Interviews

TessAnger, TeenParks

Tess Parks and Teenanger are two of our favourite acts, not just out of Toronto, but anywhere. We smashed them together because we wanted to play God. They interviewed and took photos of each other and this is what we got. “There’s peanut butter in my chocolate! There’s chocolate in my peanut butter!” Together they taste like this.

Weekend | Love + Death

Jinx, the new album by Slumberland’s Weekend is awash with gloomy, tempered, British shoe gaze and post-punk sounds.  The first time ION’s interviewer Bryce Dunn heard the track “Mirror” and the refrain “I feel sick, sick, sick in my heart…” from San Francisco-bred, Brooklyn-based group Weekend, he had a feeling these guys weren’t exactly singing about sunshine and lollipops. 

Bear Mountain | High Times

The star is most definitely on the rise for West Coast band Bear Mountain, whether they have time to sit back, bask, and properly acknowledge it or not. And with all the hard work they put into their music, visuals, production and tours, it’s not only easy to see why they are receiving such deserved acclaim, but also assuring to see such innovation and dedication rewarded. I mean, they have a creative director who turns their music into images in real time on stage. What’s not to love! We asked Grady Mitchell to speak to and photograph Bear Mountain on behalf of ION.

Eugene Mirman | The Cosmic Comic

Eugene Mirman is a standup comedian who has established himself as one of the most respected figures in alternative and indie comedy. Currently Brooklyn based, but born in Soviet Russia, having immigrated to the United States at four years old, he first gained attention for his role as the landlord on popular HBO comedy Flight of the Conchords. He is also known for being co-host of the popular Startalk Radio podcast, with renowned astrophysicist, Neil deGrasse Tyson.

K-OS | Amalgamated Chaos

k-os, a.k.a. Kevin Brereton, is a man of many influences and cultures, all of which meld into his music and result in the diverse sound he is known for. Consistently nailing a combination of genres, his newly released fifth studio album, BLack on BLonde, exemplifies his unique hip-hop stance and sound, his rock’n’roll instrumental ability and his Trinidadian upbringing, which work together to create something original, brave, and fun.

Elephant Stone

Like a piper at the gates of dawn, psychedelic pop music has once again risen to the top of the new music scene, tweaked to modern perfection by recent crusaders like Tame Impala, Foxygen and of course, Montreal's ELEPHANT STONE. Singer/guitarist/sitarist RISHI DHIR has described their latest self-titled record as being inspired by his obsession with the perfect melodic pop song and the trippiest raga.

Phoenix Thunderbird

Words: Josefa Cameron

Phoenix Thunderbird is made up of a web developer, an engineer, and a social scientist; an unlikely trio to mold together a fine balance of raw energy and structured thrash metal to delight the ears of their hometown Vancouver’s darker corners. We sent Josefa Cameron to meet the motley three-piece over brunch, where they chatted about The Pointer Sisters, dating Bruce Springsteen, Friday nights in Kamloops, and most importantly, Phoenix Thunderbird.

ION: How long have you guys been together?
Jordan Ardanaz (vocals, guitar): Two years, and a bit.

Their There

Their There are a super talented six-piece from White Rock, B.C., made up of friends Ross Jenkins (guitar, vocals), Adam de Souza (bass), Harley Small (piano, vocals), Jess Desrochers (drums), Rory Hislop (trumpet), and Adam Gough (saxophone). They’ve been in a band pretty much since they began puberty, so if it wasn’t obvious by listening to their debut album, Familiar Skin, these guys have got their sound, style and ridiculously fun live shows locked down.

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