Pleased To Meet Me: Nümonia
Introduce yourself… (Where are you from, what band do you play in etc..)
A: I'm Ani, I grew up in Montreal and I sing and play synths in Nümonia. I've been obsessed with music since I was 8. I started buying records as a teenager, then started going to shows, meeting my favourite bands, buying British music magazines and staying up until midnight to listen to Brave New Waves and watch the only music video show at the time called New York Hot Tracks.
J:My name is Jon, I am from Montreal and I play synths, bass and other instruments in Nümonia… I used to be in The Doughboys, as well as Pest 5000, Starbean, Ark of Infinity, and lots of other local bands…
Why do you play music?
A: I never played music until a year and a half ago when Jon asked me to start a band. It took a year of thinking about what the band would be about visually and musically before we started playing. I didn't want to do it. I didn't know that I could. But we told all our friends we started a band so I think I just wanted to start recording music to prove that we were actually doing it. Now that I'm doing it I’ve been enjoying it. I love performing and connecting with an audience and the creativity involved in putting everything together with the music, visuals, costumes, and performance.
J :Music keeps me sane, it is a kind of therapy, I also love being in the zone where playing music enables us to channel positive energy and to enter into a kind of transcendent state… especially when improvising with other like-minded musicians…
What was a major influence on you as an Artist/Band?
A: The Belgian band Front 242. They created their own sound blending synth pop, with cold industrial music and I love their aesthetic. They had a vision for their album covers and videos. It was also my first ever concert. I met the band when I was 15 and they signed my autograph book and put me on the guest list! Everything that was going on in NYC in the 80's is a major influence. From the club kids, to artists like Basquiat and Clemente to no wave bands and underground films. Also the late 80's and early 90's acid house and rave scene was incredible and that's another inspiration. I'm also inspired by 80s novelty music, 60's pop art, John Waters, Warhol, drag queens, Marcel Duchamp, outsider art, and bbc archival films. I'm mostly influenced by other art forms like cinema and performance art. I studied film so every idea that I have involves a visual in my mind.
J: My main influence as a young person was DEVO- I love how they transform being a band into a conceptual performance, creating their own unique world…
What’s a favourite book or film?
A:My favourite movie is The Elephant Man by David Lynch. Favourite book is The Collector by John Fowles.
J:My favourite film is Close Encounters of the Third Kind- the end scene is so classic and the music is amazing! My favourite book is The Alexandria Quartet by Lawrence Durell- it was a huge influence on me, and sparked my interest in travelling, experiencing different cultures, exploring new places and meeting new people…
Do you prefer the recording process or performing live?
A: I prefer performing live even though I find it to be a stressful experience. I like the instant connection you have with the audience and how unpredictable it can be. I also enjoy playing different characters on stage, entertaining a crowd, and getting people excited about the music.
J: I am more of a live performer, not being really into the technical process of recording… but I am starting to enjoy recording on a computer after resisting it for my entire life!
What would be a dream collaboration?
A: Collaborating with a film director like Todd Haynes or Floria Sigismondi for a rock opera, or a musical based on our music. I like telling stories through music and I think that our music would translate well into a musical.
J: I would have loved to have collaborated with Daniel Johnston before he passed away… I was and am still obsessed with Daniel…
Describe a favourite album.
A: Serge Gainsbourg, Cannabis soundtrack. The arrangements by Jean-Claude Vannier are brilliant.
J: One of my all-time favourites is ‘Hunky Dory’ by David Bowie-
I love how each song is a world you can enter into, there is something poetic and nostalgic about it- ‘The Bewlay Brothers’ had a huge impact on me as a teenager…
What's your favourite local haunt?
A: Bruno Sports Bar. They make the most delicious grilled cheese sandwiches, it's open late and love how the place is surrounded by TV screens playing the weirdest shows.
J :I don’t go out much as I work nights and sleep in the day- like a vampire…
What's your strangest experience while performing live?
A: I've only played 5 shows and haven't had anything strange happen yet.
J: Probably playing in Ljubljana, Yugoslavia- the club had a huge confederate flag on stage and we did ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ as an encore with our roadie Skippy Smooth (from Virginia) singing- people went nuts!
What are some of your favourite aspects of being a musician in Montreal?
A: Everything for me is new and exciting. I wouldn't call myself a musician. I still don't know what I'm doing. Everyone in Montreal has their own unique sound but it's still a very supportive music scene and lots of bands have helped us.
J: I like the music scene in Montreal- I have always felt that there is a good deal of support among bands here… I like that it is not too big, you end up knowing everybody after a while…
If you weren’t playing music in Montreal, where would you be ?
A: Montreal is the only city that feels like home. I like the musical history of Montreal as a dance music city from 70's Disco to 80's new wave then 90's Raves. No other city in Canada had the same impact on dance music. If I had to pick another city it would be somewhere in the Eastern Townships. I've always had this fantasy of living in a small rural town. I like being close to wildlife and nature, and we can play at the Thirsty Boot! But the reality is that I'll probably get bored and want to be in a big city.
J: I would be in Spain… maybe busking… or playing in a band there…
Any sage advice for young musicians?
A: Make music for yourself and don't pay attention to what others are doing.
J: Do your own thing, find your own voice, your own sound- everyone has something unique they have to offer to the world… There is nothing wrong with having influences and even spending time copying other bands or musicians, especially when starting out, but eventually find your own way of doing things!
Nümonia’s Age Of Consent is out now via Le Backstore Records.
You can visit Le Backstore HERE.