Gimpleg had the pleasure of speaking with Old Wives. Together they discussed their name, the current music scene in Edmonton, their latest album, and so much more!
1 Hello and thank you for joining me on the Music shelf. How are you doing today?
Doing great! Just got back from a quick tour in Ontario that went very well!
2. Your first album came out in 2010. Were you old wives then, or were you still new Wives? Where did your name come from?
We have always been called Old Wives. I joined the band maybe a year into their existence. The legend goes, the guys argued like a bunch of Old Wives, and here we are all these years later, still Old Wives!
3. When did you first fall in love with music? What was your relationship with music like growing up?
I fell in love with music very early on. I was always listening to music with my mom and singing along to old country music that she would play. I think I had Guns n’ Roses Appetite for Destruction when I was 6 though and that took me down the path of harder music.
4. You play a lot of pop punk, but I’m curious who some of your favorite bands are that are not pop punk? What music do you enjoy listening to outside of the genre?
I have always enjoyed Canadian Indie Rock. Growing up in Canada and watching Much Music (the MTV of Canada) they had to play a lot of Canadian content. There were so many great bands that never really made it out of Canada and that’s a shame. I consider myself lucky to have grown up listening to their music however. Bands like Sloan, Thrush Hermit, The Killjoys, Rusty; these bands all have great music/songs. And unless you grew up in Canada in the 90’s you probably have no idea about them.
5. How would you describe the current music scene in Edmonton?
Edmonton has always had a very work-like mentality. It’s very supportive in the sense that there’s no competition; everyone is happy for everyone else’s success. There’s no cookie cutter approach to making, marketing, writing, etc. so even though we all seem to question each others decisions sometimes, it all works out in the end.
6. Your latest album just came out in December and is called Mega Low Maniac. What are some of your other favorite music puns?
I’ve always been a fan of album titles like this! No Use For a Name had Hard Rock Bottom which I thought was great. Of course NOFX had Punk in Drublic which is a classic title. But there’s also some subtle ones like Alkaline Trio’s Good Mourning. They are all over the genre!
7. The single for this album is “Me & Jack” and has a lyric video that plays as a newspaper with the lyrics to the video being the headlines in the paper. Whose idea was that, what inspired it, and do you have plans for additional music videos?
We left that whole concept in the hands of Kaleb who made that video for us. He did a great job! We were really happy with the final product. It’s so hard to get all of us together for things like a music video. But we do have a new one in the works for our song Back to Normal which will feature the band in the video.
8. You just finished your Mega Low Maniac release tour through Canada. What were some of the personal highlights from the tour?
Although the band is based out of Edmonton, I’m originally from Nova Scotia. So going back to play Halifax with so many friends and family at the show was definitely the highlight for me. But in reality, playing shows anywhere is such a luxury that not many people get to experience. I’m very grateful for every show we play.
9. You’ve been fortunate to tour Europe in the past, and you are signed on Little Rocket Records out of the UK. What are some of your favorite cities that you have played and what are some cities you hope to play in the future? Do you have any plans for tours coming up?
Playing in Hamburg Germany on a boat was definitely one of the raddest things we’ve ever done. That whole tour was amazing; the first time we had left North America and the reaction was wild. People knew the words and were singing them back at me almost everywhere we went. It was wild!
As for upcoming tours, we are always keeping our eyes open. With Darren being gone so much with Teenage Bottlerocket, it sometimes makes it hard to squeeze our tours in. But I feel like we have a good system. Stay tuned for more dates!
10. You have a song called “Finkle is Einhorn” on the newest album, named after a poorly aged transphobic joke from the Ace Ventura movie. The song doesn’t seem to be about the movie. What is the song about?
We do. And let me say, we are in no way transphobic. We are huge supporters of the trans community here in Edmonton and abroad. The reference of course comes from Ace Ventura. The song is about my brother-in-law who passed away. He was a great friend to not only myself but to our entire band. He was a huge Dolphins fan and we often referred to him as Dolphin Dave. I was struggling to name that song, but went with Finkle is Einhorn because of the duality of it. One person having existed in two different lights to a single person was a good representation of him being my brother-in-law and an amazing friend. I was keenly aware of the title and the dates reference however, with all that is behind it, that song means the world to me.
11. So your album came out in December, you just wrapped up the tour. What’s next for Old Wives?
Writing new material! Always looking to stay busy and keep the wheels moving. We all have projects on the go aside from Old Wives however, we always make sure we give this band the attention we feel it deserves.
12. Where can people find you on social media and stream your music?
People can find us on social media at:
Or easiest at https://linktr.ee/OldWives?fbclid=PAAaZkClzQ_WfHuT2uabqrWhujyl_79uudc1US1ngfJ1ncVIpmXIdzNscwjak
Our music streams on Spotify and Apple Music and of course over at our Bandcamp page! All the links are in the linktree or at www.olwdwivesband.com
Music Shelf With Mustard 