by JOHNSON CUMMINS

Poxy's main man Xavier Caféine is one of the most recognizable rockers on the Montreal scene. Having initially turned heads with his old band Caféine, Xavier is currently putting the finishing touches on Poxy's debut record and he's bursting at the seams about his new band. The Mirror sat down with Caféine, who let us in on his plan for world domination.

Mirror: Seeing as you were the sole songwriter in Caféine a lot of people wonder why you changed the band name.

Xavier Caféine: We aren't really doing the same thing. It's not the same people and it's not the same sound. It's like when a boat sinks - you don't just get another boat and christen it with the same name. With Caféine, we went as far as we could with that voodoo/garage kind of thing and we said all we wanted to say.

M: Poxy sounds a lot more accessible and, dare I say, pop than what I was expecting.

XC: When I started this band, I knew exactly where I wanted to go. I get really excited by well-written songs, so right from the start I wanted good chords with good melodies served up with ample attitude. We are definitely not a retro band but I wanted the same kind of excitement I got listening to bands like the Undertones or the Buzzcocks.

M: Your mother tongue is French but Poxy's songs are largely sung in English. Was this a conscious decision to expand your audience?

XC: For me, English is the language of rock. I'm not saying that singing in French is bad or wrong, but the origins of rock and blues is all sung in English so it feels natural for me. People don't ask Swedish bands, "Why aren't you singing in Swedish?" Although singing in English isn't really a career decision, it obviously brings more opportunity to be heard in places we didn't have access to before. I didn't set out for Poxy to be English or French, but I did want Poxy to be a band for the world.

With We Are Wolves at Petit Campus, (tonight!) Thursday, Aug. 14, 8:30PM

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