16 Jul 2014

Toronto band Teenage Kicks is back in Guelph to play Van Gogh’s Ear on July 17th along with Warbride and The Ednas. We got in touch with Jeff van Helvoort from the band to ask a few questions:

Music Lives: The first question I’m sure everyone asks, what’s it like playing in a band with your brother? People say you can’t pick your family, but you guys really did choose each other. Does being brothers change the dynamic of the music you make?

Jeff van Helvoort: Peter and I have spent so much time together over the years that we have a pretty good relationship with each other.  Not too many arguments.  I think the only way that it changes a dynamic is in the respect of the other people we’re playing with.  I feel as though mine and his relationship can be a little exclusive at times only due to how well we know each other.

ML: I feel like you can’t turn a corner without seeing Teenage Kicks somewhere these days. What do you contribute to your success?

JvH: That just means that all those posters we’ve been paying people to put around corners are actually going up.

ML: You guys have made a special effort to focus on making solid music and not wasting time of fads. What exactly does that mean to you?

JvH: It means that things are a little more difficult for us as we don’t fit in with most of the bands that we play with. But to Peter and I, it also means that we can always feel good about the fact that we’re playing music we believe in.

ML: Any stories from the road that stand out? Good or bad!

JvH: Playing for people on our western Canada tour who wouldn’t even clap after we finished a song was bad, but we played acoustically (in a parking lot after our set) for some fans of the band in Saskatoon and one of the dudes cried which was…good, I guess.

ML: Where can people go to find about more about Teenage Kicks?

JvH: Come to a show, watch us be self-deprecating, come say hello afterwards.  Or watch us be self-deprecating on the internet (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, even Youtube!).

If you haven’t had the chance to see Teenage Kicks play live, don’t miss their self-depreciating act on July 17th. You can learn more about the band and the event on the Music Lives website at https://musiclives.ca/events/teenage-kicks-with-war-bride-and-the-ednas/