The Singing Lamb: You’re new album Eats Darkness was originally intended to be an EP. How did it come about to be a full length?

Andrew Whiteman: When I was close to finishing, I gave it to my A&R guy and he really liked it and wanted it to be more.

Kevin Drew?

Yeah.

Does he have a lot of input on your music normally?

No, but he does like to see what’s going on once in a while.

How do you feel that Eats Darkness is different or built upon your past two records?

I don’t know about built upon; it’s a little early for ‘built upon’. I suppose the record is different; it’s a tighter concept because it kind of became a concept as it was becoming born so it’s tighter and a little shorter. It’s more concentrated though, I guess.

Do you feel like by now, you’re band has found your sound?

We’re getting there. We’re all lifelong musicians and we’re all pretty restless people so I think we’re starting to come into this record with our sound. Maybe when we’re old geezers, we’ll get there.

For this current tour, you held a contest to find opening bands. How did the idea come about?

I don’t really feel close to many bands, stylistically and it’s hard to pair up. Also when you do find someone you like, they may not like you or maybe the schedules just don’t work; there are all these reasons. So rather than having that headache over and over again, it just made more sense to reach out to people that actually listen to our music and like it. That way you start finding out about bands that you had no idea about and that’s really interesting to see what 19-year-old kids are up to that happen to listen to our band and want to open for us. We’ve found some crazy music by listening to what people send in and it was really good.

Who’s opening tonight?

Wayne Petti, who’s in the treasured Canadian band, Cuff The Duke is opening for us!

How do you think his music complements your music?

I’d say Wayne’s solo music has got a lonely-guy vibe to it doesn’t it. It’s going to be amazing to hear him in a church tonight because he’s got a hell of a whistle!

I’ve seen him play here!

Oh, you have?

Yeah, he was really good!

Yeah, so he can definitely set up a lonely traveler kind of mood. It’s very emotional.

What do you think about the internet and MySpace nowadays and what that has done to music?

I try and be positive about it. I was thinking that maybe the digital, allowing everyone to make music in their bedroom would maybe make it so that music was more of a thing of our lives, like just a natural part of our lives. Like it is in many other countries where everyone’s uncle can play or everyone pretty much can play something or sing and participate in the music somehow – more of a family thing, more of a community thing, more of a cultural thing. And maybe more people would do that but it hasn’t done that yet; it might do that but it needs to create miniature celebrity kingdoms. Many more than like in the 70s, when Zeppelin or Olivia Newton John or whatever – those super giant celebrity kingdoms. Now there’s a lot more and a lot smaller ones.

You recently moved to Montreal. Why?

Well you know; I know every inch of Toronto; it’s time to go! I would’ve left years ago if I wasn’t so busy leaving all the time and coming back.

How do you feel there? Are you slowly getting acquainted with everything there?

I feel great! I just bought a bike so I’m reaching out. I spent the winter tramping around the block so when I get back there in a couple of days, I’m going to go for a spin!

Do you miss it here in Toronto?

The only I miss about Toronto so far is Kensington Market, really. Not that there aren’t other places but they sure know how to fuck up a good thing. There’s lovely people and a lot of great art and things going on. It’s not a single-handed bulldozed over everything I love about Toronto; there’s a lot of people doing very inspiring things but I don’t really see – well I don’t see it anywhere else either – but I certainly don’t see a lot of progressive chances being taken here. You know what I mean? In terms of urban planning, we’re lucky enough to have someone like Jane Jacobs live in this city as she did and we don’t take her advice so what the fuck. Although bike lane on Jarvis! That’s good; was great to read that a few days ago. Small steps I guess, right?

Right! I’ve also heard that you haven’t read the new Broken Social Scene book yet.

Nope.

Why not?

Well I’m not interested, am I?

Were you part of it? Were you interviewed?

Didn’t you read it?

Not yet!

Ha! Look, yeah for sure I was interviewed. I don’t think it’s a good idea. I’m not interested in it; I wasn’t from the beginning. But I put my two cents in – “Guess what guys, this is a stupid idea, don’t do it,” – but I guess I got outvoted. Also Stuart Berman’s a good friend of mine and I find when I read his record reviews and listen to his band, and I’ve gone to see his band a few times, I really like Stuart’s aesthetic. I don’t think it’s a bad book, I guess. I think it’s a really myopic thing to do. You can get super cynical and think “Who’s making money off this book?” The band isn’t making money, perhaps there’s a charity involved; I don’t even know that degree of what’s happening. Someone’s making money off selling this, you know what I mean? What’s with the backslapping? What’s with the celebritization? Jesus Christ.

You’d never do that with Apostle of Hustle, would you?

No, for Christ’s sake! You can go back 100 years and find some sheet music of the most popular songs 100 years ago. You know what? You wouldn’t know any of those people or anything of those tunes and those people were like the hitmeisters, they were the hipsters and the scenesters of the day! Could anyone around remember a song from 100 years ago? Probably not; so get some perspective people. We’re just workers.

How does it feel to record and play with Broken Social Scene again? Was it the same as before?

No no! It’ll never be the same. Which is, in one sense too bad because you really don’t get that long of whatever…for the lack of a better word, an innocent moment. So no, its not the same as before, it’s very different. Some things are the same. There’s still Charlie’s incredibly bassy hook lines and Kevin and his falsetto – that’s pretty much all that’s the same. Brendan’s playing a lot of guitar, we’ve got Sammy around; Peroff’s probably about 15-20 BPMs lower than he was! The beats he’s choosing aren’t quite as “mmmm!” *snaps his fingers* as six or seven years ago but other than that, it’s the same. We just started so I don’t know who the cast of characters will be in this particular movie but there will be one.

Awesome; well I look forward to hearing it! Finally, if you were a singing animal, what would you be?

Right, because you’re the singing lamb! Do all animals sing?

No, but you can make one up or be hypothetical with your answer!

I guess I’d be the matriarch of an elephant pod.

Why?

Because I read a great book by a Canadian called The White Bone by Barbara Gowdy. It’s a really great story about elephants and I didn’t know this but elephants communicate by sending vibrational signals, sonic vibrations through the ground and they can feel. So I want to be that!

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