To tide us over while we indulge in the holiday spirit gorging on stuffing and egg nog, we asked a bunch of musicians to tell us their thoughts on 2008. Some of them replied with lists of their favourite music, some told us their fondest memories, and some came up with much more creative ways to commemorate this past year.
The Coast's vocalist/guitarist Ben Spurr and bassist Luke Melchiorre threw their picks into the hat while updating us on their future plans:
Ben Spurr:
Best Records:
Beach House Devotion
Walkmen You & Me
Wolf Parade At Mount Zoomer
Best shows we played:
Hamburg, at the Jager Grunen: A German guy asked us to sign CDs he promised to give to his kids when they were old enough to appreciate music. German people don't sleep, so we ended up drunk at a fish market at five a.m. trying to see the ships come in through the fog.
Chicago at Schuba's with the Born Ruffians: Schuba's is the best venue in the U.S. and it was packed. It was our last of three shows with the Ruffians, they asked us on stage to sing "I Need A Life." We all had a lot of practice since we've been singing along to it in the tour van for months.
Petawawa with Blue Rodeo: Playing an arena in an Ontario army town with Canrock legends? How much better can it get? We walked in on Jim Cuddy in his dressing room, he was in his underwear, our drummer Jordan head-butted Greg Keelor in the face, and they still gave us autographs!
Next year:
We're working on a record, tentatively titled There Are Things You Can Do At the Seaside That You Can't Do In Town. On the racks in 2009...
Luke Melchiorre:
These are my records of the year in no particular order (that being said, the Wolf Parade record is, without doubt, my album of the year).
Wolf Parade At Mount Zoomer
Fleet Foxes Fleet Foxes
MGMT Oracular Spectacular
Spiritualized Songs in A and E
Born Ruffians Red, Yellow and Blue
The Walkmen You and Me
Chairlift Does You Inspire You
Best Gig:
Wolf Parade at the Kool Haus
The Verve at Ricoh (although I was disappointed with the record)
As for us:
We are currently writing for our next record and getting ready to tour the UK again in the February.
The Coast's vocalist/guitarist Ben Spurr and bassist Luke Melchiorre threw their picks into the hat while updating us on their future plans:
Ben Spurr:
Best Records:
Beach House Devotion
Walkmen You & Me
Wolf Parade At Mount Zoomer
Best shows we played:
Hamburg, at the Jager Grunen: A German guy asked us to sign CDs he promised to give to his kids when they were old enough to appreciate music. German people don't sleep, so we ended up drunk at a fish market at five a.m. trying to see the ships come in through the fog.
Chicago at Schuba's with the Born Ruffians: Schuba's is the best venue in the U.S. and it was packed. It was our last of three shows with the Ruffians, they asked us on stage to sing "I Need A Life." We all had a lot of practice since we've been singing along to it in the tour van for months.
Petawawa with Blue Rodeo: Playing an arena in an Ontario army town with Canrock legends? How much better can it get? We walked in on Jim Cuddy in his dressing room, he was in his underwear, our drummer Jordan head-butted Greg Keelor in the face, and they still gave us autographs!
Next year:
We're working on a record, tentatively titled There Are Things You Can Do At the Seaside That You Can't Do In Town. On the racks in 2009...
Luke Melchiorre:
These are my records of the year in no particular order (that being said, the Wolf Parade record is, without doubt, my album of the year).
Wolf Parade At Mount Zoomer
Fleet Foxes Fleet Foxes
MGMT Oracular Spectacular
Spiritualized Songs in A and E
Born Ruffians Red, Yellow and Blue
The Walkmen You and Me
Chairlift Does You Inspire You
Best Gig:
Wolf Parade at the Kool Haus
The Verve at Ricoh (although I was disappointed with the record)
As for us:
We are currently writing for our next record and getting ready to tour the UK again in the February.
