“Kids”
from the EP Remind Me the Reason I Came
2009
iTunes
Can you share a little information about yourselves?
Jeff Buckley (lead singer): We are called Make Your Exit. We are five (sometimes more) Toronto boys who have been playing together for about a year-and-a-half now. Many of us grew up together and were in bands together before MYE existed, so we know each other too well. Our inside jokes are often frightening to the outsider, but man do we find them funny. We now have two EPs under our belt, with our latest Remind Me the Reason I Came just having come out at the end of September.
Could you describe the recording process of Remind Me the Reason I Came?
This was without a doubt the most fun we’ve had recording. We found a guy with a place an hour outside of Toronto that was a church-turned-studio. We figured it would make us seem cooler if we recorded our album in a church. In actuality, we knew it was the right place because we wanted a more “live” sound for the record, and the church had a great big live room that was going to give us what we needed. We lived there for ten days, amongst the guitars and amps, and had a lot of fun trying out new sounds and playing with gear we could never afford on our own. My favorite part of the record is the first twenty seconds — we took a very hot microphone into the basement of the church and started recording drums through the floorboards to get that dirty muffled drum sound you hear at the start of “Kids.“ I got to stand in the basement and play my ukulele and sing to the beat coming through the floor. We have it on video, but it probably doesn’t look as cool as it sounds.
You read this blog and I’ve visited your Myspace page. So now that it seems the Internet isn’t a fad, what are your thoughts on the power of the web in relation to helping or hurting an artist?
The issue of geographical placement is essentially obsolete, so it has made it easier to reach new fans, as well as have a closer relationship with the listeners of our music. I think it’s allowed us as independent artists to control what music listeners receive from us (whether it’s rants on a blog or unreleased tracks, etc.), rather than having a record label dictating what is shared. This has made it infinitely easier to survive as an independent artist. The total freedom to put out your own content to a virtual world that seems to be consuming media at a very impressive rate seems like the biggest power grab that the major label world has ever been up against. On top of this, it’s certainly opened the flood gates for the saturation of the music world, for better or for worse. Any band can have a Myspace, any blogger can be a reviewer, and I think this is great. Sure, it produces an “interesting” variety of content out there, but the fact that people are getting more involved and just producing more shouldn’t be viewed as a bad thing. It just means there is a less-defined group of people who are dictating what music should be, and that might just lead to something new and exciting. It might also lead to the popularization of guys farting on snare drums and releasing it on yspace as the next big thing. Time will tell.
Are there any current bands or records or websites that you enjoy and would recommend people seek out?
It seems Jonk has done a fine job of mentioning some of the more well-known bands we’ve been digging a lot these days, like the Dodos or Volcano Choir or Blitzen Trapper, so I’d rather mention some great Canadian acts that are pals of ours. We’d highly recommend the tunes of Yukon Blonde, the Paint Movement, Dinosaur Bones, Corduroy, Jay Spectre, and Evening Hymns for starters. As for websites to find out about Toronto bands, check out Audio Blood Media, Jeff Jewiss Photography, It’s Not the Band I Hate, It’s Their Fans, North by East West, and Pete Nema.
Parting words?
We greatly appreciate being put up on your site! If anyone reading this happens to be in Southern Ontario, odds are we’ll soon be playing in your town so come on out to a show and we promise to be very nice and give you sweaty hugs after the set.