Our interview series Icebreaker features artists talking about things—some strange, some amusing, some meaningful—that just might reveal their true selves. This edition features Alex Sowinski, drummer for Toronto’s progressive-jazz outfit BADBADNOTGOOD, whose latest album IVis out now via Innovative Leisure.
What do you think is the worst aspect of modern music culture?
How a lot of clickbait stuff distracts people from actually reading good articles and interviews. Artists have to give a lot in terms of keeping a public profile—posting pictures of what you do every day, or who you’re in the studio with, or what you’re eating—because of what celebrity culture and journalism has created a standard for.
Who is an artist you love that nobody would expect given the music you make?
What YouTube video have you watched the most times?
It’s this singer from Oshawa, Ontario named Steven Flynn doing a cover of Jay Z and Alicia Keys’ “Empire State of Mind,” but instead it’s “Oshawa State of Mind”—he sings in Auto-Tune and it’s super tight. After that, I went on a binge and found 50 “Empire State of Mind” cover videos from everywhere in the world.
Do you believe in ghosts?
Yeah. I think there is an element of spirituality and presence of the afterlife when you’re in different environments. We went to a studio in L.A. where one of the owners died in the studio. And since he would fix all the gear, sometimes they would have problems with stuff that just didn’t work one second, and then they would go back to use it again and it was totally fine.
If you could be in any band ever, which one would you choose?
I would love to be in the studio with the Beatles, finding new sounds and re-inventing recorded music. Being there for the creation of those songs, discovering new techniques—it would be such an amazing experience.
But because the Beatles didn’t really play shows, if I could be any live band, I’d join Mac DeMarco’s band. Every time I see them, they just have the most fun. It’s really nice to see a bunch of people who don’t take themselves too seriously, play great music, and have a good time. People feel that at the shows.
What is your life motto?
“We’ll figure it out. We’ll make it work. Things will be alright.” When you’re working with your band and you’re arguing about something and you leave that day and you feel like your friendship’s been tainted and you don’t know what’s going on, you just gotta realize that time, space, and being honest will help you get through a lot of shit.
What was the last TV show you binged?
What’s a moment in your life where you felt like a complete idiot?
One time at a show, I shouted the wrong city on the microphone. I said “Come on, Hamilton,” when we were actually playing Winnipeg. People kinda booed for a second, and I was like, “Shit, I’m sorry.” But apparently there’s a Hamilton in Winnipeg, so it didn’t seem that weird.
What is the greatest concert you’ve ever seen?
Last year we saw Kanye West at FYF Festival, and he was running out of time. He had 10 minutes left and he said, “I’m gonna do a hit a minute.” And he did, which was hilarious and so amazing, because he just has that many hits. Everyone was losing their shit.