Meet The Band: The Elwins

The four dapper gents of The Elwins are the sort of band you root for. They sing catchy songs, put on a great show and look good doing it. Ever since we saw them during CMW at Live Near Bellwoods (here) we haven’t been able to get them out of our heads. So  decided we had to sit down and chat with them for out Meet The Band column. Bassist/keyboardist Feurd Ian Robertson Moore was nice enough to play along and shared lots about his bandmates Matthew Sweeney, Travis Stokyl and Nathan Vanderwielen and their life together as a band.

How do you describe your music to someone who hasn't heard you before?

 “Jolly Indie Pop Rock” with some influences from ‘60s pop. Happy!

What was the craziest live show you've ever seen?

The craziest live show we’ve ever seen was the first time we witnessed Maylee Todd and The Sweatshop Hop! They are a funk-aerobics group who turn rock venues into steamy gyms and get the crowd to follow their silly workout routines.

What was the craziest live show you've ever played?

We played a loft party at the Mckibbin Lofts in New York on our way to SXSW this year. It was totally whack! The whole complex felt like it was abandoned. There were some pretty interesting people who came out to the show that night including a Rastafarian dude who keep saying “Get wet wid (with) it!” while shaking his beer up and down and spraying people around him.

What's your favourite song to play live? Why?

Currently my favourite song to play live is “Sittin’ Pretty.” We recently added a new member to the band (Nathan Vanderwielen) and now have more room to play with the live arrangements. I like how this song builds. It starts as a solo performance and gradually introduce more dynamic elements building to something magical.

If you could only listen to one band or artist for the rest of your life, who would you pick?

I’ve thought about this question before and I would have to go with John Southworth. He has a very wide repertoire of styles and his music is very honest. I highly recommend checking him out to anyone who hasn’t heard of him.

Say, for some strange reason, all the music in the world is going to be destroyed, but you can save all the songs from one decade. Which decade's records would you save?

Wow that’s tough. The ‘60s are awesome and the 1850s are pretty sweet too!

If you could switch places with another musicians in some type of "Freaky Friday" type incident, who would you want it to be?

Dave Grohl has had a pretty fun life from what I know. Seems like he’s always happy and keeps productive with his music.

If you absolutely had to get a face tattoo of album art from one record, which record would you want to have on your face for the rest of your life?

I think that the album cover of Say It by the Born Ruffians would be a pretty interesting tattoo to have on your face!

If you could have one musical superpower, what would you want it to be?

I would be great to be able to write and orchestrate music in my head without ever touching an instrument. I believe some people have this superpower, however, I do not.

If you were going to be a roadie for one band, who would it be?

Gotta be Dr. Dog! They’re such rad dudes who know how to have a good time.

If you were going to be a groupie for one band, who would it be?

Spice Girls hands down. In their heyday, of course.

Photo: The Elwins