To tide us over while we indulge in the holiday spirit gorging on stuffing and egg nog, we asked a bunch of musicians to tell us their thoughts on 2008. Some of them replied with lists of their favourite music, some told us their fondest memories and some came up with much more creative ways to commemorate this past year.
Both members of Woodhands, Dan Werb and Paul Banwatt, decided to give us some reflections on their big year. Dan gave us a touching "Dear Diary" memo, while Paul revealed his guilty pleasures:
From the pen of Dan Werb:
2008.
Here's what I'll say. It seems like the more success you have playing music the harder it is to maintain real relationships with people. 2008 was definitely the best year that Woodhands have had. We got signed, we released our first record together and we played in a bunch of cities that I frankly never thought I'd get the chance to visit.
But, and maybe I'm alone on this, it felt like with all the travel and hard choices that you have to make when your band are on the cusp of making you a decent wage, it became near impossible to maintain any kind of deep relationships. Don't get me wrong, there are a ton of friends who stayed close to me. But when it came to meeting new people to cuddle with, there were a lot of fleeting moments and absurd bad-timing situations. I think the problem is that when you devote your life to touring and trying to make your band happen, but you're still not at a point where you can let go of everything else, things can get hard.
I'm not complaining. Although I do feel like I should have made myself more available to some people and maybe less available to others. It sucks when you meet someone and want to spend time with them and then you come to the realization that all you've got is a day or two and then you're out. Part of the problem for me is also that because I am splitting my non-touring time between Toronto and Vancouver, any potential relationships become really difficult to maintain. For instance: I have no apartment. I have no furniture. I can put everything I currently possess into two suitcases, and the rest is in a long-term storage unit. This can be liberating but I miss my books and my paintings. And it's hard to be cool when you have to ask your parents if you can crash with them between tours.
Actually, now that I think of it, Paul Banwatt (the other half of Woodhands) has a steady girlfriend and seems like he's got his life in order. So maybe it's just something wrong with me. Actually, I'm pretty sure that everybody at the label is hoping that my personal life stays fucked up so that I keep making angsty dance floor bangers.
In summary: I realize that this has become some weird year-end confession thing. So in the spirit of renewal: I am sorry to the people I met who I couldn't give more to. And here's to a 2009 of working out how to be more real with people.
Paul Banwatt:
The best songs of 2008 to secretly like:
"Womanizer" by Britney Spears
Obvious, but honestly, every Britney Spears record is better than the last one.
"Just Dance" by Lady Gaga
Yep.
"I Kissed A Girl" by Katy Perry
<3
"Last Name" by Carrie Underwood
I probably lost most of you on this one. As a bonus confession, I admit that I only know this song because she performed it on the American Idol finale.
"Viva La Vida" by Coldplay
Please kill me. I hate myself so much for liking this song.
Both members of Woodhands, Dan Werb and Paul Banwatt, decided to give us some reflections on their big year. Dan gave us a touching "Dear Diary" memo, while Paul revealed his guilty pleasures:
From the pen of Dan Werb:
2008.
Here's what I'll say. It seems like the more success you have playing music the harder it is to maintain real relationships with people. 2008 was definitely the best year that Woodhands have had. We got signed, we released our first record together and we played in a bunch of cities that I frankly never thought I'd get the chance to visit.
But, and maybe I'm alone on this, it felt like with all the travel and hard choices that you have to make when your band are on the cusp of making you a decent wage, it became near impossible to maintain any kind of deep relationships. Don't get me wrong, there are a ton of friends who stayed close to me. But when it came to meeting new people to cuddle with, there were a lot of fleeting moments and absurd bad-timing situations. I think the problem is that when you devote your life to touring and trying to make your band happen, but you're still not at a point where you can let go of everything else, things can get hard.
I'm not complaining. Although I do feel like I should have made myself more available to some people and maybe less available to others. It sucks when you meet someone and want to spend time with them and then you come to the realization that all you've got is a day or two and then you're out. Part of the problem for me is also that because I am splitting my non-touring time between Toronto and Vancouver, any potential relationships become really difficult to maintain. For instance: I have no apartment. I have no furniture. I can put everything I currently possess into two suitcases, and the rest is in a long-term storage unit. This can be liberating but I miss my books and my paintings. And it's hard to be cool when you have to ask your parents if you can crash with them between tours.
Actually, now that I think of it, Paul Banwatt (the other half of Woodhands) has a steady girlfriend and seems like he's got his life in order. So maybe it's just something wrong with me. Actually, I'm pretty sure that everybody at the label is hoping that my personal life stays fucked up so that I keep making angsty dance floor bangers.
In summary: I realize that this has become some weird year-end confession thing. So in the spirit of renewal: I am sorry to the people I met who I couldn't give more to. And here's to a 2009 of working out how to be more real with people.
Paul Banwatt:
The best songs of 2008 to secretly like:
"Womanizer" by Britney Spears
Obvious, but honestly, every Britney Spears record is better than the last one.
"Just Dance" by Lady Gaga
Yep.
"I Kissed A Girl" by Katy Perry
<3
"Last Name" by Carrie Underwood
I probably lost most of you on this one. As a bonus confession, I admit that I only know this song because she performed it on the American Idol finale.
"Viva La Vida" by Coldplay
Please kill me. I hate myself so much for liking this song.