Introducing: Yukon Blonde

Vancouver’s Yukon Blonde have featured in our Oh! Canada compilations twice now, and were also one of Dan Mangan’s tips for success in 2010. Their self titled full length debut gets a digital release this week prior to a full release later on in the year, and is a must listen for those who like their pop music laid back, hook heavy and harmony led. Oh! Canada caught up with Jeff from the band as they prepared to hit the road on their North American tour to talk Helicopters, attention sucking cats and the benefits of changing your name.

For people out there that have never heard of you. Give us three reasons why they should?
A: 1) It doesn’t cost you anything to check out our myspace page. You might find something in us that you’ve been wanting to hear for a long time. Adversely, you may find out exactly what you don’t want to hear so you know for the future to avoid us at all costs.
2) Our mothers tell us we’re all handsome young men. My girlfriend said that to me once too:)
3) We all work minimum jobs in the most expensive city in Canada, so you could look at your patronage like a charity endevour.

Can you recall the moment when you first decided you wanted to become a musician?
My dad gave me a guitar for my birthday when I was 11 years old. I remember watching some Nirvana video where Kurt Cobain threw his guitar in to Dave Grohl’s drumset and I decided that that was what I wanted to do: destroy my new guitar. So my friend and I climbed onto my roof and threw my guitar off to watch it smash on the pavement below. When it was over, I felt so bad because my dad honestly believed that I wanted to play guitar. I then saved and bought another guitar and learned to play a few songs, one of them being “Come as you are”.

You used to be called Alphababy when you were in Kelowna. Why the change, and what happened that took you from years of demoing to actually putting the record out?
We had demoed 10 songs and were ready to record them when our friend Jon Rae asked us to be his backing band for a cross Canada tour. We would begin the set as AlphaBaby and end with Jon Rae. Over the course of the tour, the band began to change a little due to the fact that we were playing rock music, and then country with JR. Over the course of the tour, we had booking agents, and industry folks tell JR that AlphaBaby was a great band, but posessed the worst name of all time.
Jon Rae then convinced us to change our name. Although we always new the name wasn’t very good, we had felt that we’d lose a big part of our fan base because of it. At the end of the tour, we got into a head on collision in our Van, (our sixth member), prompting our keyboard player to leave as well. We then decided to scrap all the songs we had been working on, and begin writing a new record, changed our name at the advice of JR, and moved to Vancouver. The idea was that we weren’t changing our name, but rather starting a new band with a new sound, (and Van).

People have been suggesting that Vancouver is “the new Montreal”. How is the scene these days? I heard a rumour that your tour van was actually bought for you by “We Are The City”….that seems like a pretty tight knit community!
I think that Montreal is a wonderful place. I also think that Montreal has about 10 times the amount of bands than Vancouver does, which makes the chances of great bands coming our of Montreal higher. Vancouver on the other hand has very few bands, and out of the few, a good deal of them are really great. If Vancouver is the new Montreal, that must mean that Montreal is the new New York. And WATC bought us this really sweet Helicopter with their contest prize money. Very cool dudes. If you guys need a Helicopter, just ask em. They’ll probably just give you cash!

Hmmm. That seems a little unlikely Jeff. Anyway, moving on, where do your songs come from? What is your inspiration?
I find inspiration in many ways. Some of our music is written as a score to an imaginary film, and some songs just come out of nowhere. Musically, I find is hard to pinpoint where the inspiration comes from, but lyrically, it just comes from experiences. Some of the lyrics make no sense, but rather just complement the music with cadence and melody. The others are stories, some ficticious, some not. When it comes down to it though, we try and make everything come together and work as one in the end.

Name your Top 5 records
Right now… not of all time, and in no order. And, just Jeff’s (me) because I have no idea what the other guys love right now. Oh, and all modern ones, I’m listening to now, not like anything, ever. I could go on forever… haha, here:
1) Figurines “When the Deer Wore Blue”
2)Foreign Born “Person to person
3)We Are The City “In a quiet world”
4)Rah Rah “Going Steady”
5)Red Cedar “Enter the Sun Gods”

You have just embarked on a pretty mamouth tour. What is the most memorable show you have ever played? How have the live shows been going?
The live shows are amazing. Everyone is totally receptive and they all look very happy! The bands we play with are extraordinary and deserve merit. I can think of a dozen shows where very surreal things have happened, but I’m trying to think of one that was the most memorable just for being really really great.
I got one!
Last tour we played a show with our friends Fox Jaws in their hometown of Barrie, Ontario. It was a floor show in what looked like it was a fine dining restaurant by day, and when the lights turned low, all hell broke loose. Well, that’s kind of what happened. The place looked like it was at double capacity, and the bands all had an unlimited bar tab. By the time we took the stage, we were all so drunk, and there was glass and booze all over the floor that it was extremely hard to stay up. Anyways, we played, people danced and threw more glass on the floor, Fox Jaws took the stage by storm and people got even crazier. After Fox Jaws tore what was left of the roof off, Brandon and I were at the merch booth when two wasted girls walked up to us and started hitting on us. After we’d had enough of their sloppy bar etiquitte, we asked Graham if we could lead them on the dance floor to get them away from the table. As they left, they stole our soundman Sven’s jacket with his wallet, Brandons coat, and some cash from the merch table. Adam, our former bass player and I had to run after these girls down random streets in Barrie until we cornered them and the gave us back most of what they stole. It wasn’t until we got back to the bar that we realized they gave us everything back with nothing in the pockets.

What one piece of criticism has stuck in your mind and was it justified?
Everything Pitchfork said about The Flaming Lips “Soft Bulletin”. It IS a 10.0.

What one thing has caused you to waste your free time in the past 6 months?
My cat, Ezra. He is the most attention sucking cat i’ve ever met. He doesn’t just need physical affection, he even needs stories told to him, and brushing everyday etc. He just needs to know that he’s always on your mind. He even likes the act of you pouring food into his bowl. Sometimes for him to eat, I have pour the food that’s in his dish back into the bag and then back into the dish. It’s ridiculous and it’ll all my fault. I watched Intervention the other day, and I almost need to take that advice and just give him tough love.

If you weren’t making music, what do you think you’d be doing?
I’ve always wanted to be a pilot, so maybe that. I recent years I have changed my mind and I think I’d like to give sailboat rides and lessons somewhere in South America. Graham really likes to cook and has been a cook for a good 6 years now so that’s him, and Brandon would make a fine art teacher just like his Dad. Adam, who just left our band is doing something he always wanted to do other than music now, which is being a tattoo artist. He was easily the coolest.

If you could have written or played on any song, what would it be and why?
I wish I could have written Cry Baby Cry by John Lennon. I think it’s one his first great songs that sound like his solo stuff, so it’s real raw and personal sounding. It’s also been my favorite song forever, but I think that if I were to write it, I’d just been trying to live up to that song for the rest of my career. I’d want to play on anything by ladyhawk (no E) just once. One of the greatest bands of all time.

What is the first song you put on when you wake up?
Used to be Paperback Writer by the Beatles. Lately it’s been “Come to Daddy” by Aphex Twin.

We’d like you to make us a mix-tape. Pick five tracks with a theme of your choice.
Ohhh!! I did this yesterday. But only for me. I’d love to share.
“California” by Dr. Dog
“Hotel California” by The Eagles
“California Stars” by Billy Bragg and Wilco
“California” by Phantom Planet
“California “Waiting by Kings Of Leon

I know it’s a little lame, but it’s fun- right?

One Canadian band we should listen to (that isn’t your band)?
You can take your pick of the three. I can’t decide.
RAH RAH
RED CEDAR
SAID THE WHALE