Q&A with Dog Is Blue

Toronto's Dog Is Blue (aka Paul Watson) has released one of my favorite debut albums of 2009 so far. ...Makes Ghost Noises (review here) is definitely worth picking up if you haven't already.

I had the chance to ask Watson a few questions about his music. Here's how it all went down:

T.O. Snob: You’ve just released your debut album, which I think is fantastic.. In your own words what can listeners expect from it?

PW: Homespun ghost-folk made in a happy soup kitchen.

T.O. Snob: I understand you recorded the entire record in your apartment. Do you think that intimacy comes through on the record?

PW: I like to think that it sounds charmingly homemade, if I can be so generous. That's what I was going for anyway. I've been home-recording for years and with time, patience and a willingness to unplug my noisy refrigerator I think the results can be surprising. I hope there's just the right amount of intimacy and sprawl. Close but not too close.

T.O. Snob: So does recording in your apartment mean you can write off some of your rent as a business expense?

PW: I wish. I work from home anyway, so I do get to claim some business expenses, but the thing about expenses seems to be that you need to be making money to claim stuff, which Dog Is Blue is not. Alas, 'tis the craft I chose.

T.O. Snob: It takes some guts to record and release an album on your own. What drove you to say ‘you know what’I’m making this album and putting it out myself?

PW: Years of procrastinating finally coming to a head. That and the fact that I needed a way to justify all the gear my Craigslist/Ebay addiction as led me to acquire over the years. The immediacy of doing it when I did (early this year) was caused by my friend Jenny Omnichord asking if I wanted to do a mini-tour out east with her (we went for three weeks in April). I figured I'd need some excuse to make that viable and the album I've been wanting to make for years suddenly became a necessity.

T.O. Snob: What inspires a Dog Is Blue song?

PW: I can't say that I ever sit down with the intent of writing a song about a particular thing. Bob Dylan mentioned in his autobiography something about only being able to write when you're moving. I tend to agree. I can't think of how many times I've been doing nonsense, not paying attention and the next thing I know I'm grabbing a pen to write down a chorus or a lyric that will eventually become something (or not). I'm also always coming across new gear that I'm eager to try (not to mention homemade guitar pedals), which plays a huge part in what the end result.

T.O. Snob: Songs like “Alligator Song” show a sharp sense of humour. How important is that aspect to your music?

PW: There's nothing more embarrassing to me than watching someone take themselves too seriously.

T.O. Snob: Where did the Dog Is Blue moniker come from?

PW: I had a band name involving the world "wolf," but that seems to have been the animal of choice for bands for a while, so I ditched it (turns out "dog" isn't much better these days, mind you). Basically, I was walking around one afternoon talking to myself and the rhythm of these three unassuming words seemed pleasant.

T.O. Snob: You have a couple of Toronto gigs coming up in the near future. What are the differences for you in recording these songs in your apartment and performing them live as a two piece?

PW: The goal of the album was to record something that sounded fairly full, but humble enough to pull off live without needing a 10-piece band. For shows we chop it down to essentials and I think it works well. Personally I just like being able to feed off our on stage chemistry and know that I've got someone beside me who can help me bring it home.

T.O. Snob: As a Toronto-based artist, who locally has inspired you to write?

PW: Toronto is full of excellent musicians and artists. Lately, I'd have to say that Andrew Vincent is topping my list of musicians with songs that I wished I'd written. Of course, it only gets more inspiring as you include southern Ontario. Currently I'm pretty enamoured with Henry Svec (The CFL Sessions). Hamilton's Wax Mannequin has always been a huge favourite too.

T.O. Snob: If you could work with anyone playing today who would you chose?

PW: Chad VanGaalen. He's easily one of the most ispiring and talented people I can think of.

T.O. Snob: If someone looked through your CD collection what would they be most surprised to see?

PW: Seeing as I just put out a pretty folky album I suppose it would be surprising to see Satriani's Surfing with the Alien or A Tribe Called Quest's The Low End Theory on my shelf.

T.O. Snob: Is there anything you’d like to add?

PW: People keep informing me that the key to success for a band is surrounding yourself in a shroud of mystique. In that case, I just thought you should know that I may or may not be half robot and I was raised by pirates.

T.O. Snob: Thanks again for taking the time to do this for us. Good luck with the shows.

As an aside, Watson also reveled that there is potentially a Dog Is Blue covers EP in the works. You all know my love of covers, so this is definitely a welcome piece of news.

Dog Is Blue play Tranzac in Toronto on June 27th.

Dog Is Blue's website

Dog Is Blue's Myspace