At SappyFest 7 in Sackville, N.B., over the weekend, Mike O’Neill was the first act to take to the main stage, and a very talented band backed him up. Trailer Park Boys creator-director Mike Clattenburg was on drums, singer-songwriter Laura Peek was on keys and Charles Austin alternated between guitar and bass with O’Neill, who played songs from throughout his catalogue, with a special emphasis on 2012’s Wild Lines.
After the set, O’Neill said he plans to release a followup record soon, which is a nice treat for fans used to waiting years for new songs to materialize.
“I’m gonna make another record very quickly and not pay attention to the quality of it,” he joked. “That’s’ my plan.”
Peek said she’s writing songs using “terrible beats” in GarageBand, while Clattenburg has made playing drums again a "top priority." These two people clearly need to connect about this.
Austin seems the busiest. The noted Halifax producer-engineer mentioned a forthcoming instrumental record with Greymatter, whom he tends to work with when overseeing Buck 65 albums. He and O’Neill have written six songs together as Green & Darnell, a pop project he hopes to complete at some point. The two also were in a band called the Lodge but O’Neill has been too busy to pursue it so Austin and his bandmates are looking for a new singer.
The biggest news, though, for fans of the 1990s East Coast pop wave fostered by Sloan is the return of the Super Friendz, who are playing live again.
“Two shows,” Austin said. “At the Halifax Pop Explosion on Oct. 20 and then at Lee’s Palace in Toronto on Nov. 16. It should be good hopefully.”
Watch this interview with Mike O’Neill’s band below:
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posted by
Vish Khanna
on Aug 07, 2012