Handsome Furs: CMW '09 Special

Handsome Furs' Plague Park debut is only two years old, but the duo are already poised to return to the indie spotlight with the help of their sophomore album, Face Control, which is due out on March 10.

Dan Boeckner talked to CHARTattack about lead balloons and the perils of being married to your bandmate.

Hometown:
Montreal

Members:
Dan Boeckner (guitar, vocals)
Alexei Perry (drum machine, synthesizers)

Official Website: www.handsomefurs.com

CHARTattack: So, you're about to play the big industry event that is Canadian Music Week. What's the most shameless thing you've ever done to promote your band?
Dan Boeckner: I played a comedy showcase that had Janeane Garofalo and David Cross. Eugene Mirman asked us to do it, and I thought, "This is a bad idea because we're a really fucking depressing band." It was right before we recorded Plague Park.

They did comedy, and we came out and played "Dumb Animals." And then they did more comedy, and we came out and played another song from the record. It was such a lead balloon. It was awful.

What's the hardest part about being an up-and-coming band?
I don't think I can answer that because I don't know if there's anything hard about it. I don't find it hard being in this band.

How important is it for your band members to circulate and flirt with the audience before or after the show?
Well, we're married, so that would be kind of harsh.

After the show — especially if we're in a remote place in Europe — it's pretty important that we go to the merch table and talk to people, but that gets really creepy sometimes. The fact that we're a couple seems to attract this harsh creep element, especially in Europe.

I think it's important for us to go and talk to people, but I think sometimes it's really detrimental.

Have you ever stolen from someone else's rider? If so, who was it and what did you take?
I took a beer from the Arcade Fire's rider and their manager almost had an aneurysm because it wasn't my beer. I had to explain to him that I had been on tour with them for a week and that they were my friends. I really didn't think they'd mind because they're not big drinkers.

Have you ever been graded before according to ChartAttack.com's Rock 'N' Roll Report Cards?
I didn't even know they existed. If there was a column for sweating, I'd probably get an A+. [They got an 80 during NXNE 2007.]

Have you done anything new or interesting this week?
Yeah, I have, actually. I got about three-and-a-half hours sleep on a tiny bench in [Paris, France's] Charles De Gaulle airport. I can't remember the last time I had to force myself to fall asleep in a totally public place.

Handsome Furs play the Horseshoe Tavern on March 13 at 12:10 a.m. as part of the annual CHARTattack/Horseshoe/Canadian Music Week showcase.

Check out CHARTattack's official CMW microsite here.