Jersey Girl in Canada's First Impression of Lemon Cash!

Hey readers!

As you know, Jamsterdam Radio has started the Track of the Month, an opportunity to highlight the best

L-R: Zack, Stefano, Jeff Papineau, Cory, Jeff Armstrong

new tracks on the station, voted in by the listeners!  During the month of May, Ottawa-based band, Lemon Cash won this title with their fresh new track Sing For Me Now.  Lemon Cash consists of Cory Papineau (lead vocals/guitar/keyboard), Jeff Armstrong (guitar/vocals/keyboard), Stefano Provenzano (guitar/vocals/keyboard), Zack Robillard (bass/vocals), and Jeff Papineau (drums/vocals).

One day, a few months back, I was hanging out with songwriter/musician, Will Marr (Trouble and Daughter/ Belle Ayre/ formerly illScarlett) in Streetsville, and he told me about how his friend and music producer, James Robertson (who notably produced Down With Webster's Time To Win) was in the studio working with this talented young band from Ottawa called Lemon Cash, and that they sound great. Being the new music enthusiast I am, my ears perked up and I wanted to meet them. 

Photo by Jersey Girl in Canada

First impression upon meeting Lemon Cash: "So...you mean to tell me this good-looking, super-nice group of guys, are a band, who look like a team of friggin' soccer players/rugby players/ Australian surfer-looking dudes (without any of them even being Australian surfer dudes).. and they play rock music!? Score."

Once I got the chance to preview the tracks they were recording at Heritage Studios (in Streetsville, ON), I automatically pictured these guys playing an outdoor festival in the summer to a crowd of fun-loving peeps who just want to dance, party, and feel good vibes under the sun. I remember thinking singer, Cory Papineau's voice took me back to the days when I obsessively listened to Kings of Leon, as he has quite a bit of that Caleb Followill kinda sound.  Needless to say, I was musically smitten with this band.

When the guys were just hanging out on studio down-time, their creative juices were still continuously going, complete with impromptu bursts into song, just because they love it and were feeling it.  I remember Will (Marr) calling the guys and I into this tiny room, and him and Lemon Cash were bouncing creative ideas 

Not to toot my own horn or anything, but photo by yours truly.

around... of all the musicians and other artists I've encountered over the past decade, never in my life have I been in the same room with that kind of passionate, creative energy on fire, shared between musicians from different bands.. it was incredibly inspiring to witness, almost to the point of it being an honor to be around. I wish I had a video camera to document that moment so you could've seen it- my jaw literally dropped as I watched from the sidelines.

I just felt the need to share this story of when I first met them, so you can see just how proud I was when I found out that their single,Sing For Me Now got voted as Jamsterdam Radio's Track of The Month for May!  I was busy with other things at the time, so I haven't had the chance to really check into Jamsterdam for a minute, and I either saw it on Lemon Cash's Instagram, or maybe Jay (Hunt) emailed me... I can't remember. Either way I was like "OMG!! Yay!! :)"

Needless to say, I feel this band has a bright future ahead of them, and I feel that judging from the few new tunes I even heard from them so far, are gonna be hits, and I look forward to hearing more from them!

If you're in Ottawa this Friday, June 26th, head over to Maverick's at 8:00 pm  (20:00) and show them your support!

Cheers,
@rockdinthe6ix

Interview with Will Marr of The Posts!

Hey readers!

The Posts, L-R: James, Will, Ian. 

  I recently had the chance to sit down with Will Marr, formerly of illScarlett, who is now part of the Mississauga-based band, The Posts, and talk to him about everything from reggae, The Posts' upcoming album release party, groupies, to John Lennon.  Here's the bulk of the interview.  You can hear the full interview plus a few tunes from their upcoming self-entitled debut album before it's even released, if you tune in right here on Jamsterdam at 5pm EST all week!

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JGIC: This is Jersey Girl in Canada on Jamsterdam Radio.  I am here with Will from The Posts.  How are you doing?

WM: I'm alright. <insert awkward silence here>

JGIC: Okay! That wasn't awkward!

WM: We could make it more awkward if you like.

JGIC: Let's do it.

WM: Pants off- that makes it less awkward.

JGIC: Well, we're in a sushi place- I don't know if they'd appreciate that.

WM: You don't think? I'd appreciate it!  If someone like me were to walk in and take my pants off, I think I'd love it! <laughs>

JGIC: <laughs>

WM: You don't agree?  Alright.

JGIC: So, I've got a question: Who are the Posts?  Who is your band?

WM:  Right now, we're nobody, but soon we're gonna be somebody.  Basically we're just three really good friends, two of my other producer friends, Ian and James got together and we decided to make a passion project: play classic rock music, music that we grew up with and liked- completely against the trend- to see if it might actually work.  That's who we are.

JGIC: Awesome. How did you come up with the band's name?

WM: They kinda had it already.  They were doing some writing for some synch music and they needed to create "a band" for their publishers.  They needed to create some sort of "fake band", so they created a band called The Posts.  I was writing a lot of original music at the time, and I was showing it to them, so we decided to make it a real band.

JGIC: Nice! There is a very different sound between illScarlett and The Posts. What's the story behind the transition?

WM: I don't know- I never liked reggae. <laughs>

JGIC: Are you serious!? What?

WM: Okay, okay- I listened to Sublime when I was 13,14,15.  By the time I joined illScarlett I was like 21, 22, and I don't know- I guess the sound was hot or whatever, but I wasn't ever really listening to it- I like rock music.  I like The Beatles. I like everything from The Beatles, to The Rolling Stones, to Zepplin to Aerosmith. New bands, I like The Strokes... you know, I like that kind of music- it's what I feel comfortable playing, so that's what I'm making right now.  As far is illScarlett goes: it was fun!  Making punk/reggae/pop music, I fell into it.  We all created our own brand out of it so it was fun.  It's definitely not something I would turn on, or ever recreate.

JGIC: You coulda fooled me and probably everybody else who listened to illScarlett back in the day!

WM: Yeah,  I'm good at fooling people. 

JGIC:... Okay then! <laughs>

WM: Ask any of my exes.

JGIC: Well, I guess this isn't making it on the radio! <laughs> Okay- you guys (The Posts) have an album release party on October 10th at Sneaky Dee's.  Who else is playing that night, what time do doors open, and how much are tickets?

WM: Tickets are $10, $12 at the door.  I've got Tomahawk Love from Streetsville playing, The Gentlemen Thieves, also from Mississauga, and I got my boy Jarek Hardy from The Johnstones opening up with his solo stuff.

JGIC: Love them!  Never heard his solo stuff, but definitely looking forward to it!

Will in his iLL days, rocking those dreads.

WM: He's great!  If you wanna hear any of his songs, you can check outcityfolkrecords.com, he's got a song up on there, a sampler CD, along with a bunch of other great bands, and doors are open at 9, or maybe 10... I don't know... get there for 9.

JGIC: That's good to know because I wouldn't have known.

WM: Yeah, well, maybe I'll start advertising that soon- people should know when to get there, eh? <laughs>

JGIC: I guess?

WM: I suppose- if you wanna catch any of this! I wanna do my job properly advertising the show! <laughs>

JGIC: What will the first single be off the album and why?

WM: Oh, boy.  They're all singles.  Every single song is great. I mean, they're all songs about having a good times, having fun, girls... sex...

JGIC: All the good stuff... you're not writing songs about food?? What are you talking?

WM: No... my god.. that's the next album- for sure! <laughs>

JGIC: Good! <laughs>

WM: I mean, fan favorites, already- we played 5 shows- the first track, "Hey, Hey Honey"- people seem to
love it.  It's just a fun, fast.. sing-along.  They're all sing-alongs so by the time you hear the song once, you'll be singing the chorus.

JGIC: Yay!

WM: That's what I do!

JGIC: What are some of the highlights of your career as a musician?

WM: Oh, for sure... traveling the world.  I've been to great places: Germany- got our (illScarlett) album out there in 2008, went there 3 times- every time was fantastic.  Japan was awesome too.  I mean, those are memories that don't go away, even with all my excessive drinking and drugs- I still remember them!  I shouldn't, but I do! <laughs> That's great! Shit..

JGIC: Favorite artists?

WM: Yeah, I have a bunch- one month- it's The Beatles, the next is The Rolling Stones.. I like rock music.  The Beach Boys were my very first concert back in 1989- my mom took me..

JGIC: Aww!

WM: I remember I had all their tapes- I'd listen to them all the time.  Two years later, I went to my first Aerosmith concert and they turned into my favorite band.  I went through 5 years where I'd only listen to punk music: NOFX, Strungout, all those... went to Warped Tour- loved all that.. Now that I'm older, it comes back to it- it's all the old favorite rock bands that... (turns to people in the background making noise) Shhh!! <laughs>

JGIC: <laughs>

WM: Sorry- had to tell these people to shut up!

JGIC: This is the golden question I ask all bands: I have seen one too many guys, especially musicians with jealous girlfriends.  How do you deal with the groupies?

WM: Sleep with them. All of them. No I'm joking. <laughs>

JGIC: I was gonna say!! Uhh... Every last one of them! <laughs>

WM: Is that wrong? No, you only sleep with some of them. <laughs> no.. Don't have a girlfriend.  Plenty of solutions: if you're young, and you're out there and you're doing it (music), it's probably not a good idea to be seeing somebody because I mean, a lot of traveling in any business -with anything- it doesn't mean just being a musician, you meet people, and you usually end up sleeping with them. <laughs>

JGIC: Always wrap it up, kids. Wrap it up!

WM: Yeah, wrap it up!

JGIC: Maybe double wrap it in some cases! If you could form a dream tour with artists, deceased or living, who would you choose to tour with?

WM: John Lennon.. for sure, hands down. Shannon Hoon- he was great.  He shouldn't have died. 

JGIC: Any advice for new bands?

WM: Stop now, man- there's no room! <laughs> It's hard enough for me to try to make it again now.  Every year, the hole gets smaller and smaller for bands bands that can actually squeeze through.. it's way to hard- don't do it. No, I'm sorry..
JGIC: That's terrible advice!

WM: Do it if you love it, don't expect to make money.  Again- you have to love it.  If you love it, people will see that you love it.  Write good songs- don't think that just because you're talented, you're going to make it.  You can be a shitty player and write good songs, and still make it. Keep up with what's going on in modern music- see what people like, and write relatable music- write it easy and simple.  Make it as simple as possible because the every day person doesn't want to think too hard to have a good time- that's why I listen to music- it's to have a good time, to forget about reality.  Don't be too serious! Don't take yourself too seriously!  That's it.

JGIC: How could fans contact you via social media?

WM: Facebook... oh no.. Facebook's dead, eh?

JGIC: Hmm... it's still kinda on?

WM: Nahh... I would say Instagram.com/ThePostsMusic - you can tag me in pictures <laughs>

JGIC: Well, apparently I can't! <laughs>

WM: No, I guess not- not personally- oh you mean personally- okay.  Google my name on Facebook- my name's Billy Marr now, unfortunately.

JGIC: WHY are you "Billy"?

WM: Because it looks better on paper!

JGIC: Oh, Lord, have mercy!  Ok... (to the readers/listeners) I've always heard of this guy as "Will", and now he's "Billy"... (in a really bad Southern, old man accent) Billy!

WM: No one actually calls me that- it just looks like it online... but that's a good thing because then my friends will know what to call me, and everyone else- like you- will just... <laughs> No, that's not cool. <laughs>

JGIC: <laughs>

WM: There's Twitter/ThePostsMusic orYoutube.com/ThePostsMusic

JGIC: Subscribe now!

WM: Yeah, best subscribe, bitch! <laughs>

JGIC: Any shout outs?

WM: Yeah- shout outs to me!  No- how about shout outs to you- Krystal!

JGIC: Yay!

WM: Babe!

JGIC: Well, it's Jersey Girl in Canada..

WM: Oh yeah, shout outs to the Jersey Girl in Canada.

JGIC: Bayum.

WM: Bam.

JGIC: Anyone else?

WM: Uh... she's making some weird thing with her hand, I don't know what she wants me to do right now... <laughs>

JGIC: <laughs>

WM: Yeah- shout outs to my mom, my dad, my bro- family- that's important!

JGIC: Awwww

WM: Shout outs to all my ex girlfriends- sorry.  Sorry I was such a shithead. <laughs> Don't worry- I wrote an entire album about all you guys so now you're all famous.

JGIC: Awww... F-f-f-famous, bitches!

@rockdinthe6ix