In-Flight Safety

0:00Talking to you with the guys from in-flight safety. Thank you very much for the tune is really appreciate it sounded great Thank you for having us man, and you say it's your second time out west Second time. Yep. It's very boring drive across the country to get out here It is boring, but not when you've got four crazy boys All around five including Jimmy. Yeah, there you go and Dan you're new to the band, right? So I I know you know wait there there I am in the microphone I am in some ways the newest and most always The newest member of the band I I was always a big fan and I was always I was a close friend to the band From the very first days, but I've been in the band for about two and a half years. Oh that long okay. Yeah Did you record on the record to them? Yeah, moe not not every single keyboard note, but

0:45But a good part of them good part of them very nice, and I heard you didn't even know how to play keyboard before is that true or is that just you know? It's a bit of an embellishment. It is I did I never had a lesson. I don't you know I kind of there's a piano in my house that we played a little bit yeah, or I you know could play like brick by Ben Folds or something Good, too Yeah, I know there's one of those I sat and learned that and I knew like two songs, but I couldn't really play piano Like when I was taught the parts I didn't know what chords I was playing anything and I know now you've done very well with yourself Yeah, awesome. This record seems a lot more it's more up tempo It's a it's a bigger sounding record than that first EP that you guys put out Was that a conscious decision when you were writing the songs you wanted to sound bigger mix it more? You know more strings more, you know Gronder as they say

1:31Yeah, I'm gonna chime in here sort in go to it when we made vacation land we made it in a basement in a small town in New Brunswick and We didn't even really know we had a record there. So the way I describe it is coast is clear was very much a methodical planned out let's make this kind of record So I'm glad that translates because we did take a lot of steps to make it sound a lot bigger and a lot more robust than vacation land was very much a Experiment that seemed to go right. Mm-hmm. You can tell the stripped down version It sounds a lot more acoustic somebody's watching you rather than the newer stuff, right? You know a lot more What's that sound what's that effect on the keyboard for those tunes? Oh, I usually I use a lot of roads roads piano and it's cool

2:17And strings we use a lot of like kind of big strings and I build some patches here and there just sounds that try to copy sounds I like yeah, and uh end up they never sound exactly right, but sometimes it turned into cool things So yeah, just a lot of weird sonic things and little pads and mm-hmm Glocks glocks of course of course I heard you went out to be see to work on the record didn't work out as well as you thought it would and then moved home to Record more is that true? Yeah, it was a lot of circumstantial things that led to that We went out to work with this great producer a good friend of ours Warren lives he and he's just incredibly talented Probably too talented for where we were as a band and we went out there underprepared I think and One of our members was sort of half in half out at that point. That John John Yeah, and um

3:02So we did these tunes with Warren and I think in the end we weren't happy with them because for a lot of reasons I think Sometimes people spin the story that they place the blame on Warren But really it was just that we were underprepared and didn't know what we were doing We came back with sketches of songs that weren't even really finished. We realized later So then we had to just add a few things to those five songs and then we did and we needed I was only five We needed a full length record. So we were far from Done recording at that point. It was a huge learning experience. Did you use those songs that you'd worked with? Yeah, a lot to learn surround helping you guys letting go and I'm drawing a blank here turn me around in the world won't those were all done Yeah, and then you just brought them home and just remixed them yourself and didn't well

3:48To be fair, we just added a few little Synth parts and a lot of John's parts in all honesty We decided to have Dan have a go at them because yeah, why not he was sort of a little bit out of Wanting to play music so it sounded like that in some of his parts He otherwise would come up with really inspired parts, but I think in this case he was ready to move on So yeah, what's he doing now? You guys still found him? Yeah, it's good front of ours. Yeah, in fact We'll see him over Christmas and there you go. Yeah, we're nice. We're still close Tell me about m griner and how you hooked up with her for the first time and I mean, that's a pretty cool story We met m in monkton when we were playing one of our first shows And I think Dan was even present for that show. He wasn't even in the band here, but he was there which is cool. It's karma karmically related I think and M was playing with holly mcknarland next door in this bigger venue. She was opening for holly

4:37I didn't know that she stumbled into our six person attendance show And she just we were I think we're doing more than this by roxy music Wow, there you go Which is was fun and she was like what the hell's going on in here and then we played some of our own tunes And she just really loved it. That's awesome bought up all our CDs Very nice and I heard she even got a copy of the bully's band. She did. Yeah, she got a copy to bowie directly She's the sing in his band is she's sing back ups in his touring band and He we got an email back from him through him that said that he had heard it and liked it And that was enough for us. Yeah, of course Someone you'd like to work with one day maybe and to produce a tracker to before you. Oh, yeah, I think he would do that I mean he's embarrassed because I think I don't know he's so good. I'd love it. Yeah. Yeah Why know he's saying with the arcade fire. Yeah, he loves their stuff. Yeah, lord knows

5:24He probably hates us now because we said we said his name so many times It only helps him. I remember it was yeah, it'll be great. But he's amazing. Yeah What I want to talk about talk about england and ireland you guys were just there we were climbing stuff on tv We not cool I guess that's I guess that's just how it's done over there It was it was really awkward though We you know we did this sound and we were singing the like john was singing the vocals I sang the back of vocals into microphones and the vocals went to tape over an instrumental version of Of the song and we you know we so we did sound check and everything sounded great and it was And then We got there and there's a live audience and we were playing at the end of the show So we were playing along and you know you kind of feel a bit like a sham But you're kind of you're playing along and then all of a sudden the show was over and they paid it out

6:10So they just cut the song and then we're all just kind of sitting there and glens pretending You feel like such a sham to these 30 60 people who are sitting in front of you clearly the What's the word for that then you know the mystique was removed Yeah, you're still playing and there was no music. Yeah, so I think it was a bit of an awkward experience I guess everyone everyone does that that's just how they run and on tv because it sounds that much better But yeah, but we had a great time and we were in london for a few days and spent two weeks in island Hanging out with mgriner and played some shows with her and we played the hardworking class heroes festival and Like big outdoor venue. It was just a really good time and you kind of Over in ireland they because you're from Canada They kind of they think you're you're super special and we are super special but even more so in a foreign

6:57Got a lot to know you're not a man. Oh big time huge in Europe. You guys americans were here Yeah, it was a great trip though and really positive and we sold all the CDs that we had nice ran out ran out long before We should have or no, not really but we should have ran out long before that but yeah, it's a rent gear too I heard I mean obviously you can't travel stuff as well. Yeah, what's that like playing with like brand new? You must have been kind of cool and it was a good experience because we fried almost all our equipment on the first Trip to London because the power ratings are different and I sound like a geek The current averages are different But uh we fried a few things and and you need to rent a lot of stuff to make it work and It's a huge job. Yeah, it was cool to see how it worked

7:43And then we rented some stuff some of it was crap some it was good So next time we'd like to have our own stuff. So maybe we'll fly it over or something There you go. You but they let you do that. I mean you can fly over in cargo Yeah, you gotta pay pay for it But you don't want to get damaged go down there the shows would be that much better if you had your own stuff Yeah, I heard the festival sponsored by Budweiser. Yeah, they're hard work class heroes They would go with some sort of Irish ale or something. That's a decent You know what in Ireland all the girls is a trend they drink like Miller genuine draft and all these other ship beers Budweiser and beep cool. Yeah, baby. Whoops. Yeah, um You know, so it's weird There's like American beers are cool over there and whereas they're not cool in Canada in my opinion No, I totally agree with you tastes like piss. So for the most part. Yeah, mgd's not bad. It's all right Summer beer, yeah, it's like October Fasting Kitchener sponsored by moles and yeah, I expect some sort of German beer

8:33Yeah, you know why no you'd think that you know, you're surrounded by every sign is Guinness on it and you have a huge, you know, st James Gates and Budweiser Yeah, this is actually take like eight minutes to pour a Guinness there I keep hearing that They take it away. I won't say eight minutes But they pour it and they they don't fill up to the top and they set it down and they serve some other people then they come back and Finish the two. Yeah. Yeah. Wow. That's pretty cool. And there were a few guinesses ordered by Glenn By glien They there were some and myself there you go good time for all. Yeah, definitely awesome Talk about downloading a music and the way it's changed in the industry I mean surround was in the Dell commercial obviously a lot of publicity for you and that seems to be the way I mean radio sure it works and CD sales and touring and all that kind of stuff the usual But it seems a lot more these days music is getting out there through commercials and through the internet and through all these different venues that

9:24We're around before but you know weren't really as viable. I guess Yeah, I'm sorry. Well, I don't really know the question is there. Well, I agree with you Yeah, do you think the download if you think it's helping you or harm you more? I guess down the It's hard to see like it for the industry It's actually downloading is still I mean obviously everyone has a different sort of opinion downloading I mean it can help you at an early stage, you know to get spread your music out there But you know in terms of like a commercial whereas, you know, we were you know, it seems there's a bit more It's a bit more of a business transaction really it's in a good way whereas downloading I mean, I don't like to say it's stealing. I think we all download a little bit but uh Yeah, it's just there's There's something I mean your music is getting out there and if people are you know, like you'd mentioned

10:12You downloaded a song you checked it out and you bought the record. You hope that's what everyone would do You know, that's not what's happening. Where's you know that so it's kind of a tough It's a tough call but like you said anyway, you can get your like at an early stage Anyway, you can get your name out there you do what you can so is that where you guys are at you think So that getting out there kind of stage or as the surround song really taking off for you It has taken off for us, but I don't have a gauge for that. So who knows? I mean, we're happy we're doing what we want to do for a long time and uh, coast is clear is now in uh Hit the airwaves. It's our next singles out and it's caught on as much or as better better than surround so oh really I don't like it hit heavy rotation that much music which is unheard of for an indie band. So God, uh

10:57I don't know. We're just we're happy about all that stuff. Yeah, that sort of informs us To keep promoting coast is clear the record. So yeah, yeah, that's it's been great What are the plans states at all or just keep it off your can't know I think if we tour the states we want to put a record out there So if all the records not out record labels listening Put a record out in the states. I don't think we're going to go down to or until we have a record out Yeah, it makes it's right down there, but if we do get a good opening slot. We'd do it for sure Yeah, it seems to be hard to get that Interesting cool Um, ask every band five questions five quick questions one more answers Um, you can both answer them if you want go back and forth or whatever, you know, whatever I pod or CDs iPod unfortunately I don't I don't own an iPod but we don't have any CDs in our van currently because we've got the tape adapter to the I pod there you go

11:42I pod in the van iPod. I was gonna say iPod or CDs vinyls the answer vinyls. I love Landon or McCartney Lenin That but it's tough both One word answer. Yeah Biggie or pop Oh my god, two pop for sure. I'm a Wu Tang man. You're a Wu Tang man. Are you? Yeah, what a picture you use a Wu Tang is a lot of some changes. Oh, that's good, too Um, what number we have four alcohol and marijuana alcohol big time glens not here alcohol And it changed today when I made it in a sleazy way smelling crack to the kids Nice little rhyming a little too bad. Yeah, of course And uh and one word in flight safety

12:29Happy Awesome. Oh, that's uh That's a tough one. I I'm I'm gonna say fools fools foolish and happy. Yeah very nice