Their June 22nd Show in our laudromat venue space was the second stop on a tour that will soon see them safely back in Toronto. Ida Maidstone- vocalist and keys operator of Hush Pup- spent a few minutes with the Tinderbox to describe their summer's journey.
Hush Pup. art by Double D's
How's the road treated yous this summer?
So far the road has been great. There are bumps here and there, like getting colds and pedals breaking,
but overall it’s been really amazing getting exposed to music scenes all over the place
What have the shows been like?
How do people dig it?
The shows have been really cool.
We’ve played a real mix of DIY spaces, festivals and bars.
The variation in venues has made a mix of audiences...
if you’re playing in a bar sometimes you're background music to a party.
Like in Regina: Ben (Mystic Triangle) -played a real college grad type party
...where the audience was shouting requests at him haha.
At a festival, people are there for the music,
so they're super attentive and interested...lots of photos and videos being made.
And then at DIY venues the audience interacts with you the most,
because you’re hanging before and after.
I think those are my favourite type of show for that reason.
I like meeting new people, hearing about their lives and getting a sense of where I am.
Mystic Triangle in Vankouver
Tell me about some awesome bands you've played with on the tour.
Memorable bands we’ve played with on this tour are: Living Hour (Winnipeg), The Backhomes (Victoria), Hansmole (Victoria), Girlfriend (Seattle), Broken Water (Olympia/Portland), Pleather (Seattle), Gardner (Chicago), Sean Conrad (Oakland).
Does your set feel different in every town?
Our show feels a little different in every town,
due to different sound set ups and different vibes, but it keeps its general feeling.
It's nice because the sound and feeling of playing with your band
is the constant as you move around.
is the constant as you move around.
You’re able to go back into your zone and create that world wherever your body may be.
How else do you try and maintain that zone on the road?
I have about 3 journal style books I have going all at the same time in different bags haha.
Sometimes I’ll write down ideas as they come to me in the car,
or I might make a list of things about a city that caught my eye
or something someone said in a conversation that was interesting.
I also like to keep a list in my phone of music from other peoples iPods,
or records we’ve listened to at people’s houses after the show.
I take pics and videos on my phone and sometimes pull out a 35mm for a shot.
I thrift on the road a fair amount too.
Things you find remind you of the trip.
What's the mood as you head north followng the american leg of the tour?
We’ve just finished the tour south with White Poppy, which was amazing.
It was awesome to play as her band cuz we’ve always been big fans.
Those shows introduced us to really great underground scenes
where people really care about making art and supporting creativity.
It was super inspiring. The venues were very DIY.
Now I’m on my computer in the car we’re on the way to Denver to play a show
(Mystic Triangle and Hush Pup)
Utah is gorgeous…. we just saw a lizard at the gas station and an antelope out the window.
Our car speakers broke so we’re all wearing separate headphones.
We’re happy, inspired and excited to be heading home to Toronto.
xoxoxoxoxo
Ida
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