By: Sean “Thunderbeats” Dey

If someone asked me to personify Electronic music, I would undoubtedly say that it’s the awkward, silent kid you met in middle school. The kid who later grew up to be a god among men with the sole purpose of rewriting the definition of creative energy. And what was this god drinking on his throne at Miami’s Ultra Music Festival? Penthouse Clear Energy Drink of course.

Ultra Music Festival matures into an even better festival than the year before. UMF 11 is no exception to the rule. Some of the biggest names in the Electronic music industry were present, including: Black Eyed Peas, David Guetta, Moby, Benny Benassi, The Prodigy, Paul Van Dyk, ATB, Rabbit In The Moon, etc…

Not only the biggest in the mainstream Electronic music scene, but the huge upcoming artists as well, such as: Santigold, Shiny Toy Guns, Simian Mobile Disco, MSTRKRFT, Crystal Castles, The Bloody Beetroots, Late Of The Pier, Boys Noize… the list goes on and on.

I had a conversation with a friend a while ago about why people connect so firmly with Electronic music and his answer still resonates within me, even today. All music has a connection with a heartbeat. Our heartbeat is the center of life. Therefore, rhythm is the center of our life. As humans, we just want to connect with something. To connect with an Electro beat, or a Hip-Hop beat, or a House beat, is embracing life. Dancing as hard as you can is living to the fullest. Empowering yourself by dancing is a vehicle of expression for that vitality. That same beat was pumped through the streets of Miami thanks to the Winter Music Conference and Ultra Music Festival.

During Ultra Music Festival, I had the pleasure of running into a “shiny” new face in the Electronic-Indie music scene. Sisely Treasure, lead female vocalist of Shiny Toy Guns, is a promising new aspect of the Electronic music scene. Even though Treasure is a recent addition to Shiny Toy Guns (replacing vocalist Carah Faye Charnow), there is no question as to how well she compliments the already accomplished band.

\When I introduced myself to Sisely, I could do nothing but praise her and the band on their performance earlier in the day. The favor was returned with a friendly smile and an agreement to answer a few questions for us.

Why do you think Electronic music has grown so popular in the last couple years?

Treasure: I think it has to do with a lot of things. One of those things is climate of the industry. Electronic music comes in waves constantly because in most parts of the world it never dies, but in America it does. In most of America, especially in between the East and West coast; there is generally a lot of Rock and Alternative that infiltrates the radio. I think America hasn’t taken a whole lot of risk in music since Sept. 11th because of what happened in the industry and how record companies lost so much money. Nobody was willing to take risks. So, what we got from that was a super absorbed, saturated, gutter-rock radio. And then people got sick of that and go, “Oh wow, look at all these other kinds of music.” So, they crossover, and the indie kids prevail.

[laughter] They always do.

I’ve been listening to Shiny Toy Guns previous album “We Are Pilots” and I’ve noticed a bit of a change in styles from “We Are Pilots” and STG’s latest album “Season of Poison.” What influenced the change from dreamy Synth-Pop to the edgy, Indietronic music that you guys are creating now?

Treasure: The band went on the road and was playing all these songs that were really hard to play without tracks, you know, just really over produced. The older songs were light and “synthy-poppy,” and the band just wanted to rock out. Jeremy (keyboardist) and Chad (guitarist, lead vocalist), the whole time while they were on the road, started writing the more dirty songs, just playing really raw. There are hardly any [backing] tracks on the new stuff, besides the electronic drums and maybe a bit of distorted bass. Most of the new stuff we’re all playing live and that was the idea.

Do you notice any difference in the type of audience you played for with any of your older bands, as opposed to Shiny Toy Guns?

Treasure: We did a lot of dance clubs with Cooler Kids [Treasure's previous band]. Shiny Toy Guns has been around for a long time. Even when I opened for Shiny Toy Guns, they still had this cult following. It’s a whole different vibe when it’s not just people wanting to come and dance, but people that are really intently into your music and know every word to your songs.

When a group of musicians write a piece, everything is put into it; all of your energy, ideas, emotions. How do you push out that same energy night after night while on tour?

Treasure: For me personally, I look at it as something I love, and I get to do this for a job. How cool is that? So every time before I get out there, I remind myself of the reasons why I’m there. I just really love to get on stage. Not only that, but getting a reaction from the audience is a lot of fun. Every time you get up there, you don’t know what the audience is going to be like, especially for me. Having to step into this group that’s already established. I have to prove myself. Really, every night I have to prove myself to the audience. I know that, but I’ve always sort of been that way anyway. Whether they are huge fans of me or somebody else. You do that also when you’re in a band that’s opening for another band. You learn real quick that every night is a game to see how many people you can get on your side. It’s a lot of fun. It’s exciting! Even though it’s the same thing every night, it’s a different audience, and that keeps me on my toes.

If you were to recommend three upcoming artists, who would they be?

Treasure: Frankmusik, Metronomy, and of course, Late of the Pier because they’re my boys and I love them.

If you could own any synthesizer to date, which would it be and why?

Treasure: The Jupiter 8; Just because it was a synth my dad had while I was growing up. Any music that was made with the Jupiter 8, I gravitate towards because I heard the sound so much as a child and I loved it.

Growing up, were there any musicians that your parents listened to that really stuck with you?

Treasure: Well, luckily both of my parents are awesome. The first concert I ever went to was a Bowie concert. I’d also have to say Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Oh, and Ultravox was a huge influence, as well as Thomas Dolby.

What can we expect in the future from Shiny Toy Guns?

Treasure: More shows and more great music. We’re not done here yet, we’re just starting. We haven’t even scratched the surface. We’ve got a tour coming up with the All American Rejects and it’s going to be a whole new audience for the band. I can’t wait to see what it’s going to do for us in the next six weeks. Things could be completely different for us by the Summer time. You can also look forward to new music coming in the near future. We’re not going to wait to long.

Did you try Penthouse’s new energy drink at Ultra Music Festival?

Treasure: I did.

What did you think about Penthouse Clear?

Treasure: It was completely delicious! Really tasty. If it didn’t crack me out I would drink it all the time, but I know I can’t because I’ll overdose.

Witnessing STG play a live show is comparable to seeing a wildfire consume a firework factory. It’s beautiful and explosive, glittery and loud. Be sure to catch them on their “I Wanna Rock” tour with the All American Rejects. Tour dates can be found at www.Shinytoyguns.com/tour

Wish these previous TIMA Nominees  “Best of Luck!” at the 2009 Junos, March 29th on CTV!:

R&B Soul Recording of the Year: Zaki Ibrahim for “Money”

Roots and Traditional Album of the Year (SOLO): Suzie Vinnick for “Happy Here”

Children’s Album of the Year: Chris McKhool for “FiddleFire!”

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”: