IamA (we are a) Canadian band called Hey Rosetta! AMA!

How did you come up with the name for the band?

hi. this is tim.

it was about 10 years ago now that i was tearing my hair out trying to name the little band of friends and string players i put together to try and lift my solo tunes up to a higher louder better level. its the hardest thing about being in a band maybe, the name. that or the winter cross canada tours (hehee - http://heyrosetta.com/tour/ ) basically what i ended up going with, was something i liked the sound of, with a meaning that i felt really resonated with what i was trying to write about. the name is reference to the rosetta stone (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosetta_Stone )...a calling out to it, to a thing that could suddenly open up a whole new way of seeing life, and sort of asking for another. yeah.

Are you weirded out by the recent "repaired with gold" trend?

Your song Kintsukuroi, Rural Alberta Advantage's album Mended with Gold, and now Death Cab For Cutie with their new album Kintsugi. All within the span of a year.

I am pretty sure all three bands developed the ideas independently, but it's still a pretty crazy coincidence!

tim here. yeah. i noticed this preponderance. got messaged about both. people love to alert you to the fact that you are not original. it is interesting. i learned about it from my yoga instructor in st johns this past winter as an meditation/intention to focus on. and it rang a bell in my brain cause it was such a perfect metaphor for what i was going through and trying to write about. its a pretty elegant idea and image. i'm not surprised it strikes a chord with people. and i guess the whole zeitgeist at large.

What difficulties occur from being based in St. John's?

Well, the main thing is just getting on and off the island. We had a brutal drive across there last week and ended up missing the ferry. Good ol Newfoundland winter. Josh

Hi Tim, Josh and Phill, greetings from New Zealand ! I've sent a message in your Facebook page so you could not imagine how excited I were when I read you post about this IAMA. Well, I listen to your songs every single day, not exaggerating. And I have two questions, first one is about "the simplest thing", do the couple break up at the end of the song? Seriously, this question is taking my sleep away! :) Second question, what is "Cathedral Bells" about? I love that song :) Also, please come to New Zealand, we'd live to have you here and I keep my promise and I'd buy you guys a drink :) Thanks already !

hey. tim here.

i love new zealand and wish i was there right now. we landed there once for a 5 hour layover on the way to australia and i rode the bus into auckland and walked around in the sun. the bus driver was like a comedian doing little bits about every stop. everyone that got on and off was so friendly it was like that scene in beauty and the beast when everyone yells bonjour out their windows. the place feels a little like a storybook to me, and though i'm sure theres all sorts of dark sides to it i would love to go there, whether to play or just visit. hopefully both! now...

the couple in the simplest thing i guess was me and my girlfriend at the time. its probably the most intimate thing i've ever written. and yeah we did end up breaking up, but as is always the case in songwriting, it was a lot more complicated in real life than in the tune.

as for cathedral bells thats a sort of narrative about love and lust and commiseration mostly. maybe its the start of a relationship like in the simplest thing. but its hopeful. i like beginnings better personally.

I have front row tickets for your Fredericton show, and am really looking forward to it. Does the fact that the venue is a seated theatre change the way you perform? Follow up: will you guys be hanging out before/after the show to sign some merch?

seated venues definitely feel different than rowdy bar shows. people are more engaged rather than chatting with friends. I personally feel a little more pressure from those theatre gigs because you really have to nail it.

we will be out and about after the Fredericton show, feel free to flag one of us down.

--Phil

Just because it's a seated venue doesn't mean people don't ever get up. One of my favorite concerts was Dan Mangan at the Knox United here in Calgary; for "So Much for Everyone" and "Robots", he actually called anyone who wanted to come down to the front to do so.

In a packed house, I don't think there was a single ass in a seat.

and that's totally awesome, we really enjoy that as well. I just feel like overall the audience is more engaged in a theatre setting vs. a boozy club show. --Phil

Hey - me and my wife have tix for Valentines Day in TO. We both grew up in NFLD and went to MUN 1997-2001. Anyway, what are your top 3 fav bars on George St (past or present)? Cheers, and keep up the good work!

The Levee. Awesome bands, awesome staff, we played our first show there (back when it was Roxxys) Christians for a quiet pint and some salty popcorn. The Rockhouse as a great place to check out touring bands. Josh

Hi Tim, Josh, and Phil!

I’m a huge fan of Hey Rosetta! and I’ve seen you perform 6 or 7 times since I first heard your music. Thanks for doing this AMA! I have a couple of questions for you.

Creating music as a band is hard enough, but I imagine it’s extra challenging when your band has 7 members. Can you talk a bit about the collaborative process, how songs are created, etc?

My favorite show I ever saw you play was late at night (3 AM?) on the first night of Bonnaroo in 2012. There were about 80 of us in a little wooded area out by the tents and you played one of the most phenomenal sets/shows I’ve ever seen. Do you remember this show? Was it by chance as special for you as it was for us? 5 of my friends converted to lifelong Hey Rosetta! fans that day.

Lastly, you’ve played a lot of different sized venues with a lot of different bands. Do you find yourselves having “favorite” places to play? Favorite venue sizes? The show you played at Lincoln Hall in Chicago on the Seeds tour was amazing.

Thanks again for taking the time to do this!

hey orionus, tim here.

re: our process...usually, though not always, i hole myself up in a house or cabin or apartment and write the songs at their most elemental - words, melodies, chords etc...then the 4 other lads and i get together and bang out the groove and lead lines and sound palette and vibe of the thing and get it to the next level. sometimes its easy. usually its not. we like to get thorough with it and leave no sound or rhythm or stone unturned so to speak. then the studio changes it all again a little.

i remember that bonnaroo show absolutely. it was so surreal (as is most of the roo!) what a lovely little gig. and they had such nice drinks if i remember correctly. lots of cucumber and such.

looooove chicago like in a weird nearly magnetic way. also san francisco. and the noisy buzz and clang of new york outside my window right now. and of course the east coast of canada. and the rest of canada. and europe. and australia. everywhere is the same and totally different and all awesome to see people come out to see you and really the whole thing just makes you feel completely blessed to be honest.

yeah. this is nice. thanks orionus. my first time on reddit!

What are your favorite bands from St. John's right now and why?

Loved your shows at the Delta Ballroom back in the day! So much fun. Thanks for reppin' Newfoundland!

Josh: Generations Tim: Pathological Lovers Phil: Green and Gold, Steve Maloney

also, the Dardanelles are doing great things with traditional newfoundland tunes. Gala have some great jams too.

Hey folks, Stephen here

Long time fan and have turned your annual Christmas show at Mile One into a solidified tradition.

One of the coolest things about you guys is your local interaction here in St. John's. What are your 3 favorite spots in St. John's?

Thanks dude! i would say: 1. The Duke 2. Fixed Coffee 3. Fred's Records

--Phil

Always spotted at the Farmers Market. It has to make a top 5 outing! That amazingly cheap Indian food... So damn good!

very good!

Hey! I'm a long time fan from NL's south coast, currently living in St. John's. Do you think you'd ever play at the Breezeway again? I know many MUN students love you guys!

hey there, those breezeway shows we used to do were a whole lot of fun. The only problem is that it doesn't always sound the best and since there are 7 of us now we need a pretty big stage. But you never know! --Phil

Do you take offense to people leaving off the exclamation point?

not at all. --Phil

Hey guys;

Huge, huge fan since I saw you and Dan Mangan in 2009 at the Black Lounge at the University of Calgary. My friends and I were front row and it's still one of my best memories from school. It was my first proper 'Canadian Indie' show, and kicked off a non-stop love affair with the amazing music Canada has to offer.

Second Sight is phenomenal!

My 2 questions:

1. Second Sight has a very, very different sound when compared to Seeds; a lot more expansive and... mature. Do you guys feel like there was a real change in the way you write your music between the two albums?

2. Given the calmer, more 'acoustic soundscape' vibe Second Sight seems to put out, do you feel like this has also come through in your (famously high energy) live performances? How have those changed over the years?

I've seen you 6 times now and every single show is amazing. I've also shipped your albums to 7 countries now for friends who I got hooked when I lived abroad. They all agree that Second Sight is another amazing piece of music.

I can't wait to see you guys play the new stuff in February (and maybe, for your Calgary fans, a few tracks from the old discs too)!

1. Second Sight has a very, very different sound when compared to Seeds; a lot more expansive and... mature. Do you guys feel like there was a real change in the way you write your music between the two albums?

I don't think anything really drastically changed since the last recording in terms of the way things were written. We did have a little more studio time and our producer Marcus Paquin really pushed us in different ways than we had ever been pushed before. I guess maybe we were a little more comfortable with experimenting in the studio space...and with all the toys there

1. Given the calmer, more 'acoustic soundscape' vibe Second Sight seems to put out, do you feel like this has also come through in your (famously high energy) live performances? How have those changed over the years?

I think we've always just tried to do our best to satisfy the songs as we see them in a live setting. Recently we've added a lot more stuff, and it can be quite challenging to pull it off live. The main thing is to find a set list that has its own energy, and play into it.

I've seen you 6 times now and every single show is amazing. I've also shipped your albums to 7 countries now for friends who I got hooked when I lived abroad. They all agree that Second Sight is another amazing piece of music.

Thanks so much

Josh

Hey guys, this is more or less a non serious question for Josh. You seemed to have a difficult time debating whether Shania Twain qualifies as a "jam, or not a jam" during your tenure with CBC Music a few months ago. Henceforth, my entire hometown of Timmins was thoroughly upset and appalled (not really though). Is Shania Twain just difficult to listen to in general or is it just "Man, I feel like a woman"? Good call on the Bob Seger though, I'll give you that.

Ya, it's sort of Shania in general. I mean, she can definitely sing, but she's just never been my cup of tea. I think she just hit at the wrong time in my life. Maybe I'll give her another try. For Timmins. Josh

hey there, we unfortunately have to take off for a performance now so the AMA is finished for now. Hopefully we'll be able to reply to a few more this evening.

Thanks for participating everyone!

-- hey rosetta

Does Canada really have milk in bags?

hi. yes. its strange but you see there's a little jug that the bags fit perfectly into so then you just cut the corner off and it works perfectly. and then there's way less garbage when yer done! but yeah. still kinda strange to bring it home all white and sloshy and bagged. but the earth thanks us. by freezing us to death til june. anyway get into it.
-tim.

Tim - I read in a recent interview that you often feel like most of your days as a musician are spent screaming at the audience - and that on this album you wanted the make sure the words you wrote were worth screaming about.

Do you think you've achieved that?

As an audience member, I tend to notice these little moments, when the song lulls or the tone is somber and a tiny smile begins to creep onto your face. Before you know it, you're full on beaming and singing. What are you thinking about in those moments? What about being on stage makes you happy?

Last question: In Trish's Song, I really noticed the emphasis on the word "receive." It is this beautiful, unexpected part of the song, one word which stretches higher and longer and turns into the peak of the song. It feels like you're trying to collect all of the joy and pain of a life, and crush it into two syllables, but you just can't, so the word stretches longer and longer, higher and higher. It's like the camera is panning from the church choir, up and up until it hits that sparkly piece of sunlight at the top.

What does that word signify to you?

Thanks!

hi nicnacinc, tim here... 1. er...i'm not entirely sure that i have. its funny, during the writing and record making process you totally agonize over every theme, every line, every syllable...then when its all over you just take the tune and push it out into the night each night. i dunno if it could've been better, but it feels good from the stage. i dunno do you think i have? 2. i'm not sure i'm always thinking any specific thing all the time in those moments. sometimes its the way a certain line relates to the moment, or the room, or the day. sometimes its somebody (or me, quite often me) fucking something up and that always makes me laugh for some reason. and sometimes i'm just delighted to find myself in that situation.
3. yeah. its often not so easy to receive what you need. i guess when you give so much or yourself you hope to get it all back at some point. but it doesn't always work like that. the narrator of this song wants to assure his suffering friend/mother that it does work like that, and he will ensure it. i think you're right that line sort of yearns and reaches for this vanishing reward and rest, musically as well as emotionally. thanks for the great questions. i hope i've responded in kind. tim

Do you guys have any plans to hit up western Canada anytime soon? Don't k ow if I just don't pay close enough attention to concert announcements but you guys are on my list of bands to see live. Also good morning! Or afternoon for you I guess.

good afternoon from Brooklyn, NY. we will be headed out west in Feb with Stars. all our dates are up at heyrosetta.com/tour

hopefully see ya out there!

--Phil

Hi guys! As you can tell by my username, I'm a huge fan. My father first introduced me to you guys after he heard your EP at a listening station at an HMV in Ottawa in 2008. He was blown away by your stuff and insisted on seeing you live everytime you came to Ottawa. He gave me a lifelong love of music and although he passed away (way too young) in 2013, everytime I listen to New Goodbye or Red Heart or Plan Your Escape I think of better, happy times. Thank you for rekindling his passion for live music - he said no one in his recent memory did live shows like you. He was your biggest fan.

My question! Stars is another one of my favourite bands. How did you end up getting together and what made you guys want to tour together? Looking forward to seeing you in Toronto on Feb. 13!

Hi guys! As you can tell by my username, I'm a huge fan. My father first introduced me to you guys after he heard your EP at a listening station at an HMV in Ottawa in 2008. He was blown away by your stuff and insisted on seeing you live everytime you came to Ottawa. He gave me a lifelong love of music and although he passed away (way too young) in 2013, everytime I listen to New Goodbye or Red Heart or Plan Your Escape I think of better, happy times. Thank you for rekindling his passion for live music - he said no one in his recent memory did live shows like you. He was your biggest fan.

Really sorry to hear. I'm glad if our music can be some comfort for you

My question! Stars is another one of my favourite bands. How did you end up getting together and what made you guys want to tour together? Looking forward to seeing you in Toronto on Feb. 13!

Basically, our albums came out at the same time, and we were planning on touring around the same time, so we joined forces. We've toured with them before and are buddies, so it was a pretty easy choice. We've already done the US leg of the tour and it went really well, so we're looking forward to doing it back home. I think our fans are able to appreciate Stars and hopefully vice versa Josh

Never heard of your band before. Care explaining what style of music you make and what has influenced you the most?

that's a tough one, and pretty broad. I feel as though our sound has changed significantly from record to record as we grow up and figure ourselves out. Our musical tastes/influences have most definitely changed as well. There are 7 of us in the band now and we all listen to a wide array of different music, but we have a lot of common overlapping influences as well although they are pretty lengthy to list. Maybe give us a listen and I'd be interested to hear what you think influences us. Cheers!

--Phil

Hey guys!

Long time fan! I attended a show you played in Edmonton in 2007, without a clue who you were, at some drunken bar and took a ton of photos that I didn't realize we're of you until your Christmas show in 2011. Ended up falling absolutely in love with your music when I went to MUN and have seen you numerous times since.

My question is how do you feel performing abroad vs in St. John's. In Pemberton this summer I could really feel the vibe difference, and I wonder how you adjust for that.

Also, I'm moving to Australia soon and know you have toured there in the past, any chance I will be seeing you abroad in the next couple of years?

Edit: Also Tim we are birthday twins! I'm always playing your music on July 13th. And I attached the album of the photos I never knew I had from 2007. Sorry the one of Adam wasn't the best shot :/ haha. Cheers b'ys

http://imgur.com/a/WcHkI

hey, I'm glad you randomly found us! St. John's is home and always will be, and it's a great honour and privilege for us to be able to play at home to so many people. Canada as a whole has been very good to us, but it takes a lot of chipping away at America to make any headway. It's almost like starting out all over again, playing the small club shows and hopefully working our way up to bigger theatres.

We will definitely be back to Australia later this year, we're getting all the details figured out.

Cheers!

--Phil

Hey guys, love your music. Coming back to Toronto for a show anytime soon? Are there any musicians you guys really want a chance to work with?

we will indeed be back to Toronto for 3 nights at the Danforth in Feb. Should be a grand time! It would be pretty cool to play a show with/collaborate with arcade fire.

--Phil

I saw you guys open for Gomez a few years ago in San Francisco, and I think my jaw unhinged from leaving it agape for too long. Huge fan since, and I selfishly hope that you guys never stop making music together. My question is about your arranging and mixing. I think just about all of your songs are great on the first listen, but so much nuance and musical cleverness comes out after more careful appreciation that makes your music a pleasure to listen to over and over. I can't think of a good question now, so if you all had to pick different careers, what would they be?

thanks for the kind words! it means a lot. we spend a lot of time writing and arranging our tunes. Tim spends a bunch of time up front getting words and the skeleton of the song together, then we all get together and start fleshing it out. We try each song as many different ways as we can until it feels the best, and then we go from there layering and trying to make it as musically interesting as possible.

What career I would choose besides the band is a tough one. I'm personally into filmmaking but I would hesitate to make a full time go of it. Hopefully we won't have to make that decision, hah!

--Phil

Hey guys - thanks for doing the AMA!

We are expecting our first and when I first found out I was going to be a dad, I listened to Welcome a few times. Great song and certainly hit a spot. Did you know that Grant Lawrence plays it on CBC Radio 3 whenever he hears of someone welcoming a new life?

Anyway, onto my real question (with a bit of back story): Last year I saw Elliott BROOD up here in Whitehorse and I was discussing with Casey afterwords. I thanked him for trekking all the way up because I don't think anyone makes any money coming up here. His repsonse was that they really love the crowds up here (they were up for DCMF a few years ago) and compared it to St. John's. He said the best crowds they've played for have been here and in St. John's.

So my question(s):

1. Have you guys played up here in the past? And if so, are the crowds comparable? (I figured you'd have the inside track on that, y'know?)

2. When are you coming to Whitehorse?

hey there, We did a tour of the North a few years back and it was an incredible experience. Unfortunately we didn't get over to Whitehorse although we would have loved to. hopefully we'll have the opportunity this year. --Phil

I love the Hey Rosetta! video content. How do you typically go about choosing a director / concept for your official music videos?

we have made a few videos with our good friend Noah Pink from Halifax, NS. Other times there are directors who approach us with a treatment and if it's good we'll go from there.

--Phil

Hi guys, first of all I adore you, I want to thank you for making music that helped me through one of the most difficult times of my life that coincided with Seeds coming out, I'm pretty sure that record did more for me than therapy did.

Few questions... 1) Where do you see the band in 10 years? Do you guys ever see yourselves going the Arcade Fire route and becoming huge and playing stadiums, or are you happy continuing to do what you've been doing (amazingly)?

2) What is your all time favourite venue to play?

3) Will you ever play Epitaph live again? That's my favourite of your songs and I've never seen you do it live!

Love you guys and see you in February <3

Edit - also wanted to say, I'm so happy you and Stars are touring together. I know you did a few years ago (I didn't go to that tour) and thought now that you guys are both bigger I wouldn't get the chance to see you together but here we are. A sidenote that I have heard you compared to The Frames a lot, they are my other favourite band and if somehow you ever played together I would lose my mind.

hey there, thanks a lot! 1. It's hard to say where the band will be in 10 years. Hopefully still hard at it and making new music. It would definitely be nice to get to the arena level, or even playing big soft seater theatres abroad would be amazing. 2. That's a tough one, as we have played a lot of incredible venues. Massey Hall in Toronto really sticks out to me though. I would love to play there again as a headliner. 3. we haven't played Epitaph in a long time, but that doesn't mean we never will. every now and then we'll dig up an old tune and reimagine it, then start playing it live. Only time will tell!

Our US tour with Stars a few months back was awesome, and I'm sure this Canadian run will be a great time as well. Hopefully see ya soon! --Phil

Hi folks! I saw you at Bonnaroo in 2012 and 2014. You definitely left a big impression in 2012. Still a good show in 2014, but it was diminished without the full band.

1)How did you enjoy playing at Bonnaroo? 2)Why didn’t the full band play in 2014? With it being such a big festival I would have thought it would be a big priority.

Peace and love. Dave

thanks! Bonnaroo was a whole lot of fun when we played with the full band. Very memorable. The full band didn't play in 2014 for a few reasons. For starters, it's pretty expensive to fly 7 people plus crew down to America, but it was more of a strategy thing as well. We were in between records at that time so we treated it as a bit of an underplay. We will most definitely be back with the full band soon enough.

--Phil

Hey guys, huge fan! what is one song that you would love to reimagine?

hey there, I would like to reimagine pretty much every song we've ever done outside of the new album, Second Sight. I see each recording as being a snapshot in time. Hopefully it's done to the best of our ability at the time, but as days and weeks go on there are little tweaks I wish I had done to make it better. As more time goes on there are more tweaks that present themselves. I'm basically just never happy with anything, haha

--Phil

Hey guys! big fan here and fellow Newfie! I've seen you guys 4 times now, Salmon fest, The Delta Ball Room, and the last 2 christmas shows, always enjoy every performance. I'm from Placentia (an hour from St.Johns) and my question is have you guys heard of it or been? I always heard a rumor that Tim had family out here or something. Happy redditing :)

I believe Derek has family in Placentia. Tim doesn't but had family from Botwood.

Hi Tim, Phil, and Josh! I'm a huge fan! I saw you guys perform at Osheaga this past summer and had a really great time. What are your favorite songs to perform? Thank you for doing this!

hey Laur, Phil here. I enjoy playing a lot of our tunes live, especially the newer ones. It keeps me thinking instead of just turning on autopilot. Yer Fall and spring are fun for me, as are most jams on Second Sight.

What would be each of your dream cars?

Josh: 1983 AMC eagle hatchback Tim: 2003 subaru forester wagon (with rust and no muffler) Phil: 2005 bmw m3

Greetings! Saw you guys play for the first time during one of your Canada Day shows on George Street several years ago. I think my favorite show though was when you played at Holy Heart with La Strada. Been listening to those guys ever since.

My question is, do you have any plans for European shows? I live in Norway now and would love to see you guys play again. I know you guys are much more successful now and as a result don't play at home as much, but do you ever miss those little bar shows? So much energy crammed into such a small space.

Cheers!

thanks I_R! I wish La Strada was still a band, they were incredible. I would love to get over to Norway. We will likely have some European dates pop up in the spring so stay tuned to the website and hopefully we'll see ya soon. I personally don't miss the little bar shows because I get to experience them while playing with other bands, and when we play in some small towns in the US and abroad we end up back in smaller bars and clubs anyway. It's nice to get on some bigger stages as time goes on! --Phil

Where do you see yourselves in 10 years?

hopefully still playing music in this band, if we're lucky enough!

1) I've noticed that a lot of you seem to have uniforms when you perform. Tim wears a blue button up, Phil wears a deep-v, Kinley wears a pretty dress... Is this on purpose? I've seen you like 7 times and it has been without fail!

2) "Harriet" is my favourite and is a welcome return to your earlier sounds with the heavier piano (i'm no musicologist, is there a proper term for it?) that was featured in your earlier work. Did anything in particular inspire it?

3) Has being in the proverbial spotlight gotten any easier? I've noticed that Tim, in particular, seems to have gotten a less shy over the past few years.

4) How can I get invited to one of those house parties you have thrown in a handful of videos?

5) If you could only be remembered for one of your songs, which one would you want it to be?

6) How do you define success? At what point will you consider HR! to have made it?

Thanks for your time, and for continually changing my life with your music!

hey Lindz, Phil here. 1. I do enjoy a moderately deep V. keeps me cool and it's slightly "dressier" than a T. 2. Thanks! the piano in that tune is definitely played more aggressively and it helps to drive the song. 3. I think it has helped all of us to get out of our shells. I was uncomfortably shy for years, but the constant travel and meeting lots of people has quelled all that. 4. sure just come to newfoundland and you're invited! 5. that's a little too tough to answer. I wouldn't be able to pick just one. 6. Success is all relative. I definitely don't think the amount of money you make equates success. I feel that if we can keep making music with integrity that we all enjoy playing, and we're able to pay the bills by doing so then we're most definitely successful.

thanks for the questions!

Do you ever tour in the US?

Not from Hey Rosetta! but they're doing a ton of US touring this Winter/Spring!

we're down in NY right now. We have upcoming shows in Manhattan, Portland, Asbury Park, and North Hampton. We will have some west coast dates in March and I'm sure we'll be back for a full run later this year.

--Phil

Is it true that Phil can survive exclusively on turtle tears?

Turtle tears and coffee, then I'm good to go! --Phil

Hey guys! Fellow NL musician here, loved your Christmas show in St. John's and I'm going to catch you in Toronto with Stars as well. What would you recommend for NL bands pushing into Canada and abroad? What helped/worked for you?

It's hard to say what worked for us. A bit of luck and a lot of work, really. I guess the main thing is to just keep showing up. We started off touring mostly playing to distant cousins and acquaintances all over the country. Soon we started to see more and more people coming out, and eventually strangers. If you are willing and able to show up and give it your best, I think people appreciate it and will drag their friends along Josh

Hey HR!

I just want to say that I'm a huge fan of your music. I've lost count of how many of your shows I've been to and how many cities I've seen you play in, and I still get, really, really, really excited when you play "Epitaph".

My question: Have you ever thought of recording a cover album? Your cover of Graceland was fantastic.

Much love from Fredericton.

thanks popcorn! we have played around with some covers, and while I don't think we would record a cover album we would likely do a show of covers. that would be fun. --Phil

Who's parent in the band makes the best jiggs dinner?

I'm going to go with my nan, but I'm pretty biased. --Phil

Gday. Lots of great discussion going on here. I have for you guys two questions:

1)How do you feel about the idea of being a "mainstream band". I love your guy's music and think that the more people who know about you the better (you're definitely becoming more popular as it is), but would you prefer to go completely viral and sweep the nation or keep the indie tone? Hope that I'm clear, not sure how to word perfectly. EDIT I mean it may depend on your audience I suppose, just wondering what your thoughts are.

2)I unfortunately won't be able to see your performance in Charlottetown (My digz) on Jan 31 due to other commitments, but is there any chance you'll be hitting up a bar later that evening? If so, I'll be there!

Keep up the fantastic music!

hey Dan, 1. I don't really feel like we are a mainstream band. We have a scattered song that ends up on the radio or a video that gets a bunch of hits but I feel like we're still true to the music and what we set out to do initially. If people like it and request it then that's awesome! 2. That's the last show of our little 4 show east coast run, so chances are we will be out and about. Maybe we'll be out to that cool sports bar that's upstairs with a few pool tables? what's that called again?

--Phil

Any thoughts on why your band seems to have such a "Bro" following? I was at a concert and noticed a lot of 20-something guys chest bumping and hugging and such. Not that there is anything wrong with it.

we take all kinds. one of the things that i love to see at our shows is the variety of peoples that come out. we get a lot of kids and their parents. i love that. we get a lot of older like retired couples. we get a lot of girls. we get a lot of bros. and its so fucking sweet when you look out and every single one is singing and smiling and hugging. honestly i couldn't care less what they wear. but yeah, search me as to why we get such a large cross section of people. all the same. loves it. tim

you guys ever think about doing a PledgeMusic campaign? It seems like you guys would do really well on that platform with all the fans you've cultivated while touring extensively.

Hey. We're not always the best at keeping up with all these newfangled trends and things. This is the first I've heard of it. Will check it out for sure tho. Seems cool. Thanks for the tip. Josh

I love your music!! You all need to come out to the West Coast more often :) You're all Ms Frizzle from the Magic School Bus, where would you take us?

we'd take you all to newfoundland for a proper scoff and scuff. --Phil

Hey! (Rosetta... pun intended)

I have a few short questions

1) I started discovered you guys on Balcony TV just after you played in Dublin and was pissed when I found out I'd missed the gig, with all the new material will you be swinging by any time soon?

2) I've seen a lot of the videos you guys have put up and was wondering, does Phil ever really change facial expression?

Huge fan of the music you guys make, it's s refreshing to hear such a diverse rage of instruments and for the record Seeds is probably my all time favourite album!

1) I started discovered you guys on Balcony TV just after you played in Dublin and was pissed when I found out I'd missed the gig, with all the new material will you be swinging by any time soon?

I hope so. We have had great times in Dublin and would love to come back.

2) I've seen a lot of the videos you guys have put up and was wondering, does Phil ever really change facial expression?

Ha. He just laughed out loud when I read that to him. Really though, it's just his Jedi-like concentration

Josh