Q&A with: Hooray For Earth

NYC indie band Hooray For Earth come to Toronto for a show in a couple of weeks.  I recently had the chance to ask lead signer Noel Heroux a few questions about their take on music.  Here's what he had to say:

T.O. Snob: You’re playing the Horseshoe in Toronto on August 15th with Admiral Radley. For people who haven’t seen Hooray For Earth before what can they expect?

We like to play the songs close to their recorded state but we tend to be loud and more distorted.

T.O. Snob: Is this your first trip to Toronto? If so what do you expect?

Yes! I guess we expect it to be like "we're in Toronto". Seriously though we're especially excited for our Canadian adventure.

T.O. Snob: What inspires a Hooray For Earth song?

Ohhh. Being alive I suppose - just the notes floating around in the head, they become organized in a certain way and songs are born - then they get recorded.

T.O. Snob: Some artists clearly put more effort into their lyrics, others focus on a killer riff or fancy arrangement. Is there one element of a song that is most important to you?

They'll all most important, but I do lyrics last. They usually take shape according to what the song sounds like and what the melodies are doing/where they're going.

T.O. Snob: MOMO is a solid EP. Are you working on more new material and when can we expect a full length?

We're very deep in the process with an LP.

T.O. Snob: What is the inspiration for the band’s name?

Our good friend Pete was having a party (classic Pete party) and everyone was yelling "hooray for ____", just different things. Hooray for earth was uttered and it stuck in my head, came out later as a band name for better or worse.

T.O. Snob: I noticed there is no Wikipedia entry for Hooray For Earth yet. If you were writing one how would you start it?

I would write "This page is a stub. (Edit page)"

T.O. Snob: If someone were to look at your CD collection (or iPod playlist) what would they find that would surprise them?

I have the music from the Super Nintendo version of SimCity on my iPod, which I listen to pretty often.

Listen to the track "Surrounded By Your Friends" as a taste.


Hooray For Earth play the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto on August 15th with Admiral Radley.

Hooray For Earth's website
Hooray For Earth's Myspace