Questions & Answers with Matt Sajn.

 

Dude, sometimes having your own blog can be a fucking hoot and hollr'...you get to ask your friends who play in a band all sorts of inane questions for a blog less than zero people read and they simply shrug and answer your stupid questions out of pity. Matt Sajn, guitarist and vocalist of Northern Primitive is my first claimed victim. Though to my bewilderment I only had to ask this man once, to which he replied something along the lines of "Fuck yeah! Should be fun". Oh the mirth!

1) If you had to get a lyrical fragment from a Northern Primitive song tattooed on your shin cap, which one would it be, and from which song?

- "I would do anything for love, but I won't do that." Then again, before meatloaf stole that one from us I could've done a lot with that song. I was hoping to get Elvis Costello on backing vocals or something. Actually though, the opening lyrics to 'soul machines:' "my heart is a four stroke on fire." I'd get it in wingdings font across both of my shins. Girls love wingdings.

2) Tell the people who don't read this blog what it is in today's society that grinds your goddamn gears more than anything?

- The one thing that gets to me more than anything is this whole culture of idiocy that seems to tell people it's completely okay to be lazy, shallow and uninspired. The majority of people out there have no concept of how hard work can lead to happiness, nor do they understand the merits of creativity.
 We live in an era in which people are totally cool with not having any drive or any bigger goals, so long as they know what happened on last week's episode of jersey shore.
I think this is a pathetic display of being human: there's no more wonder, no more depth, and no more integrity. It sincerely bothers me that these people don't care about positively contributing to society in any way. I suppose the worst part about it is that such people are convinced that that is what 'being cool' is all about.
Irony is not intelligence, Jersey Shore is not cool in any way, and unless you take some initiative and try to give your life meaning, you're just going to die bored and unfulfilled. Idiots.


3) On a scale of 1-11, how content are you with the end result of Northern Primitives self titled debut?

- Although I can't speak for Billy (drums) and Ross (bass), I can't say anything less than 11. We put a lot of time and effort into it, and I am 100% convinced that nobody could have done as good of a job with it as Kenny (Meehan) and Ian (Romano).
It was especially cool because I think Billy, Ross, and I see eye to eye with Ian and Kenny. They know what we are going for, and are able to have fun playing around with sounds. Even though I haven't listened to it in months, it was a really positive process.


4) Are you a bit surprised by the reaction the new album has gotten?


- I am. It's always cool to see what people have to say about something you create. I suppose when blogs and magazines started to get a hold of it I'd figure they would have ripped it to shreds for any reason they could find. I'm surprised and pleased that the reactions we have gotten have been positive ones, and that people seem to enjoy listening to it.

5) What song are you most proud of?

- I think either the opening track, 'Highway' or the closer, 'Stay Low.' The former because it was the first song we came up with, and I'm really happy with how it all came together. The latter, because we spent a good deal longer on it than with most other songs. We wanted to make it as powerful as possible. We used nearly every amp and guitar in the studio to make the choruses on that song as heavy as possible, as well as to collect as many cool feedback noises we could possibly get. Both songs were a lot of fun to do.


6) Glenn Danzig or Tony Little. Who would win the fistfight? 

- Danzig, for sure. Danzig has something to prove, especially after being publicly humiliated in his last bout. It will only take one punch. My guess is that Danzig strikes Little in the chest (rings on). The horn on his devil-head ring punctures a hole in Little's solar plexus, causing him to deflate. Publicly humiliated, the (literally) belittled Tony Little will jump on the back on alpaca and ride towards mediocrity. They will meet again in 2012... then it will be personal.


7) I have played indoor/outdoor soccer and hockey with you and you are a balls to the wall passionate dude out there, does this trait also come through in your music?

- I think it seems ridiculous to some people, but I think ones physical, creative and emotional states are all linked. When I play soccer, go to the gym, or do any sort of physical activity, I feel the same sort of energy and adrenaline that moves through me when I'm playing a show, or even listening to music that I like.
In the same way, when writing a song the big thing for me is making sure it hits people hard. With a song like highway... after that builds up I want to kill people.
 That's why we use it as an opener: it gets our blood pumping and hopefully hits the listener hard. Although most people see creative energy and physical energy as two different things, I'd like to see them as two sides of the same coin.
With Northern Primitive, I want the songs to hit people hard enough that it physically moves them. I'd much rather have someone listening to highway while at a gym, than listening to highway at some ironic weirdo hipster party. For me, this link between physical and creative energy is always there.


8) Would you rather smoke fake pot with the real Peter Frampton or smoke real pot with a dude that looks like Peter Frampton?


- So I guess there's no happy medium? Like smoking alright pot with a dude who kind of has a Frampton-esque jawline? I'd probably take the real stuff with the fake Frampton. I have nothing to ask Peter Frampton. Here's to hoping fake Frampton is a good dude.

9) What 3 things would you say inspire your musical style the most?


- Location (specifically Welland and Fenwick), the 90's, and whisky.

10) Name drop the next promising Welland band.

The Ol' Dirty Burger band is something special. They keep on getting better, and Burger's a great blues man. Definitely worth checking out when they're around.

(la end.)