Hot Panda sets sights on the moon

For some bands, pinning down a particular sound takes years of rehearsal. Hot Panda, however, just kind of stumbled into it by trying to combine a little bit of everything and anything.
Rather than the typical approach of most bands - building the song from the ground up - singer/guitarist Chris Connelly explained that the band did the exact opposite.
"We sort of throw out a whole bunch of ideas," said Connelly, who fronts Hot Panda alongside guitarist/accordion player/keyboardist Heath Parsons, drummer Maghan Campbell and bassist Keith Olsen.
The result is their debut LP, Volcano. Bloody Volcano, an eclectic mixture of pop gems that shift with ease from jangly guitar rock to gypsy swing with the occasional opera solo, all held together by Connelly's distinct vocals. Many of the songs, including album opener "Cold Hands/Chapped Lips" and "Gold Star Swimmer" have an everything-and-the-kitchen-sink approach to them.
"The record starts with just a lot of different songs, a lot of different ideas and we just kind of whittle it down," said Connelly. "We throw out as many ideas as possible and then kind of shape it from there."
Alongside this, Connelly possesses the ability to shift lyrically from English to French mid-phrase, as in the songs "It's Worth Eight Dollars" and "I Tried Very Hard". This skill, he believes, is a product of his French education - something he considers "pretty Canadian" and rare for an Albertan.
But starting out in Alberta had its benefits. The success that many of the West Coast's independent bands have been finding elsewhere was inspiring to Connelly.
Prior, artists believed that the key to recognition was moving to one of Canada's major metropolitan areas, like Toronto, Montreal or Vancouver. Now, musicians in even the most remote places can find a larger audience.
"Edmonton is like a microcosm for that whole Canadian mentality," said Connelly. "It's a humbleness too. It's a humbleness that a lot of Canadians have. They don't take themselves too seriously 'cause they realize, like, 'wow, I'm only big in Canada, so it doesn't really matter'. And Edmonton is just a smaller version of that, like, 'oh, it doesn't matter, we're just big in Edmonton, so people in the rest of Canada don't care'."
That mindset may be one of the quintessential keys to Hot Panda's agenda. Having toured North America earlier this year, and a stint in Europe opening for The Von Bondies, the collective just began another two-month tour that will bring them to St. Catharines on Sept. 13.
The road, however, doesn't faze Connelly, as he explained that the band just tries to focus on the next gig.
"I think we get good at being in denial and just looking at the next day," he said. "Because if you look at the whole thing and you're like, 'oh God, i'm not going to be home until November', then it's kind of [overwhelming]."
With so much experience on the road in the last few months, the band has found the perfect way to perform their songs in a live atmosphere. Rather than just present the material as it appears on the record, Connelly and Co. make a conscious effort to provide each as a separate experience.
"We don't want the record to be exactly like our live show or vice-versa," said Connelly. "We don't want to be a band that when you come and see a show it's like putting on the record. We like to play things normally faster, a little more energy, a little sloppier, and just bring up the energy in our live show. On the record we try to make it a little more so that you can hear everything better. You know, slow it down a little bit, make it richer."
Both their album and live show have begun to bring them some acknowledgement with listeners and the media. Volcano debuted at number one on Canadian college radio charts and at 21 on the College Music Journal charts in the US. The UK's biggest music magazine, NME, gave the record a four-out-of-five and said it was "Definitely worth a listen", while Rolling Stone even took notice when they included the song "Chinatown Bus" in their Smoking Track section.
But as their star rises, does any of this acclaim and success matter to the members of Hot Panda?
"It'd be nice to say it didn't, but I think it does kind of matter," said Connelly. "It makes people know about you [.] I think people like to get validation for things their doing in life, so when you get a little validation for things like that [.] it makes me feel good. I enjoy it, and it helps make your profile."
With their follow-up being recorded in the winter and their most recent tour underway, what does Connelly hope to achieve next with his band mates in Hot Panda?
"I don't know, it's a weird thing," he said. "At first, I remember being like, 'it'd be fun for this band to play a show'. Then we'd get the show and it went good, and it's like 'wow, it'd be awesome to go on tour,' and then it was going on tour [.] So, it's funny how these goals, whenever you get to [them], all of a sudden there's a new goal that pops up. I guess maybe... the moon. [We'll be the] first band to play on the moon."
Hot Panda plays 73 in St. Catharines on Sept 13.