Photos and feature by Lauren Khalfayan, find more of her work here.
The Canadian outfit The Beaches feels like a mashup of your favorite music from the 2000s — there’s a healthy garage rock sound pulsating throughout, but it’s been updated with a hint of power pop. I caught up with Kylie Miller who plays guitar in the group for a round of 20 questions before their NYC rooftop gig.
What’s a misconception about Canadians?
Kylie Miller: There’s this idea that we live in igloos and everyone’s a hockey player. There’s like some weird stereotypes that, especially being from Toronto, are just not true. Also that we’re very polite. A lot the time that’s the case, but in Toronto again, there’s a very similar mentality between New York and Toronto. Everyone thinks Canadians are really really nice too, but I would say that’s a true conception
Garage rock or surf rock?
Garage rock 100%. Love the Beach Boys, but garage rock.
Do you have a holy trinity of artists?
Definitely Amy Winehouse — she really inspires Jordan as a lyricist. She’s really someone she looks to when she needs inspiration, especially after watching that amazing documentary and learning about her songwriting process. Bowie is one of our gods. Also The Strokes. Elton [John] is a visionary. A lot of people based in 1970s rock n’ roll. Debbie Harry is someone we all really look up to. Chrissie Hynde. I guess holy trinity if I need to answer definitively: The Strokes, Bowie, and Amy.
Best era of music?
Definitely 1970s rock. Also Brit-pop from the 90s — we take a lot of inspiration from that as well. The seventies in general, though, was just such an important time for rock music and women in rock music, so that’s definitely where we draw a lot of our inspiration from.
What’s on heavy rotation right now?
I know Eliza has been obsessed with Anderson Paak as of recently and has been listening to that a ton. Leandra is obsessed with the new Jonas Brothers’ stuff. Like she’s die hard from day one and has fallen back into that. I really love Sunflower Bean — I think they’re incredible. I also really like Public Access TV and The Garden. Another really cool artist we’ve been listening to is Tierra Whack — her songs are like 1-2 minutes long and she has music videos for each song. It’s just a very interesting way to come up with an album and a way to create music. Cause you listen to a minute of something and you want so much more of it, but you don’t get it, it just continues on to the next thing, but it’s really cool.
Weirdest venue/show experience?
We played a haunted theater yesterday in Niagara Falls, New York and we immediately walked in and felt slightly nervous. You could sense something was going on. Ghost hunters have been there. The venue was actually on top of all these hidden tunnels from the United States that lead to Canada from the underground railroad. Apparently there was some vaudeville actress who hung herself onstage and sometimes people see her. But we’ve definitely played a lot of weird venues that weren’t haunted. My first show I played in a band was at an all female boxing club in between matches. That was pretty crazy.
Dream music video/album concept?
Jordan has been playing around with this idea of a mix of animation and real life where we do this video that starts with really crazy imagery of us on top of a mountain and then we jump off the mountain into a pool and from the pool we emerge into this new thing and the images are really vivid and keep popping up. The whole thing stemmed from this dream she had. I’m really stoked on that whole idea cause she’s a visual artist as well and if she can do some visual art behind it and find a way to work with an animator and make her vision come to life… I think that’d be so fun. Leandra also has this idea to get our pets at home to star in our music video and some how get them to play the instruments in some way. I love that idea, but my dogs are so ill-behaved I don’t think that’s going to work.
Have you ever set anything besides dick pic polaroids on fire?
They made us set a lot of stuff on fire at that video shoot and I’m very scared of fire. I’m not sure if you can see it on my face, but every time something’s on fire there’s pure terror. I really tried to mask it, but I don’t think I did a good job. I don’t think I’ve set anything on fire… maybe like some old cards and like t-shirts that ex-boyfriends have given me, had a little seance at the beach in middle school kind of thing, but fire really terrifies me.
Do you listen to podcasts or audiobooks?
We listen to this podcast Amy Schumer and her friends do called, “3 girls, 1 Keith” and it’s like Amy Schumer, Bridget Everett, Rachel Feinstein, and their friend Keith and it’s one of the funniest things I’ve listened to in a long time. I love Bridget Everett. She’s like a cabaret comedian and she does the most ridiculous show. And she sings all the time and has an amazing voice. But she gets like completely naked and throws herself on people in the audience. I went to see her in Toronto and it was the best thing I’ve seen in a long time. She kind of embodies rock n’ roll in this hilarious way, but she kills it. And they have theme to every episode, whether that be money or sex, they get good guests on as well.
Is there a dream band you’d like to join if you couldn’t be in your own?
I would love to play in The Strokes, I think that would be really cool. I know Danielle Haim sometimes plays with them. To have something to do with OutKast would be crazy.
Any personal goals, music or not, in the upcoming year?
I really want our band to go and tour Europe and the UK — I really feel like setting a strong base in the UK sets you up for everywhere else in the world. I feel like the most important bands have thrived there first before worrying about everywhere else, so I think it would be really good for us to get over there. Personally, I want to be single for the entire year and not end up in a relationship because I feel like it’s really important to be young and be really focusing on the band and my relationships with my friends.
Favorite Jonas Brother?
Nick Jonas all the way
Go-to Taco Bell order?
Crunch wrap supreme — sometimes if we’re really feeling it, two extra tacos
Do you remember your yearbook quote/superlative?
My yearbook quote was, “Only the beginning…” which now I think is very ridiculous. Trying to be wise in high school just… so dumb. I think I got voted most likely to be famous. In middle school though, I did get best dressed and that means so much to me cause I work so hard on that in middle school
If you could talk to anyone in the world for 15 minutes who would it be?
Honestly, Ina Garten. I think she’s such a queen, I’m obsessed with her. I have all of her cookbooks. I love her and Jeffrey’s relationship. I would love to sit down and have a little chat with her — a chat and a snack
If you couldn’t do music, what would you do instead?
I think I’d want to work in the food industry — that’s my second passion. But being in the band has been really great cause I get to go to a lot of new places and try different things. I just love traveling and being able to try all the food there, so that’s definitely a perk of the band. But even if I wasn’t in a band, I still love the music industry and would want to be involved with it in some way — with a label or producing — I just feel like there needs to be more women involved in roles like that.
Guilty pleasures?
I love Shania Twain. She is my Canadian country queen. I was recently told by a producer that since I like Shania Twain I’m tainted for life, like I will never think of music the same way again. I love denim on denim, a full Britney and Justin denim suit. I will actually eat spoonfuls of peanut butter and jam out of the jar. And I love The OC. I love good trashy television and movies.
What are you binging right now?
I’m currently on season 15 of Grey’s Anatomy. I’ve spent the last 6 months of my life dedicated to that show, like I think I can practice medicine. It’s really bad.
Desert island album?
Rumors – Fleetwood Mac
Best advice you’ve ever gotten?
Best advice I’ve ever gotten was from Emily Haines and it came on such a weird night too. We were having a discussion about putting out music and image and all that stuff and she just looked at us and was like, “If you guys aren’t 100 percent satisfied with the way you look or the way you sound or what you’re putting out there, you can’t release it. Because you are the person that’s going to have to sell that 10 years down the line and if you feel skeptical about that now, it’s only going to continue.” Basically she told us to stick to our guns, make sure that what you’re putting out there, you’re happy with, and don’t let tell you otherwise or push you to be something you don’t want to be. I know a lot of people probably say that, but having it come from her meant something to us cause it came at a point in our career when we were being pushed in so many ways and having one of your heroes say — you need to follow your own path — it really struck a chord.
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