Scott Remila, bass player for Toronto’s Raising the Fawn, is a little nervous about playing in Calgary. Remila was just sitting down to enjoy the marathon that is Hockey Day in Canada when our conversation began, naturally the subject of hockey quickly wormed its way into the interview.
“You might not be too happy about this, but I’m an Edmonton fan” Remila admitted, perhaps explaining the other reason for his apprehension regarding Calgary.
It also seems our fair city has not been too kind to Raising the Fawn’s most recent EP By the Warmth of your Flame. We at the Gauntlet are certainly guilty. A resident critic went so far as to say By the Warmth of your Flame would be good music to commit suicide to.
“That was a highlight,” laughed Remila. “I like hearing different takes on our music. We’ve had two or three really bad reviews, another one was also from Calgary so we’re a little worried about playing there.”
Though he likes hearing what people have to say about Raising the Fawn’s music, Remila is certainly growing tired of being compared to Radiohead.
“I guess for people who don’t know any better it’s an easy comparison to make, it’s really kind of a cop out,” he says. “I think it might have something to do with (guitarist and lead singer) John (Crossingham)’s falsetto. Aside from that I don’t see a strong similarity. I don’t read too deeply into comparisons anyway; we’ve been compared to a chocolate statue made of all your favourite hallucinogens.”
February will see Raising the Fawn release some more of the tranquil beauty that oozes from their every pore as The North Sea will hit the shelves. Recording for The North Sea began nearly two years ago, unfortunately, having two people spontaneously quit the band had a negative effect on progress.
“It wasn’t cool at the time but it’s over,” recalls Remila. “It worked out for the best. It was a shitty thing but now the three piece feels better than the four piece ever did.”
You might think a band would grow tired of an album that has been sitting around for a couple of years, but Remila insists this isn’t the case.
“I’ve taken some space from The North Sea, I’ve probably only listened to it once in the last four or five months,” he says. “It’s been a slow, drawn out, painful process to get it out, I’m really excited for it to finally happen.”
For now, Raising the Fawn is looking forward to getting out on the road as part of Exclaim!’s 12th Anniversary Concert Series along with Broken Social Scene and the Stills.
“The bill is really solid,” he says. “We’re pretty pleased to be apart of it.”
Who knows, they might even be able to change the minds of a few stubborn Calgary critics.