PAINT at NXNE 2013

NXNE came and went, and I had a really good time… even if I did not make it to all the shows/films I wanted to. I did, however, get to know some local bands, which it’s always nice. One such band is PAINT, whose music layered with great lyrics and sounds.

After seeing the live at NXNE, I wanted to find out more about the band and their music. Last week, I was able to sit down with lead vocalist Robb Johannes for a chat. Here’s what transpired…

HM: I read in an interview with Guitar Justice Magazine that you describe Paint’s music as “Classic Rock Of The Future”. Let’s start there.

Robb J: I think I borrowed that line from Matthew Good because there are so many classic elements to our sounds. There is the arena rock kind of sound for a small venue, since that’s what we are working with. We work on making the experience feel like we are in a bigger space. Our music incorporates post new-wave, post punk, brit rock, and classic elements. But it’s not reinventing anything. We include elements of some of our favourite things and put them in a blender, sort of. We aim for a timeless quality about it; so it does not feel like the music is dated.

HM: The band has changed members a few times… How’s that affected the overall sound, if at all?

RJ: The band was born in Vancouver. We had three original members. During that time, everything flowed very quickly and we had ourr first record. We connected quite well. The past 4 years have been about trying to recapture what we had in the beginning. Now we’re finally coming together with our current band members.

In this new lineup – whom you saw at NXNE – all the personalities gel, work well together, almost as close as the original feel of the band back in Vancouver. Each member provides pieces of the puzzle; it feels like a band again. I just stand in front and do my thing. I rely on the band to lift me up. I’m only as good as the band members.

HM: In terms of creating new songs, you write most of the lyrics right?

RJ: I write most of the lyrics. But making music is a group effort; we throw ideas around. We take a bit of a pop music approach, no long intros really… For our newer songs, I wrote them on my own. Last year, lots of things happen and time came to write about them in a way.

Paint’s Robb Johannes

HM: Can you talk a bit about your fans, your audience? (I mentioned that I quite enjoyed hearing Strangers live.)

RJ: Our fan base/audience in Toronto is one of the best we have. Every gig this year has been some of the best. The relationship with our audience is very strong. It feels good to be part of this scene now. We’re finding more support for our live shows. It’s also nice to be able to make eye contact with the audience.

Ah that song: Strangers… It’s not a new song, but we never get bored of it. It’s the gift that keeps on giving. The audiences really seem to like and it’s become [their] song.

HM: How does recording differ from your live experience?

RJ: Records are something for our fans to take away… We try to have the best version of the songs on our records. We test a few versions first. We are conscious of how the experience will be live, even when we write. The recording versions can be difficult to recreate because it may be too ambitious, but it’s part of the challenge. We’ve always been a live band. We’re also working to include more visual elements as well, when possible. Taking from U2’s visual shows; they’re not just a sound experience. It’s an emotional and visual experience as well.

For the immediate future, we’d like to want to try something different. Perhaps not a full LP but maybe do a 4 song EP with a video companion piece, a narrative short film that goes with the songs. We have these 4 songs that work well together. We’d also like to do it with vinyl this time. Vinyl is the only physical format that’s making increases at this point. People want to have that sound experience again; it’s a richer format. There’s a lush quality of sound on vinyl. It is, afterall, an organic material, and music is created from organic materials, so in a way, vinyl absorbs music. We’re really just looking foward to recording. [Our current material] is our best so far, and people are saying that to us too. Our producer is ready too, we just need to get some funds to get started.

HM: That is a good point… it’s not often easy to have the funds to tour, record, and so on.

RJ: This is the conundrum of being part of an indie music scene… funding your own projects. Yet music is the soundtrack of our lives. When you hear a song, you can go back to the place you were the first time you heard it. But nowadays, you really have to sell the value of music to people, again. You have to convince them that it’s worth something. It’s a a challenging place to be, especially for an artist… This is why we make music that’s textural… layered. We include many tones & effect pedals; sounds that are unique. We want to create sounds that are interesting; a little something for everybody.

HM: Lastly, perhaps you can suggest some other Toronto/Canadian bands for us to discover.

RJ: That’s an important question. There are a lot of local Toronto/Canadian Bands we like: The Cheap Speakers, Diamond Bones (Montreal), The Ascot Royals, The Rathburns… to name a few. There are so many great local bands!

It was a great chat, I could have chatted with Robb a lot longer but I think we covered some interesting ground here. If you’d like to find out more about the band, and hear their music, I suggest checking out their website, paintband.com. As well, Paint is playing at Rancho Relaxo tomorrow night, Saturday, June 29th at 11pm, as part of TWMFEST.

**Photos courtesy of Paint.