Woodhands
Dan Werb talks about playing keytar, jetsetting and magic tricks.
It isn't easy to play an instrument that is widely regarded as a joke, but Dan Werb makes it happen. The front man of Woodhands could possibly be the only person who certifiably shreds on the keytar. He also writes sensible yet fierce electro pop with his bandmate Paul Banwatt. Hailing from Canada, HEAVE had a chance to rack up some long distance minutes and have a chat with Dan Werb.
HEAVE: Would you say your first show in Chicago was a success?
Dan Werb: Oh it was great. It seemed like the crowd was really into it. I guess you would have a better idea than I would, though. The crowd just seemed so into it and they really seemed to like Alex and the Drummer, too. They were the ones who invited us there.
HEAVE: Oh yeah, people were really into it. The dancing that was going on was pretty rampant.
DW: Great great. The crowd in Chicago was just awesome.
HEAVE: I judge shows based on how sweaty people get, and people seemed to be pretty sweaty.
DW: I have this shirt that is my favorite show shirt because it is a nice vibrant color and has an open neck, but the thing does not breathe. It is my favorite show shirt but I sweat quite a bit in it; I was drenched by the end.
HEAVE: It's one of those things where you need to pick style over comfort. What was your favorite part of Chicago?
DW: I indulged and stayed at the Hotel Blake, which was very nice. There was this awesome book fair the next morning so we went to that. And then you have that big library downtown that has a giant owl on it. The architecture is just so interesting. Chicago is just a really great city. I also ate a deep-dish pizza. We were there so I felt we had to do some touristy shit.
HEAVE: You lived in Vancouver, Europe and now Toronto. How much has the nomad like lifestyle influenced your music?
DW: You know it is interesting because Paul and I have only been playing together for almost two years.
HEAVE: It was a Halloween show, right? Did you dress up?
DW: Oh yeah we dressed up. Paul was a graduate from a university. The towns I lived in helped a little in shaping my music. When I moved to Paris I was missing my girlfriend, so I started making this angsty, more emotional based music. Then I moved to Toronto and my entire world got upended. I was going through some shit. I was trying to start fresh, but I had all this emotion and anxiety going on inside - and when I met Paul I felt like I was able to start expressing that in a way that felt free and immediate. You were at the show, and what we try to do is make it feel as intimate as possible. It's all about the visceral reaction and trying to emote to the crowd and connect with them. Toronto is full of a ton of great musicians, so that really helped - but it was more of where I was at in my life emotionally.
HEAVE: So when did you start playing the keytar?
DW: That started when I first moved to Toronto. It was one of those serendipitous moments because I used to sit behind the keyboard. I just wanted to have a little more freedom on stage, and I never really thought of myself as a frontman. I grew with it and I allowed myself to explore the idea of being a frontman. Which is awesome. It's a great instrument, man. I know it is usually the subject of a punch line, but I think we are very aware that we can be seen as some ironic, ridiculous joke band - but I think we do it the right way.
HEAVE: I was explaining your music to some people and said, "Yeah it is a drummer and a guy who plays a keytar, but it's not like that at all!"
DW: Yeah, yeah! Exactly! We want to make it okay to love keytars - to love them for what they are.
HEAVE: How did you guys team up with Paper Bag Records?
DW: They came and scoped us out. We were in a position where we didn't know a ton about the industry. We'd been playing shows in Toronto and all across Canada and we were starting to record. We didn't really know how to get a record deal. One day we were sitting in our car after a show and were like, "What the fuck? How does this even work?" Shortly after that we played in Montreal at a festival called Pop Montreal. You should go, man. It's a lot of fun. Have you ever been to Montreal?
HEAVE: I've never been out of the United States, actually.
DW: Well, if you were going to take one trip, then I would say Montreal would be a good place to start. It has a lot of youth and art culture. Great architecture. Anyway, Paper Bag was there and it all started to work out from there.
HEAVE: What are the advantages and disadvantages to having two people in the group?
DW: I would honestly say that there are no disadvantages.
HEAVE: Really?
DW: Oh yeah, we are lucky enough to be able to do what we do with only two people. Sometimes I wish I had another pair of hands to do a little bit more. It's great because we learn new advantages to only having two people every time we play a show. It is nice because everything is just cheaper. We just played some shows overseas and we wouldn't have been able to do it if we had six or so members. We also can't really have any arguments because if it is just us two sitting in a car and we are mad at each other - well we can't ignore that. We have to address it. We just get along really well and have really started to understand each other, too. I guess that is why relationships are mostly only between two people.
HEAVE: Your CD release show in April featured wondering magicians. What was the coolest trick you saw performed?
DW: Oh man, I got one performed on me. He came up on stage and had an invisible pack of cards and told me to pick a card, so I chose seven of clubs. He then asked me a couple questions and, I'm not bullshitting you, guessed the seven of clubs. So yeah, magicians are pretty fucking cool.
HEAVE: You covered "I'll Be Missing You" by Puff Daddy pretty briefly at your show in Chicago. Where does that song fit in the grand scheme of music?
DW: I think it's a cultural object, you know what I mean? It isn't the greatest of songs, but in terms of what it meant? I think it'll be remembered forever.
HEAVE: Yeah, I saw some Youtube videos that showed you covering some other rap songs. How does that get decided?
DW: We like to keep it fresh, and I guess I mean that in the hip hop term. We've also done some Wu Tang. We are working on a cover of that T.A.T.U song right now, "All The Things She Said". I think we can do a pretty good version of that.
HEAVE: Who is the best live performer you've watched?
DW: Oh good question. There are so many for so many different reasons, and I bet that sounds like I'm avoiding the question. I would say that overall it would probably be Prince. I also saw Pharrell Williams of N.E.R.D and he was pretty good; lots of energy.
Posted by Wes Soltis on Jun 23, 2008 @ 12:56 am
