Thursday, April 2, 2009

Interview with Warren Spicer of Plants and Animals

I can't express how much I love Vancouver's Biltmore Cabaret and it's staff.  I was ecstatic to discover that one of my favorite Montreal indie bands, Plants and Animals, would be playing there!  I landed the interview a mere two days prior to the sold out show... it was a frantic search for a DOP and editor with which to do the piece.  Luckily for me, Sheldon Pearson was on hand to save the day!

We arrived at the Biltmore on a (surprise, surprise) rainy evening on March 18th, but we managed to shoot our intro as an external with just enough light and shelter.  The sound check for P&A was underway and we had to maximize every second.  Opening act, DRM HLLR, would have to begin their sound check immediately afterwards.  My stress increased when the P&A sound check went 30 minutes over schedule.  Picture me, pacing around the dance floor, sourcing the best lighting option (this time we didn't even have a bounce sheet) and trying to be visible enough to remind Warren Spicer, lead singer and guitar player, of our presence.

Once they finished, we jumped right into the interview and, to my relief, it was as natural as chatting with a friend!  Warren was down to earth, engaged and fun.  Great Interviewee.  One funny moment was when I asked him "Can you describe your music for us in your own words?" and he replied "I try not to."  Now this is what I had imagined he might be feeling, but I had expected him to try... instead the conversation divulged into the challenges of fans and critics striving to categorize a sound... to put it in a box.  That's one of the better lessons I have learned in interviewing.  Success isn't that the subject responds how you might like them to, but that they are being themselves, that you are able to follow them and, if you're lucky, they'll meet you half way.

The interview was over in a flash (translation: 7 minutes or so).  As DRM HLLR began to strum their guitars I said, "well I guess that's all the time we have!"   I thanked Warren for his time as Sheldon and I rushed to the office behind the bar to squeeze in our VOs before the sound check was in full swing.  We just made it, and I was elated!

DRM HLLR did a wonderful job getting people on the floor and dancing, which is not an easy feat for an opening... particularly for an instrumental band.  I was impressed with their songs and stage presence.  Each well crafted (and ironically titled) piece took me on a journey of highs and lows with lots of built in stops.  You could never relax into the assumption that you understood the song and knew where it was taking you.  Full of surprises!

P&A more than lived up to their reputation.  I hadn't previously seen them live and their energy was outstanding.  It was hard to understand such a voluminous sound coming from a three man band!  By voluminous, I don't mean loud (although they were that too) but rather full, almost choral.  Warren's vocals are so strong, his sore throat that he was battling was undetectable.  Each of the members have incredible stage presence.  They concluded their set with Bye Bye Bye, but it began in a way that the audience couldn't initially detect it... although, I had bet my new friend Sarah that it they would close with that song!  When Nick began strumming the harp just before the climax the crowd went so wild that he hung in the moment strumming away, which threw Warren as to when to come in and gave us all a giggle.  This is why I love live music more than anything else in the world!!  Nick told me later that he had received a few tips on how to dramatically play the harp from an actor... it payed off!

After they left the stage, the audience screamed so relentlessly that one member of DRM HLLR who was watching from stage left, approached the mic and simply said "come on boys".  Almost immediately, they returned with one final song that ran around 7 minutes long.  SENSATIONAL!  

I tried to get my hands on a set list unsuccessfully, and was too wrapped up in the moment to make notes.  But here is the interview with B Roll of the performance, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!




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