Artist of the Day | EVIL TONGUES
ARTIST OF THE DAY
20.01.2022
EVIL TONGUES
LOCATION
Vancouver, BC, Canada
GENRE
Alternative, New Wave, Synth Pop
CURRENT MEMBERS
Jennifer Di & Mike Allain
With the current pandemic, the state of the music and touring industry has dramatically changed. Where were you when everything was brought to a halt?
Both Mike and myself were working in the live music industry at the time. Mike was working as a freelance Audio Engineer in Toronto and I was the Production Assistant with The Starlite Room and ConcertWorks in Edmonton. We were getting ready for The Real Mckenzie's concert at Starlite, when Alberta Health shut the venue down an hour before doors were scheduled to open.
How has that affected your plans for the coming year? Did you have a tour planned, upcoming album release?
The sudden shut down of the live music industry gave Mike and myself a sudden mass amount of free time we would have never had otherwise. We had started Evil Tongues back in 2017, but we were never able to fully dedicate our time to it since our paying jobs took up so much of our lives. We both say this as the perfect opportunity to focus on writing. We wrote long distance for most of 2020 with Mike flying out to Edmonton for a month of in person writing in November. I think we've really been trying to use this time wisely, and build a solid foundation for this project while we have the time to do so. As artists and music industry professionals, we're never going to get this much "down time" again, it's really a blessing and a curse.
What have you been doing to fill/make the most of your new-found free time at home? How are you supporting your mental health through all of this?
If you listen to our new single, I have clearly spent ample amount of time just lying on my living room floor! I have also been really proactive outside of my floor lying time. I took several health and safety courses with the Event Safety Alliance and World Health Organization. I took a copywriting course with UBC, was one of the founding members of the Canadian Independent Venue Coalition, and have been apart of and working on Starlite Sessions. To support my mental health though... definitely lying on the floor probably listening to Joy Division on vinyl.
How are dealing with the Covid fifth wave? Have things locked down again in your region? Have you had to cancel gigs, tours, etc.? Are things reopening, restrictions lifting in your region? Have you booked any new gigs, tours, etc.? What are your plans for 2022?
I feel like we're in the 20th wave at this point. We're just trying to go with the flow as best as possible and adjust as needed. We're currently writing new material, have a few other songs ready to be released over the next few months and hoping to be playing shows/festivals this summer if restrictions are lifted enough.
Favourite Starlite Room Moment?
My favourite moment at Starlite, is definitely a little gem very few people got to experience. I was working on the poster wall project in the backroom of Starlite (Temple). Which was amazing in itself. But getting to watching Tyson Boyd and John Kennedy get excited and reminiscence over old show posters, was definitely a highlight for me. My favourite part about music is the moments in time and memories it creates for people, and that was a perfect example.
Do you have a message for everyone at home reading this?
Go listen to our debut single 'Fine' now! And stay turned for more music and possible shows coming your way!
If you would like to be our next ARTIST OF THE DAY please fill out this FORM & send a high resolution photo to:
JEN@CONCERTWORKS.CA