By Kathryn Pinto
Vancouver's Yukon Blonde, a self-described "Buzzcocks meets Traveling Wilburys" outfit comes to the Echo this Thursday night December 22, along with the Fling and Bollweevil to get your Christma-Kwanza-ukkah holiday weekend started off right. Yukon Blonde and the good people at Big Hassle Media have a pair of tickets to the show for one lucky Radio Free Silver Lake reader.
You know the drill. Send an email with Yukon Blonde in the subject header to RFSLpinto [at] gmail [dot] com by 9:00am, day of show (Thursday), or @reply me on twitter @kpinto.
Radio Free Silver Lake caught up with Guitarist and Vocalist Brandon Scott via email as Yukon Blonde winds down their marathon 2011 tour. He introduces the band, talks touring rituals, takes a 30 minute detour to see the diner from Twin Peaks and answers questions exactly as they are asked, like the badass he is.
RFSL: How would you describe your sound or the Yukon Blonde live show to someone seeing you for the first time?
Brandon Scott (Guitar/Vocals): We tend to be getting a comparison to the Traveling Wilburys meets the Buzzcocks lately. Our new material has been heavily influenced by the late 70's punk movement, so we try to keep our live show full of energy.
What is your most recent EP Fire/Water like? What should fans be paying attention to?
Our recent EP is closer sounding to our previous full length; the songs are very harmony based that have a folkier feel. They were also older songs that didn't fit with our new material. We decided instead to release it as a four song EP, tour it, and build momentum for the new record.
It looks like you've been touring a ton. How is life on the road? Do you like touring, or is it more a means to an end?
I love touring, playing live is where I feel most comfortable. However, after three months of straight touring, I can honestly say we're ready for a bit of break. This has been our longest stretch of road, and with the holidays coming up, you tend to get cabin fever pretty bad. We're actually spending Xmas in Vegas this year, so we'll see how that goes. I suppose I'll celebrate Xmas in January.
Do you have any favorite tour rituals, or things you like to do on the road? Are you the guys who check out the World's Largest Ball of String?
I have to admit that I’m a major tourist nerd. I’m obsessed with novelty shops and sending post cards. I actually made everyone drive a half hour outta the way to Seattle to see the Twin Peaks diner. hahah.
I’m hoping to stop over at the Grand Canyon on our way to Vegas too! I think that’s what makes touring enjoyable for me, I love history, and getting a chance to see historical landmarks across the country is great perk along with playing amazing shows.
What is live music scene like in Vancouver? Are there many places to play? Are other bands supportive or more competitive?
I can't say there are a whole lot of venues in Vancouver, but there's a great community of bands and musicians. There's always been a psych rock scene that’s maintained its popularity in the city, along with punk and metal. Bands such as Black Mountain and Ladyhawk have really set the bar in those categories and had a big influence on our band.
What were some of your favorite live shows of 2010?
2010 seems like years ago. I suppose I would have to say our European tour topped my charts. Playing Paris and Berlin was a total dream. My goal as a teenager was to play in a band that got to tour Europe, so it feels good to accomplish that. We also had an amazing U.S. tour in the summer of 2010 with "Good Old War" and played to a sold out Troubadour in LA. [Ed. note, 100 Brass Monkey points to this guy for just going with my typo in the email question.]
What are you listening to in the tour van?
We have everything going on all the time, at this point in our tour I can't even listen to music in the van anymore. I find myself reading or watching HBO shows a lot. The new War on Drugs record Slave Ambient has been on heavy rotation in the van though. It’s a great listen.
What’s next for the band?
After our US tour that wraps up Dec 22nd, we fly to Australia to play a few festivals, sharing the stage with the Dum Dum Girls for a few shows. Then we get ready for our European dates in the new year to start the promotion for our new record called Tiger Talk that should be out around April hopefully. Thanks.
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