Canadian indie music's favourite couch potato and fast food aficionado B.A. Johnston is about to embark on a tour of the western part of the country, and he's got some new material lined up for the trek.
Speaking with Exclaim! from his hometown of Hamilton, ON, Johnston says that he should have most of the follow-up to last year's nostalgia-soaked full-length, Hi Dudes!, ready prior to the upcoming tour, which gets underway next week.
"All my parts will be recorded before this tour starts, but the record probably won't come out until September or January of next year," he says. "It's kind of weird planning everything so far ahead, but you kind of have to. I'm just trying to think when I can do a really big tour to support it."
Tentatively titled Mission Accomplished, the album should be right in Johnston's wheelhouse of trash culture and self-deprecation.
"I've been playing a song about when you're in Tim Hortons and then you realize you hate Tim Hortons, I think that's going to be popular," he says.
Johnston also has a new one called "Whitesnakes," which requires a bit of explaining.
"If your roommate uses up all the toilet paper and then you're in the bathroom and there's no toilet paper, that's kind of like a whitesnake move," he says.
The new tracks most likely won't be available anywhere except for in Johnston's live sets until the album is out. But as for touring Western Canada, he had some pretty funny observations to make.
"I find out west less people smoke. Like the closer you get to BC, the less people smoke cigarettes. And people don't swear as much in BC, people still kind of swear in Saskatchewan and they definitely swear in Manitoba."
For a guy who crosses the country playing upwards of 100 shows a year, he's no stranger to the West Coast and Prairies. In fact, his last album came out on the Alberta-based label Mammoth Cave Recording Co.
And Johnston says he's looking forward to hitting up Regina, because, "They have that Wonderland arcade so that's a highlight. It's like the best arcade in Canada so I'm really excited about that."
Tour dates:
3/9 Winnipeg, MB - Windsor Hotel *
3/11 Medicine Hat, AB - Silver Buckle
3/12 Lethbridge AB - Owl Lounge
3/13 Fernie, BC - Central
3/14 Nelson, BC - Royal ^
3/15 Vancouver, BC - Pats Pub $
3/16 Victoria, BC - Logans #
3/17 Abbotsford, BC - Aftermath @UFV Campus %
3/20 Edmonton, AB - Empress
3/21 Calgary, AB - Palamino +
3/22 Regina, SK - O Hanlons +
3/23 Saskatoon, SK - Amigos =
* with Magnificent 7s
^ with Real MacKenzies
$ with Needles//Pins, Previous Tenants
# with Needles//Pins, Babysitter
% with Needles//Pins
+ with Fist City
= with Fist City, Catdad, Myles and the Blanks
Speaking with Exclaim! from his hometown of Hamilton, ON, Johnston says that he should have most of the follow-up to last year's nostalgia-soaked full-length, Hi Dudes!, ready prior to the upcoming tour, which gets underway next week.
"All my parts will be recorded before this tour starts, but the record probably won't come out until September or January of next year," he says. "It's kind of weird planning everything so far ahead, but you kind of have to. I'm just trying to think when I can do a really big tour to support it."
Tentatively titled Mission Accomplished, the album should be right in Johnston's wheelhouse of trash culture and self-deprecation.
"I've been playing a song about when you're in Tim Hortons and then you realize you hate Tim Hortons, I think that's going to be popular," he says.
Johnston also has a new one called "Whitesnakes," which requires a bit of explaining.
"If your roommate uses up all the toilet paper and then you're in the bathroom and there's no toilet paper, that's kind of like a whitesnake move," he says.
The new tracks most likely won't be available anywhere except for in Johnston's live sets until the album is out. But as for touring Western Canada, he had some pretty funny observations to make.
"I find out west less people smoke. Like the closer you get to BC, the less people smoke cigarettes. And people don't swear as much in BC, people still kind of swear in Saskatchewan and they definitely swear in Manitoba."
For a guy who crosses the country playing upwards of 100 shows a year, he's no stranger to the West Coast and Prairies. In fact, his last album came out on the Alberta-based label Mammoth Cave Recording Co.
And Johnston says he's looking forward to hitting up Regina, because, "They have that Wonderland arcade so that's a highlight. It's like the best arcade in Canada so I'm really excited about that."
Tour dates:
3/9 Winnipeg, MB - Windsor Hotel *
3/11 Medicine Hat, AB - Silver Buckle
3/12 Lethbridge AB - Owl Lounge
3/13 Fernie, BC - Central
3/14 Nelson, BC - Royal ^
3/15 Vancouver, BC - Pats Pub $
3/16 Victoria, BC - Logans #
3/17 Abbotsford, BC - Aftermath @UFV Campus %
3/20 Edmonton, AB - Empress
3/21 Calgary, AB - Palamino +
3/22 Regina, SK - O Hanlons +
3/23 Saskatoon, SK - Amigos =
* with Magnificent 7s
^ with Real MacKenzies
$ with Needles//Pins, Previous Tenants
# with Needles//Pins, Babysitter
% with Needles//Pins
+ with Fist City
= with Fist City, Catdad, Myles and the Blanks
