work and I spent the day in my basement just trying to write the song. And so to know where I was at that point, just still struggling and working 9-5, and to see that song take off is huge. I think She Only Likes Me When I’m Drunk is one of my favourite songs too because I spent a lot of time on the lyrics and I’m proud of it. But I mean, they all mean a lot just because of where we were when we wrote them, you know what I mean? We had nothing and then to see them in stores all over Canada, I mean, that’s huge.
12. So obviously, you’re now on tour promoting the album. How has your tour been going so far?It’s been amazing. I’ve been like sick and got healthy three different times, which has been fun. But no, it’s been amazing. I mean, we’ve heard about all the people buying our singles and stuff like that and it’s great to meet them finally. To see the kids who are actually putting in the groundwork and supporting our band has been huge. And to go to a place I’ve never been in my life, like the East Coast and the Maritimes, and come here, places we’ve never been and be able to sell out some of the venues out there and have kids screaming the words back at you is insane. It’s a dream come true.
13. How would you describe your live performance?
It’s a party, it’s just good times across the board. I don’t know, I think that anybody who doesn’t like us must be really boring because it’s just so much fun. And if they don’t like our band, then the three bands we’re playing with, they’re also like the raddest bands so there’s something for everyone. So the live shows have been just fun every single night.
14. It’s great to see everyone getting into the holiday spirit by helping out charities and communities. Why do you feel that it is important to give back and take the time to volunteer?It’s very important because, especially with volunteering and stuff like that, my mom always made me do that, and I hated it at first, but I think when you do something that is for no other reason than to help other people out and not for personal gain, it builds character. So my mom had me doing that from a young age. I liked it. Then my mom got breast cancer and so then I ended up volunteering for a lot of that stuff after that happened for her. I just always feel better about what I’m doing, and nothing selfish, like I am every other day of the year.
15. So as an up and coming band, how does it feel to be thrown into success so early on?
I mean, again, the overnight thing took ten years for me, right? Because of the fact that how much work I’ve been putting in trying to be in a band, so I feel like I’ve been preparing myself to try and do this for as long as I can remember. But at the same time, we’re always hungry, like we’re appreciating this, we’re very thankful, but we’ve never wanted to be a band that had one big single and one album, right? I want to play music for the rest of my life. So I think that getting the success I guess at a point where the rest of the world didn’t know about us yet and then being thrown out is a good point that we’re setting ourselves up to have to back up a lot of big things that necessarily aren’t easy to achieve. But at the same time, I think that we’ve wanted this for so long that this is just a stepping stone for us, hopefully.
16. So what’s next for the Stereos? Do you have any upcoming projects?We committed to...If you buy the deluxe version of our album you get a song a month for a year, so it’s pretty much two albums for the price of one. So we had to keep writing and recording in between all this touring and we’re going to be touring with Hedley in the Spring, hopefully going down to the States a little bit too. And then when all that’s done, we release a new album. So I’m never going to see my mom again.
17. Did you guys collaborately come up with the idea that you wanted to do a song a month like for the Stereos?Yeah, it was an idea that came down from the label but I think it’s a great idea. People don’t really buy CDs the way they used to, so I think that anything you can do to separate yourself...You can either do things the way they’ve always been done and ignore the fact that everything is changing in the music industry or you can try to do something different and try to capitalize on the changing industry. It’s digital and it’s internet based and I don’t want to be stubborn children. I know how I go about getting my music and this kind of thing would suit me a lot better than having to buy a different album in stores. I think it’s a great idea.
18. I see that you guys have a lot of tattoos going on...Are there any in particular that are your favourites?Yes. I just got a Notorious B.I.G tattoo; it says ‘Mo money mo problems’ and that’s my favourite because it’s the newest one. It’s kind of hilarious. And I have a mom tattoo on my leg as well that I really like.
19. How many do you have altogether?That’s a good question but so hard to answer because they all blend into one, right. So I’d say probably 50 different pieces that now look like 2 big tattoos I guess...I’ll say 2...2 tattoos .
20. What is the strangest thing that a fan has ever done?
Oh dear, that’s a good one. Probably going through our garbage. Like we just moved before we left for tour which was very good because people had found out where our old house was and it was ridiculous. They’d be knocking on the door and we’d pretend we weren’t home and then we’d see that they’d be like taking photo shoots on our front lawn, then like going through out garbage. And it’s like ‘what are you doing.’ I don’t know what they expected to find. But yeah going through our garbage is probably the number one thing still.
21. With the Olympics coming in February, are you feeling particularly patriotic? Do you think that Canada suffers from a lack of pride at all? [this question was asked to be included as a quote in the January/Olympic issue]
No, I don’t think it does. I think that Canada doesn’t have the patriotic fervour that the States have, but I do not think that is a bad thing at all. I think Canada has just the right amount of pride. I know I’m patriotic but I’m not you know [pauses] I don’t think Canada takes its patriotic nature in making it, turning it into a huge negative. I think that those countries that get way too patriotic just look ridiculous. So I think that Canada has just the right amount of patriotism and doesn’t need to worry about competing with others. They do it just the right way.
Although he was not feeling very well that day, he still took the time to do the interview and gave great answers. Thanks Pat ! :)
-Christinaaa
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