Amy Millan Has Secret Weapon, Working On New Stars Material

09/11/09 5:42pm

by Scott Bryson (CHARTattack)

It's not uncommon to see Amy Millan draped head to toe with leather, wielding an electric guitar and shouting into a microphone.

When she's on stage with her primary band, Stars, or joining the cast of Broken Social Scene, the Montreal-based chanteuse has no problem playing the part of rock star. Her work as a solo artist is of a very different variety, though.

"I wanted to commit to the gentle side," she says of her latest solo album, Masters Of The Burial. "When I [wrote debut solo album] Honey From The Tombs, it was before being in Stars and Broken Social Scene, so I didn't have the release of being part of a louder, collaborative work.

"I was able to tell myself [this time] that I was going to make a gentle record and I didn't have to interject with my pop sensibilities. I could just rely on the acoustic side of my life."

Now that Masters Of The Burial has hit the streets, Millan is ready to take her show on the road, but don't expect to see her perched on stool, singing softly to dainty, seated groupies. Her music may be treading softer waters these days, but Milan will be towing the same band that toured with her for Honey From The Tombs.

"I'm excited about going out on this North American leg," she says. "I have a great band. I used to call them Tumbleweeds. Unfortunately, the record went to press before I was able to change their name... The band's name now is Secret Weapon.

"I'm very excited to be in the prairies and stare out the window, and see all of Canada again. But while I'm doing that, I'm going to be recording with Stars and also hopefully recording with Broken."

Milan hasn't put any time into a new Broken Social Scene record yet, but she reports that a fresh offering from Stars is already underway.

"We're going in chunks," she says of the incomplete album. "We've recorded four songs already and we're going into the studio on the day my record comes out for the next chunk of songs. Then we have one more chunk in December and hopefully the record will either be out in the spring or fall [of 2010]."

Here's where you can catch Amy Millan and her Secret Weapon:

Sept. 30 Montreal, QC @ Ukrainian Federation w/ Bahamas (Pop Montreal)
Oct. 1 Peterborough, ON @ The Montreal House w/ Bahamas
Oct. 2 Ottawa, ON @ Zaphod Beeblebrox w/ Bahamas
Oct. 3 Kingston, ON @ The Grad Club at Queen's University w/ Bahamas
Oct. 4 Cambridge, MA @ Middle East
Oct. 14 Toronto, ON @ The Mod Club w/ Bahamas
Oct. 15 Detroit, MI @ Pike Room at the Crofoot
Oct. 16 Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle
Oct. 17 Minneapolis, MN @ Turf Club
Oct. 18 Winnipeg, MB @ West End Cultural Centre w/ Bahamas
Oct. 19 Saskatoon, SK @ Amigos Cantina w/ Bahamas
Oct. 20 Calgary, AB @ The Marquee Room w/ Bahamas
Oct. 21 Edmonton, AB @ Myer Horowitz Theatre w/ Bahamas
Oct. 24 Vancouver, BC @ The Biltmore Cabaret w/ Bahamas
Oct. 25 Seattle, WA @ Triple Door
Oct. 26 Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
Oct. 28 San Francisco, CA @ Cafe Du Nord
Oct. 30 Los Angeles, CA @ Spaceland
Nov. 5 New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge
Nov. 6 Brooklyn, NY @ Bell House
Nov. 7 Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda's
Nov. 8 Washington, DC @ DC9