WOODHANDS

INTERVIEW BY MICHAEL SHINDLER

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY MIKE LEWIS

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Dream of a sound that takes the grime of Glasgow, the ecstasy soaked sweat of a Berlin night club, the electric feel of Toronto, the bright lights of Tokyo and press it into a tablet of pure, explosive saturation and satisfying aural adventure. Fast- forward dreamscape – this is Woodhands.

I had heard of  Woodhands in the whispered sweet-nothings of hipsters in decrepit lavatories from the UK to Montreal, and often featured them on my 6AM playlists. Acutely intelligent, playful and fantastically energetic, Woodhands paint a masterful canvas in the studio, and inspire provocative bliss in the live venue.  Their second album is out on Paper Bag Records in 2010.  Keep on this band like a stalker if you want to get laid due to your street cred this year, or EVER.

MICHAEL—So… from the beginning of time. How did you guys meet?

DAN—Paul and I were both playing.  I had just moved to Toronto in 2005 or 2006, and the summer of 2006, I was playing solo, doing some Woodhands-type stuff. I was also playing in some indie rock bands, and our friend,

Henry Fletcher – whose band I played in called Henri Faberge & the Adorables, which is awesome – had this gigantic CD release party. He got pretty much every single band and friend that he knew in Toronto to play. So there was like 20 bands in this outdoor venue. It was so nice, right by the water.  I played right before the Rural Alberta Advantage, which is Paul’s other band. Basically, I’d seen them play before and I really wanted to play with the drummer. I’m going to speak for you [to Paul], Paul saw me and was incredibly moved. [laughs]  And then we crossed as I was taking my shit down and they were setting their shit up, because everyone was playing, like, three songs or something. I was, like, “Hey man, I’ve heard you play drums, like, you’re an awesome drummer.” And Paul was, like, “I was incredibly moved by your performance.”

M—And that was the catalyst?

D—He didn’t say he was incredibly moved, he said, “Yeah, that was pretty good.”

PAUL—No, I was, like, “You know what? I think I could make your music better. I should join your band.” [laughs]

D—So we basically just like met, and then jammed.  We didn’t really know each other, but we started our friendship in the same way that our music started.

M—And what’s the friendship like now?

D—Pretty bad.

P—We’re bosom buddies. [laughs]

M—Like hetero life partners?

D—Yeah. Essentially. Well, a lot of the time we tour just the two of us.

P—And there’s a lot of Dan and Paul time.

D—There’s no room for bullshit. Or only room for bullshit. Depending on how we’re feeling.

M—And you said you were playing stuff, kind of like Woodhands before.

D—Yeah, but it was more ambient. It was definitely electronic music, but it was not super high energy or dancie. I released an album on my own.

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