Q&A: Said The Whale's Tyler Bancroft

Jessey Bird is a journalist, communicator, and quality human being who jumped at my challenge (plea?) for guest blogs. Her following email Q&A with Said the Whale’s Tyler Bancroft is exclusive to outisthrough.com!

So, when I heard that Vancouver’s Said the Whale would be playing not one, but two shows for Ottawa’s massive Canada Day celebrations, I was more than excited. I’ve happily had their album on repeat ever since I ended up on a cross-America road trip with only two CDs in my borrowed truck.

Said the Whale will be playing Parliament Hill with Hannah Georgas at 12 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on July 1st.

I’ll be there for both, and you should be too.

Q: Where are you right now, while you answer these questions?

A: I'm just waking up from my glorious bed of cushions on the floor of our hotel in Ottawa. This is crammed, but this is comfort.

Q: On your MySpace you describe your music as “nautical indie-rock goodness”. I'd say your music reminds me of walking barefoot under the stars. How has your music evolved over the past few years?

A: If you describe it as walking barefoot under the stars, I'd describe it as walking in flip-flops under the stars (watch out for sharp rocks and rusty nails), and you have a flashlight with you just in case danger arises - what I mean by that is since our first record I think our writing has matured and our songs have drawn inspiration from experiences other than just life in our city. Five cross-Canada tours will have that effect.

Q: Where did your inspiration for The Magician EP come from, and why did you decide to only release it on vinyl?

A: The Magician EP is a teaser for our upcoming album, "Islands Disappear" to be released on October 13. The choice to release it on vinyl first was made because vinyl is fucking cool, and that's about it. None of us have ever heard our own music on vinyl before. A digital release will follow.

Q: In 2008 you said that you adore Vancouver, and write about the city “as if it was a woman that we loved.” What is your take on Ottawa?

A: Ottawa is like your friend who dresses really well and looks like he might be kinda straight-laced and boring, but then you hang out with him at night and it turns out he's fully Irish, he can drink you under the table, and his jokes are hilarious! I like Ottawa.

Q: In 1992, Chris saw Roch Voisine perform on the Hill and he has loved Canada Day in Ottawa ever since. Are you excited for what should be a pretty huge crowd? What do you expect?

A: I expect this might be the largest crowd we ever play to in our careers... I don't mean that in a negative way, (as in we don't aspire to be playing large shows ever again), but I think even some of the biggest outdoor festivals don't draw as large of a crowd as Canada Day, especially all focused on one single stage.

Q: What do you do to get ready to take the stage in the last few minutes before a show?

A: We pray to Shad K - an emcee and friend of ours from London, Ontario who is blessed with style, grace and flow. If we can perform half as well as him every night then we are happy.

Q: If you could open up for any three bands (past or present), who would they be?

A: The Tragically Hip, The Beatles, and Radiohead. All of these bands have timeless music.

Q: So let’s say you finally have a nice summer day off from rehearsals and shows: how would each of you spend your day?

A: If this question was meant to be hypothetical, I'm not going to answer it as so - we often have nice summer days off from rehearsals and shows, and this is exactly how we spend them: We drive out into the woods, set up a tent, start a fire, and spend the night with beers, guitars and friends.