HT Interview: The New Deal Hangs It Up

HT: So, it stinks that the first time we chat is in regards to you guys splitting up, but perhaps you could talk a bit about what led to the decision to call it quits?

DS: You know, it was just a good time to end off. We all do lots of different things. And between all of those things, we didn’t have the time to put the adequate amount of energy into the band. So we decided to go out with a bang, at the top of our popularity. “Open mic night with the New Deal” in 2014 just doesn’t sound right.

HT: Would you say it’s tough to bring that level of intensity night in and night out as opposed to say an indie rock band that doesn’t necessarily need to go out and throw a crazy dance party with every performance?

DS: Yes. Especially as the crowds have gotten bigger. More and more energy to cultivate and keep moving. But like a freight truck building up speed down a hill, once she gets going… But yes, I figure that I probably burn about 2,000 calories per show. P90X has got nothing on us.

HT: I remember getting This is Live pretty close to the time it came out and thinking it was so awesome and intense, but I had no idea until just recently that it essentially came from your first real performance with a tiny crowd. How did that all transpire that one of your first shows became one of your best selling albums?

DS: Well, we played our first set of shows in Toronto at a hole in the wall called “the Comfort Zone” and the soundman – who became our soundman, and has been so for almost 13 years – put in a cassette tape into the “tape recorder” at the board and pressed record. It was a demo tape from another Canadian band called The Burt Neilson Band and he recorded over it. We played the show to about 15 people. Uber singer/songwriter Feist, Tyler Stewart from the Barenaked Ladies and even Jamie’s future wife, whom he didn’t even know then, were in the audience. Even though it was all improvised, it sounded pretty darn good, so we threw it into a very basic computer editing program, chopped the two tracks up a bit, had it mastered and then came up with a band name. And thus, The New Deal was born!

HT: When you think back on some of your proudest milestones as a band, what comes to mind?

DS: Selling out the Wetlands the first time was pretty darn cool. Being apart of the genus of the “Live-Electro” movement is a great legacy too. And I have to tell you, that having 2,000 people at Terminal 5 in NYC last weekend was pretty great too.

You’d think that signing a major record and management deal would be one of them, but that was just the beginning of seeing how clueless people are when it comes to marketing something that is already on its way up and then royally screwing it up. That’s the nice thing about this scene that we play in. It’s truly the authenticity of the music that draw the fans. Mainstream music biz has yet to figure out how to market with that concept in mind.

HT: Compared to other bands in the genre, I read somewhere that you guys have always tried to focus on actual songs in addition to letting it fly and improvising. What would you say is the crowning musical achievement in terms of a song you’ve written?

DS: Umm, are you kidding? [laughs] We generally improv about 50% of the show, material-wise and improv 100% of the show, structure-wise. But yes, we have recorded a fair number of real songs too. I think that Gone, Gone, Gone and Technobeam are in the top five for me. The song we did with Feist is a nice one as well. There are some newer ones that also scratch that level for me too.

HT: Live electronic music acts, given the high energy and party vibe, always tend to get a lot of late night slots at the festivals and such. I’ve always kind of wondered, how do you prepare a day around a show at 3 or 4 in the morning?

DS: Just stay healthy. Hydrate. Eat well on the road. Power Yoga. Take your vitamins late in the day. A nap around 6 is great too. Fools your body into thinking your getting up for the day! The partying kills the energy in my opinion.

HT: Finally, who has the nicest fans, the Midwest or Canada?

DS: I love playing in the U.S. Love it. Love the music fans. And love the amount of people and the small amount of geography to get to them all. Don’t get me wrong, I love Canada, but man, it’s a pain in the ass to tour my country.

We want to wish the band the best of luck and congratulate them on a great career. Be sure to catch them this summer as part of their farewell tour.

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