Traffic Lights

An interview with Kill the Lights, Central Canada’s New Music Sensation and Their Experiences in the Studio, The Press, and Pounding the Pavement

Yann Geoffrey, Stephanie Hannan, Joseph Yarmush, Alexander Hacket, and Johnston Dignard were not all that familiar with the studio recording process. Nor were they ever familiar with MTV and other media interviews – something I caught them in the middle of at the Pilot’s Tavern where I interviewed them on a late Tuesday afternoon. They appeared to be just starting the rigors of being the new band on the block and going through the processes to promote themselves and their music. And while they appeared to take it slowly, cautiously, and coolly, it was evident that this was something quite new for them and was bringing about equal feelings of excitement, uncertainty, and fatigue in the members.

But there were two things that the five of them knew very well: playing music and traveling the 401. Self-admitted rookies at the pop music business, their band Kill the Lights have unquestionably put in their dues over the last few years recording independent albums and, as they coyly note, going up and down the 401 to play gigs in small venues and university towns. Newly signed to Canadian label Maple Music Recordings, their new album Buffalo of Love, a refurbished edition of a previously recorded independent record that the three founding members recorded a few years earlier, showcases their love of simultaneously combining spontaneous songwriting and playing while also constructing multi-layered soundscapes and aural collages.

When I cutely brought up the idea that the album could have been influenced by Siamese Dream or Queen-like production values, Hacket smiled and brushed off the idea. Aside from being a detractor of Queen and their more Broadway musical-type of pop, he pointed out that indeed the band was now a communal working unit and now planned, traveled, and performed as one. Thus anything heard on the album was approved on as a group. Overdubs on the album were kept to a minimum and the album was completed very quickly in studios both in West Toronto and in Montreal. And when I dared to joke if I was hearing “guitarmonies” on certain tracks, Yarmush matched my humour by stating that the guitar interplay was just “guitarded.”

Hacket is also responsible for the many Greek drama references throughout the album. “It’s the inner geek in me,” he says. A graduate of literature from Dalhousie University, Hacket pointed out that he has always had an interest in Orestes (one of the track’s titles) and other Greek tragedies about struggle and self-perseverance. Both he and bassist Dignard pointed out that they are a band that are interested in crafting lyrics with stories, images, and lasting narrative ideas rather than protests about the Iraq War and finger-waving at George W. Bush. Not a new trend they assured me, but something different from the en-vogue stream of flag waving in contemporary pop and rock.

When I asked about their sophomore video for the track “Arctic at Dawn,” keyboardist/vocalist Stephanie Hannan rolled her eyes while Hacket asked me blatantly: “Do you know what it’s about?” The video, partially funded through a Bravo VideoFACT! grant, was apparently a grueling eighteen hour experience for the band and its ultra abstract concept, coupled with a very bossy assistant director, was not the experience the band had hoped it would become. Yet the band states that they were glad they did it, and the video’s production, along with the new tours and hectic schedules, have been great practical learning experiences for them. “And we get the song promoted, which is great,” they all added.

Surprisingly, playing live in the form of wide tours is a fairly new concept for Kill the Lights. Aside from the aforementioned 401-related venues, the band has played only in Montreal and in Brooklyn, New York. They have played some festival dates and the North by Northeast Music Festival while their new disc has gained them some airplay in London, Kingston, and Kamloops. These new branches of both performance and airplay have allowed them to come into contact with some bands that they have gained inspiration from, among them Land of Talk, Femme Generation, and, above all, Holy Fuck, who Hacket and Dignard say is the newest Canadian act that has left the biggest impression on them. When asked if they are interested in incorporating anything they have seen into their act, all members said they intended on using more synthesizers and keyboard influences; something that Holy Fuck have shown them as a valid avenue to pursue. “Sonically, the sky is the limit,” Hacket declared.

When talking about road hardships, the topic of Canadian independent music inevitably came up. For the members of Kill the Lights, the scene was unquestionably healthy. The festivals had been vibrant for them and there were a lot of bands that were doing well and gaining strong followings. Although they have toured on a limited scale, they have found the best audiences to be both in Montreal and Toronto. Although some members were very interested in touring the east coast, they seemed to hold reservations about going out west, saying that they feared that their type of music would not be accepted as well as it had back east. For Kill the Lights, the broke, beer drinking university audiences of Southern Ontario who constantly crave new and different music forms were the audiences they felt most interested building a bigger fanbase with. When I suggested that perhaps something similar could be had with Western Canadian audiences, the band shrug. “Maybe. Again, anything is possible”. True indeed, I thought, and I suggested that it would only be known if they were brave enough to seek it out.

After several bottles of Labatt 50 and pints of Guinness, I concluded the interview by wishing the band success. They all shook my hand and wished me well. As I left the Pilot’s Tavern, I could see the band settle into booths, order food, and give off a sigh of relief as their day of interviews and press had ended. They were one of the new bands who now are going through the trials of new found success, and as they appeared to have the integrity to deserve such accolades, one can only hope they go further – musically, globally, professionally – with their career.

~James Burt

© 2007, All Rights Reserved