I had a great time at the TOPS show. I think everyone who was there had a great time and I have been doing my best to rub it in for those folks that left early or made no effort to attend. I learned a lot that night through interviewing David Carriere and Jane Penny before, dancing like I was possessed during, and hanging out with the band after the show when they came back to Steak house to crash on our couches. Here is a nearly comprehensive list of what I learned:
² Jane Penny has a great laugh—it almost verges on villainous, but is overwhelmingly positive and reassuring.
² Childhood never ends (according to David)
² The erasure of Silly Kissers’ albums was an unintentional casualty of how the Internet works and not part of some conspiracy.
² Riley Fleck (Drums) is insanely good at Bananagrams.
² People in San Francisco love Tupac Sweatshirts.
² Jane is shy talking about loogies, but not hawking them.
² When things get rough black pantyhose has a secondary function.
² Everyone loves music, even sober, uniform-clad, Sprite-drinking, Southern boys.
² Alana DeVito (Bass) is the most excited about Canada’s new prime minister.
² Tops’ sound engineer is a master of his craft. He also wears tighty-whities.
² Your favorite musicians are just people, knowing that can make it more fun to talk to them.
² Jane is actually Adam Sandler’s Daughter
² Marianne Faithfull made a cool fantasy album with Angelo Badalamenti in 1995.
These things and more are better contextualized in the embedded interview below.
Here is a breakdown:
00:00-00:40 Small talk and intro.
00:41-01:40 What are you most excited for on this tour?
01:41-02:32 Working full time + life on the road.
02:33-05:45 Silly Kissers ends, TOPS begins.
05:46-07:46 Why remove Silly Kissers from the internet?
07:47-12:10 What inspires your music? + hustling pool.
12:11-13:07 What will TOPS look like in 5 years?
13:08-14:51 Why did Tom Gillies leave the band?
14:52-17:26 Jane’s fondest childhood memory.
17:27-19:53 What do you think of Northfield so far?
19:54-20:32 Post-piss small talk.
20:33-21:48 David’s fond and early childhood memory.
21:49-23:42 Jesse James is bogus + Midwest geography
23:43-25:19 How do college shows compare to other venues?
25:20-28:24 What’s your ideal venue/crowd?
28:25-30:22 What’s your favorite dance move?
30:23-32:40 Will you be playing any covers this tour? + Tupac
32:41-33:51 Wrap-up + Station ID
Check it out.
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