As the days continue to get shorter and shorter, there’s one surefire way to break out of the chilly winter doldrums, and that’s a banger of a rock show. Lucky for us, this Friday night Club SAW has one on tap that is sure to fix what ails you.
Quickly becoming a fixture on the Canadian touring scene, MONOWHALES are making another trip into town, this time as the second-to-last stop on their North American tour that has taken them from coast to coast. Anyone who has caught one of their shows at Club SAW knows how much energy they’ll be cramming into that intimate venue. And anyone who hasn’t, but who saw their set at Bluesfest this summer, will wonder how on earth SAW will withstand that blast.
Opening the show will be local bands Stoby and Rebelle, both bringing their own spins on alt-rock. Stoby will showcase songs off their new album, last month’s Reinventing The Waltz, which continues to build on their mix of indie rock and pop punk. Next, Wakefield’s Rebelle dive into the other end of the rock pool, exemplified by their latest single “Give Me the Drug”, which draws closer to the hard grooves of more modern rock.
Headlining will be the aforementioned Toronto trio, also armed with new music—literally. Their new collection of music is being made available for purchase at their live gigs first, so fans can take home a physical copy of the new album (available on cassette for hipsters too!) while we all wait for it to appear on streaming platforms around the world. Consider it a token of appreciation from the band, who are well-known for their interactive sets. Speaking of interactive, you should definitely check out the band’s social media accounts to see them in all facets of life.
We caught up with Sally Shaar, Jordan Circosta and Zach Zanardo of MONOWHALES on their quick break back home before launching their last stretch of shows.
MONOWHALES. Photo provided.
Apt613: You’ve been touring a lot since you’ve been able to again. How has that been going?
MONOWHALES: It feels like we’ve been touring non-stop since things opened back up. Whether it’s with Mother Mother, our own tour, Grandson, our own again, debuting in the U.S. this year. We’ve been all about getting back out there, jumping back into the waters. And it’s been great, honestly. I just think the fans have been great to us, and we’re so grateful, and it seems like it’s getting stronger and stronger every tour. So, yeah, incredibly grateful and we love playing live. It’s our favorite thing to do.
You’ve been releasing a few singles of late, so does that mean there’s a new album coming soon?
Well if you come to the show, we’ve got a special surprise for you. I’ll let you know that our new EP, Who’s There to Hear Me Out, is not out publicly yet. But if you’re at the shows, we are actually selling it to our fans first at the merch table. There’s songs that you know and love already, and another song on there that no one’s ever heard. And so we wanted to give back to our fans first, before we even put it out there publicly for everybody.
And we’ve also done a really cool cassette that we’re super proud of. It’s the first time we’ve ever done a cassette. I think it looks awesome. We added little treats in there, and a big foldout. And it comes with a download.
You’ve been releasing EPs rather than full-length albums over the years. What has been the thinking behind that?
At some point we might do a longer record. But it’s been fun to drop these little chunks of music here and there, and keep that train moving. It’s more idea-driven, like this EP that we’re putting out now, it’s just “here’s a little snapshot of that one moment.” And then we’ll have more to follow that.
Your sound has been evolving with each EP as well.
What you’re hearing is Zach’s production. He did a really great job honing in on our sound with these songs. I think it’s also us just being a lot more honest in the songwriting, a lot more true to ourselves as musicians, the way we recorded, paying a lot of attention to removing as many filters as possible between what we’re trying to express and what you’re hearing in the final product.
MONOWHALES play Club SAW Friday night, December 15, with support from Rebelle and Stoby. Doors open at 8pm, showtime 8:30pm. Tickets ($25 plus fees) available here.
