Said The Whale talk good and bad luck, plus take an exclusive look at the artwork for upcoming EP 'New Brighton'

by Nicole Villeneuve

September 19, 2011

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Tyler Bancroft is just outside of Toronto with the rest of Said the Whale when I call him from my computer; the web number that shows up on his phone is an out-of-area one and he almost doesn’t answer, thinking it might be someone looking for outstanding parking ticket payment. Admittedly, not the worst collector that could be calling. It’s almost the perfect way to describe the last year the Vancouver band has had—incredibly good tempered with just a bit of bad that could always be worse.

“I feel like we’ve had a pretty easy go of it compared to some other bands,” says the guitarist/vocalist. “We keep our tours pretty short, and there’s been a lot of other stuff going on. The Junos obviously were pretty amazing.”

In March, the group won the Juno Award for New Group of the Year, but it came just a couple of weeks after all of their gear and personal effects were stolen from their van while on tour in California. While obviously a huge financial blow to the band, they didn’t let it slow them down, immediately making a good-spirited dramatic reenactment video before they even had a chance to get to a pawn shop and check for their gear. Bancroft says the outpouring of support was overwhelming.

“People were offering to send us money, socks, that sort of thing,” he says, noting that while the support was appreciated, they opted to put it behind them as quickly as possible. “We really didn’t want to turn this into some sort of charity drive. There are a lot worse things happening in the world. People shouldn’t be concerning themselves with sending us socks. That’s far too kind. We shut that down.”

The band was also in the midst of starring in a CBC-produced documentary called Winning America, following the band as they attempted to break the U.S. market, and after returning home, went right into the studio to record a yet-untitled new album for release early next year, and a new EP, New Brighton, set for release in November (take an exclusive look at the artwork above). When asked about what sounds we can expect to hear, Bancroft says that at this point, objectivity is a little difficult.

“I’m excited to gain some more perspective as I take some time off listening to the mixes,” he laughs. “One thing I can say is that you’ll get a diverse collection of songs…We were all in a great mood. We went into the studio a better band. Hopefully everything is improved, that’s all I can say.”

Tags: Music, Interviews, News, Said The Whale

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