Photo by Mike Whitman www.whitman-photography.net

The Joys have recently embarked on a tour to promote their new CD “Unfold”, which started in late February, consisting of an appearance on A Channel morning show in London,  hitting SXSW among Canadian heavy-hitters, a gig at the legendary Cat Club in Los Angeles and forward on to the Midwest. Do they ever take time to breathe? Clearly not, the band has recently signed with Koch Entertainment to help promote the new album, a whole new facet to their team. What does the album sound like? The Joys signature classic rock sound, full of great classic riffs and the occasional ballad with vocals that will kick you in the teeth. A lot of the songs have that catchy, timeless structure that The Joys are so well known for. The difference between The Joys and most other bands out there? Their live show is absolutely phenomenal and I mean it is truly a rock ‘n’ roll performance that can rival some of the legendary bands in their genre. Lead singer Sara Smith is indefinitely dynamic, vocally and emotionally; with the ability to connect with everyone from your mom, the big dudes at the biker bar and the tween music lover.

With an endless list of accolades, among them a TIMA 2007 nomination for “Best Female-Fronted” , and extensive press coverage,  it was inevitable that The Joys were to hit Gold record status with their single “Storm”. The experience has boosted them into the spot light and have made them push even harder to gain cross-national appeal.

On a stop in Los Angeles at Cat Club in West Hollywood,  guitarist  Mike McKyes took some time to answer a quick Q & A with us:

Q. The Joys were recently picked up by Koch Entertainment, how has the label helped? Has it become easier to manage the various components, Booking, Touring, Writing, Publishing, Management, etc?

A. Koch has a been a great door opener for us, and a great addition to our growing team. They have definitely made it easier by helping us with their expertise, efforts and contacts and put our album in stores nationwide.

Q. You were selected among some great company to represent Canada at SXSW, Bedouin Soundclash, Magneta Lane, Arkells etc. What was your experience like?

A. Aside from the fact that we were surrounded by thousands of people in downtown Austin and all the streets were closed off, I really felt like we treated it as another show… I mean, we were accepted to participate because of who we are just like all the other great acts that performed with us. I’m honoured that we got to experience SXSW, thank you!

Q. You released a brand new video for “Storm” off your latest album nationally in February, what have the responses been like?

A. Our fans love it, and it’s funny how perceptions change when it was released. I still wake up in the morning and brush my teeth the same way and people think that we’re famous now! I like it, because it makes me smile.

Q. The Joys have been touring since February, do you have any funny stories from the road?

A. Yes, Kevin made a homeless guy a peanut butter sandwich at a rest stop somewhere between El Paso and Hollywood yesterday. I don’t know why that’s funny… it just is to me.

Q.It doesn’t look like you guys are stopping anytime soon, especially with the release of your recent CD, what’s next? Will you be coming back to California anytime soon?

A.  It’s a never ending process of playing live and promoting our music, and trying to balance that with writing new material, recording it and introducing it into our live musical repertoire. Oh ya, and finding some time to sleep in there.

Want to see how their tour is going? Check out their tour blog on http://www.thejoys.ca and keep up with the latest videos, reviews and pics from along the way!

Check out their new music video for their single, “Storm”:

MGMT @ Playboy Rock The Rabbit Party SXSW

Playboy Rock the Rabbit Party was the party to TRY to get into last night, mind you it was private and impossible anyway.. Energy Drink and Burrito in hand, I almost spilled my Rockstar when finding out one of our friends got in. WTF?! This is what we could get out of him before he passed out:

Moby really got the crowd going….and playmates going (SERIOUSLY!), closed his set with “Paradise City” by Guns ‘n‘ Roses I did a lot of dancing.  Blah blah, honestly thought Moby was dead and gone… Centerfolds still like him… MGMT, last year’s SXSW darlings (they were EVERYWHERE in ‘08)…really solid set and were the highlight, only having seen them once before. Justice where Meh. Centerfolds. Never heard of the UK’s The Heavy or The Rub – but was most impressed with The Rub and the Centerfolds … (he then proceeded to sleep the rest of the day and we haven’t seen him since, sensory overload?)

MGMT Hangin

Look out for Playboy’s annual March music issue.  http://www.playboy.com/magazine/features/rock-the-rabbit/

Big Boi and K’naan were great, the crowd went crazy for Outkast hits and he said that a new album may drop in the near future. Andre 3000? Nowhere to be found.

Red Red Meat performed, who we haven’t seen for years - Is this a comeback with the re-issue of their 95 disc “Bunny Gets Paid”?

We really wanted to see Grizzly Bear – but they literally had a line as far as the eye could see. We heard that there was a delay for about 45 min.

Weirdest moments of the day:

Kris Kristofferson’s limo and the massive crowd of industry-types and god who surrounding him near the New West Party.

Seeing Semi-Precious Weapons and their HAIR. We caught them last year at the Cravefest International Video Awards @ Tattoo Rock Parlour, real show-stoppers. See them if you can.

The Handsome Furs blew us away at the Subpop Showcase, it felt like Dan almost shattered the mic with every lyric, and Alexei was barefoot – what’s with the barefoot thing? For some reason every time I see someone barefoot on stage it reminds me of K. D. Lang. Nonetheless, she is a nimble little thing who can play synth like the best of them.  Handsome Furs emphasis how many truly gifted bands we have coming out of Canada right now.

Also, be sure to check out TIMA 2009 “Best Out-Of-Province” winner Empire Isis @ 1pm

Tonight? The Plans?  NME Showcase @ Ace’s Lounge or Vice Records @ Emo’s Main Room

The big buzz for tomorrow night: Rap battle between Common and Kanye maybe? Where? Fader Fort at some industry party. When? We don’t know!! But when we do we’ll tell you!

Also tomorrow, TIMA 2006 “Best Live – Electric” and TIMA 2007 “Best Female-Fronted” Winners The Joys will be performing as part of the CMW Showcase @ SXSW! We will be catching up with them at the Cat Club in Los Angeles next Tuesday to see how the performance went!