DB: Since 1994's Four Songs and a Poem, you have pretty much released new music every year. How much energy has this taken and how long do you think that you can keep up the pace?
BN: I don't know. Right after Four Songs and a Poem came out we went to Europe to tour it. I Bificus came out in Canada in 1998 and in the US in 1999. Purge came out here in September and comes out in Europe and the US in February. I love touring, I've been doing it for thirteen years and yet at thirty-two years (old), I can honestly say that I don't see any end in sight. I don't feel like stopping and don't think that I should.
DB: When the time comes that you do have to stop, what do you see yourself doing?
BN: Well, I'm a painter. I paint almost everyday at home, basically just pop art trash. I was a theatre major in university; I did a feature film two years ago and I'm filming another one in the spring. I've also done some TV shows. I figure that as long as I can pay the rent and feed the dogs, I'm a white woman living in North America…so I should pretty much always find a job.
DB: How did you enjoy the acting you've done? Was it a real stretch for you?
BN: I liked it. It was pretty easy; it's really fun. I find that writing music is artistically rewarding, but with acting someone else writes it for you, and you just say the lines. As a result there isn't that catharsis there, but at the same time it is really fun.
DB: You preformed at Edgefest this summer. What was the most enjoyable part of that experience for you?
BN: Edgefest is always fun to do because of the fans; they are really excited to be there. It is fun playing for so many people. There aren't too many shows in Canada that are like that, that can produce that kind of energy. Europe is entirely different, because the crowds are so much larger. We really enjoy playing there.
DB: One of the things that you are always praised for is the energy that you put into your shows. From what do you draw your intense energy?
BN: I don't know; a combination of things I guess. I do calisthenics, push-ups and sit-ups. We hype each other up, pat each other on the ass and just go at the show. It's so much fun and we love doing it every time.
DB: Do you wake up exhausted every morning?
BN: Yes. I can't sleep on the bus. I like van tours much better because you get a nice hotel room. On a moving vehicle I get motion sickness and can't sleep at all. I'll get about three hours of sleep every night and then do a ninety minute show every day without a day off, for long periods at a time. I sound like this (clears her raspy throat) all the time - if I can even talk - because I don't get enough sleep. That gets kind of frustrating, so yes…I do find myself waking up tired all the time.
DB: Does your voice ever crash on you?
BN: All the time, but still I have never cancelled a show. A lot of people are canceling shows; Jewel and Kid Rock. It's not right. You just give 'er…you give 'er every day. I've done a lot of concerts where I've had no voice. I often just sit there and think "what's the point in doing this?" But when this happens I rely on my fans. My fans know my songs: I just put the mic out to them and they'll sing the choruses, they'll sing it. It works out every time.
DB: How do you think your life has changed in the past six years, from the time you were an indie act to now, when you are well-known and recognizable and doing very well for yourself?
BN: The thing that affects me most is people coming to shows. Hopefully, the more well known you get the more kids come to your shows. That's all that I care about…the show.
DB: Your new album Purge was recorded in Her Royal Majesty's Recording Studio. What does it mean to you to have your own studio?
BN: It means that we get to demo and do our own records. I have two acts coming out. We did LiveonRelease's record at my studio, which came out last year. We just finished recording Fresh Bread…they're coming out in January. The Way Out, their record is coming out in March, and it was recorded at my studio. It's just such fun. When we get home (from this tour) we are going into the studio for fun. We're just going to demo and see what we can come up with.
DB: Is your downtime mainly spent in the recording studio?
BN: In the studio, or trying to get an acting gig. I'm always working. I have never taken a vacation and I never think about it…(fakes a crying voice) now you've planted the seeds and I wanna vacation! (laughs). At five-thirty until eight in the morning is my downtime. That's when I paint. I hang out with my dogs and take them for walks. That's a very relaxing thing for me to do every day.
DB: What humours you? What do you find funny?
BN: Absolutely everything humours me (laughs). Right now, because I'm on tour and in such close quarters with every one on the bus, I find I'm laughing all the time. They make me laugh. My drummer makes me laugh more than anybody. He is the funniest guy…and my guitar player Doug. They're so funny, and they have me laughing all the time. They're hysterical.
DB: What about tour stories? What is the wildest thing you have ever done?
BN: I'm such a square; it's really hard to say. Even when I used to drugs, I was never into the 'smash-the-hotel-room' scene. I find that bands that do that are so lame. We always make fun of them. The boys in my band drink and sometimes get out of control, but the jokes get funnier; they put lampshades on their heads…that's about it. When I was in my band Chrome Dog we got robbed at gunpoint in Fresno, California while we were on stage. These guys in a gang came up and put a gun to my guitar player's head and told us to get off the stage because they wanted to play on our gear. We got the hell off the stage. They played, and we helplessly watched them as they wrecked our gear. We were praying that they wouldn't do anything to our band. Any other road stories I have are just those of misogamy, where girls come on the bus and you're just being polite and making popcorn and stuff, and the next thing you know they have their shirts off, because they're drunk. It's just like "man…put your shirt back on!" You feel so bad, but at the same time you also wonder what the hell are they doing? It's just a preconceived notion that they have, I guess (that this is what they have to do).
DB: What do you enjoy in music?
BN: I really like trip-hop music a lot, ambient and drum and bass. With my sword practice, yoga and ashtanga, I started getting into this artist called Krishna Das. I really like listening to him all the time.
DB: What do you find sprititual?
BN: Everything. Creation can be an art form. A lot of people connect with a consciousness thing that they wouldn't have otherwise. If you can create something that moves other people, be it a sculpture, a piece of art, a photograph or with a song, I just think that's just such a great thing for a human to be able to connect with another in that sort of way.
DB: How have you found that the Internet has played into the marketing attempts of your music?
BN: I don't know. We have websites and stuff, but I still don't own a computer. I can't be bothered; I'm too lazy. I write down websites all the time and Ill go look at them whenever I get on my manager's computer; I think that's really fun. There are bootlegs of our songs that kids have recorded. There is a show of ours from Florida that a friend of mine downloaded. It just blows my mind that you can do that, that that's a possibility. I don't really care (that fans can do this); I think it's funny. The Internet's a weird place, but it's cool: kids can make websites of us with pictures from the shows. It's just like having photos in your locker at school for people to see. I think the whole concept is really neat.
DB: What do you find most annoying about interviewers like me? Do you ever wish that you can sit in your bus for the three hours before a show rather than answering basically the same questions day-in and day-out?
BN: I don't find anything annoying. I'm a people person. I like meeting people and I really like that about my job. I'm grateful that people like you even want to talk to me about my music. I can't imagine that anyone would find that bad, except for Oasis or someone like that. I don't understand why they're so grouchy. I think press is a privilege that's afforded to a few people. It can be such a good tool. The media is such a great vehicle. Overall, I think I'm very lucky to be able to do any press.
By Dave Brosha, CanEHdian.com (December, 2001)
