What did he say to you?
T (quotes from the famous DOORS song The End): He said ‘ride the snake. To the lake’. He said ‘the west is the best’. No, I’m just kidding. He said ‘the killer awoke before dawn, he put his boots on, and he took a face…’ sorry (laughs).
I was thinking about that a lot because that music was important to me at a very formative time. I actually wasn’t thinking about that when I left to go there. I was just leaving winter behind and going somewhere to have a restful holiday. But yeah. It was unavoidable, there is an energy to that place and without sounding too esoteric, it was inspirational.
Some of your songs have been used for soundtracks and your music in general is very cinematic. Is it because you were a film student?
T: Sure. I really always wanted to do filmscores. I never wanted to be in a band or sing. When I was in film school, I used to make films and then I would make the music for them.
This time Simon was more involved in composing and arranging the music. What did your working process look like?
T: We both had some ideas that we accumulated over a couple of years. We worked on them independently and we set a date to go to a recording / writing facility in Western Canada in the Rocky Mountains.
S: In the middle of a wood surround by very big mountains.
T: So we went there and they gave us a work space and we worked for six days, combined ideas and just mapped it out. Then we went to the studio and recorded. It was very fluent, natural.
If you are working is it good for you to be in nature and away from cities and people?
S: We wanted to put all the concentration in the work. I think the goal was to be away from any kind of distraction and away from…I wanted to say away from bars but we found a bar. (laughs)
Right now you are touring to play some gigs and promote your album. What do you miss most, when you are on tour?
S: My girlfriend.
T: Well, I don’t have a girlfriend. I miss just being autonomous.
Is it important for you to get feedback from your fans or your family?
S: Of course. When I’m done with any project I am working on, I love going to see my brother and having his feedback or better his appreciation. He is a big music lover. It’s nice to get a good feedback. We pretend that we don’t want to read reviews and so on but we do it. It’s flattering when people like it. And when they don’t like it… Every taste is in the nature I guess. (grins)
So you are looking for what the critics are writing when you have a new album out or had a gig?
S: Yes I do. (laughs) I’m like: ‘Did they take a picture of me?’
That’s hope and passion actually. It’s the best saxophone line in rock’n’roll music. Or softrock music.