Interview – Brodie Moniker

Regina based musician Brodie Moniker in right in the middle of a Western Canada tour in support of his debut album Nowhere Left To Ghost, released earlier this year. Canadian Beats had a chance to catch up with Brodie to chat music and touring, check out what he had to say below.

Tell us a little about yourself.

I’m sitting on the Osprey Ferry en route to Lethbridge filling out a Canadian Beats interview. I’ve played music in many forms, bands like Brain Sauce and Pandacorn. Backed up artists like Jeff Straker and Megan Nash. I’ve recently launched a solo project and put out “Nowhere Left to Ghost” in March!

What are some of your musical influences?

Sounds of things. I want to hear the sounds of an MRI machine, a friend of mine described one recently and I think I would be quite inspired by it. When people listen to my music they here things like Zappa, St. Vincent, Nick Drake.

If you could describe your music in 3 words, what would they be?

Right now? Its mostly red, yellow, and blue

This month you have been touring nonstop! What is your favourite and least favourite thing about touring?

Playing and performing are why I do it, sometimes accommodations are challenging. Just slept in a chilly, funky smelling trailer in what might have been a cult commune.

What hasn’t been your most memorable touring experience?

Opening for the Enigma. While we were performing people were hanging from their body piercings and swinging to the music (suspensions). Worked surprisingly well in 6/8, not so much in 4/4.

Have you had anything completely disastrous happen on tour?

The pin that connects the rear axle to the drive shaft on our tour bus (old school bus to be more accurate) fell out while we were driving down the highway between Calgary and Edmonton. This stops the back wheels from turning, we were going 100km/h at the time, shortly after not so fast. Thankfully our driver (Mark Lowe) was a highly skilled Vin Diesel type and guided the bus to the side of the highway just in time for a blizzard and a tow ban. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the Alberta RCMP.

What can we expect from Brodie Moniker next, new projects? More tour dates?

Take a break to write new songs, contemplate my life choices and make more travel plans. Probably head out east after I release a single in the spring.

Here at Canadian Beats, we like to include a just for fun aspect of the interview so your fans can get to know you just a little better, ready?

hmmm, just to let you know if you wanna have some fun we’ve still got shows coming up! Lethbridge at the Slice, Moose Jaw at the Park and Winnipeg at the Handsome Daughter!

If you weren’t doing music, what would you be doing?

I’ve thought about that a lot lately, and I honestly don’t have an answer.

What’s on your current personal playlist?

On this tour, we’ve been spinning Regina’s Bull North and Black Thunder. On my playlist, I’ve got St. Vincents new disc, Time Boy (who we played with in Calgary) and Laura Hickli

What was the first concert you ever attended?

oh jeez, probably like Ninja Turtles on Ice or something. As for a musical concert might have been some concert band thing in high school (I played alto sax) Rock show, I think was Supertramp.

What are 3 things, not music related, that you can’t tour without?

My health, my sanity, my friends.

And last but not least, do you have anything you would like to say to your fans?

“Make good choices. “ -Nathaniel Baker

Connect with Brodie Moniker:
Website
Facebook