by LORRAINE CARPENTER

Vancouver’s chamber popsmiths the Salteens went hi-fi with their uppity sophomore album Let Go of Your Bad Days, released last March on their label Boompa. But in Australia, where they’ve toured with top indie bands, the album was launched last winter with some sweet fanfare. And despite losing founding member Megan Bradfield last month, the band has regrouped—with old friends Kevin Cooper and Erin Jane—and keeps riding high. The Mirror talked Oz and Ozzy with singer Scott Walker.

Mirror: How’s the music scene in Australia?

Scott Walker: In the circles we’ve run in, the bands are outstanding. It seems that in North America, we’ve hit the saturation point. Too many people listened to Nirvana and picked up guitars. I wouldn’t dissuade anyone from trying music, but everyone’s got a band and every bar is booking every band and no one cares anymore because the quality isn’t that good. It happened in Vancouver—people stopped going out, so the bars shut down. Everyone was bemoaning the loss of live music, but I was so happy! When there was only one bar left, the competition was greater so the bands had to be better and people started going out because it was fun again. It’s like a big bang, you’ve got to contract and expand.

M: Have you had any culture clashes or bizarre encounters down under?

SW: No, unfortunately we never have good rock ’n’ roll stories, everybody’s really even-keeled and well mannered. Actually, the one funny thing was that we had groupies, and we’d never had groupies so we didn’t understand. These girls were travelling with us for a week and we didn’t clue in. So one night we were partying and they started coming on to us and we’re like, “What? You’re friends with us, what are you doing?” We weren’t ready for rock.

M: Hee-hee. So how did you come to arrange Ozzy Osbourne’s “Dreamer” for a choir?

SW: Well, a friend of mine teaches high school choir and the kids wanted to do Ozzy, so I rattled that thing off. It was a little difficult.

With Sekiden and the Faux at
Casa del Popolo on Friday, June 13, 9pm, $5

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