Best of bands 2014: Mounties

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      When not working in the studio as topnotch producers for hire, Steve Bays and Ryan Dahle are two-thirds of Mounties, a genuine supergroup founded in a bathtub with Ontario’s Hawksley Workman and plenty of red wine. If the band’s percussion-bombed, hook-studded debut disc, Thrash Rock Legacy, wasn’t your number one summer jam for the last three months, you have our sincere condolences for having missed out on something insanely great.

      Best local release other than yours: [Dahle] “Prairie Cat—Who Knows Where to Begin?. That’s my choice for best local release. If I’m disqualified for records I’ve worked on, then it’s gonna be tough to get an answer out of me. Cary Pratt has made a record that I like to listen to. I am grateful to be able to work on incredible records. John Mann’s latest record, Waiting Room, really got through to me as well. His voice is from another planet. “

      The year’s best gig: [Dahle] “The Fox Cabaret is my new favourite place to see bands. Tom Anselmi has carefully curated another great venue for us Vancouverites to pile into and party to live music. I’m trying to support great local music. The Gay Nineties played there a few months ago—we stood in line for an hour to see my friends play because it was packed. We love it.”

      Best album ever: [Dahle] “The Clash’s London Calling might be the best record.” [Bays] “As a studio owner and fan of classic old recording equipment, I have a double appreciation for London Calling because it was recorded at a time when everyone was switching to recording with more expensive ‘modern’ and ‘reliable’ gear, but the Clash only had a small budget, so they had to record quickly—i.e., one or two takes—and not overthink it, which is how we do it in Mounties. They also used all the then ‘less professional’ tube gear… which is part of why it sounds so fantastic.”

      Jonathan Simkin’s paying—where’s dinner? [Bays] “Bao Bei Chinese Brasserie [163 Keefer Street]. You may have to have a drink or two while you wait for your table, but it’s worth it. Bao Bei has my favourite nontraditional spin on non–MSG, modern Chinese food. The design, lighting, and overall mood have been curated by people that don’t need to hide their creative eccentricities to justify their prices. Also, if the line is too long to get in, you’re walking distance from my other favourite place, the Emerald, which also has amazing food and an equally unique and eccentric design inside. Zero pretentiousness as well.”

      In the spirit of Jason Derulo’s “Talk Dirty”, who do you want talking dirty to you? [Dahle] “The sexiest person in the Vancouver music scene is my lady Megan Bradfield, but Steve and I both agree that the sexiest young couple is Kendel Carson and Dustin Bentall.”

      You won Lotto Max. Where’s your club opening up? [Bays] “If money were no object I’d buy the top floor of the Dominion Building [207 West Hastings Street]. Built in 1910, it was Vancouver’s first high-rise and is filled with marble floors and walls and old-growth wood and brass. It was also the location of my first recording studio, where I recorded Hot Hot Heat, Fur Trade, Gay Nineties, the Shilohs, Hawksley Workman, et cetera. We would stay up jamming all night, surrounded by city lights and views of the ocean, mountains, and ports. Unfortunately, we were right on the border between downtown and Gastown, so the rent eventually rose too high. But I always thought it would be a great intimate venue (and was on occasion… shhh) because the floors and walls were so thick that nobody could hear you, especially at night.”

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