Interview: The Auras
Canadian psychonauts The Auras are making a bit of a name for themselves, not least for their ace collaboration with Tess Parks earlier this year. Formed in 2008, the band comprises Aaron McCoy (drums), Hank Van Harten (bass,
vocals), David Zboch Alves (Keyboards, vocals), Peter Dasilva (guitar, vocals), Robb Schaede (guitar and
vocals) and Dallas Wheeler (guitar, vocals). They have been called "Canada's answer to Tame Impala and Pond" (The Revue) but they're actually a bit better than that! They make the sort of noise that Fuzz Club Records have been releasing this year; ringing, reverb-drenched guitars creating a psychedelic wall of noise - great stuff and it's easy to see why they attracted the attention of Ms Parks. In January next year they put out their new EP 'Saturn Day' but to keep us going until then they have released a new single and groovy video (made by Laura Lynn Petrick) 'I Don't Wanna Know You'. You can check out the video below, and I was lucky enough to get few words from the guys. Head over to their Bandcamp page and give their releases a listen.
Hi guys, thanks for agreeing to the interview, how's life with you?
Hey, no problem. Life has been good for us so far, especially this year has been a lot of fun. It’s a crazy grind, lots of new ideas flowing through our brains.
Could you give us a potted history of The Auras?
The band as it is has been going for over 6 years now. Most of the guys have been friends since high school. Me (Hank) and Robb met at an open mic thing. We shared a bunch of influences and also agreed pretty early on that we were all gonna take the band as far as it can go. We also tend to have a great time when we’re all together so it works out nice.
You're based in Toronto..Canada is not a country that immediately springs to mind when thinking of psych...what's the scene like?
There is an insane amount of bands in this city, the psych scene is pretty dope here. Let’s just take this time to give shout outs to some bands from Toronto like CROSSS, B17, Sunshine and the Blue Moon, Twist, Tailbreakers, Sun Stone Revolvers, BB guns, Bodies That Matter and Flowers of Hell. We love our homies in Montreal as well Adam Strangler, UUBBUURRUU, Le Vaisseau D’or, Elephant Stone and The High Dials. There is also a band called Nimbes from Quebec City we like, Don’t know if they're together or not anymore, but goddam those kids had it going on. Get back together guys, for us.
Getting to work with Tess Parks is a big deal...how was it? How did it come about?
We met Tess a few years ago at one of our shows. We played together a few times after that too. The collaboration was as simple as us asking her if she wanted to try doing a song together and then her saying yes. Working with Tess has been great, she’s cool as she looks. We were all really happy with the way that track turned out(big thanks to Jose Contreras as well) also playing with her as her backing band has happened a few times, all great shows. During one of the practices she actually shot our next video that’s gonna be up sometime this month. So look out for that.
Who else would you like to work with?
Brian Wilson.
Can you tell us about that process...does one person write the songs or is it more of a collaborative thing?
It’s pretty collaborative for the most part, even more on the new stuff we’re working on now. But there is always one person who comes up with the song or riff/melody, and so they become the boss of that track. So the parts of the song are kind of directed by one person but still overall written by whoever is playing the part. The main thing that is in charge is always the song itself. So we try not to let our egos get in the way of making the song as great as it can possibly be.
The video is pretty damned cool...do you have much input in the video creative process?
All the editing and shooting was done by our good friend Laura Lynn Petrick. She did the video for Islands in the Sea as well. She’s got a style that we like and trust. So she comes, gets her footage and we know that we’re going to have a great video when it’s done. We’re starting to learn a bit of video editing but it’s nice to be able to leave that whole process in the hands of a trusted professional.
What's the live Auras experience like?
It’s loud and there are lights spinning all around you. A beautiful woman taps you on the shoulder and asks you if you would like to meet your creator. You nod your head yes and she disappears, you turn to your friend to ask them if they saw her only to find they have turned into a giant spirit eagle that takes off and starts flying around the room. You start getting dizzy and fall backwards into a pool of holy water. You wake up in your bed and people are asking you all kinds of strange questions, Who are you? Where are you? You don’t know anymore, life will never be the same.
What artists are you listening to a the moment...any new bands to check out?
We mostly only listen to dead radio channels with backmasked Aleister Crowley memoirs playing over top. Heaters from Michigan are also nice to listen to.
OK, standard interview question.......if you were booking the dream festival, what 5 acts would you book (alive or dead)?
Singapore Sling, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Jimi Hendrix, Nimbes, the Cramps and Serena Maneesh.
Thanks a lot guys....very best of luck with the single. Any chance of catching you live in the UK?
We would like nothing more than to travel to the UK. We’re definitely working on it.
Hi guys, thanks for agreeing to the interview, how's life with you?
Hey, no problem. Life has been good for us so far, especially this year has been a lot of fun. It’s a crazy grind, lots of new ideas flowing through our brains.
Could you give us a potted history of The Auras?
The band as it is has been going for over 6 years now. Most of the guys have been friends since high school. Me (Hank) and Robb met at an open mic thing. We shared a bunch of influences and also agreed pretty early on that we were all gonna take the band as far as it can go. We also tend to have a great time when we’re all together so it works out nice.
You're based in Toronto..Canada is not a country that immediately springs to mind when thinking of psych...what's the scene like?
There is an insane amount of bands in this city, the psych scene is pretty dope here. Let’s just take this time to give shout outs to some bands from Toronto like CROSSS, B17, Sunshine and the Blue Moon, Twist, Tailbreakers, Sun Stone Revolvers, BB guns, Bodies That Matter and Flowers of Hell. We love our homies in Montreal as well Adam Strangler, UUBBUURRUU, Le Vaisseau D’or, Elephant Stone and The High Dials. There is also a band called Nimbes from Quebec City we like, Don’t know if they're together or not anymore, but goddam those kids had it going on. Get back together guys, for us.
Getting to work with Tess Parks is a big deal...how was it? How did it come about?
We met Tess a few years ago at one of our shows. We played together a few times after that too. The collaboration was as simple as us asking her if she wanted to try doing a song together and then her saying yes. Working with Tess has been great, she’s cool as she looks. We were all really happy with the way that track turned out(big thanks to Jose Contreras as well) also playing with her as her backing band has happened a few times, all great shows. During one of the practices she actually shot our next video that’s gonna be up sometime this month. So look out for that.
Who else would you like to work with?
Brian Wilson.
Can you tell us about that process...does one person write the songs or is it more of a collaborative thing?
It’s pretty collaborative for the most part, even more on the new stuff we’re working on now. But there is always one person who comes up with the song or riff/melody, and so they become the boss of that track. So the parts of the song are kind of directed by one person but still overall written by whoever is playing the part. The main thing that is in charge is always the song itself. So we try not to let our egos get in the way of making the song as great as it can possibly be.
The video is pretty damned cool...do you have much input in the video creative process?
All the editing and shooting was done by our good friend Laura Lynn Petrick. She did the video for Islands in the Sea as well. She’s got a style that we like and trust. So she comes, gets her footage and we know that we’re going to have a great video when it’s done. We’re starting to learn a bit of video editing but it’s nice to be able to leave that whole process in the hands of a trusted professional.
What's the live Auras experience like?
It’s loud and there are lights spinning all around you. A beautiful woman taps you on the shoulder and asks you if you would like to meet your creator. You nod your head yes and she disappears, you turn to your friend to ask them if they saw her only to find they have turned into a giant spirit eagle that takes off and starts flying around the room. You start getting dizzy and fall backwards into a pool of holy water. You wake up in your bed and people are asking you all kinds of strange questions, Who are you? Where are you? You don’t know anymore, life will never be the same.
What artists are you listening to a the moment...any new bands to check out?
We mostly only listen to dead radio channels with backmasked Aleister Crowley memoirs playing over top. Heaters from Michigan are also nice to listen to.
OK, standard interview question.......if you were booking the dream festival, what 5 acts would you book (alive or dead)?
Singapore Sling, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Jimi Hendrix, Nimbes, the Cramps and Serena Maneesh.
Thanks a lot guys....very best of luck with the single. Any chance of catching you live in the UK?
We would like nothing more than to travel to the UK. We’re definitely working on it.
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