July Talk is back on Canadian soil, and could not be happier to be home. Since headlining McMaster’s Welcome Week concert in September, the band has toured Europe and the United States to promote their new album Touch.
The five-piece outfit began the Canadian leg of their tour in Kitchener on Oct. 25, and frontman and woman duo Peter Dreimanis and Leah Fay shared their excitement about the Canadian rock scene, taking more risks in their songwriting and their relationship with their fans.
"The community here is very tight and sort of genre-bending," Dreimanis explained, referring to the collaborative dynamic of Canadian rock artists.
"I think we make a particularly subtle but intense artistic statement. I don't think we're… trying to get clicks or get headlines in the same way international music sometimes has to do to get noticed. We sort of all listen to each other and we make music together."
Both Fay and Dreimanis performed in multiple bands prior to July Talk, and combined elements from those experiences when they started playing together.
"There was sort of a confidence in knowing we both really wanted to push each other's buttons and interact as much as possible within the show," Dreimanis said, referring to the high-energy performances he and Fay give.
Although the sensual live shows that put July Talk on the map are still an integral part of the group’s identity, Touch highlights a side of the band not yet heard by fans.
"I guess with Touch, there's… four years of tour experience— and life experience, more importantly— to kind of influence the things we want to talk about and the way we want to make music and the way we wanted it to affect people's minds and people's bodies when they heard it," Fay said, describing the new approach the group was able to take with their second album.
"When we made the first album, we'd only played a few live shows together," she added. "That album was mostly made by the few rehearsals we'd had… and not really having any input about what it was like to record an album that people were going to actually listen to, because obviously we had no idea if anyone was going to hear it or not."
July Talk’s eponymous debut album was highly successful, perhaps best quantified by their incredibly varied fan base.
"When we first started the band, Peter was like, 'my dream is for us to have a cult following,'" Fay joked.
That following has received Touch with open arms, however Dreimanis admitted that parts of the album presented new challenges for the band. He listed the album’s finale, "Touch," as one of those challenges.
"When we started the band, we had a rule against songs longer than four minutes… I had played in a lot of bands, and played music with a lot of people that sometimes fell into that line of being masturbatory art, where you're doing it for yourself more than the audience," Dreimanis said.
"And so "Touch" was the first time where [our producer] Ian kept… saying to just let it build, slow it down, let it be gradual… I think it opened an entirely new door for the band moving forward."
While July Talk’s following has grown since they first broke onto the scene in 2012, both Fay and Dreimanis have maintained a close relationship with their listeners.
"We just really like being close with the people who enjoy and like experiencing our music with us and learning about us and themselves through listening to it. Because that's kind of all it is: just one big pool for everyone to jump into and get messy with," Fay said.
"As long as it's not absolutely insane I think we'll always try to figure out how to be present and stay connected and be out there with the people after the show."
Despite their constant interactions with audiences around the world, both Dreimanis and Fay have their own pre-show rituals to fully slip into the performance mindset.
"I've been dancing [to Nick Cave’s "Dig Lazarus Dig"] a lot, which just kind of gives me a confidence and swagger that's not necessarily gained by sitting in a sweaty van with a bunch of your best buds," said Dreimanis.
"And I'm really into finding the most reverb-y spot in a venue and just going in and singing Michael Jackson really loudly. Because there's no better friend for a self-conscious singer than a room full of reverb," Fay added.
As July Talk begins their tour across their home country, their excitement is palpable and there is no doubt that they will continue to touch the lives of their fans.
Toronto Urban Roots Fest (TURF) took place between July 4-6 at Fort York and Garrison Commons. Although it is only in its second year running, the festival managed to bring in some hefty and eclectic acts. When you’re attending a festival, it’s hard not to get caught up in the dynamic atmosphere created between the artist and the crowd. Though some types of music cater to audience involvement more than others, a good performer can captivate the crowd regardless of genre.
Andrew Jackson Jihad
Crowd rating: 4/5
Andrew Jackson Jihad is a folk-punk group with impassioned, quick-paced, funny, sad and sometimes horrific lyrics. What really left an impression were the scattered hardcore fans who sang along with all the words, clapped along, and raised their fists in the air. Towards the end of the set, I turned to see a teenaged-boy standing beside me with tears rolling down his face. That was how much he was moved by the band, and how passionate many others also felt.
Pokey LaFarge
Crowd Rating: 5/5
There is something so charming about Pokey LaFarge and his band hailing from St. Louis, Missouri. They look and feel like they come from a different era compete with guitars, saxophone, clarinet, trumpet, cello, harmonica and washboard. Foot-tapping and infectious American music rooted in swing, jazz, blues had the whole audience dancing along. He got the crowd to sing along to the chorus of “Close the Door” and the “Good Lord Giveth and Uncle Sam Taketh Away”. It was certainly one of the most memorable performances of the weekend.
July Talk
Crowd Rating: 5/5
July Talk completely blew me away with their charismatic performance and playful boy/girl flirtatious violence between front-members Peter Dreimanis and Leah Fay. At one point, after shoving their hands in each other’s faces and jostling against each other, Leah threw her high-heel at Peter. Peter has the gravelly voice of Tom Waits and Leah sounds like a purer version of Emily Haines. Together, backed with the bass and drums, July Talk created a rambunctious performance that got the crowd moving with them.
Jenny Lewis
Crowd Rating: 2/5
Being a long-time fan of Jenny Lewis and her former band Rilo Kiley, I was really excited to see her live. However, although they sonically sounded fine and played both old and new songs (from Rilo Kiley days and Jenny Lewis’ upcoming album) the performance felt a bit lacklustre. Jenny seemed to be missing that sassiness and engaging stage-presence that shone through in past performances. The crowd was an even bigger disappointment though. Even though the set time was a bit earlier in the day (4:30 p.m.) the crowd was really subdued, hardly bobbing along or singing as I expected them to.
Gogol Bordello
Crowd Rating: 5/5
This high-energy “gypsy-punk” band did not disappoint. Frontman Eugene Hütz was running around the stage in his butterfly pants swinging a bottle of red wine around and spilling its contents all over the crowd. The band has an eclectic style, mixing many styles of world music and featuring instruments like the violin, accordion, and marching bass drum. The crowd went nuts during the set — dancing, throwing their fists in the air, and shouting—especially during the performance of “Start Wearing Purple”. This group is a must-see if you ever get the chance.
Jeff Tweedy
Crowd Rating: 4/5
Jeff Tweedy, perhaps better known from the band Wilco, certainly had a lot of fans. His music and attitude are very mellow and he wryly acknowledged that by explaining, “We like to do a group shrug before we go on to get the energy-levels just right.” He joked a lot with the crowd and explained that he set out to make a solo record 18 years ago but had to grow a drummer first (his son Spencer joined him onstage to play the drums). Although some of the songs he played were new, he told the audience that “if you feel like singing, go ahead and make up words” and I’m sure the crowd happily obliged.
