Submission by Rob Huff, first-time contributor

Toronto electrogoth band Austra seems to thrive on contradictions. Despite being named after the Latvian goddess of light, they cast themselves and their music in the darkest shades of night. At turns ominous and foreboding, their songs can also be seductive and even inviting, as evidenced by their titanic singles “Beat and the Pulse” and “Lose It.” And though her voice is gargantuan and more than a little intimidating, on stage as well as on debut record Feel It Break, front woman and bandleader Katie Stelmanis is soft-spoken and maybe a little reserved in person. She demonstrated this demure demeanor when speaking to The New Gay before taking the stage to open for Cold Cave at Voyeur Nightclub in Philly.

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The New Gay:  How is the tour going?

KS: It’s been going really good. They (Cold Cave) are a really fun band to tour with and I think we compliment each other musically. And they’re cool dudes.

TNG: How did the transition from your solo work into your former band Galaxy and then into Austra happen?

KS: Well, I guess Galaxy and the solo stuff were happening at the same time. Galaxy was the first band I performed and after that I started performing solo. And then it just kind of evolved over time into a more collaborative effort. I’ve been working with Maya (Postepski). She was in Galaxy so we’ve been working together for years. Then she started playing more of a role in the songwriting process and it made more sense to go under a band name rather than my own name.

TNG: Is the juxtaposition between that name and the darkness of the music intentional?

KS: Definitely not. I didn’t realize that Austra was the goddess of light until after we decided that was going to be our band name, so it wasn’t intentional at all. [Side note: The band briefly worked under the moniker Private Life before learning another band had already claimed it.]

TNG: There is also the juxtaposition between they synth-pop that you guys perform and your opera-trained vocals, which carry a certain drama, for lack of a better word. What inspired you to merge the two styles?

KS: I don’t think that was really intentional either. A lot of the sounds I created and have been working with happened by default a little bit. I started making computer music when I was a late teenager because I was really influenced by classical music. So I was using orchestral samples and stuff like that when I was writing music. That just kind of evolved over time and those were the samples that were accessible to me; pretty much just the ones that came with the program I was using.

TNG: What are your musical inspirations nowadays?

KS: I think that I am constantly inspired by a lot of different things. I usually kind of obsess over an artist for about three months, get influenced by that, and then move on to another one.  I think my current one, even though I’m a little late to the game, is Portishead’s Third record. I’m really obsessed with that one right now.

TNG: Going back to your songwriting, there’s a touch of darkness and even a kind of alchemy at work in the words as well. What are your lyrical inspirations?

KS: Lyrics are always kind of a weird thing for me because I never put much weight on lyrics when I listen to music. I never really pay attention to them and they were never really a priority to me. When I used to write music, I used to just kind of bumble ‘whatever’ and not really pay attention. Basically, when I write, I just try not to think about anything and just let the words kind of flow subconsciously because if I think about it they come as a little cheesy. I just try to say whatever pops into my head and that is what works best for me.

TNG: How does everything on record translate live? How do you do that?

KS: That’s kind of a difficult thing to do. We have expanded into a six-piece so we have live bass, live drums, a live keyboard player, and we play to a backing track to get a live dynamic as well as original electronics that we like to use. We recently acquired two back-up singers as well.

TNG: What’s it like to perform with the back-up singers?

KS: I really like it. I think that because there isn’t actually a lot of live instrumentation going on, we need to work extra hard to make (the shows) visually engaging. I think it’s really good visually and it definitely helps to add depth to the sound.

TNG: How do you prep and care for your voice when performing live? Is it taxing at all?

KS: It never used to be. I’ve only recently started to feel a little bit of a strain. I’m sure it’s just because of the sheer number of shows we’ve been doing. Generally, I just warm up a little bit before we play. I try not to drink too much. I don’t smoke. I don’t drink coffee. Just general body health is what you need to keep your voice in good shape.

TNG: You identify as queer. You don’t really identify as a “gay band” so much as “gay people in a band.” How does your queer identity factor into your music, if at all?

KS: I definitely think it does. I think it’s important to recognize that as a songwriter, I’m influenced by my community and the people around me that are making music. A lot of the artists that I admire also happen to be gay. I don’t know if it’s coincidence or whatnot, but I think I’m definitely a product of the community I come from.

TNG: How do you feel you fit amongst other self-proclaimed “queer groups?”

KS: Well I think there are a lot of bands now who are openly gay. And there’s such a wide range of them that you can’t really define what a “gay band” is anymore. You have Owen Pallett and Grizzly Bear versus Tegan and Sara, and Portishead. So many bands, I don’t think you can really define it that way anymore.

TNG: When you perform, do you get a big response from your gay audience?

KS: Oh yeah, definitely. Ever since we started doing interviews, there have been tons of gay people at our shows. Gay people make great fans, so it’s good.

TNG: How have the crowds been in general?

KS: In general, they’ve been great. There has been a lot of diversity, which I like.  There are wide age groups, gay people, straight people, men, women… just a wide variety of people coming out to our shows and I really like that.

That diverse crowd was treated to a commanding performance that night in Voyeur, itself a gay club that hosts a wide array of shows and events. Flanked by her band mates, Katie took to the stage in a sheer gold shirt and black leggings to enrapture the room with an epic, swelling take on set and album opener “Darken Her Horse.” From there, the beat and pulse never stopped, nor did the audience’s rhythmic writhing. The aforementioned back-up singers were more than up to the challenge of keeping up with Stelmanis’s vocal acrobatics, getting fierce workouts during “Lose It” and the sighing “Hate Crime,” in particular. By the time the soaring, sinister “Spellwork” lived up to its name at the set’s end, everyone in attendance was at her mercy.

She and the rest of Austra will hit the road again this fall with Grimes.

 

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