Q&A: Kevin Drew
Kevin Drew
Friday October 12 2007
What with playing epic three-hour sets and launching a new solo album, Broken Social Scene's Kevin Drew is tired. Interview by Ed Power
Broken Social Scene really hit the big time last year. Why put out a solo album now?
"These were songs I needed to get out of my system. I'd actually written most of them prior to the last Broken Social Scene record. They were there in the background, but hadn't been recorded. And I wanted to put them together in a way that was different to Broken Social Scene. I wanted less orchestration. They needed a rawer sound."
Is it true you originally planned a double record, with a second disc by Broken Social Scene partner Brendan Canning?
"Sort of, but the idea only came up at the very end of the process. For a while, we thought that both Brendan and I would finish our albums at the same time, so it seemed like it might be neat to do a double record. But then it was obvious Brendan's record wasn't going to be finished soon enough. So, to keep the Broken Social Scene connection, I put it out as Broken Social Scene Presents..."
You've said previously that you find touring draining. Do you still feel that way?
"You know, when you're a young songwriter, you dream about going to places like Europe. It seems incredibly far away and glamorous. And then, the reality kind of grinds you down. You end up seeing all these fantastic places, but you don't get to experience them."
With Broken Social Scene, you've always emphasised your desire to "reach out" to the audience -- your sets can last up to three hours and you frequently leave the stage to sing among the crowd. Does this take a toll?
"Absolutely. You know, when you play an absolutely fantastic show, getting the energy levels back up to do it again the following night is really, really difficult. I'm starting to find it incredibly wearing. The problem is that the way the music industry works today, the only way to make a living as a musician is by going on the road. You can't retreat to a record studio and just put out albums. At least not if you want to pay the rent."
As a Canadian, what influence have Arcade Fire had on your music scene?
"They've opened doors for us, for all of Canadian rock. I don't mind if people discover us through Arcade Fire."
What does the future hold for Broken Social Scene?
"Everybody else in the band has so many projects on the go, so it's hard to plan ahead. I definitely want to maintain the relationship we have with our audience. First, though, I've got to finish these solo dates. Then we'll see. Hopefully, we can do something next year."
Spirit If... Broken Social Presents Kevin is out now on City Slang. Kevin Drew plays Tripod, Dublin, Sunday Oct 14
