#thedowntalkers

[sometimesalwaysmusic]

THE DOWNTALKERS

The Downtalkers are a local indie rock band who who combine sparkling synths, fuzzed guitars along with passionate vocals. Building on the success of the lead single Heart Over Head, they released their album Carelessness & Callousness Etc. on May 24. We caught up with Dono Smith (DS, guitar, vocals) to talk about the band’s influences, songwriting, and three desert albums!

VITALS

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedowntalkersband/

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/downtalkers/

Twitter:https://twitter.com/downtalkers 

BandCamp:https://thedowntalkers.bandcamp.com/

Latest Release: Carelessness & Callousness Etc. (Album, May 2019)

Upcoming Shows: June 12th - Blank Notion, The Downtalkers, Aisle 6. House of Targ, 8PM, $10. Ottawa ON. 

SA: How did The Downtalkers start as a band? DS: Well, Gabe, James and I were in another band with some other people that kinda flopped, so after that I started jamming with James, and for a while Gabe was in and out before he finally committed to the band. We went through two drummers before finding Ben, and we brought Ethan on board after recording the album to give me a bit more freedom on guitar.

SA: Who are your biggest influences, musically or otherwise? DS:  I think we all looked up to people who were doing their own thing. Personally I've always been a fan of Jack White, he was so versatile on guitar, and he wasn't afraid to cross between genres. I also love the Flaming Lips, which was one of the reasons I was so excited when James started experimenting with synths. I know that James is a huge fan of Car Seat Headrest and he kind of introduced them to us as a band. Gabe is all over the place music-wise, which I think is very telling of his personality really :)

SA: Thus far in your career, what has been your biggest success? DS:  Well, as much as the album is a huge accomplishment, and we've been able to play great shows with great musicians, I think the real wonder is how we've been able to stay together so long, especially since both Gabe and I share the responsibility of playing the frontman, we have some pretty legendary spats about musical direction. But here we are still!

SA: On the other hand, what is the biggest challenge you've faced, and how have you dealt with it? DS:  Finding a sound that felt like our own took some time, we've bounced around in the grey areas between genres a bit, but I think we're all happy with where we've landed. Not to say that we plan to stick with the same sound for any measure of time, expect change for the next album.

SA: How do you approach the songwriting process? DS: The same thing never works twice. I know that Gabe keeps a bunch of pages of song lyrics in his room and kind of boils them down and presents the distilled final product to the band. I kind of figure out a lead line, write whatever I think people should know, then once we have lyrics the rest of the band builds the song up until it sounds nice and big.

SA: With respect to your lyrics, what serves as lyrical inspiration? DS: Whatever's on our mind! With this album, it was a lot about disfunction in our personal relationships, and dissecting conflicts that we experienced. The album is definitely a story of the past year and a bit for us, so I urge everyone to listen to the full thing in order at some point and piece it together for themselves.

SA: What are your thoughts on the Ottawa music scene? DS:  Great music, great people, nice venues. It's one of those things where you kinda have to look a little to find it, but don't mistake that for it being lack luster or nonexistent, Ottawa is brimming with creativity.

SA: If you had to choose, what is your favourite moment off of your album Carelessness & Callousness and why? DS: That's like asking parents to choose between their children. I personally love Speak To Kill because I think it's some of my best lyrics so far, and the guitar line is super fun, but Knowing's a Double Edged Sword is so instrumentally deep, it's definitely one of my favourites to play.

SA: Your three deserted island albums: what would they be, and why? DS: Hmmm, okay so number one is definitely Teens Of Denial by Car Seat Headrest, because every single time I listen to it, it's like I discover a whole new album, and the lyrics are so sincere. Number two is At War With The Mistics, by the Flaming Lips, because that's the kind of songwriting that I strive for, it's just such an emotional roller coaster, it's really a masterpiece. And finally number three has to be July Talk's self titled album, because it is a very interesting psychological criticism of our modern romantic relationships, and I feel like it has a lot to say.

SA: What do you hope for musically in 2019? Our best wishes for your continued success! DS: If I can be frank? We hope to whoever's in charge of the universe, that people show music the respect that it deserves. Y'know? put it in the forefront instead of it being background noise, get to more shows, I also hope that the streaming situation should change for artists, music should be a viable job. Artists pour themselves into every song, and I feel like every time we stream a song, we're saying that we believe that their work is only worth the fraction of a cent that they're getting payed, and if that's not tragic, then I don't know what is.