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After sitting down with Cardinals and listening to the banter that occurs during an interview, it is clear that Levi Ryann, Myles Rogers, and Nathaniel Rustenburg are more than band mates. It is not surprising that they have been playing music together since they met in their high school jazz combo, nor that Ryann and Rogers have been friends since birth.

Their friendship is apparent throughout their 2012 EP Farther Than Love, and they feed off each other’s energy during live performances.

“It’s a zone. It’s all adrenaline, because I definitely think there’s something spiritual about playing music and playing music for people, especially original music where the songs are what you’ve created together. And so first of all, it means a lot for people to even like that, and on another level, that’s how you have the energy. It’s not even us, you just kind of tap into it,” Rogers explained.

“I think [it’s important] to not be boring to look at because people tune out pretty quick,” Rustenburg added.

Cardinals’ distinct sound is clearly influenced by a variety of genres, from modern pop and folk to early rock and roll. However, the band stated that while their individual interests differ, collective influences include current Canadian artists, including Sam Roberts Band and the Arkells.

The band’s songs tend to be based on real experiences.

“There are some from when we were just starting to write where you just kind of write lyrics because they sound cool, but as time goes by you realize you’re pouring your heart into things,” Rogers said.

The trio recently moved from their native St. Catharines to Toronto, and cite this transition as the major inspiration for their new album, which is scheduled for release early this spring.

“We still always say we’re from St. Catharines because that’s where we learned everything, but Toronto inspired this whole new album,” Rogers explained.

While they were unable to share the details of the new release, Ryann said, “expect something different.”

Despite their recent evolution as a band, their desire to grow and explore their sound has not been satisfied.

“There have been a lot of times when I’ve felt successful, but I’m still, as an artist, always in pursuit of success,” Rogers explained. “Even though a lot of great things have happened to us and a lot of things have just come together naturally, it’s all about the pursuit.”

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Given the opportunity to name two great Canadian bands formed in the early aughts, most would respond with The New Pornographers and Broken Social Scene. If they said, Nickelback, you’d know not to befriend them.

Fronted by Carl Newman, The New Pornographers is composed of Dan Bejar, Neko Case, Kathryn Calder, John Collins, Todd Fancey, and Blaine Thurrier. Having risen to massive fame off the back of 2000’s Mass Romantic, the indie supergroup hasn’t stopped churning out quality records and released another good one in Brill Bruisers last year.

Coming off the end of a busy tour in support of Brill Bruisers with The Pains of Being Pure At Heart, Kathryn Calder (keyboard) took the time to talk to me on the phone from Vancouver where most of the band lives. Calder spoke with a pep that was nice to hear from a musician enjoying her last respite before heading back out on a run of shows that will see the band stop in Hamilton on Feb 8.

To remain a band for so long and still be making good music takes some doing, and Calder credits the longstanding positive reception the band’s work has gotten for their longevity.

“I guess people want to buy the records and come to the shows, so that’s one thing,” quipped Calder. “When you constantly try to make quality work and quality art, then I guess people respond […] There’s a little bit of luck involved in having your music be in the right place and right time initially and you just try to keep it going.”

Although their success can be attributed to the drive they share in the studio, the band’s enduring legacy is as much due to what they get up to apart as together. Most of the band have done solo work or joined other bands and that loose affiliation has buoyed their creative spirits. Dan Bejar’s other project, Destroyer, has always been massive amongst the industry set and his latest album, Kaputt, saw him translate that critical acclaim into some large shows. Neko Case has more than held her own as a solo artist and been on the road with huge bands like The National that saw her fill seats with as many of her fans as theirs. Calder herself has enjoyed a good reception for her solo albums and says that the time away has benefitted her and everyone else.

“My solo writing only helped the band because it gave me a totally different perspective, not even just on the music, but also on the whole band. When you’re trying to do your own thing, it really makes you appreciate how hard it is to be successful in music. I really felt that I got swept up with the band in 2005 and got taken on this whirlwind, so it was nice in 2010 when I released my first record to go ‘it’s really hard to get your music out there to people and I’m so lucky to be in this band that has that opportunity.’ That’s how I felt coming in to this record after four years of a break.”

Having garnered success on their own, the band are predictable with how they record together, preferring to work on their own and come together to record in small groups when they have an idea. This improvisational approach can be a bit fragmented, said Calder, but makes the writing process all the more gratifying.

“It’s really cool to watch it evolve. The songs change entirely from when you first hear it to when you hear it for the last time, and it can be totally different. That’s the way that Carl likes to record.”

In terms of influences, The New Pornographers are still drawing upon the same ones that inspired them to become a band in the first place instead of culling ideas from existing bands.

“Most of the influences weren’t modern because a lot of modern music is referencing something earlier, so it doesn’t make sense to reference the reference. You might as well reference the original and then modify it to make it modern,” said Calder.

Apart from a recent shift in tempo toward the slower end of the scale to mix things up a bit, The New Pornographers’ sound has remained pretty consistent for the past 15 years and that can be considered a result of the strong backing they’ve received from both their label, Matador, and the Canadian public.

“It’s really cool to be part of a record label that’s been going on for so long. They’ve had so many great releases over their entire lifespan so we love those guys,” said Calder.

“Life in Canada is pretty good as an artist, but you see things changing though. I don’t know what it’s going to be like in a few years because of the cuts to CBC, which is a big deal for artists because they play a ton of Canadian music and they’re incredibly supportive of the Canadian music scene here. To be losing them is a little bit scary just because you lose the audience that’s into music that’s not commercial pop music and so I’m a little bit freaked out. As far as the government, the grant system is really great for Canadian artists if you can get into it…The reason those things are there are because it’s incredibly difficult. The country is so big and it’s incredibly expensive to get from one end to the other. It’s mostly expenses that are the barrier, not the desire.”

Calder’s musings were cut short by an incoming call for another interview, but tickets are still available to see her and the rest of the band take over Hamilton Place’s Molson Canadian Studio.

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By: Beth Barr

In this week’s installment of the SHEC Interview Series, we feature Krista Madsen, an assistant professor in the Department of Kinesiology. Madsen’s dedication to the dissemination of knowledge led to her becoming the department’s first teaching professor, a position she holds with pride along with a firm determination to “ignite lightbulbs” for students.

Madsen believes that her fascination with the human body began in childhood. She doesn’t exactly know why, but speculates that it might have to do with a textbook her parents had at home; Madsen marvelled at the diagrams, and at how all that “stuff” fit inside each person as she peeled back layers of skin, muscle, vasculature and organs. Combine this experience with her natural tendency towards sport and visual learning, and you get a kinesiology professor whose ability to clearly illustrate and demonstrate principles ensures no student gets left behind.

When asked what she loves most about her work, Madsen has a lot to say – what’s not to love about her job? However, she became noticeably excited about the notion of watching students take what she presents, in any of the ways she manages to frame and re-frame concepts, and move on to do exciting things, from furthering advanced research, to landing top positions in emerging fields. She says she “really enjoy[s] the mentorship aspect.” In kinesiology, Madsen teaches from second to fourth year, and strives to challenge students and create opportunities for them to grow. She discovered that while she “appreciate[s] research and uses it all the time,” she “really enjoys the process of knowledge translation,” which is how she makes concepts manageable, useful and meaningful for students.

When asked about her regrets of undergrad, she mentions lack of sleep and poor cooking skills. She highlights the real importance of good sleep habits, and taking “moments of pause” to check in with yourself, even if you feel like you can keep going. Madsen suggests that listening to what your body actually needs (such as a nap) can overrule that adrenaline-filled need to accomplish things, and leave you more refreshed and ready to take on your challenges. She mentions immune function in relation to sleep and food, and reminds us of the viral hot box we live in, especially during exam and midterm seasons.

I wanted to know in what ways students could lead a more balanced lifestyle. She responded that “we always have the chance to start with today,” and went on to explain that while long term goals can be useful, we need to accept that “we are presented with choices in every moment,” and we have to do make small changes within them. If you only focus on the long-term goal, you may feel like you’re failing all the time, which can wear you down.

By focusing on today,” she said, “you can experience many small successes from moment to moment.”

She recommends minimizing any mental or physical barriers to make positive changes, like keeping your exercise gear by your bed, and advises acknowledging your unique personal victories rather than comparing yourself to external standards that can be self-defeating.

A major theme that flowed through our conversation was self-judgement. Madsen doesn’t recommend bogging oneself down with negative perceptions and judgements, and she links this back to the idea that we’re human and sometimes things aren’t right for us. “Just let it go,” she says. In terms of New Years Resolutions, she thinks they can be great; those who need a concrete starting point can begin with something realistic. Those who need less structure can start these habits at any time – but they all benefit from new efforts and goals they undertake.

Finally, Madsen touched on mental health and the mind-body link. She says that “mental health can be a struggle for many people, and physical activity can have a very positive impact when people take a balanced and rewarding approach to exercise.” She encourages students who are struggling – whom she might see in a classroom setting – to seek the help they need without judgement and to remove the barriers they perceive around help and self-help. Madsen is a firm believer in the mind-body link, and advocates care on all levels.

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Q & A with Hamilton’s new mayor, Fred Eisenberger

The Silhouette sat down with Hamilton’s new mayor-elect, Fred Eisenberger, to discuss his time away from politics, the low voter turnout in Hamilton, and his short and long term goals to improve Hamilton. Eisenberger won the mayoral race on Oct. 27 with 49,020 votes, claiming 39.9 percent of the total vote.

After serving as mayor from 2006 to 2010, what have you learned that will influence your role as mayor this time around?

I had the unique and distinct opportunity to be the President and CEO of the Canadian Urban Institute, a research organization that works in countries and municipalities around the world. We had offices in the Ukraine, the Philippines, Jamaica and Ethiopia. I certainly got a strong sense of the challenges that other cities were going through and how they were dealing with them, and some practical applications in terms of what most cities need to do to improve their mobility and communities, and also how they use data.

Going forward with the huge volume of data that we are currently collecting, the Urban Institute was actually leading the way in how to mine that, analyze it, evaluate it, clean it, scrub it, and then make it useful for future decision making. That experience has certainly given me a lot of additional insight into what cities could, should, and need to do in the future.

Do you have any plans to address the low voter turnout (34 percent) in Hamilton?

Yes, during the course of the campaign I said I would like to have the online network voting instituted by the next election. This has been used, online, phone-in, dial-in or mail-in, or all of the above, so that accessibility to voting is vastly increased. It also requires a discussion with the school board in terms of educating kids from grade 1 right through grade 12 on every election, on the candidates and get them to vote through every election between grades one and grade 12. I think voting is a learned behaviour, and either you learn it at school or you learn to take that responsibility from your parents, and maybe people do, but obviously 60 percent or more of the population does not. So it’s something that we have to teach…and I think it has to happen in the schools and I want to have a discussion with the school board in terms of making that a required part of the curriculum.

What are your main priorities for the next few months?

Obviously staffing up for the mayor’s office, sitting down with Council and looking at our strategic direction and getting a clear buy-in in terms of either affirming or adjusting the strategic direction depending on what Council wants to do, including staff. Having a process developed for public transportation, through the course of the campaign I talked about a citizen’s jury process to look at all the evidence around public transit, BRT, LRT, just adding more busses, and make a recommendation through Council what they believe is the best course of action is for the city.

I did talk about starting or restarting the Vision 2020 exercise that was done about 25 years ago. It really talks about a community strategic and buy-in and I want to get that started sooner than later. If you look up Vision 2020, which is kind of the model we’ve been working from for the last 25 years, it’s clearly time to re-do that process. It brings in all people from all sectors and it breaks down the entire community in terms of different sectors and different priorities. I think the community at large needs to provide direction to the city for the next 20 or 30 years in terms of what they would like Hamilton to be.

What do you hope to accomplish by the end of your four-year term?

A lot. I mean, clearly public transportation is a big issue. I’m confident that we are going to have this sorted out and with any luck, a clear direction and maybe some shovels in the ground as a result of whatever transit proposal we pick.

Economic development continues to be the biggest issue for the city, the loss of commercial industrial tax space over the last 30 to 50 years has really put the pressure on the residential tax space and we need to turn that around. We need more job opportunities in our city. I would like to think that at the end of the four-year term we have made a significant dent in growing our commercial industrial tax space, filling up our industrial parks, and hopefully starting to work on the airport growth district as an opportunity for additional growth, as well as the brown fields.

Lastly I would say that I would like a pretty clear direction in a waterfront development corporation put in place for the CN lands and the steward street lands along the west harbourfront.

I’m looking forward to getting started December 1st, and I think it’s an exciting time. We’re going to have the PanAm games happening next year and Hamilton is certainly on the up swing and we just need to keep the momentum going.

As The Bots walked towards me behind the Rock Stage at Riot Fest, it finally struck me that these guys were my age and touring the world off the back of their burgeoning band. My fleeting existential crisis gone for the moment, I gave Mikaiah and Anaiah Leh daps and immediately struck it off with the two-piece rock act. The pair of brothers hails from L.A. and it shows in their laidback demeanor. Mikaiah, 20, and Anaiah, 18, are of mixed Caribbean-Asian descent and are responsible for guitar/vocals and drums respectively. They jammed together for ten years before deciding to become a full-fledged band seven years ago, and they haven’t looked back since.

Time has proven to be an amicable force working in The Bots’ favour. It has spurred them past the awkward stages of puberty and put them on a fast track to stardom. The fact that they were homeschooled allowed them to spend an ample amount of time on the road, and it shows in the tightness of their performances.

“You do find a comfort zone and get a handle on things and how you want them to sound; everything becomes more streamlined and you can tell,” said Mikaiah, of the experience they’ve gained over the years.

Both of them also attested to the crazy sights they’ve seen at their shows.

“We played in Denmark once and we had a weird crowd who made a wall of death. That wasn’t that out place, since you expect that, but there was a guy in a cow suit and people were throwing wigs on stage and yelling ‘take it’. There was a lot of violence, which we don’t advocate, but they wanted it. We play shows where we perform folk songs and people still crowdsurf and go wild,” said Mikaiah.

The band says they’ve seen a good number of performances that have inspired both the songwriting on their upcoming record and their shows. They agreed that Kanye West’s headlining set in Sweden was fun to watch. Mikaiah gushed about Metronomy who “have five people on keyboards and it still doesn’t sound electronic somehow, which is really nice,” while Anaiah listed off Buddy Rich, Johnny Blackwell, and Brian Chase as major drumming influences.

Their sophomore effort Pink Palms is out on Oct. 13 via Fader Label, and the pair both spoke about how excited they were for others to hear it.

The writing and recording process began in November 2013 and concluded in late May, with Justin Warfield helping with production in a Hollywood studio. They worked close to every other day as Anaiah finished up his schooling. The experience of working closely with a producer was a new one for the band, but one that they enjoyed learning about.

“It made me realize that I want to take it back for the next album like how people in the 60’s and 70’s used to do it in an analog old-school studio. The current album is very produced, not in a sellout way, but it’s something you would hear on the radio because it’s a way to get our foot in the door. Hopefully it will lead people to be more interested to see what we come out with for the next album,” said Mikaiah.

Both Mikaiah and Anaiah praised Damon Albarn for the support he’s shown them, not only by inviting them to tour with him, but also in giving advice when they needed it most.

Anaiah said that Albarn helped alleviate the stress that the two felt after signing with Fader Label and feeling the need to live up to expectations on their second record.

“We talked to him at SXSW not too long ago and he said ‘just keep on writing tunes.’ Writing tunes is what it comes down to, and also what the next album will rely on. It shouldn’t be as much about production value, which is great. The songs need to be good,” said Mikaiah.

“Melodies and tunes, that’s what it’s about,” chimed Anaiah.

The Bots have high aspirations, but if they just keep Albarn’s words close to heart, they’ll have terrific chances of achieving them.

Sean Thompson is a Hamilton native who has made a name for himself as a producer-DJ extraordinaire with the moniker “ttwwrrss” (pronounced “towers”). ttwwrrss’ self-titled debut album was released by Hamilton’s own Maisonneuve Music this past April. The eight-song record is a compelling listen that combines pristine synths with the natural grittiness of hip-hop and more unorthodox electronic elements.

In a world where everyone has Fruity Loops on their computer and feels entitled to add “producer” to their Twitter bio, ttwwrrss’ masterful use of sampling is a welcome breath of fresh air. Standout tracks ‘Jungle’ and ‘Sabre’ are fire, whether you let them knock in your car’s speakers or hear them through a club’s more finely tuned sound system.

How old are you now and what did you study after high school?

 

I’m 20 years old now, and while at Sheridan I was in their Media Arts program. It’s a great school and I highly recommend it.

 

What prompted you to adopt the name “ttwwrrss”?

To be totally honest I can’t remember how I came to towers... but I do know that once I had it set in my mind that I wanted to be towers, the next task was to get all the necessary social media accounts. Obviously “towers” was taken, “twrs” was open but I didn’t like it because that was right around the time Trust’s album “TRST” came out and I felt like I was stealing. Eventually I decided to double the letters and here we are.

 

You grew up in a sleepy suburb and went to a high school that was monocultural in the worst way. Bearing that in mind, what compelled you to begin making music that doesn’t sound like anything that you’d hear Stoney Creek bros playing out of their Honda Civics?

I wanted to make music with machines and computers, but I didn’t want to be pidgeonholed into EDM or anything like that, so I always tried to be like NIN.

I never really felt like I had to make a certain type of music based on where I grew up, but looking back I realized everyone else I knew who got into music either “produced” questionable electro-house or trap beats, both essential bro car music genres, so I guess there was a pressure and it just didn’t get to me, thank god.

 

Did any artists influence you from the get-go? I know you were a big fan of Justice.

Justice was huge for me; Nine Inch Nails is what really made me want to make music. DJ Shadow & Daft Punk made me realize how intricate sampling can be.

Those are the artists that I would consider myself inspired by, rather than simply a fan.

 

How valuable has the experience you gained during your internship been to you?

I am so thankful for my internships at Catherine North Studios & Cable 14 Television Studio. Although I learned a lot of technical skills that I use everyday from the internships, I really value the personable skills I learned during these times. I used to be very shy but I quickly realized that trait needed to go if I wanted to be successful.

 

Could you walk me through your normal production process when making a new track? 

I used to always start with a sample and I would craft a whole idea then start to build the track around it. I found myself starting with a bass or a lead synth for a lot of my new album. With the new music I’m working on now, almost every song started with a drum kit / beat.

 

What are your thoughts on the current music scene in Hamilton?

I love the Hamilton scene; it’s super cool seeing it grow with me. I have started to notice more and more people coming to shows and supporting local acts. I am very excited to see where this all goes.

 

Any acts you want to see at Supercrawl this year?

If I’m not a last minute addition opening for Four-Tet, I’ll most likely be in the front row.

 

If you could collaborate with any Canadian artists right now, who would you choose?

Grimes! I love her stuff. It might be impossible but I also think a ttwwrrss x MSTRKRFT collab would be rad.

Silhouette editors interviewed each presidential candidate on camera about things you may not have known just by reading their platform. You can also find the videos on our YouTube channel, McMaster Silhouette.

Hartley Jafine, who facilitates a theatre class at McMaster, talks candidly about his own academic experiences.

A video series collaboration between four undergraduate students: After Office Hours.

Videography & editing by Karen Wang.

On the surface, it seems unlikely that the announcement of an educational scientist with a penchant for bowties coming to McMaster to speak could cause the kind of hype that has consumed campus for the past several weeks. But when that scientist is Bill Nye, the beloved Science Guy of 1990’s TV programming, any student will tell you that such excitement is warranted.

Speaking to us from his California home on his 58th birthday, Nye was as enthusiastic about science as he was on screen 20 years ago. Since filming wrapped on Bill Nye the Science Guy in 1998, Nye has kept busy with new shows for the Discovery Channel, working with NASA on their Mars mission, and being involved with several scientific societies.

“Right now, one of the troubling things is that I don’t really have an average day,” Nye said. “I travel a lot to visit places like McMaster… The last three months have been busy with this Dancing with the Stars thing…”

While his present activities are fascinating in their own right, most of Bill Nye’s fame stems from the 100 episodes of the Science Guy that play in elementary schools across North America. Its origins, however, are far more humble.

The road to creating the show “took years,” according to Nye. He explained, “I was in a writers’ meeting for this comedy show in Seattle, and we needed to fill six minutes. The host, who is still a dear friend of mine, said, ‘why don’t you do that stuff you’re always talking about… You could be like, I don’t know, Bill Nye the Science Guy or something.’ So I came up with this bit on the household uses of liquid nitrogen – since we all have liquid nitrogen around – and it was funny.”

Those offhand ideas led to the full show eventually airing, fulfilling Nye’s childhood fascination for learning about the world and sharing his enthusiasm with others. He cites his brother as one person who got him into science.

“My older brother was very influential,” Nye said. “He had a chemistry set. And I remember he made ammonia in the palm of my hand, which was quite impressive. And I used to sit … and watch bees. I remember being absolutely fascinated with them. And then one day, I got stung by a bumblebee and my mother put ammonia on the wound. And it was the same smell that my brother had created in the palm of my hand. And I realized there was some… not magic, but mystery to be learned.”

Nye’s appearance at McMaster marks one of the largest and most expensive speaker events that McMaster has seen in recent memory.

Al Legault, director of Campus Events, said, “I’ve never planned anything this large in Burridge for a speaker. We’re used to doing concerts and hypnotists – things like that. Nothing of this [scale]. In this last 10 years at least this is [financially] the largest speaker we’ve had.”

He’s also probably the only speaker they’ve had who would answer birthday greetings with, “Another orbit of the sun! Check me out!”

To hear the extended interview with Bill Nye, tune in to 93.3 CFMU on Friday, Nov. 29 at 9:30 a.m. or visit CFMU’s website afterwards to hear the podcast. Bill Nye will speak at McMaster’s Burridge Gym this Sunday, Dec. 1 at 5 p.m. Tickets are available at Compass in MUSC.

Photo courtesy of NASA/GSFC/Bill Hrybyk (Flickr)