Photo by: Julie Buzzell http://jujubeephotography.com/
Montreal’s own pop/rock band Pin Up are super excited about their EP launch July 24th Petit Campus. We met up with lead singer Sam Martel among the crawling vines on the terrace at the Saint Elizabeth Pub. We spoke about influences, what it’s like to be in a band with your fiancé and who’s opening the show. Read on…
Photo by: Julie Buzzell
Interview with Pin Up
LADY INDIE: So tell me about your band. This is the first I’m hearing of Pin Up.
Sam Martel: Yeah, we’ve been a band for a little bit more than 3 years. I met my fiancé (our bassist now) back when I was in another band with my sister. Eventually we started jamming together and creating music and thought we could take this in a nice direction. My sister ended up taking another direction to follow her passion, and so the other project kind of took over. We’ve now been are working with engineer Bill Szawloski (April Wine) on this EP. It will be released on the 24th.
LADY INDIE: Are you excited about the big release show?
Sam Martel: I am, I’m nervous. I haven’t played a show in a long time. I do open mics around Montreal, but this is going to be fun, to be back in the game. I’ve been in the studio for 3 years so it’s nice to be out there again.
LADY INDIE: Are you from Montreal?
Sam Martel: I am, yeah. My fiancé and I both grew up on the South shore. He’s from Chateauguay, I’m from Brossard, were both very familiar with Montreal.
LADY INDIE: What’s it like being in a band with your fiancé?
Sam Martel: Easy. It’s very easy. It just meshes well, thank god. I’m incredibly grateful I share my passion with my Collin. Were two very easy going people.
LADY INDIE: Do you write the music together?
Sam Martel: We do it collectively. I’m going to say that Collin comes up with a lot of the skeleton’s of the song. He’ll have this surge of inspiration, and we will all feed off that energy and come up with our own parts. He’ll go back and write lyrics, and we will all give our two cents about what we’d like, sit with them and re-write them together.
He’s an incredible musician. We have totally two different processes of writing music. He has a way of giving people a voice. I could have gone through something with one of my sisters, and he’ll be able to come up with the song as if I was the one who wrote it.
LADY INDIE: When I listen to you sing, it reminds me a little of Gwen Stefani. Your vibrato has got a jazzy feel to it. Did you come from a jazz background by any chance?
Sam Martel: I wish, no. I’ve heard that before. I have absolutely no musical training whatsoever. (Laughs)
LADY INDIE: Who are your vocal heroes?
Sam Martel: Growing up I was more of an R&B singer, which doesn’t sit right normally with me but, growing up: Whitney Houston were Mariah Carey were my idols vocally. Then I started getting a little bit more experience in music and broadening my horizons. A lot of male artists are my influence right now for example, the lead singers of Arctic Monkeys and Maroon 5.
LADY INDIE: Have you always been into rock music?
Sam Martel: I was definitely always into rock. I always had that inkling that rock was kind of my thing.
LADY INDIE: Are you going to tour?
Sam Martel: We have a few weekend tour dates at the end of August. We’re also in the midst of booking a 2 week US tour for October.
LADY INDIE: Tell us a bit more about what people can expect at the EP launch.
Sam Martel: Definitely. We have three openers. One of them is my closest friends- Randy, he’s doing some incredible electro pop. Another acoustic artist, and the band King Karoshi as well. Cover is 10 bucks.
LADY INDIE: Will you be decked out in leather?
Sam Martel: Most likely a skimpy bustier. I try to bring a rock-punk chic vibe. I’m really into fashion.
More Pin Up:
Official Website
Facebook
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