City & Colour: The Interview AND The Contest! (Pt. 1)

January 29, 2008

So I just sat down with Dallas Green for a good 25 minutes to talk about his new album "Bring Me Your Love" and some other stuff that we like to ask pretty much everybody we meet. Stay tuned for part two of the interview, which I'll post next week - where we actually get to the nitty gritty of talking about his album!

THIS JUST IN! Read on to the end of the interview to find out how you can win tickets to see City & Colour perform at a very exclusive concert!

And now, the fun stuff. Ahem:

What was the first album you bought with your own money?

I bought Alice In Chains' "Dirt" when I was in grade 7 with my allowance. I bought it on cassette. And then my mom later on bought the CD for me.

Did that album have a big impact on you?

It did. That album really shaped the way I look at rock music. I was like eleven, and I had already been playing guitar and I remember listening to it intently and learning how to play it. I figured out how to play all the songs. I would just sit and put my CD player right in front of my face and my amp on the floor, and I would just play along to it all day and sing to it. So, that's how I built up my singing and playing when I was young. A lot of people give me flak, cause they were like the goth-y band of grunge. Also, I don't have any guilty pleasures. I feel like, whatever I like, I like. Not everyone should listen to the same type of music and if I wanna listen to Alice In Chains, I'm gonna listen to Alice In Chains. I don't care if you don't think I'm cool because of it. Nardwuar gave me shit because of it - he was like, "what about Nirvana?!" and I said, "no, I like Alice In Chains better!" And he was mad at me because of it.

What word makes you cringe?

That's a good one. The other day I was with my friend Allison and apparently the word "moist" makes her cringe.

(Cringing) I think a lot of girls are like that.

Yeah, I can imagine! But it doesn't make me! I don't know if I have one. You know what's a bad word, the "c" word. You know what the "c" word is - I don't want to say it. Whenever anyone says that word I'm like, "oooookay, come on." Even if a girl's not around, it's still just not a good word.

You know, I don't mind that word, but I will not say the "f" word.

Really?! I say the "f" word A LOT. Like, a whole lot. You know what? I grew up not hearing it a lot because my father would never say it in front of me, or my mom or my sister. He would say all the other ones but he would never say the "f" word cause it was like, the big one. Now that I'm older, I hear it every once in awhile from him and I'm like, (acts shocked).

What's the most confusing trend you've seen develop in the past few years?

I think guys wearing lots of make-up. Like, I'm cool with it - for me it's weird because it's like hair metal all over again. The guys onstage were dressing a lot like girls, and the girls in the audience really liked them a lot - they thought they were heart throbs even though they dressed more like girls than the girls in the audience - and the guys in the audience wanted to be like the guys onstage even though they were dressing like girls. And nowadays it's kind of like that again - little guys onstage onstage that are being more like girls, and the girls really like it and the guys really like it. It's weird.

And the floofy hair, too.

Yeah. I mean, I had the long hair for a little while too, but then I was just like, "this is annoy-ying." It's fun onstage to have hair to headbang, but after awhile I was like, get outta my face.

Or maybe the trend of not needing to sing, like lip-syncing isn't a big deal anymore. I brought this up in an interview the other day, but Milli Vanilli were CRUCIFIED when people found out they were lip-syncing. But Ashlee Simpson's career got bigger. Like, one of the guys in Milli Vanilli killed himself - he got so down in the dumps about it that he killed himself. And Ashlee Simpson is flourishing, and it didn't matter that she's lip syncing. It didn't hinder her at all.

I wonder if it all has to do with publicity.

That's what I mean, I think the trend is that it's become more about publicity than it is about the song, or musicianship. It doesn't matter if you can play or sing anymore, it just matters if you have the right publicist. It's a bummer.

What's your favourite music video?

Of all time? I don't know, there's so many! You know what I liked, remember the Peter Gabriel "Sledgehammer" video? I like that a lot. I don't know if it's my favourite, but it's a good video.

What are your current fixations?

I'm really into Miss Vickie's chips. Every flavour they do is amazing. Roasted Red Pepper? Holy jeez. They have these other ones that are like, sweet chili and sour cream? Unbelievable.

And very crunchy!

Awesome, though. Kettle cooked. I've been a Dorito guy since I could eat Doritos, and up until 6 months ago, all of a sudden I turned into a huge Miss Vickie's guy.

What would you consider to be a career high?

Alexis, we just played Brixton Academy in London, England a couple months ago. That was a big deal. Cause that's the venue that you always hear about. A lot of people say - in England, you sort of judge if you've made it or not if you play Brixton Academy. I would say that, or also I got to play right before Bob Dylan played in the summer, at the Bluesfest in Ottawa. I got to say, "ladies and gentlemen, up next, Bob Dylan!" Even though he was playing a mile away on the other stage across from me, I still got to say it. That was pretty neat. You never think things like that will happen.

What are some pop songs that are "earworms" for you (get stuck in your head)?

"Toxic" was one of those songs. It's a good song, too. "Umbrella"! That one just stuck forever. I would say those two in the last 5 years were super stuck in my head.

What are your favourite chocolate bars?

(whistles) Crunchie and Butterfinger. I don't like a lot of chocolate cause I'm lactose intolerant. So the real milk chocolatey ones, I can't handle. They make my throat itchy and I can't itch it. Those two have just the right amount of chocolate and wonderfulness. There's this chocolate called Ritter Sport, and if that's considered a chocolate bar, I'll put that in there - the coconut one. Bounty! I like Bounty a lot.

Reality TV or drama?

Drama. Like Dexter. It's really good. Reality TV shows are really good but at the same time I feel guilty watching them. I think the appeal is - people who have no talent, it's more fun to watch them make fools of themself than it is to watch someone who's really good at acting. And it's kind of a bummer.

*****

Answer Dallas' Questions And WIN!

So, City & Colour will be performing at a very exclusive concert at the Music Gallery in Toronto, which is pretty much invite only. But we've got ONE PAIR OF TICKETS to give away to the fan who can answer these three questions, which Dallas came up with himself.

1. What do his knuckle tattoos say?
2. What kind of guitar does he play?
3. Who is his favourite singer of all time?

Email your name, age and answers to redhot@muchmusic.com - you have until February 7 to enter!

Don't forget to read the Rules and Regs! :-)

Comments

Posted by: Nicole at January 29, 2008 09:57 PM

Posted by: rob lukas at January 29, 2008 10:45 PM

Posted by: Senester at January 30, 2008 01:11 AM

Posted by: ashlena at January 30, 2008 06:18 PM

Posted by: Nicole at January 31, 2008 02:58 PM

Posted by: bobby haskin at February 1, 2008 02:30 AM

Posted by: Patrick at February 1, 2008 07:03 PM

Posted by: blue_shoe at February 2, 2008 10:17 PM

Posted by: ashley at February 3, 2008 10:40 AM

Posted by: Lori at February 6, 2008 10:57 AM

Posted by: wendy at February 6, 2008 11:21 AM

Posted by: Lori at February 6, 2008 12:17 PM

Name:

Email Address:

URL:
Remember Me? YesNo

Comments: