Following a westward-driving path through Phoenix this coming Sunday is a band at the forefront of a modern movement in rock n' roll. We Are Wolves is a Montreal-based trio that is contributing to a reincarnation of grunge and garage sounds that fans of Seattle's best tunes have been feverishly craving. This flannel-less, synthesizer-packing group of guys is hoping to catch a Phoenix audience in a groove by focusing on the music itself and letting the mystical powers of rock move the audience in whatever way possible.
The guitar and vocal-supply wolf, Alex Ortiz, offered a few words during a break in the band's 26-hour hike from Montreal to Denver, the first site in the west coast leg of their national tour.
B.rad: On the road again...
Alex: Yeah, this leg of the tour starts [Friday] in Denver with The Gossip. We'll be in Phoenix on Sunday.
B.rad: What's the atmosphere been like during your previous shows on this tour?
Alex: Since we're kind of a new band, most of the time the crowd just stands and looks intrigued; then they start to get the vibe. They don't act like crazy people on ecstasy or anything. They're being receptive for awhile then they catch 'the feeling.'
B.rad: How does that differ from when you play a show for the hometown crowds in Montreal?
Alex: People are definitely moved more by the music; they've known us for awhile. The whole scene in Montreal is smaller, and people get into the shows more. Everyone is more demonstrative in Montreal; every show is like a big party. It's a really supportive scene.
B.rad: So what can we do in Phoenix to get the deadbeat crowds that show up to shows movin' to the music and getting wild?
Alex: [laughs] It's all a matter of the band communicating with the crowd. You get a different response in every city, I guess.
B.rad: Concerning the tour: what's your secret to keeping it going? How do you meet the demands of rock night after night, especially when the band is playing shows back-to-back nights?
Alex: Every night is a different night, man. But there's a trend or habit you get into. Once you get into the show; it's like you get into the energy between band mates. It's a feeling or relation with the music that you get to know well and you keep it going.
B.rad: Now let's talk a little bit aboot the music: I think you guys got a psychedelic sound going on. Did you know that?
Alex: I like the fact you think its psychedelic, but that's not really what we're going for. Our sound is a weird mix of garage rock n' roll and mixed up electronics.
B.rad: I notice you use a lot of fuzzy effects in the guitars and keys, plus there's just this underlying 'dirty' sound on the disc. Have my dreams come true? Is this the second coming of grunge?
Alex: Ya know, I'm not really a grunge fan. I was a fan of the mainstream, big three or four bands, but after the media turned it into a controlled culture I got out. I think the album isn't dirty enough. The energy we have live isn't there enough on the album.
B.rad: In a previous interview your drummer, Antonin Marquis, went on the record saying that "music comes first" in the battle between lyrics and music in songs.
Alex: I'm down with that. The music is always the primary aspect. Its gathers people; it communicates something more than the lyrics. First you have the music.
B.rad: Kurt Cobain had a similar take on songwriting. He definitely seemed to relay some feeling in his songs without too much pressure to create lyrics.
Alex: Imagine you're lost in the woods. You find these kids dancing around the fire playing with drums. We have this whole fascination with the man and nature idea. We put that relation to nature into the music.
B.rad: With that point being made about words in songs, where do you draw your lyrics from?
Alex: We get them from basic stuff. I used to listen to a lot of Jimi Hendrix when I was young, and I heard songs about relationships with girls and the beauty of nature and landscapes. He wrote about nature too. The song "La Nature" on the album is based around the idea that I like nature. There's a part that goes:
I can run and hide
I can run and hide from you
Run and hide from you
Nature is there when you need to be alone understand yourself, and get away from the energy around you. The world is non-stop; there's always something going non-stop. The song is also about love- the people you love.
B.rad: On one of the more tribal tracks there's a really cool drum percussion sound throughout the tune. How do you guys get that sound?
Alex: It's actually from hitting the floor tom with a maracas. We love the maracas; we're always using the maracas.
