The Friday 5: Five Important Questions with July Talk
July Talk is one of those bands tough to mistake for anyone else you may find while surfing across the FM dial. If you still happen 
to do that.
No less, they have successfully managed to meld Tom Waits-esque vocals, with a Stars feel, and a band not afraid to test the limits of an audience’s eardrums. All of this has led to bookings at major concert festivals across North America, a JUNO Award nomination for Breakthrough Group of the Year, as well as a spot within Riffyou.com’s Friday 5 section.
Today, July Talk vocalist and guitarist Peter Dreimanis answers our questions, while paying tribute to others who have had a significant impact on he and the band.
What is your favourite place to play guitar?
“My living room is probably my favourite place. I have a piano and an organ – which has foot pedals [too] – so, I’m able to try out my bass lines there. A lot of songs have been written in that room…not only by myself, but by friends. That’s really the place where I feel like I can try to come up with hooks.”
What’s the best pre-show meal?
“First of all, you want it as far away from the show as possible. If I can eat at five o’clock, I find that I play a lot better. Anything within an hour and a half of playing makes me feel like I want to puke during the whole show…and sometimes I do,” laughs. “As for a meal, I’d say it should be as healthy as the town can supply.
“There was a long time where I really didn’t care what I ate – I loved that part of my life and it was a blast – but, I’m realizing that’s not a feasible lifestyle to follow on the road. Sometimes Wendy’s is all that is there, and you have to do that, but for the most part we try to keep it as green as possible when you’re in the middle of fucking Missouri.
“There’s so much shit out there [on the road]. And if you haven’t eaten all day and you’re driving to the next city and your’re sooo hungry, you just end up eating garbage…that’ll catch up to you real quick. We try to keep good things in our bodies.”
What album gets you out of a bad mood?
“Van Morrison’s Moondance. It’s my dad’s favourite record, so it reminds me of my home back in Alberta.”
What band inspires you?
“I really like a band called Dear Sister – they’re just starting out and are from the Cameron House scene in Toronto. I’ve rarely seen a band that commands a stage so well, and no one knows who they are. They’re just so good! They’ve really inspired me over the past six months or so. They have made me want to make better music and work really hard at putting that honesty on stage.
“They’re just a great band, and I really value where they’re at – being in a young band in the Cameron House scene and coming up and feeling like the whole world is out there for you. That’s a really exciting thing to watch. After I see them play, I go home and work on songs for a long time.”
Who is your biggest fan?
“Arne Berg. To put it into perspective, the guy has seen us play about 15-20 times. I sang a cover of “Bad Moon Rising” and it was featured on a few TV shows. One of the shows was on the other night, and Arne decides to go through Twitter and answer every one of the people that asked ‘who sang on that song?’ He answered everyone personally and said it was the guy for July Talk. He’s probably one of the nicest humans we have ever met and we love him a lot.”
-Adam Grant
Check out our full interview feature with July Talk.
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