The Whitsundays Interview: SXSW 2010

Ahhh, Canada. The great white north. America's hat. Homeland of The Whitsundays. With SXSW just over the horizon, things are already hectic in the world of musicians performing at the festival, but Spinner was able to catch the band's mastermind, Paul Arnusch, as he was on his way to help his grandmother move. Isn't he just darling?

Describe your sound in your own words.

The new sound is quite a bit different; it's a lot more psychedelic. For the last album, I tried to keep the songs sounding like they're from a certain era. I decided to use some synth sounds that wouldn't necessarily classify the album as "vintage."

How did your band form?

I started the band by making the first album on my own. After it was made, I put together a bunch of my friends with similar musical tastes and interests. With that lineup, we did a bit of touring, played a bunch of shows. Basically, they're all just friends of mine.

What are your musical influences?

For this new album, it would be bands like Galaxie 500, Pavement, Grandaddy. There's still some reference to David Bowie, even some Ariel Pink, which influenced some of the more experimental songs.

How did you come up with your band name?

I had an old t-shirt that had it written on it. The writing was cool, the font was cool and it just seemed like a cool word to use for a band name, so I used it.

So it's not that you are a premiere vacation destination?

No, there's no reference to the island in Australia nor the religious holiday.

Got it. What's your biggest vice?

Chocolate. Let's just say chocolate.

With heading to SXSW, what's included in your festival survival kit?

Cut-off jean shorts, sunglasses...that's all I'm going to need, I think.

I take it you're pumped for the change in weather.

Oh, definitely. I was trying to decide the other day with my guitarist if we were going to go down there and burn, or if we should go to a fake tanning place. We walked into one, thinking it would be a good idea to get a base tan, and the guy at the counter had this orange-ish-yellow colored skin, and we just turned around and walked back out.

Who was your first celebrity crush?

It would probably be Jane Fonda, circa 1968. I remember seeing 'Barberella' and thinking, "That's an ideal-looking woman."

Is there any shame in having a crush on a cartoon, say...Jubilee from the X-Men cartoons?

No, there's no shame in that at all. Definitely not.

What's your musical guilty pleasure?

Lady Gaga. And Britney Spears. Holy s---, some of those songs blow me away.

Do you still get excited by kid's meal toys from fast food places?

I just had a Happy Meal the other day, and the toy was this goaltender that would move his blocker and stick every time you rolled him forward or backward, so I was rolling him up and down my leg as I was driving. I ended up giving it to my friend's kid.

Still rocking Happy Meals, huh? What food from your childhood has lost its appeal?

I used to drink a lot of eggnog when I was a kid. Any chance I could get I'd drink eggnog. But, now if I drink too much, it doesn't sit well with me.


Jonathon Yost is a contributor from Seed.com. Learn how you can contribute here.