Rah Rah - Vessels (2016). Entrevista a Marshall Burns y Erin Passmore

Los canadienses Rah Rah traen por primera vez su indie rock a España

Rah Rah llega a España este verano en una única fecha confirmada por el momento, en el Festival VdeValarés que se celebra del 12 al 14 de agosto en Ponteceso, A Coruña.

Desde que publicasen su álbum debut 'Going Steady' en 2008, los canadienses no han dejado de recibir elogios por sus shows en directo, en los que hacen gala de su inconfundible estilo indie rock mezclado con un folk sencillo, y flirteando incluso con influencias electrónicas.

RAH RAH

Vessels (2016)

Fundada en el año 2007 por Marshall Burns (voz / guitarra) y Erin Passmore (voz / batería / teclados / guitarra), pronto se amplió la banda con las incorporaciones de Kristina Hedlund (voz / violín / teclados / acordeón), Joel Passmore (bajo) y Jeff Romanyk (batería / teclados / guitarra).

Todos ellos ponen voz y música a Rah Rah, sin que ninguno destaque sobre otro y sin atarse a ningún instrumento, que van intercambiándose según lo requiera el momento, como auténticos virtuosos musicales.

Su cuarto y más reciente álbum, titulado 'Vessels', recoge once canciones con las que los canadienses originarios de Regina continúan siendo fieles a sus raíces de indie rock, aunque con un estilo algo más refinado que ofrece melodías embaucadoras y letras emotivas y conmovedoras.

Guitarras eléctricas, frenéticos ritmos dance y rock, sonidos característicos del spaghetti western y letras autobiográficas están presentes en temas como 'Be your man', 'Good winter', 'First night we met' o 'Surgery'. Todos ellos parte del álbum 'Vessels', el último de este grupo indie que lleva ya a sus espaldas una década de carrera musical constante y que no muestra signo alguno de frenado.

THE INTERVIEW

Your music seems to have so varied influences like Rock and Folk, but where we can found winks to anothers many styles such as Dance music and Pop and even Country music,... What has motivated this sound in Rah Rah? What are or what have been your most direct influences to make your music?

Erin: Our sound is so distinctive because of our respective influences. Some of us love to listen to rock and country and some of us love unapologetic dance and pop. Our music has a bit of everything, we don't limit ourselves to any one genre.

This year marked 10 years since you formed in 2006. What is the difference between the music of Rah Rah today and your music 10 years ago?

Erin: I'd say the difference is in the songwriting. We've each been through so much in the last ten years and a lot of those experiences (both good and bad!) are reflected in the songs. Though we've been through the wringer a few times as a band, we still try to create fun and danceable music. There's no room to be jaded in this band!

What's your inspiration when making your songs?

Erin: Some of our songs are self-reflective and are inspired by personal experiences, some are inspired by stories from friends or world events. Listening to good tunes always helps get the songwriting muscles working too!

What do you expect from your last album "Vessels"? When a new album?

Erin: We hope people enjoy listening to Vessels as much as we enjoyed making it. We're not sure when the next release will happen.

What do we will see and enjoy in your live concerts in this European tour?

Erin: Lots of energy! Lots of dancing! We love getting the audience involved in the show, we feed off their energy as much as they do ours.

This is your first time in Spain. What do you expect from the Spanish crowd?

Erin: I have no idea but I'm SO excited to find out!

What are your plans for this current year 2016? We assume that you will touring around clubs and festivals. Can you advance anything to us? Any important event?

Erin: Our biggest show will be playing at the VdeVelares festival. We don't have much touring planned since we're trying to write some new songs.

Do you think the digital world will end with music as we know it today? What do you think is the future of music?

Erin: I think it depends on the school of thought one looks at. On one hand, downloading music doesn't allow an artist to get paid for their work, and some streaming apps pay (almost literally) peanuts. The Internet has forced the industry to change and adapt and maybe the money side of things won't ever be the same. On the other hand, the digital age has allowed our music to reach fans from  North and South America, Europe and all the way out to Asia. So if one's idea of success is to reach as many people as possible, have people worldwide listening to our songs, then the Internet is the answer!

What is your best memory about music?

Marshall: There's too many to count, that's why I love it so much! Maybe singing with my brother or playing violin with my mom..

How is a normal day in the life of a member of Rah Rah band?

Erin: Well, I live in a different province than the rest of the band so my days might be different. Weekdays are boring and usually filled with my day job, but I do have a bit of a routine on Saturdays: My fiancé and I wake up and walk down to our favourite cafe (Moja on Commercial Drive in Vancouver, BC: brick walls, huge windows and the constant thrumming of a small roaster at work behind the counter). I order a cortado and scone, he gets a latte and croissant. We then sip and nosh while reading comic books. We might then take a bus adventure downtown, visit some shops, grab a grilled cheese, come back home, play video games, nap and eat pizza. Essentially my day is filled nerdy stuff, carbs and cheese.

What do you think about the current economic and social situation in Spain, Europe and in the World in general?

Marshall: I'm no expert but I understand that it's a very difficult time to be a young person trying to find meaningful work in many countries in Europe. Hopefully that changes relatively soon.

RAH RAH
Wolf eyes (2016)

MISCELLANY

Could you tell us about...

... A book?:

Erin: Right now I'm reading I Know I Am but What Are You? by Samantha Bee. It's hilarious and honest-- a great summer read.

... A movie?:

Marshall: The Roosevelts by Ken Burns completely absorbed me but then again so does every Ken Burns series.

... A song?:

Marshall: Amerika by Wintersleep is my favorite song at the moment, check it out!

... An album?:

Erin: I've been listening to the new Holy Fuck album called Congrats. That band has always been ahead of its time, Congrats is captivating the whole way through.

... A group or soloist?:

Marshall Burns: Fred Eaglesmith is my favorite living songwriter not named Bob Dylan. He's a Canadian and has released an unbelievable catalogue of great tunes since the 1980s.

... A hobby?:

Marshall: I love curling. I work at a curling rink when I'm home from tour. Most people recognize it from the Winter Olympics. It's the official sport of Saskatchewan, our home province.