1. Please introduce The Barnkats + give some background info.
The Barnkats are a girl
duo from Hunter River. We started "the summer of grade nine" and
have been been playing and writing
since. We were bored that summer and Gillian knew a few cords
and Katie could keep a beat on a bongo; so we hit it up.
With time
came a little more talent, you could say, and here we are! Still
having fun, not taking ourselves too seriously, because we don't
understand why some people actually take our music seriously.
We do, however, love playing in front of an audience, compared
to an empty cow field.
2. How would you describe your music?
It's like thunder and lightening, drinking tea, sitting on the
sand, clothes drenched in campfire smoke, and so many more complicated
and pleasurable things.
3. What is your musical background? When did indie/punk/whatever
come into play?
I (Katie) once took piano for two years but then I quit because
I thought playing trumpet in the school band would be much cooler,
then I quit that. Somehow this led to playing a xylophone and
shakers?
I (Gillian) once found a guitar in a basement, asked my dad
how to play it. Thanks to inspirational music clips on muchmusic,
I wanted to be a musician.
We still don't think of ourselves as any genre and the only
way we know to say we are indie/folk/electro-cute is because people
tell us that is what we are. So then when myspace asks us what
were are, we change it up and say "Western-Swing"!
4. How has high school influenced your music? What else inspires
you as a band?
High school is pretty prominent in our older (as in last year)
songs just because when you're in high school, you're there a
lot and we're influenced by our environment. Whether it be an
overheard conversation, people we know or meet, stuff that happens
to us, pretty much just stuff we come across together.
5. What are some of the things you try to communicate through
your music?
We talk a lot about social standings that are easy to find on
PEI, especially in the music scene. We talk a lot about not taking
things too seriously and not taking yourself seriously either,
to some extent.
6. What's been your most memorable live show to date?
Gill: The first show we ever played was in Kensington for the
school's battle of the bands. I was so nervous, I could have sweat
my face off. The windows were open the whole drive there, even
though it was early spring. But in the end, I gained some confidence
in myself and I don't sweat as much anymore.
Katie: I beg to differ about the sweating, however, my most
memorable show was one we played in early August at Brennan's.
Mostly because it was our first bar show and we had just played
an awful set a couple hours earlier at an all-ages show. The bar's
set went well, the audience was really great. and I got to see
my brother's band (The Robots) play for the first time!
7. What band made you want to be in your own band?
By the time we realized we were kind of a credible band, we had
already been together for about 2 or 3 years. It was always just
a hobby, mostly in the summer and at girl guide camp. Just two
friends hanging out.
8. When do you think the best moment to listen to The Barnkats
is?
Four-thirty in the morning as the sun is coming up over the lake
and a bat named Jupiter circles your head and you're having a
hetero-sexual brokeback mountain scene around the coals with your
BK (whoever that may be).
9. What is your favourite dance party song?
Probably our pump-up songs like Money by this Martime dude. We
also love Kanye's Touch the Sky, and some local pump-up that doesn't
really qualify as dance party.
10. Word association because it's fun:
Dreams: s'mores and puppies
Love: Joel Plaskett
Prelude: symphony
Destruction: youth showcases
Individuality: too common
Forgotten: deep
Straight edge: Jerry Coady's carpentery skills
11. What plans are in the future for The Barnkats?
We really want to be 19 so we can go to bars, not to consume liquor,
but so we can see bands we like and so we can play more bar shows.
We've been talking about turning 19 all summer and it just won't
happen!
12. How can kids contact you?
www.myspace.com/thebarnkats also, email: k_rankin@hotmail.com
or garsenault_10@hotmail.com
13. Any final words?
This has been fun. First interview. We love Matt Dixon. and we
can't wait to go to our campfire...now.
