Q&A With Aidan Knight

In anticipation of Aidan Knight's CD release show, January 8 2010.  

What can listeners expect from Versicolour?

That's a tough one. Listeners can expect to hear a lot of introverted  
pop music, ghostly noises creeping in and out of songs, easter morning  
trumpets and a lot of myself. I sing on all the songs. I also wrote  
the songs. Haha. (Sarcasm and witty nods are hard on the internet). 

Who did you work with on the album?

Jonathan Anderson is my briliiant producer and great friend. We  
actually didn't know one another very well when we started but now he  
and I are close, I would say. We've eaten litres and litres of Pho.  
Jon and I created the base of the recording and then all my fantastic  
friends in The O' Darling were in town and recorded. In retrospect, it  
was very spur of the moment. It would've been a very different record  
if they hadn't been around. Might have been a little less ornate, and  
1 track longer. I'm so happy with it. That says a lot. 

What is your favourite track on the album?  Why?

I really like Knitting Something Nice, especially the ending. I think  
I get more comments on the drumming in the end of that song than  
anything else I've ever done. If someone puts on the last few minutes,  
if I haven't heard the beginning of the song.. I get totally lost. I  
can't find the beginning of the measure to save my life. But what I  
said before, I mean: I love all the songs. No Filler, as they say.
 

 How do you feel about the upcoming show on Friday?  Supporting
bands etc.?

Wow. To answer simply, I feel so great about these shows. The lineup,  
to me, is the ultimate. I will take this moment to make an itemized  
list:

We Are The City - You guys are inspiring to be around. I love being  
friends with you guys and playing music alongside you. I can't wait to  
tour and have some hilarious late night conversations during the  
drives out East.
Yukon Blonde - I wish I could've played bass with you guys on that  
tour. Your band writes some of the most grin-worthy songs I've ever  
seen live. The first time I saw you, I knew that you were headed for  
huge things.
In Medias Res - I have a lot to be thankful for. You guys get along so  
well with my family and you are genuinely funny and caring friends. I  
don't know why you aren't a household name yet, but I hope that  
changes. It will.

That's how I feel about them. I fell great about them!
 

 What do you want people to take away from your music and live
performances?

I hope can see past my standoffish appearance, see my awkward shyness  
and appreciate the attention that I put into my songs, and that I  
really hope that people have a great time at my shows. Also, laughing  
is good. I'd rather have fun than be serious all the time. Mhm!
 

 Where can fans pick up Versicolour?

I'll be selling 200 copies at the 3 shows. Versicolour comes out on  
March 2 on Adventure Boys Club. Ditch Records will definitely have it.  
They've been so cool with carrying a few copies when I have them in  
stock.
 

 How do you like playing solo shows in comparison to working with a
full band?

I've kind of sworn off solo shows at bars for the most part. It's  
immensely unsatisfying to have to play and sing twice as loud to  
compete with the bar crowd chatting over their pints. I still play  
house concerts and cafes by myself, and I've played a few concert  
halls which have been unreal. I just like playing off of other  
musicians and friends onstage. It feels less dorky and stiff when you  
can improvise a little bit and feel supported.
 

 Will you be playing any upcoming shows in Victoria soon?

Just these release shows for now. I mostly jam over at my friend  
Colin's house in the living room and do impromptu living room shows  
with friends. 

 What is your favourite breakfast cereal?

I get asked for cereal recommendations quite often and I should  
disclose that I'm not eating Kellogg's, Post, General Mills, etc. any  
more. I'm trying to eat more locally produced food right now. They're  
still delicious cereals, but they are also shipped thousands of miles  
and are, subsequently, full of BHT and other preservatives. I love  
Oaty Bites, which are very similar to Crispix but infinitely more  
delicious. If you are looking for amazing deals on cereal: Pharmasave  
on Fort at Richmond. Tell them Aidan sent you!

A New Arrangement

He had already walked six miles from the village when he lost his footing on an iced-covered rock and fell backwards, shattering the rum bottle he was safely carrying in his back pocket. Six miles was too far to go back, but a two day train ride without liquor would be unbearable. The worst part: he was still sober enough to remember why he was leaving. Conor picked the glass out of his already torn blue jeans and whipped the pieces onto the saturated dirt. That's what I get for trying to ration my booze. He turned around, his head hanging lower than before, and plunged into the city. Light was threatening the anonymous darkness as he wandered down deserted city blocks, tasting the liquor's sweet aroma as it wafted behind him. The only sound was distant laughter from last night's bar crowd finally finding refuge from their late night indulgence. Without rum he would be forced to think of Amy. Amy and her blue dress. Amy and her curly, brown hair. Amy and her lipstick. Red lipstick. She was the girl of his dreams but he couldn't handle the fact he had caught her. Their love only flourished from a distance and he was determined to get away and reclaim the chest-tightening longing he once had for her. Of course, she didn't understand his transient nature and he wished he felt guiltier for leading her to believe that he was steady. The only thing she could count on, was him leaving. He strolled up to the blinking teller in the high-ceilinged station, "one ticket to San Francisco please."

ADTR Don't Let You Down

Homesick is the anthem the scene has been craving. In true A Day to Remember style, Homesick's breakdowns are creative and relentless, framed by tight verses and hooky choruses. The first track, "Downfall of Us All," unleashes an unfaltering energy. Its a-cappella intro timed with hand-clapping, builds anticipation (and participation) that inspires hardcore dancing in living rooms and air-drumming at stop lights. It's meant to fire you up. With Homesick, Jeremy McKinnon's singing is even more polished and the album is more brutal than Those Who Have Heart. A Day to Remember unite their fans with inclusive group vocals: an element of their multi-layered style. Alex Shellnut's drums are the backbone to this carnival that is re-defining a genre in a smarter direction without losing the emotion. Nostalgia-infused lyrics are peppered with sonic subtleties. Each song naturally flows with an unwavering momentum that is still present on the goose-bump-raising finale featuring Sierra Kisterbeck. With lip-biting crashes and head-banging break downs, Homesick is one of the most important releases in 2009. Yet as the boys sing in "You Already Know Who You Are," "Don't trust the critic. [S]he's a cynic. Make the call for yourself."

Gage Young Photography