8 Questions with.......The Gypsies

And now....its time for 8 Questions with...... Canada's The Gypsies Enjoy!

1. What are your names and what function do you serve in the band?

Mike Walker: My name is Mike Walker. I play bass, write a few and sing a few songs with Buttles, Dan, and Aaron.

Jeremy Butler: I'm Jeremy Butler. I play guitar and sing some.

Dan Egilsson: My name is Dan Egilsson and I am the frontman / wing leader / string-puller. If we were to form like Voltron, I would be the head.

2. What dynamic of creating a band has been the most unexpected?

JB: For me, it's been the difficulty of getting our act together in order to actually function as a band.

DE: Consistent inconsistencies

JB: For the last couple years the four us have tended to be living in different places at different times, so we can't always practice regularly, and have to do a lot of twisting about to get together for shows. We're always scrounging about for travel money, places to practice, and equipment to use when we can't take our own with us. But it's been swell nonetheless; we've become expert scavengers.

3. Take us into a typical practice session of The Gypsies, how does the band approach it?

JB: JB: I guess we normally just look at it as a time to toss songs around, figure out what sucks and what doesn't. If we haven't played together in a while, and are pressed for time, it can often just be a mad run-through of whatever we've got in the repertoire to cobble a good show together.

DE: We approach it with a profound sense of urgency, spurred on by the fact that a concert is fast approaching and we're unfocussed, more than likely in different provinces, and tremendously unprepared. However, once we're all in the same room, it just gels.

MW: In any given season the four of us can be found spread out all across this great country of ours. Buttles, Dan and I are all students in Halifax, but Dan is often embarking on deep sea adventures off the wispy coast of Newfoundland, or in Calgary training Daniel Day Lewis in the jig of the rig for his upcoming role in the critically acclaimed, Academy award nominated film "There Will Be Blood."

Aaron lives in world made up entirely of bazooka joe bubblegum. We're never sure where he will be until a day or two before a gig, at which point he shows up at a 'best we could conjure' practice locale where the four of us throw together new ideas with old ones in an attempt at creating the most upbeat, authentic, energetic live show we can fathom.

Typically, we hope for more than 24 hours to pull it all together.

JB: Practice also affords us some private time to perfect our rock star stances.

4. Okay, you just scored a middle slot at a new hot club: what steps will you take to promote it to ensure a good draw?

MW: I'm not sure what we'll do until the day comes...

JB: We do all the standard stuff: make posters with our handsome mugs on 'em,

DE: We then proceeded to paint the town with posters of our pretty faces. It was a good draw.

JB: We also post the show on whatever sites are relevant to the town it's in, myspace, tell everybody we know, offer free kisses to those who come, and recently our buddy Nick the Chef came up with this idea to leave cds around town which, when placed in a computer, bring up our website, a few songs from our album, and the date and venue for the show. Clever bugger.

MW: As well we've spent some time strolling around the city with guitars in our hands and cigarettes dangling from our lips; not with any particular end in mind - we just like to look cool.

5. Where do the Gypsies want to go in this industry?

MW: If sharing our ideas and music with as many people as possible is 'the top', then I suppose that's where we hope we're heading.

DE: Up---->Up---->Up--->followed by a sharp downward plunge, spurred on by lechery and treachery. Inevitably, we will be the drunkards on the park bench telling passers by of our glory days, and they will nod, smile, and walk away.

JB: More than anything we want to play, but at the same time, it would be cool to have people who want to listen to us. In other words, if we could make enough money off of playing shows and selling records to play more shows and make more records, I think we'd be happy. In the short term though, we're planning to record a second record early next year, hopefully tour across Canada with that, and just see where things stand when we return to the east coast. International Superstardom would be alright too.

6. Tell us about your new album,"Modern Love"....how did you come to write and record it?

MW: 2 Years of living, loathing, and loving.

JB: I think most of the songs on Modern Love were written between 2005 and 2006 while Dan, Walker, and I were in school in Halifax. We fooled around with them, just the three of us in the winter of 2006, then met up with Aaron in Charlottetown that summer and played our first couple of shows.

DE: Everyone tossing songs into the brew-pot and nick the chef stirring it up.

JB: We thought they sounded pretty good, but Dan had to go work in Newfoundland that fall, so we agreed to record in Nova Scotia when he got back. When he did come back, he brought the song Modern Love, it was a sweet song, and the name seemed to fit well with everything else we were playing, so it became the record. Most of the album was recorded that Christmas in Pictou.

DE: The album was almost entirely recorded at Egilrock Studios, a homemade studio in my parent's basement, funded entirely by ourselves. In the end, I think it all worked out, and saved us a bunch of money. The sound isn't quite "professional", but I think that's how we wanted it. I just wanted it to sound like 4 kids in a basement making lots of noise/mess and one motherly figure (nick the chef) cleaning it up at the end of the day. I think they're good songs, regardless.

JB: We did a few more there the following summer, and finished the touch ups last fall at the Kitchen Studios in Halifax.

7. You have have a very active MySpace page of well over 600 fans,how has MS helped your band?

MW: It gives anyone who so desires it the opportunity to come online and listen to our music. What more could a band ask for?

JB: Myspace is useful for contacting venues and agenty-type people about playing shows on their fancy stages, as well as for getting in touch with other bands when you need a place to play, or need some friends to play with. But it's hard to tell how much help it is in actually getting your music out there. We've got links to buy the record and stuff on our myspace, but I don't know if we've sold any that way yet. Nevertheless, it must be doing something good, cause we met you through myspace, dear Michael, and if I'm not mistaken, some two fine people will get free modern loves if they read this. All thanks to myspace. Imagine that.

DE: We've got alot of "I love your songs, check out our new demo tracks and videos" comments, but I assume them to be genuine... Nahh, joking aside, it's a great networking tool, I've been able to listen to a lot of great bands, most of which have become my favorites.

8. A car full of fans have just showed up in the morning to see a show in the evening and you have to entertain them....how would you spend the day in your town?

DE: I'd pass them on to mike. He's a dynamo, a real gem.

MW: Are they men or women?

JB: We would definitely eat breakfast at the Spartan, this sweet little joint around the corner from our place, where you can get 2 eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, a pile of hashbrowns and unlimited coffee for like, 4 bucks. We would then have to rest for a little bit, as we would surely be very full. But spirits and energy would soon rise after a few healthy games of mortal kombat and medal of honour were gotten on the go at our house. We would then get up, put on tough shoes, and go learn about muskets and canons at citadel hill in the center of Halifax. After receiving that tour, inspired by all the dudes in kilts with guns and swords, we'd have little choice but to meander down to the old triangle, purchase ale, and deride one another's lineage until dark. By then, I imagine it would be time to put on our faces, and go see about that show you mentioned...

9. What 3 new Canadian bands would you say are on the rise?

MW: It's difficult to say. Not because there aren't any good bands, but rather, because there are so many. Is the rise to be understood as a local act suddenly noticing an exponential increase in fan base, or an already popular Canadian band gaining international success? If it's the latter, then I would say any groups with Dan Bejar, Spencer Krug, or Graham Van Pelt in them are a safe bet.

If it's the former - bands that are (hopefully) soon to be recognized for their talent - then I would go with the local obvious:

The Gypsies
Boxer the Horse
Two Hours Traffic
Jenn Grant
Smothered N' Hugs
The Danks

I suppose that's more than three...

DE: Carmen Townsend and the Shakey Deals
Boxer the Horse
The First Aid Kit

JB: With most avid and unabashed curiosity I would keep my eye on Boxer the Horse, a folk-monster four piece from Charlottetown, pei, doing wonderful things. It's my impression that they'll soon be releasing their second ep, so watch for it. You can find these guys at http://www.myspace.com/boxerthehorse. Also from Charlottetown are the Robots, from axe-grinding caveman songs to wind-blasted desert chants, les robots have not once produced the wrong sound. Check them out at http://www.myspace.com/thebandrobots. Furthermore, Peter Mansbridge and the CBCs are unbelievably, although I'm not sure if they exist anymore...http://www.myspace.com/goodcitizensvec

10. Which of your fans will comment first on this interview?

DE: Hopefully whoever we tell first. If not, hopefully the second.

MW: You.

JB: Given the immensity of our fan base, it is exceedingly difficult to tell. But I will go out on a limb and guess that it will be one of the lads from b. the horse.