Uh, we had a slight weapons malfunction, but uh… everything’s perfectly all right now. We’re fine. We’re all fine here now, thank you. Uh, how are you? Welcome to the Peverett Phile where it's Star Wars Month all through May. The Phile has a new sponsor, kids.
Man, I could use a Guinness right now. I have a head cold and a sore throat. I feel like I have been hanging out on Hoth. That's a cold planet covered in snow in case you didn't know. Last night I went to see Paul McCartney in concert. It was a fantastic concert, and my third time seeing him. Paul said Lennon was the soul of the Beatles, Harrison was the spirit and Ringo was the... drummer. I don't know what Paul really thinks of Ringo but it was odd when he sang "I'm fixing a hole... for Ringo to fall into." He also sang, "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 all good children buy my albums." I mentioned last week Paul did a show in Brazil and the stage was covered in grasshoppers. Well, last night in Orlando another bug appeared on stage with him.
That's so stupid. LOL. Paul must've known Star Wars Weekends is happening at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Check out this inspirational poster he was selling.
What else is going on? This past week marks the 40th anniversary of the Watergate hearings. For those of you too young to remember, back then the administration had an enemies list. They were spying on reporters, and they used the IRS to harass groups they didn’t like. Thank God those days are gone forever. A lot of critics are comparing President Obama to President Richard Nixon, which is unfair. Nixon's unemployment rate was only 5 percent. Have you folks been paying attention to what's going on in Washington? This whole IRS thing has become a huge story. They apparently were targeting conservative groups like the tea party. You know it's bad when President Obama says, "Hey, why don’t we talk about Benghazi?" In a matter of six weeks we have three big scandals, and it looks like President Obama and all his buddies in the White House may go to prison. Finally, some good news for the Romney campaign. They see Benghazi as a real powder keg. This scandal, they believe, may go as high as Dennis Rodman. Here's the problem. When you get scandals in Washington... like the IRS, Benghazi, and the FBI, it really gets in the way of not getting things done. If they don't fix these crises pretty soon, honest to God, it could bring gridlock to a screeching halt. The National Aquarium in Washington is going to close. But don't worry. If you're in D.C. and you still want to smell something fishy, stop by the White House. They've gone from "Change you can believe in" to "Changing the story until you believe it." Man, President Obama is not having a good week. With three scandals shaking the White House, they're saying this is one of the worst weeks of Obama's presidency. Obama was like, “How could things get worse?” And Joe Biden was like, “You rang?” A town in Minnesota has appointed a 4-year-old boy to be its mayor. People got pretty annoyed when he said his first plan was "waising taxes." Next season “Dancing With the Stars” will be cut back from two nights a week to just one... while "American Idol" will be cut back from two nights a week to a puppet show at Ryan Seacrest's house. O.J. Simpson took the witness stand. He's serving up to 33 years on armed robbery, assault, and kidnapping charges. He won't be eligible for parole until 2017 and who knows if we'll even have "Dancing With the Stars" by then. The most notable thing to come out of the trial is that O.J. has put on a lot of weight in prison. I think he found the real killers and ate them. He's hoping if he's granted a retrial they'll let him serve the remainder of his sentence under Waffle House arrest. I think I know what is causing the problems in Washington with Obama. Check this exclusive photo out to see who Obama is working with.
What the hell is he building? You know, one scene that always bothered me in the original Star Wars film is this...
The lightsaber goes through Luke's eye and Obi-Wan just sits back with his arms crossed. Also, when Luke asked Obi-Wan what happened to his dad, Obi-Wan should of been more honest. He should of told Luke, "I chopped off his arms, legs and through him into burning lava." Now that Disney owns the rights to the Star Wars movies, they are already thinking of really using it. Check out this sketch from the new Pixar movie.
Star Tours combo? I got the Star Tours combo in my pants. What am I saying? I apologize. This year is the 30th anniversary of Return of the Jedi. That movie of course brought us Salacious Crumb, the Max Rebo Band, Jabba the Hutt... and Slave Leia. All through May I am honoring Slave Leia here on the Phile. This is for you, fellas.
Alright, now to see who booked a one-way ticket to Dirt City.
Dick Trickle
Oct 27, 1941 - May 16, 2013
Race car driver? Really? How was he not a porn star?
Billy Sol Estes
Jan 10, 1925 - May 14, 2013
You know when you sometimes refer to someone as a "dirty, lowlife, thieving, scumbag, huckster asshole"? This was the guy that coined that phrase.
Dr. Joyce Brothers
Oct 20, 1927 - May 13, 2013
Over the years she changed the name of her show from "The Dr. Joyce Brothers Show" to "Consult Dr. Brothers" to "Tell Me, Dr. Brothers" to "Ask Dr. Brothers" to "Living Easy with Dr. Joyce Brothers", and now, finally to "Lying Perfectly Still with Dr. Joyce Brothers".
Man, that picture of the two Slave Leia's was too much. Forget the rest of this entry. I wonder if there's another picture like that.
Talking about a mind phuck. I wonder if there's another...
Okay, that's enough. I can't take it anymore. LOL. Anyway, back to the Mind Phuck. If you spot it email me thepeverettphile@gmail.com. Alright, I am pleased to welcome back to the Phile the intergalactic comedian from the Outer Rim, the one and only...
Tractor: Hello, nerf herders. How many Jawas takes it take to change a lightbulb?
Me: Um... I dunno.
Tractor: Two. One to change the bulb, and the other to stay verrrrrry still while he gets a new eye.
Me: That's dumb, Tractor.
Tractor: What was Mace Windu's favorite movie?
Me: Gone With the Wind? Rear Window? I don't know.
Tractor: The Color Purple.
Me: Oh, because of his lightsaber. That's lame, Tractor.
Tractor: Here's another one. Why did General Grievous go to the doctors?
Me: His cough?
Tractor: No, he had a bad case of heartburn.
Me: He did? I don't get it.
Tractor: Look.
Me: That's still dumb. Okay, Tract, so your limericks for some reason are popular. Do you have another one for us before you go?
Tractor: The Princess made one final push, to rescue Han disguised as Boussh, but when her plan failed, her face was unveiled, as well as her legs, chest and tush.
Me: Tractor Beam, everybody!
Tractor: Don't eat the Bantha.
The 31st artist to be pheatured in the Phile's art gallery is Phile Alum Michael Banks, and this is one of his pieces...
Michael will be a guest on the Phile in a few weeks.
Today's guests are the kids from the Canadian band Navy Skies whose new single "Cut My Teeth" is now available on Bandcamp and iTunes. They will be next appearing at May Zaphod Beeblebrox in Ottawa, Canada on May 24th. There's a club called Zaphod Beeblebrox?! How fucking cool. Anyway, please welcome to the Phile... Travis Caine, Kara Gauthier, Bryan Wyshnicki, Paul Cope and Gary Hazelton from Navy Skies.
Me: Hello, kids, welcome to the Phile. How are you?
Travis: We are well, thanks.
Kara: Thanks for having us.
Me: You're a newish band, right, that has only been around for a few years. But Travis, you've been playing for awhile. You had your own band called Travis Caine and the Lasting Effect. How long did that band last?
Travis: We’ve all been playing music for a long time and ex-members of something. In terms of the Lasting Effect, it’s still going to a certain degree. Navy Skies is really an extension of that band, which was my solo project, it’s just that the more collaborative we got the less it became about me. It’s like a distant cousin or something, all part of the same family tree.
Me: And you kids were in a band called Rebel Rebel, but changed the name to Navy Skies, is that right? I never know why bands change their names in their careers. One of my favorite bands who have been on the Phile a few times was called Whiskey Saints, but changed their name to Burning Jet Black. Why did you change your name to Navy Skies?
Bryan: We were going through a lot of changes as a band and it made sense to move forward with a different name as well.
Paul: Honestly, it was just getting way too confusing. No one knew how to pronounce it, we got sick of telling people how to pronounce it, and if you Google it you get the David Bowie song. It was just too much work, for a name.
Me: I was guessing because your band was called Rebel Rebel you are David Bowie fans.
Gary: David Bowie is incredible, though some eras are, obviously, better than others.
Paul: Yeah. "Just Dance" is an amazing song, and "Under Pressure" is probably the greatest song of all time.
Me: I cannot figure out where the name Navy Skies comes from. Who named it that and what is the meaning?
Bryan: I always hate thinking of band names. When we decided to change the name we tossed around a few ideas and eventually landed on one that we all didn’t hate. I find naming the band is the hardest part of being in a band. Ultimately, the name itself came from Travis.
Travis: Navy Skies was one of those names that really sounded like it should have been a band already. I suspect I subconsciously connected Sloan’s record, “Navy Blues,” with the band Explosions in the Sky. We all personally connected with the name for different reasons but, most importantly, we felt the imagery it conjures up fit our music.
Me: And where did the logo of the ferris wheel come from? I think I have a picture of it here.
Travis: We’re generally pretty in-house with our design work.
Me: So, what do you play in the band, kids?
Paul: Gary Hazelton plays bass. He’s new so he gets mentioned first to boost his ego. Travis sings and plays guitar, Bryan plays guitar and also sings. Kara plays keys and sings, and I plays drums and definitely does not sing.
Me: You sound like a very close-knit band. Travis, did you pick out the band members yourself?
Travis: Our moms set up play dates.
Kara: I hand picked every one. I am the ruler.
Travis: Haha. I don’t know, we’re just a band. We came together because we like hanging out and playing music. Sometimes both at the same time.
Me: You, like most bands I have interviewed here on the Phile are from Canada. I am guessing Ontario as you have a song out called "Ontario Winds". Am I right?
Paul: Yeah, we’re from Ontario. More specifically, Caledon, Oakville, Brampton, Sudbury and Moose Factory. We can’t tell you who is from where because that will be revealed in our upcoming band biography “Spice World.”
Kara: I can tell you that nobody is from Moose Factory but Gary is from Sault Ste. Marie.
Me: I interviewed a Canadian named Adam Bentley from The Rest a few times, and it seems every Canadian I interview know Adam. Do you guys?
Paul: Adam is a great guy and most definitely a friend of the band.
Me: He's like the Godfather of Canadian indie it seems. Do you guys also know Christine Leakey? Hmmmm. Dark Mean? Wildlife?
Gary: Kara and I are from Northern Ontario and there is a lot of wildlife up there. Moose, black bear, deer... It's exactly what you probably picture when you think of Canada. It's basically "Northern Exposure"… except not Alaskan.
Me: Every time I have a musician or band from Canada here I ask them if they are fans of one of my all-time favorite bands... Barenaked Ladies. Are you fans of there's?
Bryan: I don’t really love or hate their music. They were always just an iconic Canadian band to me.
Travis: They know how to write a pop song, I’ll give them that. I was more of a Steven Page fan, though, so I lost interest when he left the band. It shook Canada to its core.
Me: I bet. Before we talk about your music, Kara, I have to ask, what does that tattoo say on your arm? It looks pretty long. I have a photo here of you showing some of it.
Kara: It says: “The sound it surrounds me, fill my ears, in my head, fingers and toes again. Every time I hear it, it makes me feel different, makes me long for more…” It’s part of a song I wrote when I was 16 and it has a lot of sentiment to me. Also, I have a horrible memory and I wanted to remember those lyrics when I’m 90.
Me: Alright, you have a two song single out called "Cut My Teeth" and "Ontario Winds". What does "Cut My Teeth" refer to?
Travis: It’s a line in the song and the song is about paying your dues to pursue your dreams.
Me: I like that song a lot. Which of of you kids wrote it?
Travis: I brought the general core of the song to the band and then we fleshed it out to what you hear today.
Me: How many songs did Rebel Rebel put out, or how many releases?
Bryan: We released an EP called “Be Heard” and we also released two volumes from our series called “Official Bootlegs” under the name Rebel Rebel.
Me: Is Navy Skies working on an album?
Gary: Yes. We have a number of shows lined up for the next couple of months, but we are really trying to focus our time together on writing new songs. We already have a few, and I think there is a sound developing that we are all very excited about. Whether those reveal themselves on an EP or a full length is something, I think, will be determined over time.
Me: Navy Skies has been described as "90s grunge revival". I don't know where that comes from, do you?
Paul: We have a few songs that people started calling grunge-y and I guess in the absence of another, clearer, genre association that label stuck. It really only applies to about 1/3 of our material.
Me: You don't sound very grunge like. Did any of you kids grow up listening to grunge?
Gary: I was mostly listening to old school and skate punk, but it was certainly in the air. In retrospect I especially love it; I have a definite affinity for what I think of as a 90s sound.
Paul: Yeah, I’d say we all did, in some capacity. As Gary said, I think we all sort of “moved on” from grunge to punk/indie/hardcore/etc. at some point in our teens, but with this band we’re definitely more consciously acknowledging the fact that we all grew up on Nirvana, Soundgarden and the Smashing Pumpkins.
Me: How would you describe your music?
Bryan: In a word? Honest. The songs have a lot of energy and truth behind them and I think that resonates well with our audience.
Travis: I agree with Bryan, but Gary’s the new guy, so he might have a fresh perspective on it.
Gary: Five kids who grew up on punk rock, slowed down, but still play from the heart.
Me: I like you guys, so, when your album comes out, can you come back on the Phile?
Travis: Absolutely.
Me: I like to ask random questions thanks to Tabletopics, so here goes... what's the last thing you cried about?
Gary: It was probably some movie I was watching. I don't know what is happening as I age, but I find myself very easily affected by good film, or even television. Like that moment in Little Miss Sunshine when Paul Dano's character finds out he can't fly jets because he's colour blind, his reaction gets me every time. He's a good actor, and as a viewer you see how much he wanted it: The whole Nietzsche vow of silence thing, but then it falls a part, and he just breaks.
Travis: That’s a pretty good answer. I was going to say when Steven Page left the Barenaked Ladies.
Me: LOL. Thanks so much again, plug your websites and please come back soon. Continued success, kids.
Kara: Check us out online at facebook.com/navyskies, twitter.com/navyskies and at the band’s website navyskies.com. Next time, I’ll bring cookies.
Me: I'll hold you to that, Kara. ; ) Navy Skies, kids!
Well, that about does it fore this entry. The Phile will be back tomorrow with Samuel St. Thomas, the lead singer from Bovine Social Club, and then next Sunday Alex Saddic from The GoAround. Spread the word, not the turd. Don't let snakes and alligators bite you. Bye, love you, bye. Strawberry Blondes Forever!
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