ARTICLE BY MADISON FOSTER
If you haven't heard the name Two Hours
Traffic, well then you should be kicking yourself. The Charlottetown
band has done nothing but make a name for themselves since their
start with the help of Joel Plaskett. Since then the band has
maintained a professional and personal friendship with Plaskett, who
has produced three of their albums including 2008's “Little Jabs”
which was nominated for a Polaris Prize. If that wasn't enough there
are also the multiple East Coast Award nominations, a performance at
the 2010 Winter Olympics in Whistler and their music featured on several hit
television shows.
Now new material from Two Hours
Traffic is almost in our grasps! Back in June the east coast band
went back into the studio to work on a new EP called “Siren Spell”
and revealed earlier in the month that that tracks will be released
on September 11th through Bumstead Records. According to
the band's website the upcoming EP will be a sneak peek for the new
full length album they plan to release in early 2013.
Before hitting the studio the boys
(including members Liam
Corcoran, Andrew MacDonald, Derek Ellis and Nathan Gill) took off on
a small tour of the East Coast and Ontario which landed them right
here in London, Ontario. I had the chance to talk to Two Hours
Traffic about the EP and some recent changes the band has gone
through.
Madison:
Usually the band tours after the album or EP is released but you guys
went on tour before even recording. Why is that?
Liam:
We had the recording dates all set up but it just made sense get the
momentum going, play some shows and play the new songs before heading
into the studio.
Madison:
So since you guys are far from home (being from Prince Edward
Island) how does it often feel when you get home from a tour? Like,
when you've been gone for weeks to months at a time what do you like
to do when you finally make it home?
Liam:
Really you only have a few days to relax then you have to go back to
various jobs and what not. So it's really just a reality check before
getting back to a more regular sleep pattern.
Madison:
So like you said you're getting the momentum for the new EP and
album. Obviously you've got all the new material ready to go. But
almost a year ago, last September you lost member Alec O'Hanley as he
left the band. Did that ever put a damper on the way the album was
going? Did you ever have to stop and rethink things after that?
Liam:
There was a period of rethinking after that but really we ended up
gaining more momentum after that. The old line-up just wasn't working
anymore. Once Alec left and we were in the process of looking for
someone else we wrote a lot of good, new material. We had a lot of
good communication during that time. Things rolled along well but of
course we had a lot of decisions to make like whether or not we were
going to keep the same band name.
Madison:
Okay, because Alec was one of the founding members of the band. That
didn't cause any issues when he left?
Liam:
We thought it was going to be a much bigger issue and we talked a lot
about it but as we gotten out and done more shows our fans don't
seem to mind too much!
Madison:
So Nathan, you became the newest member of Two Hours Traffic. How did
you become involved in the project?
Nathan:
Andy (MacDonald) sent me an email along the line seeing if I wanted
to try it out. I play music in other bands in Charlottetown so
I kind of knew these guys for quite a while. They were kind enough to
extend the offer. I mulled it over and it seemed to be a good fit! So
here I am.
Madison:
So you're working with Darryl
Neudorf
who will be producing the new EP and album. Why did you decide to
work with someone new this time around. In the past you've worked
with Joel Plaskett. Why make the transition.
Liam:
We've worked with Joel for years now. He's produced three full length
albums. So it's purely for the reason of venturing out and trying
something new. We felt we had to try it this time around and we got
Darryl's name from a friend. We sent him the demos and he really
seemed to see what we were trying to do. We love all the work we've
done with Joel. It was just time for something else.
Madison:
On your website your last album “Territory” is described as a
“darker and more atmospheric sound then its predecessor “Little
Jabs” and when listening to the two albums there is a more notable
rock sound. How do you see your newest work maturing from that and
how would you say it compares to your last two albums?
Liam:
We tried to go back to some sunnier themes we played around with on
“Little Jabs” but retaining more of the confidence of the rock
and roll sound you might find on “Territory.” We definitely
wanted to keep the mood a little bit more up beat, a little more fun
then where we went on “Territory.”
You
can hear the first track off the “Siren Spell” EP on the band's website now and keep tuned to there for updates and tour dates
including their next stop in London on September 29th
at Call the Office.
