Not every band will catch your ear before they catch your eye. The uniquely named Holy Fuck is one of those bands that that you’ll probably recognize based on name alone. Luckily, they’re also one of the most talented electronic groups in music today, with a live show that simply cannot be missed. If their name doesn’t pique your interest, maybe their Juno Award and the Polaris Prize nominations will. Then again, perhaps you’re just interested in a great band with an original style, who manages to shift between genres while simultaneously evading any sort of label.

On one of the first hot days in the end of April, Inyourspeakers spoke to the band about name controversy, Chatroulette, the new album and much more. Read on for the good stuff.

Inyourspeakers: When did you decide to become an electronic group, and why not use the common tools of electronica?

Brian: Well what are the common tools of electronic?

Inyourspeakers: A laptop and a simple loop.

Brian: Well, I think the answer has to do with rephrasing the question. We never really decided to become an electronic band, but decided to do something that we thought would be fun, interesting and musically challenging. We never tried to go with a specific style insofar as going into production knowing what our music was gonna turn into; everything happened organically. The means of making our music was defined by the kinds of instruments we decided to use. We got resourceful with things we found around the house, and things we found at pawn shops on the cheap. We never needed a manual to figure out how to use anything or download specs.

Matt Schultz: A real electronic band sounds very expensive honestly. You need to go to guitar center, get creditors, maybe do a couple of garage sales to raise money to buy all that stuff. You’d have to go around selling apples and chocolate bars to try to raise the money to start a real electronic band.

Brian: So yeah, we thought it would be fun and interesting and we just went for it.

Inyourspeakers: If someone asked whether to buy a Holy Fuck record or see their show, which would you recommend?

Brian: See our show, because these days most people can find a way to get the record anyway. You know, 40 years later someone will be drunk at a bar and he’ll be telling the guy on the stool next to him that he saw a Holy Fuck show in 2010.

Matt McQuaid: And the other guy will say, “The band had fuck in the name?”

Brian: Our live show is something really special, and I would want people to see it.

Inyourspeakers: How did you end up choosing a barn in rural Ontario for creating Latin? Was the experience better then past records?

Graham: Well, actually we’ve recorded songs in this barn before, but this is the first full album we recorded there. It’s a great place to record because our friend owns it, so we just rented it for recording the album. It was nice to make music without the distractions of the city. The studio is pretty great, and we have a lot of fun just staying there. Being able to wake up in the morning and just start recording is great.

Inyourspeakers: On Friday March 12, you announced Latin via Chatroullette. Why this, as opposed to a press release or really anything else?

Brian: Well it was a press release, just a different kind then usual. Even after the fact, considering that I didn’t have any idea what it was, it ended up being pretty effective.

Matt McQuaid: It was Chatroulette, or a traditional press release saying the same thing. We figured we would do something different. Now when people are talking about the first band to announce an album on Twitter, or Facebook, or even the internet, we can be the first band to say we did it on Chatroulette.

Brian: Chatroulette works for us because it’s a site that features dudes with their dicks out, and let’s face it, that’s a pretty good analogy for a Holy Fuck record.

Inyourspeakers: How has the vast array of musicians in the Toronto scene affected Holy Fuck? Was it something that was helpful?

Brian: Yeah, it was definitely something helpful for us, because we like to capture a spontaneous energy. We never wanted to have a really specific sound, and everyone in Toronto was very supportive of us for that very reason. Because no one pushes any one genre, we had a chance to grow organically into what we are today as a band. There are a lot of cool musicians in the city, and not all of them are from Toronto either; people came from Halifax and Novia Scotia, and even New York.

Inyourspeakers: You’ve toured with such an odd variety of musicians, such as Wolf Parade, Do Make Say Think, and Buck 65. How do you end up working and touring with so many different musicians?

Brian: I guess it’s one of the advantages to playing music that doesn’t fit into one particular scene. And that’s what we always wanted going into playing music, just as a goal, to be able to play in front of so many people. Those bands you mentioned all picked us, and they could have picked anyone. We were lucky that they decided to take us on the road. We might’ve never gotten where we are today if bands like !!!, Wolf Parade, and Beans hadn’t given us an opportunity to play our music in front of huge audiences.

Inyourspeakers: You’ve played just about every festival under the sun. What about playing at a festival is so worthwhile for a band?

Brian: It’s a great way to get out in front of so many people. It’s exciting when you don’t know who’s gonna be there or what the audience is gonna be like, and whether or not they’ll know who you are.

Matt Schulz: It’s like ten gigs in one.

Inyourspeakers: What do you have to say about the current success for so many bands with “Fuck” in the name, such as Fuck Buttons, Fucked Up and yourselves? Is it almost a non-issue today to use a “curse word” in your name?

Matt Schulz: I think about it a lot, because supposedly labels have said that it’s a huge issue today. The other day, I was thinking about what to call my other group, and my boss recommended “Fuck’n A”. I mean, there’s no “Fuck’n A” on Myspace…

Matt McQuaid: I’m pretty sure there was a band called Fuck on Matador a few years ago and they had a really hard time.

Brian: It is more of a non-issue with where we’re dealing with the media these days, which is great, because “Fuck” is a cool word. It’s something you say every day, and it’s generally used positively.

Matt Schulz: In most non-Western culture, “fuck” doesn’t mean anything. Just ‘cause it means something to white folks doesn’t mean anything.

Inyourspeakers: What struck me as interesting is that even with “Fuck” in your name, shows like Breaking Bad and companies like Dodge are still down with using your music. Were you surprised that there would be that sort of interest in your music?

Brian: Well, first off, any band that is instrumental in nature becomes way less of a problem to potential advertisers. In my experience, the problem commercial people have with music is editing out the lyrics. Because of that, our music is less of a problem then you would expect. Sure, there are probably some guys in suits at a board meeting saying “We can’t have a Fuck band in our commercial!”

Matt McQuaid: Soccer moms who hear a commercial in a minivan won’t go look up the name of the band for the song. The name of our band probably won’t affect these companies’ sales in the negative sense at all.

Matt Schulz: It’s not like we started really caring about commercial spots, but it’s great to get those things because they generate revenue which lets you do things. We never really expected to get on TV, but if some corporate entity latches onto us and likes our sound, or thinks it will sell its product - great.

Inyourspeakers: Why don’t you think the awards you’ve received or been nominated for, such as The Polaris Prize and The Juno Award, have given you enough respect that there are people willing to cancel charity funding because Holy Fuck is playing?

Brian: It is frustrating when you cancel something good because of censorship, but it’s kind of a ridiculous time. We’re in the middle of an age where you can say “fuck” one day, and then the next day you can’t.

Holy Fuck is going to rectify the word again.

Inyourspeakers: If you could go back to 2004 and pick a band name with today’s foresight, would Holy Fuck still be the choice you’d make?

Brian: Well, if I had a time machine I’d probably use it for something more important.

Matt Schulz: I’d be meeting Jimi Hendrix or Abe Lincoln before worrying about our name change.

Brian: I guess it’s a good thing in the end, because when we started there weren’t a whole lot of “fuck” band names, so if our name was on a festival flyer, people noticed the name and remembered it. Originally, it helped people remember. Now, fast forward five years and we can’t get an in-store at Walmart. Fuck! But really it’s not a big deal to us.

Inyourspeakers: You’ve done many impressive remixes, including your more famous remix of Radiohead’s Nude and a great one of “Paper Planes.” No Age remixed Lovely Allen on the Lovely Allen EP. How important is working with another band and remixing their songs?

Brian: I’d like to focus more on collaborating with other musicians, and working together in the flesh, but you can only be so many places at once. With the internet being such a fast and reliable way to share files, you can collaborate that way. Rather than simply adding vocals to a beat, or just adding a news clipping, we’re trying to do something creative and in collaboration. But, like I said, I think it would be more fun to work together in person.

We did some stuff with A Place to Bury Strangers where we played together, and we played as the backing band for Beans, and we even did the sound check for MIA even though we couldn’t make it to the live show. I think that’s the best scenario, but remixes are the next best thing.

Inyourspeakers: Where do you see Holy Fuck 3 more records from now?

Matt Schulz: Best of, B-sides, the fatal fourth album…

Matt McQuaid: VH1 behind the Scenes, covers record…

Brian: The sky’s the limit at this point.

Inyourspeakers: Brian, You also mentioned another band you had “in the works”, and that you were trying to put out another solo album this year in your interview with Quiet Color.

Brian: Yeah, I tend to use these interviews as launching pads for my side projects.

Inyourspeakers: Have these side projects progressed much?

Brian: Eh, yeah I guess. Slowly though. I always have these imaginary bands and side projects when I go on tour. It’s good to have these little mental hobbies. I like to keep creative when I’m not with Holy Fuck, and I like to play guitar and sing, and I’ll take the opportunity to do that. We also just finished this record, which kept us busy. We’re generally really busy, but we’ve had some down time to do other stuff.

I wish I could play music all the time with different folks, and have time for the four of us to play. Side projects bring another dimension to what you’re doing also.

Inyourspeakers: Why did you decide to take Nice Nice on tour with you throughout North America in May and June?

Brian: We actually haven’t met them yet. We we’re given band options from all angles, and I championed them personally because I liked their record. There was another band we really wanted to tour with who just couldn’t make it. We’re lucky though that people want to tour with us.

Matt Schulz: It’s a chance to flip things around a little bit. We mentioned how we love to open for a wide array of bands, and now we’re working with a band that we’re excited about.

Brian: Speaking of bands we’re excited about, we toured a lot with A Place To Bury Strangers. Even though that doesn’t sound like a band we would normally take with us on tour, we love their music, and we want people to find out about them.

Inyourspeakers: You’ve toured just about everywhere at this point. What is the most interesting place to tour in and travel through?

Brian: Japan and New Zealand were both very cool. It’s weird, because the shows are often very similar. You get in front of an audience who may or may not know your records, and play the best you can. Plus it is kind of cool to take a trip to somewhere unique.

Matt Schulz: Hopefully we’ll get to South America next.

Inyourspeakers: Do you plan on keeping a certain sound in all of your records, or are you open to the idea complete stylistic change?

Brian: We never were songwriters who had a specific style, so we are always trying to stir something together and get something new out of each album. I think there’s a lot of room to grow in here, and we can turn “our sound” into a lot of different things. It’s exciting that to think of all the variety our songs can have; we can play anything from a short hooky dance anthem to a 12-minute noise song.

Previously: Gallery: Holy Fuck / Rewards @ CAKESHOP