Reports from 80-35, Dispatch 3
Apparently, I am nothing but bad luck for bands I am seeking to interview. Poor Hanwell were busy repairing their snare drum when I arrived a bit before noon. For the record, that is two for two. Luckily, the problem seemed to be solved by the time they took the stage, and the 80/35 Wildcard winners put on a solid performance, well deserving of their victory at People’s last month. After their closing song, I got a chance to query the young crew, with James Peterson answering most of the questions. Having recognized their name as a reference to G.K. Chesterton, my personal favorite author, I asked him to explain the meaning. “It’s about the passage on people ending in Hanwell who believe in themselves too much… I like authors who write about depravity, but are not depraved. The whole ‘light shines brightest in the darkness’ idea.” With literary influences like Chesterton and Flannery O’Connor, you’d expect some pretty heavy lyrics, so the musical influences even out the mood. “Wilco, The Beatles, Arcade Fire… Wilco.” The group is still quite young, having formed as Hanwell in Fall of 2007, and only having their current line-up since March, when they added Abigail Smith to keys and cello. The rest of the band had met in various manners – church, highschool, jazz band – and are just now begining to record with the full group. “We are slowly recording new songs, hoping to get something we can master and distribute.” As a parting question, I asked who they were excited to see at the rest of the festival. “Broken Social Scene and Margot and the Nuclear So and Sos, and the Envy Corps!” The band will be playing next at the Mews on July 6th, Monday night at 5:30.
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