: fast-paced tempo and off-topic banter during their
: live performances. Still, it’s difficult for a unique

: band to stand out in a big crowd—like a car witha
: funky paint job honking in rush hour traffic, there
: just isn’t enough room.

: “The thing about Vancouver is that it is really

: tough to get people out, we are kind of spoiled for

: music,” said drummer, Heppner. “There is also a

: lot of it, because it is a big city. So people see a lot

: of shit bands, while there are good bands playing

: all the time. If they don’t like one, they could go to
: another, because there are 50,000 clubs and bars.”
: Like so many other local musicians, they are

: choosing to take their talents out of town. MMC is
: not ignoring Vancouver or trying to escape it; they
: simply know that they must meet their fan base

: halfway.
: “The thing is with booking out of town, you will
: need to give yourself a three-month window,’ said

: Worthington. “So yeah, we are definitely actively

: looking towards a fall tour. We are always trying to

: play out-of-town shows. We are looking at Whistler,
: Kamloops, Kelowna, Nanaimo, and Victoria. We

: want to do an extensive BC tour. Prince George,

: we've been asked to go there so many times. And

: then there is Nelson and Revelstoke. You can have a
: full-month tour of just BC.”

: In early February, MMC returned from

: Kamloops after a short three-day trip to enjoy some
: good ol’ Vancouver sushi with me. They all nodded

: in agreement that the trip, albeit short notice, was

: both profitable and invigorating.

; “We were cruising down the highway when

: a guy beside us was like, ‘Pull over! Your tires are

: fucked!” Worthington, the designated driver in the

: band, retold the experience. “Oh God! We pulled

: over and checked it out and it was gone.”

: “We didn’t notice at all,” said Whittal, “but it

: had been dragging for a while.”

; “The truck belongs to Hey Ocean!,”

: Worthington said. “We borrowed it for four hours

: and fucked it up. They knew it was coming soon so

: they gave it to us. Whatever, it happened and we

: dealt with it thanks to the most brilliant man alive,

: Brian from FortisBC.”

: The band laughed off:the experience of

: standing on the middle of a highway during one of

: the coldest weeks of winter, lifting up their three-

: wheeled truck in order to fit a jack underneath. In

: retrospect, the situation could have been disastrous:
: they could have missed’ ‘their show, or worse.

: Adversity comes with the territory: ‘when you're

: touring as independent musicians. Safety i is first,
: fun is second, but oPey. is salways@ close third.

: The sacred title of musician is respected by MMC:

: none of them would openly announce that that is

: what they are. Like judges, doctors, and politicians,

: Whittal, Worthington, and Heppner don't feel they
: have legitimately earned the honours yet—not as

: a professional title, at least. The definition is still

: debatable between the three as they contemplate

: their own identity in the grand scheme.

: “When someone asks you, “What is your job?’

: you cannot say that,” said Worthington. “It’s what I

: aspire to be... and it’s getting closer and closer every
: year, but we’re not there yet.”

: They speak enthusiastically of other bands,

: bands they look up to, while drawing a line for

: themselves. This mark keeps them grounded as they
: continue to strive for that ultimate goal.

: In the summer of 2013, they took on a new

: initiative: their second album. But before they could
: return to the studio they decided that they wouldn't
: half-ass the job. This time they were serious. Even

: if they couldn’t call themselves professionals, they

: would behave like professionals.

: “You have an album coming out?” said Heppner,
: impersonating the public when he told them about

: their first album.

“Do you even play an instrument?” Worthington

mocked.

“Your name is Liam?” Whittal added as the

band laughed off their anonymity.

Campaigning for their Kickstarter was a brand

: new challenge for the group. On stage they were

: exuberant, but individually they were reserved and

: far from forthcoming when it came to asking for

: money. Getting someone to come to a show was one
: thing, getting them to download music was another,
: but getting them to chip in to a creative piece of

: work that has yet to be created is a whole other

: beast. Sucking up their pride and doing what they

: needed to, MMC, with the help of many, met their

: $6,000 goal.

“It gets easier over time,” said Worthington.

: “When people actually start following -you, it does
: get easier for sure. Especially on social media when
: we can get the word out about the Kickstarter. Now
: people know that the alburn i is coming out and we

: The day after they returned from their harrowing

: road trip to Kamloops, the. three members of MMC
: were putting in the hours at the studio, recording

: layered tracks for their new album: placed myself
: onacouch and watched as they worked.

Occasionally an error would arise, one would

: notify the other, and instead of countering with

: defensiveness, the response would be in jest and

: with appreciation. Jokes played in the background

: just as the music played in the foreground. Even

: though every moment spent in the studio was

: precious, there was no indication of anything being
: rushed. There were no shortcuts.

When it comes to the importance of studio time

: versus show time, MMC recognizes the value of

: both and doesn't take either for granted. That being
: said, it’s not every day they get to work on recording
> their new album.

“You're not going to be recording as much as

you are playing,” said Heppner. “If you have nothing
: torecord, then you need to be playing because that’s
: how you exist as a band.”

“But the way you keep on existing as a band

is by having something to record,” Whittal added.
: “And that is a-hard one to—”

“Tt needs to be a really good exposure show!”

:” Worthington interrupted. “Or we are recording an

: album. The show needs to be absolutely worth it. In
: my opinion, studio time is so much more expensive

: thana show is, so it needs to bea really well-

: promoted show with great exposure. It would be the
: show for sure!”

“Especially for us,’ said Whittal, “shows are kind

: of our thing.”

: Genres are harder to define than ever. Avant-grunge,
: funk rock, and danger polka punk are just a few

: attempts at characterizing MMC’s sound with

: words. But they don’t care about creating a theme or
: focussing ona certain category. What they want is to
: generate music with unpredictability—the I’m-up-

: on-my-feet-and-moving-without-knowing-it kind of
: music.

...Or of Something Else, their second album, will

: be available in the spring of 2014, and although they
: are always looking for new roads to explore and new
: places to play, you can catch them around town at

: local venues playing their balls-on-the-walls-all-

: hands-on-deck-feels-so-good-it-can’t-be-butter

: kind of music.

For more information about My Mother

: the Carjacker, their music, and where they’re

: performing, visit their Facebook page (www.

: facebook.com/mymotherthecarjacker) or follow
: them on Twitter (@MyMotherCarjack).