Pre-NXNE with Stars

It’s almost guaranteed that Canadian music fans have a soft spot for Stars. Many of said fans that I’ve interacted with feel that there was no indie scene in this country until Stars brought it to us, or if not them directly, their affiliates – Broken Social Scene, or even Memphis.  Torquil Campbell, one half of the creative mind and male face of the act took the time to answer some of my questions recently in anticipation for their performance at NXNE (June 17 9:30PM @ Yonge-Dundas Square).

I read that your latest studio album was released in Canada via your own label, Soft Revolution. What motivated you guys to start your own label? Do you think Soft Revolution will sign any other (Canadian) artists?

Just a desire to try something different really and the fact that the music industry is collapsing and it gets harder and harder to split an ever shrinking pie…I would love to sign other acts, but if I were them, I wouldn’t trust us with their record. They should just start a company of their own!

I was at your showcase of The Five Ghosts here in Toronto at The Mod Club last year. It was a pretty gutsy move to play the new album live without having let fans hear much of it. How did you guys feel about that entire tour?

Loved it. The people who came to the shows were so open and so supportive and really gave us a chance. It was a wicked new way to play and interact with our listeners…But you know that’s cause our fans are a bunch of fucking geniuses.

Memphis played CMW, and now Stars is here for NXNE, in addition you have past involvement with Broken Social Scene – how do you guys manage to have your fingers in so many pies (for lack of a better term)?

By not having a real job. How does a professional nurse do his/her job and raise three kids? That’s what I would like to know. Here’s a secret people may not know: prancing around like a tit in a rock band is not very difficult work.

Are you excited for NXNE?

Hell, yeah!

You’re playing in the heart of Toronto (Dundas Square) how do you feel about that?

I feel like things have changed since I sat on the sidewalk outside Sam the Record Man waiting for it to open, with a slice of Pizza Pizza to buy Low Life by New Order while dudes with mullets who had driven their IROC-Z into town to enjoy a day in the city and who wore Mike Palmateer sweaters wandered by with their girlfriends who all looked like Lee Aaron…

What is the one thing that you feel that your fans should know about you?

I need them, and I hope they wont forget me.

If you could only listen to one album for the rest of your life, what would it be, and why?

Steve McQueen by Prefab Sprout, because when I’m at my best, the world looks like that record sounds…