Before heading off to ACL and then onto another big tour, QC contributing writer Eliza
Czander was able to get on the phone with Sara from indie pop twosome Tegan and Sara. Below,
she gets the scoop on playing festivals, future collaborations, and how Americans run on
fear.
Quiet Color: ACL starts tomorrow! When do you get there?
Sara Quin: I think we plan to meet everyone there on Saturday. But, I don't
think we play 'till Sunday.
QC: You looking forward?
SQ: You know, to be honest, I don't love playing festivals. I much more
prefer playing proper shows.
QC: I assume you guys won't get the opportunity to really hang around and
catch other acts...
SQ: That's the trouble with festivals. There's always too much going on,
always too much press, so we don't get to see a lot of the bands there. But, we get to see
the bands we like at other times, so it's okay.
QC: And after this, you guys kick off another tour, huh?
SQ: Yep, we start our US tour at the end of October and then we go to
Australia in January to do a tour there.
QC: Not a ton of time off!
SQ: We try and take enough time here and there. But then again, it gets
problematic when you're touring and working for months, and everyone's in the swing of
things, and then you just stop. 'Cause once you start up again it's like you're starting from
scratch.
QC: You have a new album coming out next year. Without giving too much away,
what can you tell me about the album so far.
SQ: We've been writing a lot of songs for our new album, and though we're
usually really OCD about when we're going to start recording, and when we'll release, for now
we're really just writing as much as possible.
QC: Has the process changed or developed in any significant way since your
last album?
SQ: Not so much the writing, but from a recording perspective it has; just
in terms of now knowing what will work and what won't. With writing, Tegan and I have never
written songs together, and after playing a show and coming off the stage, I love to just be
by myself and write. To get in the alone zone.
QC: Speaking of alone, I hear the two of you might be working on some side
solo stuff these days? What's up with that?
SQ: Well, we both dabble a bit in solo stuff, but it's really Tegan who's
been working on her own project for a while. She's been collaborating with Hunter [Bergun]
from AFI, and they plan on releasing something. I'm not so great with collaborations, I have
a bit of trouble. Not to say I don't like it, I just find I like to write alone.
QC: You guys have collaborated with some awesome people on recent records,
who do you plan to work with this time around?
SQ: Um, I would love to work with Chris Walla again. We loved working with
him on Con, so we'll see. I know he's very busy though. Other than that, it's just me and
Tegan. The idea with this album will be to have written like a billion songs and then
hopefully have someone like Chris give us some outside perspective on them.
QC: What are you listening to right now. Who's in constant rotation on your
Ipod?
SQ: Nothing new really, but I guess I've been listening to Atlas Sound a
lot. Oh, and I just re-bought the Ryan Adams' Whiskeytown record.
QC: Nice. So, aside from a superior indie music scene, and universal health
care, what else is better about Canada?
SQ: Ha, I try to avoid this question. I will say though, that when I was at
Bonnaroo, I fell down some slippery stairs, and months later, I'm still dealing with the
insurance company.
QC: Welcome to our world!
SQ: I know, it's insane. But, besides health care, what I notice as the
largest difference is that in Canada, we're not afraid of our government, we're not afraid of
the police. I just feel like in the long term, it will never be okay for people to constantly
feel like they're under suspicion, or to feel disrespected, in any form.
QC: Agreed. Are you and Tegan politically active as a group?
SQ: Not really, we don't necessarily want to be political as a band, but we
definitely want to raise awareness and encourage people to vote. Tegan and I support a ton of
causes and really like to be involved with those.
QC: That's awesome, good for you guys. It looks like we have to wrap up, so
thanks so much for chatting with me. Have an awesome time this weekend, and try not to fall
down any stairs.
SQ: Ha, I'll try. Have fun at the festival!