NOMAG: Seeing as you were classically trained at a young age, was your primary interest classical music or did you gravitate more towards other genres when you were younger?
Katie Stelmanis: I was interested in classical music primarily. Till I was about 19 it was my main focus musically.
N: Will your upcoming show at Il Motore push people to dance or rather provoke a more internal experience?K: It will definitely make people dance. We’re really attempting to strike a balance between drums and bass.
N: Does Austra’s European success overweigh local success? Do you have much support in the Toronto scene?K: Of course, our success overseas has influenced our local success. When people see that your music gains recognition in another country, the local interest around it grows. However, the Toronto scene has always been supportive.
K: We worked very closely with Damian and he let us figure out things for ourselves. Most of the people we had worked with before really pushed the use of live instruments on us, but Damian was the first person to embrace electronic elements. The fact that he had a UK feel, having lived there till recently and worked with many local artists, really interested us and fit with what we were trying to achieve.
N: What can we expect from you live show? What will we get from the show that we can’t get from the album?K: It will be a four piece set this time. The backup singers which usually play with us are touring with their own band. There will be both live and electro elements.
By Emilie H. / Photos http://tanktopdiaries.blogspot.com/
