What gave you the idea for writing Peaches for Monsieur le Curé, and how different was it writing things from a Muslim perspective, considering your books usually have some aspect of Catholicism in them?

I wasn’t planning on writing this book quite the way it turned out. At that time, there was quite a lot going on in Europe about the Niqab. It was being banned in Holland and Belgium, and I knew it was going to happen in France. It wasn’t going to happen in England because we have a slightly different view on things, but I had written so much before about the idea of identity and perception, and I just wanted to write a story about the Niqab since it’s such an interesting topic. I’ve seen things change [where I live], and I’ve noticed a lot of younger women wearing it [the niqab] while their mothers didn’t wear it, and I thought “Is it because they’re becoming more traditional or is it, for them, an expression of some kind of defiance?” So I went out and asked a load of people, and it was hard at first, talking to random strangers. So I went to a girls’ school whose headmistress I’m lucky enough to have known. Everybody was very welcoming and after an initial bit of curiosity, everybody told me their stories and I collected a whole handful of them. I realized that everybody has different reasons and there are no generalizations that can comfortably be made about this, and that’s the last thing I wanted to do. Islam is complex, as are its followers. In England the papers have tried very hard to make me say, “Islam is this. The Niqab is that,” “This is how I’m going to fix everything”, as if Islam was waiting for me to understand and fix it. I’m just scratching the surface like everybody else. So I wanted to get back to people and what we have in common, and why we see such a massive difference in things that are generally quite small. I find it difficult to deal with. You’re talking to someone who’s wearing it and you can’t see their face, and it’s difficult to communicate. One of the things I would like to do is to wear it myself and see how people react. In France, even the Hijab is banned in schools, which I find to be a big mistake. It’s just a scarf; it doesn’t act as a barrier to communication. Why make it into more than just a scarf? Why make it into a political or religious statement? Now they’ve created this rod for their own backs, by banning the Niqab, and making things ridiculously hard.

Your books are usually dominated by a female figure. Would you call yourself a feminist?
It’s a very broad term, and yes I do. But there are a lot of things about the feminist movement that I don’t agree with or believe in, but I believe in feminism in its purest form- not in a sense of despising/hating or fearing men, but in the sense that we still need somebody to stand up for women and their rights.

Your books have a little bit of everything. What genre would you say they belong to?
I’m very resistant to genres. I don’t like the idea that books have to be categorized. I think mine are quite challenging to categorize because some of them are historical novels and some are psychological thrillers. Those terms aren’t broad enough to cover what I do.

I know your daughter figures very importantly in your books. What role does your family play in inspiring you to write?
A huge part. Before Anouchka was born, I didn’t write about families at all. It wasn’t a conscious thing. When writers start out, they write either coming of age novels and vampire fiction. They are both about being young, alienation, and things that are forbidden, like sex. So that’s what I unconsciously wrote- a vampire novel and a ghost story. For me they were very young, me trying to find who I was in terms of my writing. Then I had my daughter and I wrote Chocolat, which is a love story between a mother and her daughter. All of a sudden I was writing about children and motherhood, and all of a sudden, these characters that I’d never thought about came to be.

Chocolat was made into an Oscar nominated movie. How did you feel about the changes that were made to it?
I’m not saying I’m surprised; I knew they were going to change certain things, in fact I was pleasantly surprised, they got much closer to it [the book] as the screenplay progressed. They ended up quite close to my original story, although I would put some of the darkness back in.

Which one of your books would you like to see made into a movie next?
Holy Fools, It has so much action in it and it would be so much fun to see it as a movie. I always said it was Pirates of the Caribbean with nuns.

If you could raise one author from the dead, who would it be?
I would bring Ray Bradbury back. Although he was very old when he died, he wasn’t old enough. As far as I was concerned, he should have lived forever. I met him in fact, and he had so much left to say. He was one of those writers that kept writing right till the last minute, and I would have loved to see more of his work.

If you were left on an island with only 5 pieces of literature, what would they be?
I would take Victor Hugo’s Les Miserablés- its one of the books of my childhood that has followed me around forever. Mervyn Peak’s The Gormenghast series, the Complete poems of Rimbaud because poetry is something, I think, that you never get tired of. Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 because I need to remember why I have these books in the first place, and Nabokov’s Lolita.

What do you think of books like Fifty Shades of Grey being the top sellers today? Do you think it reflects the deterioration of society?
Suffice it to say, I will not lambast a fellow author, I’m not sure I would say society’s degenerated but I would definitely say there’s something wrong with the books world. I’m not blaming E. L. James for this in any way, or anybody else. If we take the bestseller list as a sign of what people want to read, I think that the book world has gotten out of touch with what its about. If the public prefers to read sensationalist sex books – and I don’t think it was very sensationalist or indeed very sexy, but of course people thought it would be, otherwise they wouldn’t have bought it- or if people preferred to read books that are like The DaVinci Code, which aren’t very well-written but extremely sensationalist and plot-driven, or if adult readers would rather read children’s books like Harry Potter or Twilight, then there is something wrong with the world of literature. It is giving us a certain standard of books that people should want to read but people are actually attracted to something different. I blame snobbery personally- the fact that you should read certain things because they’re good for you and then other things because you like them.

Photo Credit: John Lauener

A female Odysseus, a pleasant Penelope, and feminist maids. Doesn’t quite sound like the good ol’ Homeric epic we all read and loved, does it? I went in to see The Penelopiad on one of the coldest nights we’ve had this winter, yet it was completely worth it. Based on Margaret Atwood’s remarkable novella, it is brought to life by director Kelly Thornton, in Nightwood Theatre’s production. Told from Penelope’s point-of-view, Atwood creates a story that brings several issues from the Dark Ages to light- I would not classify this as a re-telling of The Odyssey because it is in no way or form anything like Homer’s misogynistic schpiel about the powerful and mighty Odysseus. Atwood is well-known for her strong, yet damaged, female protagonists, but in this story all sense of classical convention is abandoned and replaced with what one might call The Feminist Uprising of the Underworld. Penelope, played by Megan Fellows (of Anne of Green Gables fame), tells her story in retrospect from the depths of Hades. In her postmortem condition, she recalls everything that happened from her birth to her death, and in a rather comic fashion, describes her “lipless” and “tongueless” state after her death.

Playing at the Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, the understated look of the theatre belies the beauty of the play, and its excellent execution. I wasn’t expecting much in terms of props and delivery, but was I sorely mistaken! The all-female cast was so well-coordinated that I was left wondering how many times they must have had to practice, and was completely astounded by the director’s brilliance in executing such the play so masterfully. The play starts with the ethereal image of Penelope walking up to the audience surrounded by fog, followed by the chorus of the twelve maids. One of the most striking themes of the play was that other than Penelope, the dialogue also revolved around the chorus, showing the audience the torture that the maids had to go through at the hands of Penelope’s suitors and then Odysseus. This unconventional form of playwriting adds another layer of artistry to the play, and for once, shows the maid’s point-of-view.

The play went from starting off with humor, then making the audience feel intensely heartbroken for Penelope and the maids, and ended off on a high note with the cast’s hilarious acting. While showing the misogyny of ancient Greece, The Penelopiad is one play that shows everything that was wrong with their society as well as ours. Certain taboo subjects such as rape and the societal pressures on women running a household on their own are addressed, which Homer completely ignored.

The main cause of amusement in the play was due to the satirization of men by the cast, thus turning the tables on the Pandora-like image of women in Greek mythology. The most remarkable acting, in my opinion, was delivered by Megan Follows, and Pamela Sinha (who played Helen). Considering that the total number of actresses in the play was only twelve, the versatility of their acting shone through by playing both men and women, and multiple different characters. Playing up to 10^th February, this play is a sure fire way of having a good time if you need a short break from studying, or want to celebrate the end of a midterm.

1. The Royal Ontario Museum (R.O.M.)
The Royal Ontario Museum is one of Toronto’s main attractions and is right beside, as the name implies, Museum subway station and is only a stone’s throw away from the SMC campus. With a variety of galleries including the Bat Cave and the Eaton Gallery of Rome, the R.O.M. offers a number of escapes to take your mind off of your readings in PSY100. Students get in for $13.50 but Fridays are $8.00 after 4:30, and Tuesdays are free all day with a valid student ID.

2. The Art Gallery of Ontario (A.G.O.)
Another great Toronto attraction, and one of my personal favorites, the A.G.O. is just a short walk from St. Patrick station on Dundas St. West. The A.G.O. offers an immense assortment of art featuring a Canadian collection with art by the Group of Seven and a modern and contemporary gallery including pieces from Pablo Picasso and Marc Chagall. In addition to the paintings and sculptures, the recent addition to the art gallery designed by Frank Gehry serves as an incredible piece of art in and of itself. General admission with a valid student ID is $11.00 but free on Wednesday’s from 6:00pm-8:30pm.

3. Hart House
Whether you’re trying to alleviate stress, fight the freshman 15 or simply meet people and maintain a healthy lifestyle, Hart House is an excellent place to go between classes. With the fitness centre open Monday to Friday from 7:00am-11:00pm, and the pool open Monday to Friday from 7:00am-9:00am, 11:00am-2:00pm and 4:00pm-10:30pm, there’s always something to do at Hart House if you’re not in the mood to study. Admission is free as the membership is included in your tuition. So since you’re already paying you might as well use it!

4. Brennan Hall
Only have an hour between classes? Come to Brennan Hall and integrate yourself in the SMC community. With pool and gitoni tables, Brennan Hall’s a great place to unwind. If you’re not in the mood to play games, feel free to take a seat, grab a coffee from the café and talk amongst friends. Brennan is without a doubt my favorite place to go during breaks. It’s hard to meet people in classes of hundreds of people but the student lounge at SMC is a great place to meet people and is frankly where I’ve made the majority of my friends in my time at the University of Toronto.

5. Tasty Treats
After feeding your mind, you’ll probably feel the need to feed your stomach. The University of Toronto is in the heart of downtown and surrounded by numerous places to eat. One of my favorites is Scaccia inside the Manulife Centre at Bay and Bloor streets. It offers chicken, sausage and vegetarian Scaccias to go (I would describe a scaccia as a sort of pizza sandwich) as well as a variety of salads and small snacks. Another excellent choice is the McDonald’s at Bloor St. and Avenue Rd. across from the R.O.M., or for those of you in a rush the food trucks on St. George outside of Sid Smith have great poutines for a great price.

Remember, this is only a list of 5 things to do between classes outside of studying and reviewing notes. Make an effort to explore the campus and city in order to create your own list and make the most of your years at the University of Toronto.

When asked if his books’ fantastical nature was intentional, he said, “I think its fair to say that my interest in the supernatural is intentional. Its something I’ve always found fascinating. When I started out, I thought I could be a science fiction, fantasy, or horror writer. In terms of short fiction, I tend to gravitate towards horror, I’ve always been enamored by the kind of magical realist stuff that Lucius Shepard did.”

Even though he shares my derision concerning 90’s slasher movies, he said that his interest in horror began at an early age, and he “was always fascinated with the monsters in the closet and that the world was a lot more mysterious than people were letting on.”
He told me, with good-natured humour, that his attraction “to the strange and the macabre was something that little boys often do, but [he] took it one step further in what [he] thinks is a healthy way.”

His biggest inspirations include critically acclaimed authors Petery Blatty, Stephen King, and Ray Bradbury. His feelings on meeting Stephen King, the writer that has had the greatest impact on his writing according to Nickle, somewhat matched how I felt while I was interviewing him: “Its always tricky, ever so often I have the good fortune of meeting someone and I tend to freeze up right away. I would definitely thank him though. He’s given me a lot of pleasure and unintentional instruction by taking a look at the way he puts his stories together”

As I asked him which one of his published works was his favourite, he chuckled and said, “That’s kind of like saying you’ve got a favorite child. I’ve got to say though, that I’m really pleased that Eutopia and Rasputin’s Bastards got published. Right now I have to say I’m most delighted with Rasputin’s Bastards, mainly because I’d written this very long, very complex spy novel…but I still can’t call it my favorite.”

1. Bach’s Cello Suite #1
2. Bach, Well Tempered Clavier
3. Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto
4. Haydn’s String Quartet Op. 33 “The Joke”
5. Brahms’ Violin Concerto in D Op. 77
6. Mendelssohn’s Midsummer Night’s Dream Overture
7. Smetana, The Moldau
8. Bruckner Symphony #6
9. Shostakovich Piano Concerto #2
10. Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra

All of this music can be accessed through Naxos, U of T’s online music library. This is only a short list, there is so much more besides: Purcell’s “Dido and Aeneas”, Puccini, Sibelius, Liszt (on a good day), Delibes, Dukas, Schubert’s lieder—but this should get you off to a good start. Essentially, avoid the highly dissonant, like Schoenberg (although you should still lend an ear to his Pierrot Lunaire) and adhere to the more consonant such as early Beethoven. Bruckner is a good substitute for caffeine while Bach’s Well Tempered Clavier provides a nice, methodical alternative to his Brandenburg Concertos. You can put down the hammer and pick up the pen. Happy studying.

I’m not typically one to gush, but in the case of Madeleine Bisson I have to make an exception. Madeleine is a recent graduate of U of T and its stellar drama department (UCDP), and is the lead actor in one of TIFF’s feature films, Foxfire: Confessions of a Girl Gang. It is directed by the 2008 Palme d’Or winner, Laurent Cantet, who adapted Joyce Carol Oats’ novel, Foxfire, from page to screen. I met with Madeleine at a cozy café one rainy afternoon, but no gloomy weather could darken such an effervescent individual. After we had both finished aw-ing over our novelty teapots shaped like houses (Madeleine’s was, appropriately, a stage house), we dove right into the interview.

Question: How did you hear about the role?
Madeleine: (Puts down her tea cup with excitement). Through a friend. It was an open call audition and there were about five thousand girls at the first one. It was about three minutes long and it was all improv. We had to “come up with why someone got expelled”.

Q: Wow, so many people. Was it competitive?
M: (confidingly) Oh yes, so competitive. Usually when there’s so many people just pushing to get in as many words as they can I just shut down. And that’s what I did. I got a few ideas in there but I mostly shut down.

Q: Do you think they were looking for people at the first audition based on ability or more aesthetic suitability?
M: Both. Before the improv started they met with us individually so I think they had a good sense of my personality. And, while the improv was going on, I noticed the casting director looking at me quite a bit, even though I wasn’t contributing a lot.

Q: Were you confident with your improv skills going into the audition?
M: No. Well, yes. But UCDP taught me everything I know about improv–before UCDP I wasn’t confident in improv at all. The department taught me how to be present, how to be in the moment and react. Without that foundation there’s no way I’d have this role. If I could I’d dedicate this movie to them.

Q: Were you confident at any point throughout the audition process?
M: Well there were 10 call backs in total between September and March. After the first one I was so discouraged. I remember going home and saying to my mum, “I don’t even want to talk about it”. But, probably the last call back I was most confident. There were only five girls. The director had a room at the Gladstone Hotel and we auditioned from 10am to 5pm. He was looking for the leader of the gang so he just kept sending in girls one after the other.

Q: How long was the filming process?
M: From July to September, than two weeks in February. We filmed mostly in Sault Ste Marie and North Ontario. I think films usually only take a few months so I think it was fairly long.

Q: Did you find it exhausting?
M: It was long hours but I loved it. When it comes to acting I never find it exhausting. Even if my body is tired my mind is so alive.

Q: This was your first film. Were there any surprises, given that your training is in theatre?
M: Film acting surprised me; it surprised me how quickly you can connect to the other person. It’s all so real, you’re just thrown into the atmosphere. The film is set in the ‘50s and when you get to set, you just feel like you’re right there.

Q: Did you find the crew and cameras intrusive, compared to the more immediacy of stage acting?
M: No, because Laurent [Cantet] prepared us for that during the rehearsal process. I didn’t notice the lights and camera at all.

Q: Any future plans?
M: Keep acting. I hope I can leverage my experience on this film into more acting opportunities. I honestly never thought I could live my dream. If you had told me last year that at this point I’d be a few days away from walking down a red carpet at my own movie premier, I’d have laughed in your face. You just never know where life will take ya.

Since our interview together I had the opportunity to see Foxfire at TIFF, and watch Madeleine walk down the red carpet. She wore a glorious glittering poison green dress bought at a vintage store in Yorkville, which contrasted beautifully with her red hair that was pulled back into an ostentatious bun, and redder lipstick. The film was beautiful. It follows the machinations of a group of girls in the 50s whose various experiences of sexual abuse or parental neglect, prompt them to form a protective gang they call “Foxfire”. It became quite clear why director Laurent Cantent was heralded by a TIFF producer as “one of the greatest emerging directors in world cinema”. His directorial style is always delicate, as scenes interchange between hazy summer days and girlish eroticism, from childish destruction to adult repercussions. The film is unobtrusively scored with an original piano melody intercut, occasionally, with music from the 50s that reminds the audience of its setting.
The passion that Madeleine exuded during our interview about her role and love of acting was translated into a nuanced and disarmingly earnest performance as Rita in Foxfire. Rita is a sweet girl whose simplicity is often taken advantage of by lascivious men, ranging from her derogatory school teacher to abusive school boys. However, once adopted by Foxfire, Rita sheds her previous meekness and discovers her more fierce side. After TIFF Foxfire is scheduled to make an appearance at the San Sebastian Film Festival in Spain, and after that, it has a wide release in France. I advise our readers to watch for its release date in Canada because this film, and Madeleine Bisson’s performance, is not one to be missed.

Over the last year and a half, A Mountain Far, Matt Cuthbert’s label and solo project, has been responsible for some of the best shows I’ve seen. Moreover, their label, AMF, has called to light some of the best bands from in and around Toronto, like Animal Faces and Bandera, and has brought in several amazing bands from all over Canada as well as the United States. Further exemplifying that extending reach, it has also helped Toronto gain recognition in the international hardcore and punk music scenes by bringing some of the more legendary bands to its urban venues—bands like Loma Prieta and Punch. I got several chances to meet Matt after his shows, and am proud to refer to him now as a friend. Both being contributors to the DIY scene, Matt and I discussed his music, the origins of AMF, and his plans for the future. He invited me into his house, where his creative work is done.

 Mark: “What is A Mountain Far? How would you describe it?”

Matt: “A Mountain Far started as a project which happened pretty much just because when I was introduced to scream and DIY punk in general I was really amazed by it and had never seen anything like it. I had discovered it through a couple of local bands but I quickly noticed that it was definitely stagnant, there wasn’t a lot of growth to the community or the “scene” for lack of a better word. Also, it seemed like those bands would break up and then there was nothing for a really long time and it just seemed like it was a constant group of the maybe the same 30 people showing up every time and that was about it. I was the one person who wasn’t from the suburbs so I didn’t really know any of these people’s names for a really long time so there was also this sense of social stigma I guess. So, I started this project as a way to encourage more of it and to get people to realize that there was actually all of this really cool stuff going on. So, it started out mostly as just a way of organizing local shows and then I started realizing that touring bands were actually really interested in coming to Toronto but no one seemed to ever really want to organize it so I just filled a gap I guess.”

Mark: “How did AMF releases start? Did you just approach a friend’s band and offer to put out their record? Or was there something else?”

Matt: “In terms of a release my first one was actually last year, which was the band Brain Fever from Calgary. I was actually a little more daunted by that, I was just starting to get familiar with “emo” and even on a minor scale doing any kind of tour booking and stuff like, which is really just getting to know maybe the half –a-dozen cool people in a particularly small city and then all hanging out and realizing that we were all interested in doing the same kind of stuff. But this first release I met Brain Fever when I went on my first tour, which was really just me tagging along with some bands from Edmonton on their way back home. But I met Brain Fever in Calgary and I really liked it and the singer, Vanessa, and I had really similar views towards wanting to see positive growth in the local punk scene. So the combination of things just really kind of spiraled for me, looking at their demo and wondering what they’ll do with it and deciding that I would be willing to throw some money at it and help put it out. I probably did a terrible job comparatively to a lot of things (laughs). But yea, that’s how it started and it took way longer than it should have, I definitely made some errors that I’m not really proud of but it happens and whatever, I did the first one and it took me almost a year before I did my second one and now I kind of hit a stride where I’m doing more and more.”

Mark: “What’s the process with bands and releases? I know you don’t actually “sign” anyone or anything like that.”

Matt: “Yea, there is a very common misconception that there is a “signing,” almost like the bands become obligated to me or we become obligated to each other. For me the first few releases were just sort of like Brain Fever which was just a band that I had seen live and really liked and even though they were really far away I wanted to support it. Then Animal Faces was my second one which was a local band that I knew the people in it and knew there was a lot of talent so I was really stoked to hear that they were in a band, so I booked their first show and got really into it when I heard it so I asked them to let me put something out for them then it goes from there. But for later on releases, especially when things started picking up, it became like certain artists from all over the country and even elsewhere were approaching me and asking if I would be willing to help them with a little bit of financial aid as well as just helping us distro in a different country or different region. So, that’s kind of how that started and every release is like a completely different level of involvement, some I took complete control in terms of production, dealing with manufacturing, assembly and with others I’m involved with maybe one or two other labels, some of which from other countries, like I was involved in a four way split with four labels in total, two of which were in Europe which was actually really cool because I had never got to do that before. So it’s kind of case by case, but honestly it the way I often say with the idea of being “signed” to A Mountain Far for lack of a better word is really just I usually help put something out and I work really hard to help in any way I can so that I can make some kind of change for the better. So, I like to think if I had been around long ago with the band that really started getting me into this that they would still be around (laughs) but such is not the case.”

Mark: “What do you look for in bands that you might consider putting out their record?”

Matt: “well, something has to grab me for me to even really bother at all, I mean going to shows and seeing bands is what it’s really about for me, it’s one thing to hear a demo and it’s entirely different thing for me to check out a band, meet them and talk to them. I’ve had very few releases involving bands that I haven’t had some kind of fairly in depth communication with. A lot of it just has to do with knowing that we’re all on the same page in a lot of regards. I don’t want to put a lot of time and effort into a release for a band if they don’t really care about anything because there are certain groups of people who are just in a band because they like being in a band and think it’s cool and that’s fine. But if I’m going to put a lot of time and effort and financial obligation into a release and I know that they’re planning on playing maybe like once more and then probably just not bothering to tour or practice or do anything again because they just didn’t care in the first place then yea, that makes me kind of less interested releasing something for sure. So, I try to release things for only currently active bands, I mean I hear rumors about maybe doing posthumous releases for bands that have been broken up for years and even some bands that I think are actually really cool but I find that they need to have the same kind of enthusiasm that I personally have, because I personally know that when some says to me, ‘hey check out this release’ and I think it’s cool and start checking out the band and I found out that they’re broken up I just feel less interested.”

Mark: “Have you ever gotten “burned” by a band in that way?”

Matt: “No, luckily, which I think partially is because I have a bit of a habit of getting to know bands a little bit more before I anything. I mean not all the bands I’ve worked with are currently touring across North America and kicking ass left right and center. Some are just legitimately happy and stoked to be playing as much as possible and doing other things, I mean I’m doing a show this Sunday for a couple bands that I’m pretty excited about. I think it’s because the human element is always something that I try to maintain, so getting to know people and asking ‘what do want to do with it? What’s the plan? Why do even want to do?’ I think a lot of labels think of it as just ‘this band sounds cool and I think they’ll be popular and sell a lot of copies’ but that isn’t really the way I look at it”

Mark: “I get a sense of that, every AMF show I go to it seems like there is this whole family of people there. Not that it’s the same 30 people over and over like you described, especially since your shows seem to be getting more and more popular but it feels like a real community which is something that I really enjoy and love about it.”

Matt: “I appreciate hearing it because what I spoke to you about before it was just the same people over and over, and I started to realize it. Apparently everyone was from like Brampton, Thornhill, or Mississauga so I only ever got to see shows when they kind of randomly would play at shitty bars downtown. It would always be all the same people and all the same bands but just a different surrounding. It was weird, and even the band that got me into the screamo DIY scene, I would play shows with them or go see them and five people would make a speech about how it doesn’t matter that there is barely anyone here because these people are the ones who really care, and as great as that is it made me realize that it was just sort of a large social circle. I think it’s great that a lot of people at my shows seem to know each other but I think it’s a much more organic kind of, ‘hey, what’s your name?’ kind of people getting to know each other. I’ve seen it and try to go out of my way to meet and talk to people to try to promote some interest in something that is going on rather than just being like ‘we like similar things, that’s cool I guess, well see you later,’ it just creates more of an atmosphere of community.”

Mark: “To start wrapping up, what’s coming up for AMF? New releases? Shows?”

Matt: “Well I just put out a split with The Mighty Atom from waterloo and a band called Total Trash who are a bunch of quite young guys from around here so I’m pretty excited about that. I’m pretty surprised that a lot of other people have been excited about it also, it was kind of a delayed release, I only got involved with it in the last six months or so and it’s finally out now. I’m pretty happy, everyone is getting their copies this upcoming weekend. The immediate plans, I have a cassette release for a band from Norich, UK called Ravachol who are this really awesome political scream band that I heard of online. I started talking to them and really liked them, started introducing people to them and bunch of people got really stoked about them and a friend of mine is helping with the release show in Montreal. I’ve actually been talking about maybe hanging out in the UK with them or them coming over here one day. The next one is the new Brain Fever release, I’ll be working with them again on a split 7” with the really awesome band from Montreal called The Dischord of a Forgotten Sketch, which is also the first time I’ll be taking the lead on a vinyl release that’s going to be printed in multiple colours and stuff which I think will be really cool. The most immediate thing after that will be the follow up release from Animal Faces with one or two other labels which are still kind of being solidified but we are going to be doing a one-sided 12” so we can do some cool silk screened artwork stuff on side B. That’s about it, but there are a lot of talks about what should be happening in the near future.”

Mark: “The last question I guess is what are your sort of hopes for AMF? Where would you like to see it go?”

Matt: “Well, comparatively I came from the hardcore scene where I felt kind of alienated in a lot of ways because I was kind of considered “artsy” and I got called “girly” a lot and I just didn’t feel very welcome. So, a lot of it was that I’ve always appreciated the DIY scene because it’s a lot more inclusive feeling and people just seemed a lot more understanding of each other’s differences. It’s just like, there was a mindset that was more than just a hyper macho type thing, so originally I just wanted to encourage more of it because I didn’t see enough of it and they were my favorite kinds of shows. It’s gone well past that now amazingly and now I just feel like it’s this ongoing kind of journey which has been really cool. Every year what’s become evident to me is how everything is changing, I think what I would ideally like is just to keep it going. I mean, it is my solo project so I sometimes feel like I’m burning out when I’ll these few months where I just kind of don’t even know how much I want to bother. But then I realize partly after I’ll get wind of a show I want to do or someone will contact me and I’ll really excited again. So, I want to remind myself and keep myself aware of the fact that I can do as much or as little as I want but keep it growing and keep it kind of “give or take” of information for people who are kind of coming or going. I would love to just see it get to a point where if for whatever reason life takes elsewhere that there will be people here who more than able and happy to keep such a thing going. That would be it because I don’t ever want to feel like if I have to leave that it will all just stop because it’s taken three years to get it to a point where I feel really stoked on everything that’s going on and it would be bummer to just see it not happen anymore. So yea, just keep it growing, keep people communicating, keep people connecting and being positive.”

You can find all things to do with A Mountain Far and it’s family at any of the following links, be sure to like AMF on facebook!

http://amountainfar.tumblr.com/

http://www.facebook.com/amountainfar

http://twitter.com/amountainfar

Store:

http://amountainfar.bigcartel.com/

Listen to the music!
http://amountainfar.bandcamp.com/

Mark Wilson