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Toronto garage-rockers Jonesin’ and the Hurt talk debut album “Why Not?”

Jon Berrien
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Less than a year old, Jonesin’ and the Hurt have been making major headway. The Toronto-based indie folk/garage pop band recently released their debut album “Why Not?” and are gearing up for a new EP. 

GroundSounds recently caught up with them to talk about their latest album, musical inspirations and more, check out the exclusive interview below.

 

For those just discovering Jonesin’ and the Hurt, can you tell us about forming the band and how you guys got started making music together?

The band was formed by Ralph Clarke and Evan Chladny. We found Stanley White and Cameron Fraser-Beam in the Village at York University. They helped us compile our folk-street music into full band arrangements. It was a good mix of hyper-extensive tension and psychological release. We would like to thank Stan and Cam for always being there for us and expressing musically their views of this world and others.

What made you guys decide on the band name Jonesin’ and the Hurt?

Originally Ralph had an idea for the band name in Montreal a couple of summers ago. At that point it was crude and vulgar, but hilarious none the less. Anyway, we sat on the joke name for a couple weeks (which I can’t repeat) and manipulated it into Jonesin’ and the Hurt. While we didn’t come up with the name on a bender in particular, you are right as to the meaning of the name. Usually we describe Jonesin’ as the draw to a party, lust or an addiction. The Hurt comes from the consequences of said party and the commonly negative outcome of crazy decisions. The name to us feels light hearted but with dark undertones, similar to our direction in songwriting.

Can you tell us about the writing and creative process involved with your latest track “Concerta?”

Concerta only took about one night to write. I finished it as quickly and efficient as possible. I just sat down and wrote the whole song. I was extremely focused on this tune and I didn’t stop writing until it was finished.

Can you tell us about the “Concerta” video and it’s concept, also where did the throwback visuals come from?

I took old family footage and tried to make four stories out of it. By doing this I had many people tell me that they could find more or less stories but each one was always a little different then what I planned. It was a very fun project and I’d like to thank Jack for his help.

What do you guys enjoy most about Toronto? What is one thing every visitor should see or do?

It is a great city for anyone looking to drink beer until 2:00am and smoke cigarettes (in your own house with the lights off). A great attraction to see is the CN tower. You can Walk around the outside of ‘er!

11081069_360372867493241_3699674674305738779_nCan you tell us about working on and bringing your first full-length ‘Why Not?’ to fruition?

We used “Why Not?” as a jumping off point. A lot of the songs were written for two vocalist and two guitars primarily. When we put the band in we changed and added parts to make it sound bigger. These songs were a collection that Evan and I wrote to see if anyone would be interested in what we were doing musically.

Can you tell us about your current plans for a possible fall tour?

We Hoping to travel around Ontario. We made a lot of friends from outside the city and we plan to play with them in their homes! We are excited to see what other music scenes are like outside the city!

What do you guys enjoy most about being on the road?

We really haven’t been on tour yet, but I think we are most excited for the dive hotels and crappy two egg breakfasts. Also, The time with friends and meeting new people sounds really fun to us.

What’s next for Jonesin’ and the Hurt? What can fans look forward to?

We have an EP coming out within the next month. It is going to have 3 and a half new songs so we are very happy for that! Hopefully we will put together a Video or two within the next few months so keep your eyes pealed, like the power rangers.

Stay in touch with Jonesin’ and the Hurt: FACEBOOK