Photo by Jonathan Dy

Fine Times are a band that have been on our radar for some time now, and it seems like their debut album have caught the attention of many others. Our writer Melisa had the wonderful opportunity of interviewing them to see what they’ve been up to. Read the interview below to find out the concept behind the “Hey Judas” video as well as their upcoming tour plans.

Melisa Baykent: Hello, first of all do you think you could introduce yourselves and give us a brief history on how the band got together?

Jeff: Matt and I originally met while working at the same record store a bunch of years ago. We’d gotten together for some writing sessions and things just kinda progressed as we got more serious about it. The “Fine Times” moniker got put to the music around 2011 in the lead up to a record deal with Light Organ Records and the subsequent release of our L/P in the fall of 2012.

MB: I hear that you guys have been nominated for the SiriusXM Emerging Artist of the Year for the 13th Annual Indies, how does that feel?

Matt: It’s very flattering. It’s the first thing we’ve ever been nominated for, so it’s a bit of a novelty for us.

MB: What is the concept behind the “Hey Judas” video? And what was it like filming it?

M: The concept was to create a morbid, secular sort of Lord of the Flies. The video was shot over two days, the first of which was spent from sunrise to sunset on the beach. The entire cast (which was mainly comprised of our friends) was terribly sunburned, with elaborate geometric tan-lines where the UV resistant makeup was painted on. We must have spent 2 or 3 hours in the studio the next morning covering everything up.

MB: For the people who haven’t heard your music before, how would you describe it?

M: Like Daryl Hall giving Jim Reid a mid-tempo hand job.

MB: What would you say the Canadian music scene is like compared to the U.S. music scene? Is there a big difference?

J: To be honest, there’s already so much difference between the scenes in Canadian cities that I don’t think I could accurately group them together and make an intelligent statement on it vs. the U.S. scene. I’d probably roll my eyes at my own answer.

MB: What was the recording process like for your self-titled debut album? And by the way it is such a great album!

M: Thank you! Working with Howard Redekopp was a big learning experience for me. He’s a wealth of knowledge, and has an impeccable ear. I took a month off of work, and holed myself up in his studio with him. We spent a lot of time layering sounds on top of one another, experimenting with various analogue synths, seeing what worked and what didn’t. It was nice being able to dedicate the time strictly to developing the album.

MB: What can fans expect at your live shows if they haven’t been to one before?

J: Possibly seeing Matt vomit in the men’s room just before we hit the stage.

MB: Can we expect any tour plans in the near future?

J: Yes, we’ll be heading to SXSW and Canadian Music Week in March. The rest, as they say, is in the works.

MB: If you could be anybody for a day, who would you be and why?

J: 1943 Federico Fellini, if only to just spend a day with 1943 Giulietta Masina.

MB: What’s something on your Bucket List?

M: I’m so terrified of dying that I can’t even answer this without putting myself on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

Fine Times: “Hey Judas”

Twitter: @finetimes

Facebook: Fine Times

Also be sure to check out their playlist!