Interview by Darro Davis

With genres of music being blended so smoothly and creatively these days it is impossible to pinpoint a bands style. Pop, folk, indie… are all adjectives that could be used to describe The Liptonians, but they are oh so much more!

Lets start first by talking about the new video, 'Destroy, Destroy, Destroy." First of all I would like to say that you guys have the most vivid imaginations in every aspect from your writing skills, music skills and now visually from the looks of this video. Where and how did the concept of the video derived from?

The concept was inspired by real life events. Matt, myself and a bunch of other creative-types used to inhabit a house in Winnipeg we dubbed "Liptonia." Lots of parties were had, songs were written and hair-brained schemes plotted. One such scheme was Matt and a roommate attempting to build a raft out of found objects. Much to their surprise it actually worked. We really wanted to naturally capture the adrenaline rush and sense of camaraderie and adventure that happened through that act of spontaneity. So we recreated that day with a bunch of our friends and basically hung out all day creating this thing while people filmed us.
 

On the topic of lyrics and writing, what influences the bands style, and are there any musicians or artists that really inspire you?

We draw inspiration from a bunch of different places. Usually we grab little pieces of things from different artists that resonate with us. We are big Wilco fans (Yankee Hotel Foxtrot is a big reason this band exists). We dig Blitzen Trapper and Spoon a lot too. We're also big fans of the classics: The Beatles, Neil Young, The Band. And then there's just our friends. We are lucky to be part of a pretty great creative community here in Winnipeg. Having people create things in your circle every day eggs you on to push harder, dig deeper and try new things.
 

Are there any specific artists or musicians that you would like to collaborate with in the future?

Again, it has always been a dream to collaborate with Wilco. I really resonate with their ethos of creating and building up a pop song and then destroying it to try and re-construct it in a more interesting and resonating way. I would love to have Eddie Hazel (Funkadelic) play a solo on something. I usually hate guitar solos. But that guy can move me. There are countless others...
 

The writing of music seems so complex and intangible and the passion you guys give seems to go wild but you guys seem to know how to tame it and simplifying the technicality of infusing the music effortlessly. How difficult is it to write for each song lyrically? Or is it even difficult at all?

Each song has a different journey lyrically. Sometimes the words just spill out and you get lucky. Sometimes you have a certain feeling or moment in time you are trying to describe or convey and it takes hours, days, weeks to fight through and make sure every word means what you want it to and that the vowel and consonant sounds of each word enhance the groove and feeling of the music.
 
Matt mentioned in a documentary that you guys write songs on a piece of paper and put it in a hat which you guys call 'the songwriting game.' Are you guys still playing the song writing game?

I am sure that when we really start pushing ourselves to write a new batch of songs for the next record we will play songwriting games again. That particular exercise resulted in "Calling You Out" and "You Know I Did" from our latest album. We hadn't written together in a while and were at a cabin trying to get some new material flowing. Playing that game gave us a place to start, to get the creative juices flowing.
 

So what else can we expect from the Liptonians in the next 6 months to a year aside from the album?

After the release of our album we toured a bunch. This fall we released a split 7-inch single with a band called The Zolas from Vancouver. We each had a brand new song on each side. It was the first recording we have done with the current member line-up of The Liptonians and the chemistry was really great in the studio. We will all be focusing our energy on some other projects over the winter/spring, but will continue to write new material. We will definitely release something in the next year, whether that's an album or an EP. But we are constantly making new music with one project or another. We find it tough to sit still.
 

Last question. Do you miss working at the golf course? :) 

I miss seeing the sunrise. And I miss listening to records all day on my mower. But I like making music all day a lot more.