#houseoftarg

[sometimesalwaysmusic]

EMPTY NESTERS

We caught up with Eric Liao, alias Empty Nesters, for a quick catch-up about the origins of his project, his favourite Ottawa haunts, and a new recording project he has on the way. Read on to learn about upcoming local festivals he’s looking forward to, and more music releases to come in 2019.

VITALS

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EmptyNestersBand

Bandcamp: https://emptynesters.bandcamp.com/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emptynestersband/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ericxliao

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/ericliao

YouTube: https://youtu.be/VlzA30VIzrE

SA: How did you first get your start in this style of music? EL: I started Empty Nesters in 2016 as a creative outlet for myself and it began as an ambient project. Then it grew into a Garage rock project. After spending most of my money for more recording gear, it eventually grew to whatever it is now. I don’t really know haha, my mind is all over the place when it comes to defining a genre for this project. I’ll make whatever I feel like making.

 SA: What bands or musicians would you cite as the biggest influences on your sound? EL:  There are too many to name, so to narrow it all down, I guess my biggest influences would have to be: My Bloody Valentine, Joy Division, NEU!, Duster, Modest Mouse and Unwound.

 SA: Thus far in your career, what has been your biggest success? EL: Honestly, just getting the opportunity to play live shows because I didn’t think that I would. I started going to local live shows by myself frequently since 2014 discovering festivals such as: SOTO Fest, Ottawa Explosion (RIP) and Megaphono. It’s just surreal to me as a showgoer that we’ve played Ottawa Explosion twice and this year’s Megaphono festival. Additionally, we’ve played alongside with amazing bands such as Mauno for our first ever venue show, Chastity, Camp Cope, Tough Age and many more. I am just grateful that we’re playing more shows to this day and I would like to thank Ottawa Showbox, Debaser, Ottawa Explosion, PRISM, First Crush Promotion, Local Ottawa Live, Megaphono, Not For Function Network, Spectrasonic and my good friend Christopher Gray for involving us.

 SA: On the other hand, what is the biggest challenge you have faced, and how have you dealt with it? EL: The biggest challenges that I’ve faced was finding a suitable space to record my tracks and scheduling a time to rehearse with my bandmates as we all work full time. Luckily now, we all live nearby to each other and within an area that’s closer to the venues that we play frequently in. Before that, we would rehearse/record at Capital Rehearsal Studios and all of my gear was in a storage unit across from the building.

 SA: How do you approach the song-writing process? EL: Typically on a random day, a melody or an idea pops up in my head. I try to figure out the notes by playing my guitar/midi keyboard as I do not know any chords whatsoever. I eventually start recording the instrumentals, once that’s done, lyrics and vocals are last.

 SA: What are your thoughts on the Ottawa music scene, particularly regarding the style of music you play? EL: It’s small, but it’s diverse, slowly growing and a very inclusive scene. Many of the acts/bands in Ottawa such as Deathsticks, Mark ii, Curl, Doxx, Ultra Love, Ruth Grader, Organ Eyes, etc. are not only great but filled with so much talent. They inspire me to write and record more music.

 SA: If you had to choose your favourite moment off your latest release, Tired and Bored, what would it be, and why? EL: I guess my favourite moment off the EP was completing ‘Give up’ within 2 days and ‘I’m so Bored at Home’ in a day. Both tracks were written from scratch in the beginning stages and the recording/mixing process went a lot quicker than I expected as it was mostly improvised by overdubbing a track to another. I liked the way how the two tracks turned out in the end. I didn’t sleep during its process, but I think it was worth it.

 SA: With respect to your lyrics, what serves as lyrical inspiration, and do you find yourself coming back to similar emotions or stories that resonate with you? EL: As mentioned before, I record music as a creative outlet for myself. I can express the way with how I am feeling on some days through my recordings and it’s therapeutic to me. I’m pretty introverted, pessimistic and generally keep most things to myself. My lyrics are usually straight forward but sometimes, peculiar with the way I word things together. My lyrics follow a general theme of self-loathing. But to answer your question, nihilism would probably serve as a lyrical inspiration for me. I don’t think I can ever write a song about happiness or romance. Although, I am a fan of it as a listener, it just doesn’t appeal to me in the creative process.

 SA: A question for fun, for the locals: do you have a particularly favourite venue to play in Ottawa, and if so, why? EL: I usually prefer playing house shows (Ex: Off Peak Green Barn, Ask-a-Punk) or DIY venues, but in terms of Ottawa venues, that’s a tough one. Phil (Bassist), Robbie (Drummer) and I typically have fun at most of the Ottawa venues we play in, but if I had to pick, it would have to be Black Squirrel Books. The people there are very kind, many selections of books to browse through before doors open, great venue environment and a consistent lineup of awesome shows. Shout out to Anthony Cardozo for killing it with the upcoming shows this year. Speaking of upcoming shows, everyone should attend the SIDE BY SIDE Weekend Fundraiser on Mar. 29. The new SIDE BY SIDE Fest (July 25-28 2019) venues hosted by House of Targ and Black Squirrel is going to be sweet!

 SA: What do you hope for musically in 2019? Our best wishes for your continued successes! EL: Release more music as much as possible, experiment with more genres that I haven’t touched, collaborations with other artists and maybe tour if that’s a possibility. I’m currently working on a new recording project under the name China Steps. The album should come out later this year. It might have some R&B influences and it will be a lot mellower than Empty Nesters. As for Empty Nesters, I hope to release all of the Bag of Suck compilations, two or three EPs and possibly an album by the end of 2019.

[hardscienceav]

A little promo vid for my upcoming show for SOS at House of Targ- December 13. . Featuring me, Ki, Paraphonique, Infinitys Astrum, Transmit vs Intangerines . . http://www.houseoftarg.com/concert-listings-events/switched-on-synths-613-allstars-edition-hard-science-ki-paraphonique-infinitys-astrum-transmit-vs-intangerines . . #hardscience #switchedonsynths #houseoftarg #synths #retrowave #613 https://www.instagram.com/p/BrHPChylqQJ/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=pbje7gdrpj4r

[therevue]

Last week, one of our collective favorite bands stopped in Ottawa to rock the pinball machines at House of TARG. Take a peek at Darren's photos of The Foreign Resort's gig. ... #TheForeignResort #livemusic #concert #concertphotography #gigphotography #music #postpunk #darkwave #Ottawa #HouseofTarg #newmusic #indiemusic (at House of TARG)

[colintemplephoto]

The combo of pinball and pierogies is @houseoftarg's claim to fame. Also it's a bar and there's frequent live music. One of the cooler places to go in Ottawa, if you've never been. . . . #houseoftarg #bar #bars #pinball #pierogi #pierogilove #perogies #ottawa #ottawaontario #ottawastreet #ottawafood #ottawafun #ottawafeatures #ottawafoodies #myottawa #nightphotography #nightlife #night #blackandwhite #blackandwhitephotography #bnw #bnwphotography #bnwstreet #bnwnight #blackandwhitenight #ottawanightlife #smallbusiness #theglebe #glebeottawa #glebe (at House of TARG) https://www.instagram.com/p/B4vs_HIDd_V/?igshid=1aizhr4vaylbq

[natcaprock]

The Offers raving at Targ for SNSF #livemusic #houseoftarg #sidebysidefest (at House of TARG) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0XJedGlLox/?igshid=8vhmj4tbwqks

[polestarphotographyottawa]

💅🏻@polestar photographyottawa 🍻@houseoftarg 📸Photographer: @mandihutchinson 💡Lighting Assistant: @nigelmurrayphotography #ottawashooting #photoshoot #mandihutchinsonphotography #photography #portrait #portraitphotography #bluegel #houseoftarg #barshoot #ottawa #totoro #noface #butterflytattoo #pastel #highlights #braids #forever21 (at House of TARG)

[del-roba-creations]

Just a couple pet collars I'll have at the Wizard Werks craft show at House of Targ tomorrow from 3-7pm. #delrobacreations #DRCworkshop #petcollar #wizardwerks #HouseofTarg #ottawa #ottawapets #starwars

[downineden-blog]

We have the pleasure of helping Wyntr launch their new sound and rocking out with Soul in Stone. Come out for music, beers and pinball!!! #downineden #wyntr #soulinstone #houseoftarg #ottawamusic #canadianmusic #pinball #perogies #rockandroll #concert #livemusicrocks (at Ottawa, Ontario)

[balkanada]

“Flutes and bokeh balls” featuring @theholygasp #flute #theholygasp #liveconcert #beatnik #blackandwhitephoto #monochrome #houseoftarg #bokeh #bokehlicious #sonya7sii #metabones #zeisscameralenses #balkanada (at House of TARG)

[dontsang]

#surferblood (#westpalmbeach 🌴 #florida) X #katievonschleicher (#brooklyn 🌉 #newyork) #floatingvibes #noimnotready #houseoftarg #live #music #pinballs #arcades #perogies #summer #ottawa #ontario #canada 🇨🇦 #USA 🇺🇸 (at House of TARG)

[sometimesalwaysmusic]

SWIM TEAM

Swim Team has really hit the ground running. Having formed only recently, the band has already released a fantastic single, their debut EP, and were featured earlier this month by Alternative Press as one of eleven Canadian bands to keep an eye on. We caught up with members Marco Ferraris (MF,  above far left ) and Will Lepine (WL, above second from right) to learn more about the band.

VITALS

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/swimteam.music/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/swimteam.band/

Web: https://swimteam613.bandcamp.com/

Latest Release: Swim Team (EP, May 2017)

Upcoming shows: Stay tuned!

SA: How did Swim Team first start playing music together? MF: Honestly I think Will, Nick and I joked about a band on twitter to the point that we all had a free night and actually jammed. Cam had talked about a band for a while and he has a lovely voice so he was a good fit from the get go. So basically we were born from a joke. 

SA: I've seen clips of you performing covers of acts as diverse as LCD Soundsystem and Deafheaven at live shows. What bands or musicians would you cite as the biggest influences on your sound? MF: We all really enjoy LCD Soundsystem and “All My Friends” translated nicely to a cover. We started playing that from the start as our infamous 7 minute cover. Deafheaven was a hilarious one off but maybe we’ll bring that back (we will definitely bring that back). The National have been a big influence lately. They sing about the saddest stuff. WL: Bruce Springsteen is also probably a big one. We covered Born to Run once and dads moshed so that was cool.

SA: Thus far in your career, what has been the band’s biggest success? MF: Power dropping our EP within 5 minutes of arriving in Hamilton with literally no hype up was hilariously fun and oddly successful (oh my god thank you for this interview and asking us about it later)

SA: Conversely, what is the biggest challenge you have faced, and how have you dealt with it? WL: I don’t really think we’ve faced any real challenges with this band. Aside from the usual peoples lives things getting in the way, Swim Team was formed to be a project we could all have fun with. Taking that approach has made it so that the band never gets too stressful for anyone which has been really cool. SA: How do you guys approach the song-writing process? MF: We normally whip up the music first and them Cameron and/or I bring in some lyrics. He’s normally got some story he’s written about a sad man trying to make it work in New Hampshire, or something. Always a safe bet! WL: Its a very jam oriented process, someone comes in with a riff or a chord progression and we just jam it out and feel it out until its something we like.

SA: What are your thoughts on the Ottawa music scene? MF: I think there is a lot of talent here. Bands are taking a lot of tour leaps from Ottawa which is exciting, and smaller venues are starting to host some pretty sweet acts (like Black Squirrel Books). WL: Recently a few large-ish venues have shut down which has sucked but its forced people in the music scene to find interesting spots to host events and that has given the Ottawa music scene a very different twist. The venues Ottawa does have (House of Targ, LIVE on Elgin) are very cool spots but then there’s also stuff like Black Squirrel Books that Marco mentioned thats a really cool spot to have events. I’ve seen Marco’s band, The Stringers, play an olive oil bar so like, that’s Ottawa in a nutshell.

SA: You guys just finished off a run with Castlefield and Grass Dancers. Any highlights from this tour? MF: Playing that many shows back to back was a first for us, and let us tighten up live. Oshawa was a bit of an awkward start since the venue we were scheduled at decided to shut down the entire show because of a few underage kids in a band...but we ended up crashing an open mic night elsewhere. It was all pretty silly. Hamilton is a gorgeous city and was personally my favourite night of the tour as it was the one night we all hung out until the wee hours all getting to know one another. WL: It was definitely a good time, we got to see some friends and make new ones. A lot of the people we played to seemed really into it which is always nice to see. Definitely something we’d like to do again.

SA: Your EP was released in late May 2017. As a band, do you have a favourite track off the release, and why? MF: Snowbirds is my personal favourite...just the most fun to jam on and it sounds rather pleasant even though it’s kind of sad. That’s kind of Swim Team, though…

SA: If you had to choose, what three records would you cite as most impactful on your sound in this band? MF: Oh man I am horrible with album names. For me: that Bon Iver one...The National’s Alligator aaaaaaand The Alvvays record. WL: And any Bruce record. SA: What comes next for you guys in 2017? Good luck this coming year! MF: We are aiming to record 2 more tracks at Will’s up and coming studio. We’re getting a little more jolly sounding with the summer months. One of that has a nice beach spring to it and I think we’ll get a video going for that one. I’m sure we’ll think up another silly song title for it, too. WL: SHAMELESS SELF PROMOTION: hit me up on facebook for details, Scoreboard Studios, as we’re calling it is hoping to launch fully within the next few months. Very excited to pump out some new Swim Team tunes as well as some other local acts. Aside from that, I’m sure Swim Team we’ll be hitting the road again for a bit whenever we can find some time.

[yogismeatlocker]

MEGA NEWS ALERT - Our new seasonal special is finally here at House of Targ!! 4 over-sized sauerkraut & caraway seed dough perogies, topped w/ a pile of Montreal smoked meat, Swiss cheese, cognac mustard, and dill pickle spear!! Served all day long starting at 11am today - Big thanks for the sweet pic @eatpunx82 - amazing!! Try out this new creation today and give us your review along with any ideas for naming this beast 🙂we've got a sweet show on deck for tonight - doors@9pm, check our listings below for details #ottawa #pinball #perogies #houseoftarg #smokedmeat #fun #handmade #food #special #classic #flavours #games #retro #arcade #gaming #action #shows #bands #events #parties #friends #community #love #nevergiveup SATURDAY #Dbeat https://www.facebook.com/events/1957627047799083/?ti=icl SUNDAY #freeplay http://www.houseoftarg.com/concert-listings-events/2016/7/3/toughen-up-with-dj-kjmaxx-freeplay-pinball-vids (at House of TARG)

[coreylovesjoey]

Grody to the max 💖⚡️👾 (80s nite @houseoftarg) (at GirlSweat) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bny6AzFncEK/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1a14eu4dd0fj9

[heartattackkids-blog1]

OTTAWA! TOUR STARTS TONIGHT! @houseoftarg 8pm! With @peaks613 and @onionfaceband Cya there! . . . . . . . . . #heartattackkids #band #rockandroll #ottawa #rock #music #canadian #canadianmusic #news #ottnews #gatineau #guitar #drums #duo (at House of TARG)

[natcaprock]

Warp Lines rocking at Targ for their record release show. @dirtcultrecords @houseoftarg #livemusic #ottawamusic #band (at House of TARG) https://www.instagram.com/p/B2-0Vq-F3j8/?igshid=1j6kla62ww4bc

[the-grand-gemini]

These 4(possibly 5 if I finish on time) embroidery pieces will be available at @houseoftarg Sunday June 24th for the wizard summer craft show! 🐝 . . . #embroideryofinstagram #embroideryhoop #embroidery #embroideryskull #deerskull #animalskull #boneart #veganbones #stars #constellation #moonlovers #moon #phasesofthemoon #moonphases #beeembroidery #bees #honeycombs #honeybee #bumblebeeembroidery #bumblebee #🐝 #katieversace #beginnerembroidery #needlework #needleandthread #craft #honeycombmoon