1. Thank you very much for your time! Before we introduce your new release to our readers – what kind of drink would you recommend to sip on while they listen to your new music?
Well, there’s a line in a song about „friends coming over and drinking all his whiskey but he don’t mind“… so perhaps whiskey is the answer.
2. Please give us an update about – new single, new album, tour dates, new videos?!
The new single („Harry Nilsson“ ) was inspired in part by Harry Nilsson’s sweet version of „Without You“. I listened to it a lot after my mother suddenly passed away in 2022. And that moment spurred me to write a bunch of new songs that ended up on the new album ‚Chutes‘, which is out now. The video for „Harry Nilsson“ is a compilation of amazing extreme skiing footage of my friend Nick Steers.
3. We live in times of many conspiracy theories. Which, harmless, theory would you wish were true? (For example Dinos living inside Earth or E.T. living in a home in California)
My favourite conspiracy theory is that aliens have been visiting Earth for decades. The fact that none of them stuck around is not too surprising, given how us humans keep behaving so poorly.
4. What fashion style or brand would best describe your music?
Sadly my fashion style hasn’t really evolved since around 2008. I don’t have a great name for how I dress but it’s basically whatever happens to be in my drawer so perhaps the word „slacker“ is an apt descriptor of my music and style?
5. Tell us more about your songs! Topics! Message!?
Given how crazy the world keeps getting, it’s nice to escape into music making with my friends as a way to process and escape everything that’s going on. No main thesis to it except it probably sounds like an aging man asking all the usual questions.
6. Beside music, do you have any special talents?
I’ve been working on my Dad Jokes but I don’t think my kids would describe this as a ’special talent‘.
7. Name 5 things we all should know about you as an artist?!
I learned how to play the guitar as a teenager from a Neil Young songbook.
My first band was called Kids These Days and we once played a show in New York City and noticed that Ric Ocasek from the Cars was in the audience.
I covered a TLC song (No Scrubs) at the first ever Octoberman show we played.
My mom was watching Grey’s Anatomy when one of our songs („Trapped In The New Scene“) unexpectedly came on and she said she „fell off the couch“.
My 6 year old once told me „you can’t rush time“ when I was getting them ready for school once. My first thought was that would make a great song lyric, which I ended up using on a song off our last record (2023’s There You Were).
8. The road so far…. who or what was your biggest support??
We did a super fun tour with Canada’s FemBots in 2008 from coast to coast in the middle of me moving from Vancouver to Toronto. It was an interesting experience to tour while technically being homeless.
9. A question you’d like to answer, but never been asked in an interview before?! + Answer pls
Sorry – I can’t think of one!
Instagram: @octobermanmusic