Think About Life Interview: SXSW 2010

Think About Life are a four piece indie dance pop group from Montreal that play a blazing kitchen sink mix of Brazilian funk, rock, electro and more. They've been getting loads of love from the far reaches of Japan to the blimey shores of Dover. Never ones to be taken too seriously, if you ask their front man, the jovial Martin Cesar, what makes him think about life, there's no telling what might pass his lips -- but it could be something along the lines of sweet sixteen parties or 'The Legend of Zelda.' Martin also performs solo as Dishwasher, while bandmate Graham Van Pelt is the driving force behind Miracle Fortress. Spinner caught up with the band ahead of their performance at SXSW.

Can you describe your sound in your own word?

It's very thrash, like a wall of sound, but not in a Phil Spector kind of way. It's a huge blend, a cacophony even.

How did the band form?

The band came together with three guys who didn't know each other at all but got together to shoot it off. Graham and Max were living together for a while at this place called the Electric Tractor, which was a sort of underground venue/living space. They formed Think About Life as a duo and they called me because I had played a few shows at that venue under the name Dishwasher. We jammed a bit and just clicked right off the bat.


What are your influences?

They range from Brazilian music, rave, avant-garde Brian Eno, soul and more. The band is all a big experiment.

Where does the name come from?

Matt wrote this song called 'Paul Cries' and one of them said, "Hey, this song makes me think about life." I know, it's not all that deep. Sometimes we lie and say that it comes from this beautiful Morrissey song where he goes, "Think about liiiiiiiife!" But that's not it at all.

What's in your festival survival kit?

That's a good question! We love to go swimming, so there's got to be pools around us. We also need hot dogs, Mexican food and Mexican soap operas

Do you have a first celebrity crush?

It's Courtney Love; she was very beautiful in 1997-1998!

Do you have any musical guilty pleasures?

I used to be a huge fan of the Spice Girls when I was really young, like 11 years old. Nowadays, maybe George Michael?

Are you a Beatles or a Stones fan?

I used to be all about the Stones, like "Yeah, the Stones are awesome, they've got edge!" But the more I think about it, the more I find them to be pretty square compared to the Beatles, who were really artsy.

What's the craziest thing you've seen or experienced on tour?

We were swimming at Venice Beach and all of a sudden these dolphins appeared right around us. They came to heal us with their dolphin powers.