Where are you currently based?
A) The village of Canning, Nova Scotia in Canada.
How did you first start playing music?
A) 12 years old, acoustic guitar, learning Beatles tunes.
What’s been happening recently?
A) Parenting, pacing, hovering, drinking, stewing, and whining.
Your new album Dusted III is out on the 23rd of July, what influenced the sound and songwriting?
A) I wanted to capture a handful of songs, to sort of cleanse them from my busy mind. I wanted them to be recorded simply, naturally, the way I play them at home. The songs and lyrics come from a ten year period of my life, but the final selection seems to have an overarching feeling. It went well with all the transitions in my life- moving, returning to the province of my youth, saying goodbye, and embracing something new.
How did you go about writing Dusted III?
A) I write all the time, so this selection was more to do with curating a digestible handful of songs. I didn’t overthink which ones I picked. I still have a few more records like this that I hope to finish. This is a step towards that goal.
What does the album mean to you?
A) Leaving things behind, and stepping towards the unknown.
Where and when did you record/produce/master and who with?
A) I booked Palace, a studio in Toronto, ON, the first few days of March 2019 and recorded everything there, live-off-the-floor, engineered by Chris Sandes. It was mostly vocal guitar, but also bass and wurlitzer. I then brought the album with me to Nova Scotia where I finished it in a makeshift home studio. A final drum and horn session was booked again in Palace when my other band Holy Fuck went to Toronto to do a CBC session. That was just before the pandemic began. I sat with it for a few months doing nothing, just settling into a weird time. And then I got cracking on the mixes. I sent them around to a few people, but luckily found a guy named Shuta Shinoda to do the final mixes. I have one song mixed by Dave Newfeld and one by Jarvis Taveniere.
How did you approach the recording process?
A) We set up many mics, more than we’d need, but that allowed me to go through and select the few that I liked for the mood and tone, depending on the song. I like field recordings, demos, very natural and unadorned recordings, so I just followed that instinct. The benefit to finishing this in a peaceful environment in Nova Scotia, Canada, was that I got to capture the sounds around me to give the album a sense of space and time – birds, rain etc.
Who are you listening to at the moment?
A) I had a DJ gig last week where I played a lot of my old disco and breakdance/ hip hop records. Last night I played a board game with my folks listening to Black Sabbath. The usual I guess.
What do you like to do away from music?
A) Escape to nature!
What’s planned for 2021?
A) Get this record out and hopefully play shows! I have another thing, a four piece called Quilting, that is hopefully releasing something, definitely playing shows in the fall, and maybe some Holy Fuck thing.
Favourite food and place to hangout?
A) I haven’t really lucked out with that here. I miss traveling. The Valley in Nova Scotia, where I live, is known for vineyards, but the dining scene is geared for students and tourists, but has shit-hours. Nothing is open late, so I mostly put on my headphones and walk around my backyard in the evenings when my daughter finally sleeps.
Twitter: @totallyDusted
Facebook: @totallyDusted
Instagram: @dusted_brianborcherdt
