It's always very difficult to know exactly what to expect from an upcoming interview. I've learned a lot since starting with CONFRONT Magazine, back in December 2006, but I'm always very anxious and feel somewhat clueless as to how things will develop; a feeling that just adds to the challenge of trying to get the best out of an artist. That level of stress was raised significantly higher when I was asked to cover Die Mannequin, a fairly new and young rock-alternative band from Toronto, Canada.
One of the opening acts on the most recent Sum 41 tour across Canada, Die Mannequin is a band I knew very little about. I had heard of them through a friend but to be honest, hadn't really bothered looking too much into it, thinking they were going to be another cookie cutter group like so many others. But I was soon to be proven very wrong!
Doing research on the beginnings of this rock trio, I came to discover that they went through rough times and have worked hard to attaint their current level of success and 21 year old lead singer Care Failure (born Caroline Kawa) truly has the innate gift of being a great lyricist and musician.
Care, Anthony Bleed (bass) and Ghostwolf (drums) weren't visiting the great province of Quebec in the best of times. Their time here coincided with a week's worth of snow storms, the likes of which we hadn't seen in years. As I got to the venue, things were running late for everyone due to the severe weather and I was quickly introduced to Care who was on her way to sound check. Apologizing profusely and making sure I was ok with waiting for her, she then disappeared up the stairs to the stage. I was starting to feel much less nervous about this interview, our brief meeting allowing me to see that this person seemed sweet and caring and not all that dark and crazy; something some people may think by watching Die Mannequin's videos and listening to their songs.
When a short while later Care literally stormed back down to the changing room where I was waiting, she casually installed my little voice recorder on the countertop, started flat-ironing her hair and I fired away with my first question, wanting to know how this new tour was going for them.
"It's funny because it's only our second show with [Sum 41]. Because the first two got moved to other venues and we couldn't make them for financial reasons. (...) the Chicoutimi show was supposed to be our first show - that was supposed to be Sunday - and Saturday we left from Toronto, but we got stuck like eight times and we had to sleep on and off through that snow storm. So we slept in the middle of an off-ramp, like really dangerously, with no heater and so we didn't even make it to Chicoutimi; but we found out it got cancelled. So we played two days ago in Trois-Rivières, it was our first show and it's our second tonight. So, so far it's good!"
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