By Nicholas Jason Lopez
Self-described as “devilishly catchy rock n’ roll,” Canadian band Huttch recently dropped a new three-song EP ‘Quick Fix.’
It was recorded and produced at Baldwin Street Sound, mixed by Kenneth Roy Meehan and mastered by Kristian Montano.
The Music Bugle had the chance to speak with the group about ‘Quick Fix’ and more.
Music Bugle – How did you guys decide the band name?
Robbie Cervi – The three of us were living in Toronto and the guys started making fun of my sneeze. We wrote out the name and really liked the way it looked. It had a symmetry to it and it was just a cool word to look at.
Music Bugle – How would you describe Canada to someone who has never been there before?
Robbie Cervi – We are a lot like America, but smaller in population. Everyone is super-friendly, it’s what you would expect. The Winters are real, except Windsor, Ontario, where we are from. Windsor doesn’t get it as bad. We are the Florida of Canada.
Music Bugle – What excites you the most about rock?
Sebastian Abt – Dancing and sweating.
Music Bugle – What was it like making your new EP ‘Quick Fix’?
Sebastian Abt – It was great! We decided to rent a cottage on Pelee Island close to our hometown and started a bit of writing on some new songs. Those three were the strongest out of the batch. We took the demos to Aaron Goldstein at Baldwin Street Sound in Toronto, who we had worked on before with “Huttchino.” It’s always great working there and we got all the beds live for a nice familiar feel to all the songs, even though they’re quite different from one another.
Music Bugle – Which of your songs were the hardest to write?
Zack Vivier – On this EP, I would say “Quick Fix” was the hardest because we went in agreeing that we were open to changes and some help on arrangement. We had reversed some verses and tightened up some parts that maybe dragged. Robbie smashed a nice drum solo out and there were some happy accidents that happened in the studio that really made it a fun and dynamic one. Otherwise, “Mr. Adams” is another that was all over the place and we like that.
Music Bugle – What’s a quote that motivates you to keep doing what you do?
Sebastian Abt – One time, someone came up to us after a show and told us that, “It feels like we’re all on stage with you when you guys play.” I’ve always kept that close to me as a great compliment that there’s some honest connection to the way we play and write and hopefully entertain others.
Music Bugle – Away from music, what’s something people might be surprised to know about you?
Sebastian Abt – Robbie’s a librarian and history major. Go ahead, ask him anything. Sebastian has a poker tournament on his birthday every year. Zack has a minimal sense of smell, great for long car rides in his sick 1992 Chrysler New Yorker.
Music Bugle – How have you been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic?
Sebastian Abt – Well, it for sure put a damper in our touring plans. We had our visas for the States ready to go again and probably would’ve done our best job to try and cover more new ground and hit the great spots we played last year. However, we didn’t feel any pressure from the time off or felt that we lost out, because everyone else was in the same boat. In fact, it really allowed us to sit down and start writing together with ease and focus on making ourselves really happy with the songs and get a little experimental.
Music Bugle – Where do you go when you feel the need to escape?
Robbie Cervi – As a band, we escape from all the outside noise and opinions by getting to a cottage somewhere. It”s a very Canadian thing to do and there is no shortage of them up here! Parry Sound and Pelee Island are big favorites.
Music Bugle – Who are you listening to right now, music-wise?
Sebastian Abt – Daniel Romano, Tim Maia and Cutworms.
Robbie Cervi – White Reaper, Rolling Stones and The Blue Stones.
Zack Vivier – Bee Gees, Michel Pagliaro and Neil Young.
*Photo Credit – Zeebrah*
