File next to: Doldrums, Foxes in Fiction, Chrome Sparks
Playing: WL15 Night Two, Saturday February 14, Polish Combatants Hall
Ginla are a pair of swell fellas making some seriously catchy and interesting electronic pop tunes in Toronto. Sparkle n’ splash, boom and glide. Top-rung. Wavelength’s Adam Bradley got in touch to have a chat about the past, present and future of the project.
I’ve heard you met at college in Boston. How did the project come together initially and how did you end up residing in Toronto?
Jon: Yeah, we met in college. We were playing in a few different bands together. Neither of us had much creative control in those projects. So Ginla really came out of our desire for that. We still wanted to be in a band, just something that would allow us more freedom to create what we want. After college, we both moved to Brooklyn together. Within a year, the project was starting to take shape and we decided to go to Joe’s family farmhouse to work on our EP. After four months on the farm, Joe moved back to Toronto, where he is from. I’m American, so I had to go back to the States for a while, but now am back in Canada working on our full-length.
You’ve gotten some pretty wide blog coverage with just your first two songs, and now you have a cassette in the world. Is there an intention for a full length? What do you hope for the future of Ginla?
Joe: Yea, were currently working on a full-length. Hoping to have it done by the summer. My current hope for Ginla is to finish this full length… by the summer.
Jon: My hope for Ginla is to make music that makes people turn off their phones for a while.
Who designed the covers of your cassettes? They’re all unique. What was the thought behind that?
Jon: We actually did the cassette covers ourselves. We wanted to make our cassettes more unique and we both have fun making things. Some of the cassettes feature images from our friend Dan, who makes music under the name Bermuda Kid, and also takes cool pictures.
Your music has pretty complex textures and contours. What kind of gear do you both use primarily?
Joe: We have a couple analog synths, some random guitar pedals, and a few odds and ends. We work a lot in Ableton Live. For the music we are working on now, we are using a blend of drum set and electronic drums. So there will be more organic elements on our full length.
If you could put together a dream bill with three other local bands along with Ginla, who would be on it?
Joe: We’re gonna answer this one both realistically and unrealistically, and with more than three acts. Our first dream bill consists of Drake, Feist, and Neil Young. Our second dream bill includes Home Alone, Calvin Love, River Tiber, and Not The Moon. Sorry for taking liberties with this one, there are too many great acts from Toronto.