I'll Take It, Thanks...

I can't decide whether the Montreal music 'scene' has a horseshoe up it's ass... or sold it's soul to the devil in exchange for the Demi-European allure it exudes.

I grew up there, and the only way I can explain it is that the city has more soul on a street corner than most metropolitan cities have in a quarter mile. And the soul of the city inherently transfers to its residents. Its musical contingent particularly. Just go through the Rolodex of your favorite Canadian bands du jour. Chances are they're from La Belle Province.

Patrick Krief is best known as the guitarist of The Dears, a band graced with the soulfully cool talent I speak of. Oh, they're also at the forefront of the Montreal 'scene' too. He's about to release his first solo EP - Take It Or Leave - on Feb. 20.

I don't gush, but this EP will most likely make my Top 10 for the year.


A lucent seven song collection, Take It Or Leave is a lateral departure for Krief. It maintains the musical integrity of his work with The Dears and Lesley Lane (the first collaborative effort of Patrick's work) while delving further into his repertoire and perhaps demanding more of his talents as a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter.

Krief plays virtually every instrument on the EP elegantly woven with vocals both pleasant and understated, to me it is the ideal Sunday morning listen.

Patrick graciously submitted to a Q & A about his career and such with The Dears, Lesley Lane and the road to his solo debut for Who Needs Radio.

WNR: So, how would you describe yourself today?

Patrick Krief: Neurotic, paranoid, emotionally unstable, and full of love and rage.

WNR: How would you say your upcoming solo EP compares/contrasts with things you've done with Lesley Lane and/or The Dears?

PK: The songs on this EP are pretty stripped down. Not too many elements going on. On the Lesley Lane record I had written these massive arrangements, and had extremely climactic structures. It felt like a lot of the song itself got lost in it the clutter. For this EP, I laid down the acoustic and vocals and built simple arrangements around it to decorate the song. I also decided that I would sing it myself, which was a huge move for me.

As for The Dears, I guess the only common element there is that Murray mixed some of the record. I also used some samples from Murray [Lightburn, vocals/guitars for The Dears], so some of the textures are similar, but the writing is extremely different (even though The Dears have inspired me).

WNR: How have these other bands influenced you personally as a musician and songwriter?

PK: Well, Murray has been a huge influence. He's been pushing for me to sing my own songs for years! I gave him a CD of me singing about 40 of my songs acoustically a couple of years ago. He listened to it on the plane on our way to Paris. When we got there he was like, "DUDE!! We need to talk, seriously". I thought he was going to tell me to give up writing or something. We sat over drinks and he was like, "I fucking like your voice, you have to sing your own songs! I don't see why you're going through all this trouble of having other people do it." At the time I was working with Elizabeth Powell (Land of Talk's singer) she was singing my songs. Then he went on to say, "If I were you, I'd ditch the whole lot of them, you're a good drummer, go make a record yourself." Being the paranoid Jew that I am, I thought he was trying to sabotage me! -Hehe- But I guess he planted the seed. Took me two years to build the nerve to do it though.

Working with Lesley Lane was a huge learning experience too! I learned a lot about myself and my leadership skills or lack thereof. Most of those guys are involved with this new project (playing it live that is).

WNR: You seem constantly busy with vastly varied musical projects, how do you stay inspired?

PK: I listen to people, I'm inspired by people's lives and stories. I stay close to my friends and family who keep me grounded.

WNR: How do you feel about the often-held idea that a song only comes together after it has been played live? Do you plan to tour after the EP is released?

PK: I think the songs take on a new shape live and it's a whole other level. But capturing that on a recording is tough. I find a song is at its best for recording the first few times it's played after being written. Everything is fresh and raw. Live is a different beast all together, and in a sense the songs do get better, but there's nothing like the magic of the first recordings.

I do plan on touring, I had a rehearsal tonight, and it's slowly coming together. Hopefully there will be an audience for us.

WNR: Jeff Buckley once said, quite adamantly too, that there was music he would never share with or sell to others. And for you?

PK: There are definitely some songs that I could never play live, or sing in front of people. But recording them and putting them out there has yet to be an issue for me.

WNR: Tell me about the first band you were ever in?

PK: Hmm, well I was 14. I put a band together with this drummer, Mathew Bell. He was 18, so it was super "cool" to be hanging out with this "older" dude. We'd jam in his basement just the two of us for hours two or three times a week. We'd mostly play Jimi Hendrix songs.

WNR: Tell me about the first song you remember writing?

PK: I wrote my first riffs when I was ten. I still remember it. But, the first song I wrote with words and music came along when I was 14. I had a 4-track and I played all the instruments on it. I may actually re-record that song one day.

WNR: When you joined The Dears, what were your expectations? How has the experience been?

PK: I was expecting Murray to be a complete dick! Some people had warned me that his character and mine were too strong and that we'd hate each other. That wasn't the case at all; we got along amazingly right off the bat. He's a good friend. I also had this vision that the band was huge and we be playing these sold out 3000 seaters! -Hehe- The first tour was a US tour, and we were opening for Stars, and we played for about 30 people a night.

The experience has been absolutely priceless! Even if I'm not rolling around in gold, I fucking love it! And I hope my music can give a chance to my musicians to experience it for themselves. I also wish I can continue to do this forever. It's such a beautiful thing, the synergy of being on stage and having a loving audience in front of you. Whenever I get back from tours I spend the first week on a drinking binge, it's like I'm feeling withdrawal.

WNR: How do you think the Montreal music scene has influenced your music and aesthetic?

PK: Well, I'm really close to a lot of these people. Last night I got stupid drunk with Patrick Watson, Dave Hamelin (The Stills), and Trevor Anderson (The High Dials). We started the night at an Arcade Fire show -that's about as Scenester as it gets hehe- Before the show I spent some time on the phone with Chris Seligman (Stars) trying to convince him to come out. This evening I saw Eric Fares (Sam Roberts Band) at his apartment (our manager lives with him) I mean it's pretty ridiculous how closely knit this city is.

We couldn't avoid each other if we tried. We influence each other on social levels and we love to challenge each other. There's also the unspoken competitiveness. No one will admit it, but it's there. There's also loads of jerking each other off (excuse the expression) going on. But the "'you're great!', 'No, you're great!'" thing does happen when we're all drunk and hugging each other a little too often. That kind of crap is never constructive for any artist.

I do feel, however, that Montreal is not that much of a "scene". Every band sounds so different! And we all work in such different manners. I rehearse next door to The Stills who share a space with Sam Roberts. We hear each other creating music, so there must be some level of inspiration there, whether it's subconscious or not.

WNR: If I were to pick up your iPod, what artists/bands would I find on it?

PK: Hundreds, but to name a few: The Beatles, Beethoven, Air, Arcade fire, Serge Gainsbourg, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Radiohead, Blonde Redhead, Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, Ray Charles, BB King, etc.

WNR: Tell me what makes you feel a sense of accomplishment as a musician?

PK: Well, anytime I meet a person who digs my music I feel like I'm doing something meaningful. I love hearing that the music has brought joy to people or helped them through tough moments. That and cooking something that people agree with is amazing.

WNR: What song by another artist or band do you wish you'd written?

PK: I wish I had written Happiness is a warm gun - The Beatles. Then I could brag about having written the most out there song ever. Or Strawberry Fields Forever.

WNR: So do you still think there is power in independent music? Or has it just become a dirty word?

PK: The word "Indie" should never have become a style of music! It should simply mean that you're signed to a smaller label that actually gives a shit about you and your art. Lately it feels like you got to a have an army of triangle players on stage to be hip. Anything that remotely sounds mainstream is "un-cool" and that does bother me. I love pop music, and I love off beat weird stuff too. Being on an independent label should have nothing to do with any of that. It should just mean that the label is not corporate and gives the artist the freedom to do what they love without breathing down their necks. That still exists and it is powerful. But a lot of it is formulaic at this point. The six-plus-piece band with strings & quirky vocal cliches is what a lot of these labels are after.

No matter what though, I do love the concept of Independent music and the idea of not getting screwed over by a major is quite nice too.

WNR: If you were to reflect on the music and career of Patrick Krief so far, a) how has it been?, b) How is it now? and c) How will it be?

PK: a) It's been a beautiful learning experience with painful moments that were all alleviated by a strong sense of accomplishment. b) It's still great and expanding. c) That I can't say, I can only say that I'll die trying.

What We Wanted
La Verite (The Truth)
In This World
+ Myspace

Buy the EP @ www.kriefmusic.com

+ Myspace - Lesley Lane
+ Myspace - The Dears

- CA