CMW 2007: DIE MANNEQUIN
Wednesday March 07, 2007 @ 04:00 PM
By: ChartAttack.com Staff
Die Mannequin
Hometown: Toronto, Ontario
Official Website:
www.howtokill.us Members:
Care Failure (guitar, vocals)
Tony "Sparkles" Useless (bass)
Pat "Ghostwolf" M (Drums)
Where are you speaking from, and are you playing a gig tonight?Care Failure: I'm at a focus group, eating yogurt for money. And no, we're not playing tonight. Our next gig is at Canadian Music Week.
How is the tour so far, and have you noticed a change in the reception since your residency at Clinton's?We're always on the road, but right now we're mainly recording. A residency's great because the venue's always sold out, and it's really good practice for touring. Now there's a lot of word of mouth about us and people are getting more interested, so the reception's getting better, too.
Have you noticed any familiar faces in the crowds, like fans following you from gig to gig?Yeah! The funniest was at Guns N' Roses. These two fans came up to us and said they were following all our gigs. That role reversal was really cute.
How important is it for your band members to "circulate and flirt" with the audience before or after the show?It's pretty fun, especially in a city you don't know. I usually ask people what they do for fun around there.
Any scary fan encounters?Oh, there's always a couple, but nothing dangerous. Alcohol doesn't help the situation either.
Describe your best and worst gigs ever.The most fun was Edgefest in the summer. When I was a kid I used to go every year. Even though it rained during our set, it was still great. The worst is probably when we opened for Hedley and I cracked my head open. When I could feel the blood and mascara in my eyes, I knew something was wrong.
How about when you opened for Guns N' Roses?That was a little intimidating because their fans paid so much for their tickets. They don't want to waste time listening to us! But they were incredibly cool and younger than we expected. There were just so many rules about Axl! He used to show up 45 seconds before their set and wouldn't really hang around, so we barely saw him. Once, Tony tried talking to him and got pinned against the wall by a guard.
Have you dealt with any smugness on the audience's part, like dudes trying to write you off as another angry rocker girl?Yeah, completely. It happens a lot. The whole "angry girl with a guitar, how cute" thing. But what people don't get is this is real for me! I actually was homeless and an addict. It's not a game.
Is that the hardest part about being an up-and-coming band?Nah, it's the least of my problems. There are always haters in the crowd.
What's the most shameless thing you've done to promote the band?Not really my style, but once we played "LOL" on MuchMusic. We were playing for kids in between stand-up comedians. Really weird and confusing.
Have you ever stolen from someone else's rider? Oh, always! Bands beware, because we will steal from you! Thing is, we don't really have much on our own rider. Maybe we should add some stuff?
Have you done anything new or interesting this week?Ate yogurt for money.
Any messages for anyone coming to your CMW set on Thursday?Well, CMW is really industry-based, and I know from experience that it's tough to get into the show. So, try to make it there on time. And put your dancing shoes on!
Die Mannequin play the Horseshoe Tavern on Thursday, March 8 @ 11:30 p.m. as part of the annual Chart/Horseshoe/Canadian Music Week showcase.
?Aisha Khan
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