Last year, the two remaining members of one of Edmonton’s most popular bands, Christian Hansen and the Autistics (now known simply as Christian Hansen) moved to Toronto. But, despite being in Canada’s entertainment capital, where musicians-and-actors (and husband-and-wife) Christian Hansen and Molly Flood went for optimal opportunities, they still came home to record their new album, C’Mon Arizona, with Doug Organ at Edmontone studios.
The reason, says singer and guitarist Hansen, is that Organ’s talents were crucial to recording the debut that put them on the map, Power Leopard, and in fact helped shape the band's style — ’80s new-wave meets indie-rock.
“He’s been the silent member of the band,” says Hansen.
But the record also highlights some of the fresh blood in the band. Hansen and keyboardist Flood collaborated with Toronto drummer Al Boyle and bassist Dustin Hawthorne.
The band also traded the synth-driven Talking Heads throwback style (which they established on the 2009 debut) for a more rock-driven style that’s still slathered with pop-hooks (such as on “Ma-Me-O” and “Spirit Guide”) and pop-culture references (“You Were a Juggalo”).
Hansen explains that the record took over a year to make because of all the work the band’s been doing to gain exposure out East.
“In Edmonton, because of all the radio play, a lot of people got into us who probably would have never heard us otherwise,” says Hansen. “In Toronto, there’s much more competition. There are so many concerts all the time and you’re constantly competing for that same audience.”
For the release party, though, they’re homeward bound, doing a three-day stint starting on Oct. 11 with an 18-plus show at Dinwoodie Lounge (Doug Hoyer opens), and two all-ages shows on Oct. 12 and 13 at the Elevation Room at Transcend Coffee (rapper Mikey Maybe opens).
“It’s cool, because we never get to do all ages shows,” says Hansen. “I remember the all ages shows I’d go to when I was a kid and how much fun they were. So we said, ‘Why not, let’s do two.’”
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