Quick & Dirty - The Whitsundays
By: James Edwards
June 24, 2009 – Edmonton, Canada
Despite being a driving force in two of Canada's premiere indie bands, Edmonton native Paul Arnusch seems to be taking his success in stride.
"Right now, we're about as authentic as a band can get," Arnusch says of The Whitsundays, the four-piece group in which he acts as vocalist and chief songwriter.
Arnusch formed Faunts, the other major portion of his musical life, in 2000 with brothers Steve and Tim Batke. The Whitsundays began as a solo side-project; a way to craft a sound influenced, in part, by '60s mainstays like The Zombies and The Kinks.
"I recorded the first album myself," he remembers. "I had three of four songs done, and at that point I wasn't really considering doing anything serious, as my focus was still on Faunts."
Shortly after, the new material attracted the attention of Faunt's record label, Pop Echo. Even then, Arnusch's expectations weren't high.
"[Pop Echo] really liked it, and they wanted to release it, so I said, ‘Sure, go ahead.' But then it ended up doing so well that I thought, 'I have to get a band together now.'"
The group's self-titled debut was released last year to positive reviews and prominent press.
"I really wasn't expecting it to do anything," Arnusch recalls. "Then the next thing you know, we're in Rolling Stone and on the charts in the U.S. and all the blogs."
According to Arnusch, the difference in dynamics between The Whitsundays and Faunts is staggering.
"They're so divergent it's difficult for me to put into words," he says. "With Faunts it's more collaborative, we all kind of work together. In The Whitsundays, it's pretty much just been me writing all the stuff."
Future plans for The Whitsundays include a live-to-tape album that Arnusch plans to record in the near future.
"The live shows are made up of what everybody in the band brings to them, and I'm hoping that feeling will be able to be captured on the new album."
The Whitsundays play SoundProof's Sled Island festival showcase in Calgary tonight at the Underground along with Mothfight!, The Neckers and Adelaide..
