Music Makers
Turning the tables on a VJ. Plus, Weird Al has never been scarier
By Ingrid Randoja
Lazybones gets moving
Matt Wells makes a living interviewing artists for MuchMoreMusic, but now it’s his turn to fess up and reveal details about his own music.
The Newfoundland native (who moved to Toronto in 2007) teamed with Tim MacNeill, an old pal from Nova Scotia, to form Lazybones. The duo plays rootsy, acoustic guitar-driven rock, a departure from the heavy metal Wells played with his former band, Bucket Truck.
“Tim has always had a singer/songwriter sensibility,” says Wells. “And I’m such a big fan of Paul Simon, Willie Nelson and Townes Van Zandt that I tried to bring their melodic sensibilities to Bucket Truck. And when the band ended, it was just me and a guitar, and I had way more time to focus on playing that kind of music.”
The duo’s debut CD, Songs From Here, is available August 11th, and as a veteran music journalist one assumes Wells has mastered the art of music chit-chat and promotion.
“The most interesting thing for me is that I am able to see — at very, very close range — how some artists are not quite being themselves when they are doing an interview,” says Wells.
“They are either media trained, or protected ’cause we are told by publicists not to ask this or that question. We live in a world where when these interviews happen, it just seems it’s not about the music anymore. And I get it. I get it’s a world of gossip and all those kind of things, but it’s really difficult for me ’cause I like to talk about music.”
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Kiss Potato Heads
Imagine Gene Simmons’ tongue coming out of Ace Frehley’s mouth.
These new KISS Mr. Potato Head dolls (out August 3rd) let fans
rearrange the band’s facial features. The collectors set includes the
four original bandmates: Simmons (The Demon), Frehley (The Spaceman),
Peter Criss (The Catman) and Paul Stanley (The Starchild). Costumes,
instruments, hair and footwear are also interchangeable.
Singers On Screen
Parody singer Weird Al Yankovic plays himself in the bloody horror flick H2.
Director Rob Zombie — who has a thing for casting faces from the ’70s
and ’80s in his movies — has Weird Al appearing on a TV talk show
alongside the creepy Dr. Loomis (Malcolm McDowell), and it seems Al
gets the best of the pretentious psychiatrist.
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Out this month
August 4
Fruit Bats - The Ruminant Band
Julian Plenti - Skyscraper
August 11
Cobra Starship - Hot Mess
Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II
August 18
Sean Paul - Imperial Blaze
Lil Wayne - Rebirth
August 25
Arctic Monkeys - Humbug
Imogen Heap - Ellipse