FM Berlin – At Least You’re Having Fun Q&A
FM Berlin are getting ready to head out on tour, and we had the chance to ask the band about touring, the music and more.
First, FM Berlin are Matt Clowes on guitar and vocals, Glen Farquhar on bass and vocals, Corey Hachey on lead vocals, and Nick Michaud on drums. They’re a four-piece alt/indie-rock band from the east coast who are making a lot of noise.
Today the band released Ransom as a single, and I’ll warn you, it might get stuck in your head. It’s great. It’s catchy, has a message, and Corey’s vocals draw you in.
Thanks to Corey for taking time out of his busy schedule, to answer my questions.
Q) How long have you been playing together, and how did you come together as a band?
A) Glen, (our bassist) and I have been together for over 10 years. We were in a band previous to FM Berlin, and when that band ended, we continued to write songs and look for new members to join us. We were in that state of limbo for around two years, and in that time we tried out over twenty guitar players until we stumbled across Matt, (our current guitar player) at a local music store. Glen and I were out pretending to look for amps to record with, all the while we were actually out looking to meet guitar players. So, we show up to the music shop under the guise of trying out amps, and who comes along brimming and ready to make the big sale… none other than Matt Clowes.
We sussed out that Matt played guitar by the way he commented on Glen’s guitar skills and I ended up asking Matt to audition. Glen gave his approval with these six words, “He looks like he can play.” How someone simply looks like they can play guitar is beyond me, but he was right. That was around 10 years ago.
We had a drummer for quite a while named Charline. I couldn’t tell you how many drummers we tried out before we found her. It was the three of us minus a drummer for around two solid years. Charline, played on the At Least You’re Having Fun Album, and then decided to go back to school a few years ago, so we began looking for her replacement. We got lucky this time around and only had to try out two drummers before finding Nic. I guess the universe felt we have gone through enough with all the previous auditions.
Q) Is there a story behind your band name?
A) I came up with the name after Glen had told me about how his father visited East Berlin back when he was in University. He explained how his father had carried a concealed camera into the Soviet-occupied country and was able to smuggle pictures of the bombed-out city back to Canada. The Soviets had been touting East Berlin as this wonderful modern communist country, but the ravages of war were still visible. FM Berlin means “Free Man in Berlin”
Q) Can you talk about your musical influences and what you’re listening to now?
A) My musical influences would have to be Oasis, The Beatles, James Brown, Ron Sexsmith, The Strokes, The Coral. Oasis because when you hear them for the first time you think to yourself, “I think I can do that” – you later realize that it’s much harder to write those simple songs than you first anticipated. As for The Beatles, see my Oasis explanation, but times it by ten. I am always watching live performances from the early days of James Brown, he’s my all-time favourite live performer. Liam Gallagher is a close second. Ron Sexsmith is simply my favorite songsmith. Listening to Ron is therapy – you just feel better afterward. I love everything he writes, even his twitter posts. The Strokes and the Coral I like for the same reason, they are just cooler than all the other bands that you listen too. They have no fear and swing for the fences every time when it comes to song production, sounds, lyrics, and overall style.
At the moment I am into Post Data, White Lies, John Prine, The Zolas, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, The Replacements and Sam Coffey and the Iron Lungs. That’s a good idea of what I’m digging these days.
Q) Tell me about your first live performance?
A) Our first live performance was as a three-piece. We were desperate to play, so we jumped at the first opportunity. We ended up playing what most sane people would consider a dive bar on the outskirts of town. It was nuts! We loaded in our gear at around 9 p.m. and most of the patrons were already extremely inebriated. As we were setting up our gear, the bartender (a short red-headed woman) began arguing with one of the more intoxicated customers. I thought nothing of it until they came rolling across the floor in an all-out WWE wrestling match (which she easily won). I knew at that point that it was going to go one of two ways – wildly fun or wildly dangerous. Thankfully, it turned out to be the former.
Q) Can you tell us something even your fans wouldn’t know?
A) Most people don’t know this, but Canadian music artists The Good Brothers and The Sadies are my first and second cousins respectively – on my mother’s side of the family.
Q) You’re nominated for the East Coast Music Awards for Rock Recording of the Year and Rising Star Recording of the Year, can you tell us what that means to you?
A) Being nominated for Rock Recording of The Year and Rising Star Recording of The Year means a great deal to us. It’s an indication that we are moving in the right direction. It’s also really great to be recognized for all the work that we put into our latest album. It took us over two years to get the songs on the album sounding the way we wanted. We put in an insane amount of time making this record, and it’s just cool to see fans and industry folks responding to it in such a positive way.
Q) What was writing and recording process like for At Least You’re Having Fun?
A) The writing process continues to be the same for us as it has been from the beginning. Glen and I do a lot of co-writing – I think it stems from those years when it was just the two of us writing while searching out band mates. I will sometimes come in with a song that I wrote acoustically, lay it down and then we either start hashing out the music right then and there or Glen will take it home and record a rough draft of the bass, guitar, drums. Sometimes we nail it right away, but often times it’s the fourth or fifth draft that makes the cut. Over time we’ve come to the realization that a song will eventually make the decisions for you. Your job is to pay attention to what it’s trying to tell you. It’s like some songs are a bit shy and hide their true nature until you give them the right amount of attention, kind of like people in that way. You might think this or that about someone, but it’s usually some projection or preconceived idea on your part.
Once we feel that we have the songs in a good place, we like to jam the songs as a band as much as possible before the final tracking begins. This way we get an opportunity to try different drum beats, drum fills, and guitar riffs. This last stage is important, and a lot of the energy and attitude of the songs are created here.
Q) Is there new music coming soon?
A) We will be releasing a single this summer (June/July) called Away to Nowhere. We play it in our current set, and it’s getting a lot of love from audiences, so we’re excited to finally release it. We are much busier now than when we recorded At Least You’re Having Fun, so we have to write and record in stages throughout the year. We are working on an EP which we are planning on releasing early next year and will be releasing singles leading up to the release of the EP, so you’ll be hearing lots of new music from us in 2019.
Q) What’s your favourite thing about touring?
A) The shows have to be the best part. After being cooped up in a van for hours, it’s nice to be able to get out and move around on stage for an hour. We always leave the stage covered in sweat. A photographer once told me that after shooting our live performance he had to continually reset his aperture because our pasty glowing paleness eventually gave way to a shiny red hue about halfway through.
Q) What’s your least favourite thing about touring?
A) Driving! I have a touch of ADD, so sitting in one place for too long is difficult.
Q) What can people expect from a live show?
A) We try and make it an event. If you want to listen to our music, you can do that at home. If you want an experience, then you have to come see us play live when we roll into your town. We like playing live. I think it’s what we do best. We like to interact with the audience, and we hope they are getting as much out of it as we are.
Q) Is there anything else, that I haven’t touched on that you’d like us to share with our readers?
A) I’d like them to know that we are from New Brunswick, Canada, and you may not be aware of it, but New Brunswick has some of the most unique and interesting artists that you will find anywhere. No two bands sound alike here. Everyone is making the music that they want to make without a lot of concern for what’s trendy or what’s happening anywhere else. I guess that’s the benefit of being left to our own devices – cool music. If you are looking for something new to listen to, we (FM Berlin) have a Spotify playlist called “East Coast Gems” that you may want to check out.
You can find FM Berlin at these fine internet locations:
Website: www.fmberlinmusic.com
Facebook: @fmberlinmusic
Twitter: @FM_Berlinmusic
Instagram: @fmberlinmusic
FM Berlin Tour Dates
FRI 5 APRIL The Rainbow Bistro Ottawa, ON, Tickets
SUN 7 APRIL Casa Del Popolo Montreal, QC, Tickets
TUE 9 APRIL The Atria Oshawa, ON, Tickets
THU 11 APRIL Junction City Music Hall Toronto, ON, Tickets
FRI 12 APRIL Junction City Music Hall Toronto, ON, Tickets
SAT 13 APRIL Junction City Music Hall Toronto, ON, Tickets
THU 18 APRIL Tide and Boar Moncton, NB, Tickets
FRI 26 APRIL Menz & Mollyz Bar Halifax, NS, Tickets
FRI 10 MAY O’Donaghue’s Irish Pub Miramichi, NB, Tickets
SAT 25 MAY Lions Club Moncton, NB, Tickets
FRI 31 MAY Pub Down Under Saint John, NB, Tickets
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