February 3, 2012

INTERVIEW: WALK OFF THE EARTH (BURLINGTON, ONTARIO)

People always root for those underdog moments in the film where, us the passive observer, follows the protagonist through trials and tribulations just aching and waiting for that one moment when the tide turns to positive. It makes us feel a connection and heartfelt earnest for them to succeed in whatever the endeavor. Similarly in music, sometimes bands come to our attention out of the blue, entirely, that beg us to root for them in the long-run. In the sense of this group from Burlington, out of the blue meant being the 6,000,000th viewer only to look back weeks later to see them at 45,821,495 views. So, if you’ve been living under a rock…

Walk Off The Earth is from up in Ontario and have been performing covers left and right, ingenious ones at that, with their latest of Gotye‘s single, “Somebody That I Used To Know” drawing attention to every corner of the globe. Sarah Blackwood was kind enough to sit down and give us a short interview about the group to give everyone a bit more info into everyone’s new adored Canadians. Be sure to check out the rest of their songs via Bandcamp and their YouTube.

Right off the bat, how does it feel to break the internet with your video?

Sarah Blackwood:  WE are all very excited and happy.  It has been a goal of ours to make a video that went viral.  Working so hard for the past 3 years to really put a lot of efforts in to the videos and songs.  It feels great! 

Who was the first one to hear the original “Somebody That I Used To Know” and how’d the idea come about to squeeze everyone in the band around a single guitar?

Gianni heard the song on the radio and brought it to us.  he said “Sarah!  I heard this song today that rejuvenated my faith in music on the radio!”  And from that moment on, we knew we were going to do that song. 

What was it like on “The Ellen Degeneres Show“? How does their green room compare to other backstage areas in your past?

The Ellen show was really fun.  It was a cool experience for sure.  Haha, well I have playing in a full time touring punk rock band for the past 6 years, so the green room was heaven!  The differences were significant.  There was no puke on the floor, the couches weren’t covered in sex, and there were no drawings of penis’ on the walls.  It was splendid. 

Has everyone started deciding what bizarre requests should be made for the band’s rider for the years to come? What comes to mind?

haha. We’ll see.  Socks and Batteries.  Those things are important. 

So other than the cover of “Somebody That I Used To Know,” you’ve got “Corner of Queen” written while Gianni, Marshall and you were busking. What was the most memorable busking experience and care to share any tips?

Busking is always interesting.  The best is doing it for charity and knowing that you are helping a really great cause.  We are always up for helping out and making the world a better place.  So when it comes to stuff like that, we like to jump on those opportunities. 

The band’s been doing uniquely creative videos for some time now. What was the most difficult one to pull off?

Each video gets more intricate.  Each one is also very different.  It’s all about learning the parts, getting your head in the space where you can execute your part properly…and having the best team behind you helping so you can trust that everyone will do their part properly. 

If you all went to a psychic to have your future read, what would they say for the future of Walk Off The Earth?

We are going to take over the world. 

To come to an end, only one other group comes to mind that pulls off one-take, incredulous videos…what would happen if Walk Off The Earth and OK Go ever met in an alleyway in the middle of the night?

We would have the best dance party of all time.

John
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Founder, Editor, Writer, Photographer. (Austin, Texas)

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Founder, Editor, Writer, Photographer. (Austin, Texas)

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