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What is your name and role within Counterfeit Jeans?
Jed, I play guitar and sing. Spencer, I play bass. Tyler, I play drums.
Where are you currently based and what is the music scene like there?
We’re from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Edmonton has a tight-knit music scene that’s diverse and for the most part inclusive and supportive. It’s a pretty dark, cold and isolated city so bands support each other and try to help each other out as much as possible.
You’ve been working on your second full-length for the past few months., where have you been recording?
We do as much recording as we can ourselves. Jed is a very good producer so we’re lucky to have him to do our records. We recorded this album in a few basements and our jam space.
What has influenced the sound and songwriting for the album?
The current political climate has influenced this record lyrically. It wasn’t intentional, but we couldn’t avoid commenting on much of the bullshit going on globally right now. It has a solid blend of melody and noise and definitely sounds more aggressive than our last couple releases.
What equipment was used for recording?
We used the gear we play live so we could capture that sound as much as possible.
When and where will you be releasing?
We’re hoping to release this record before the end of the year but we’ll see how the process unfolds. We’ll definitely do some release shows in Edmonton and Calgary and will likely head out to a few more cities around Canada after that. Be nice to head overseas at some point too.
You were featured in Thrasher Mag’s TV show King of the Road last summer, how did the feature come about and has the extra exposure helped the band in anyway?
That was set up by the label that released our last record, Broken Circles, out of Brooklyn. It was very cool to hear our song on that show. It’s definitely helped us reach more people so that’s pretty rad.
How did Counterfeit Jeans form?
It was actually meant to be a side project for Jed and Spencer’s other band, The Sorels. We just started to get more and more shows and interest after we stared so the side project ended up becoming more of the main project. Four years later, we’re still having fun playing and creating music with each other.
The band was also suggested for the 2017 Polaris Music Prize last year for our first album released in 2016, what do you think it is about this album the has brought so much praise?
The music came from an honest place and we just had fun writing and recording it. We were not trying to sound certain way or impress anyone or anything. We just wanted to make music we liked and not force it to sound like anything specific. I think that is reflected in the songs on that album and we’ve been lucky enough to have a few people like it as much as we do.
Who are you listening to at the moment?
Everything from Krallice and Kamasi Washington to Turnover and Basement.
You’re playing Sled Island soon for the third year in a row! What can we expect from your show?
Feedback, distortion, a lot of noise and not much banter.
How do you prepare for each show?
Various liquids.
What do you have planned for the remainder of 2018 going into 2019?
We’ll be releasing the record. We’ll have a new music video soon too. Also hit the road for some shows in 2019.
What do you like to do outside of music?
Eat food and play with Devil Sticks.
Favourite food and place to hangout?
Breakfast poutine! Black Dog on Whyte is a great place to hang out.
Facebook: facebook.com/CounterfeitJeans/
Twitter: @CounterfeitJns
Instagram: @counterfeit_jeans
