//Jonas Bonetta of Evening Hymns for Little Death Machines.

To put it simply, I adore Jonas Bonnetta. And Im happy to say that it I’m not alone. Bonetta just finished recording the second full length of Evening Hymns a couple days after this interview was finished.

Jonas is extremely talented and the music he has been creating recently with Evening Hymns is spell binding, as captivating as the Cedar of Lebanon. It’s easy to loose yourself in his music and thats the attraction.

So Jonas, whats new with Evening Hymns?
We start making a new record in a few days so I’m gearing up for that. Lots of editing, writing, re-writing, thinking. We’re heading up north to record in a log home near Perth, Ontario so there is a lot of planning as far as gear, people, food, beer, etc. goes. So that is taking up my time.

It seems that right now is a fantastic time to be around Canadian music, it’s gaining momentum and creating a unique identity internationally. Has it always been like this, or has this changed in recent years?
I can’t speak so much on Canadian music gaining momentum historically but I know that when we were over in Europe in September there seemed to be a decent buzz about Canadian music. Canadian folk music seemed like it was in demand, but maybe I just noticed that because of the circle we were running in. We did feel like we were touring there at a good time for the type of music we were playing.

You grew up in rural Ontario, a town called Onoro. I have friends that live within 2 hours from Onoro (Beeton) and swear the town doesn’t exist. What was it like growing up there?
Where the hell is Beeton?!?!?! Growing up in rural Ontario… my upbringing was great. I know that when we were in high school we were bummed sometimes that we didn’t live in town and couldn’t go skateboarding all the time but instead we built forts and walked through creeks poking fish out from under the banks. In retrospect I’m glad for it. It totally shaped who i am now and when I first left the fold and left Orono I was excited to get out but now I’d move back there in a second, or at least would like to down the road when things simmer down a bit for me. It’s funny how that changes. In a lot of ways I think it’s because of losing dad. I find a comfort in going back to all those old things. Or trying to live how he lived. I could go on for days about growing up in Ontario.

Have you been able to visit recently?
I was actually in Orono on the weekend. Ha.. stopped at an antique store and bought 15 double-LP’s of classical music. It was this really beautiful set of all different composers, and two LP’s for each dude. In mint condition, for $.75 each. Like $.75 for each double-LP!!! Pretty happy about that. This was my first time back in Orono since November, when I popped in to have breakfast at the Orono Country Cafe. I miss that town.. I try and get back there every couple months, at least to drive through the downtown.

What else besides Evening Hymns keeps you busy these days?
I guess besides Evening Hymns… I’ve been cross-country skiing, and waiting for more snow to fall. And I’ve been reading a friend’s draft of his new novel. It’s amazing. Chris Eaton, who has a great band called Rock Plaza Central, also happens to be a super-talented writer and he sent me the draft of his next novel, which is a monster read, and so far a really enjoyable one. Wait for it…!!!

Whats Chris’s book like?
Chris’s book is so good man… you should check out his older stuff if you haven’t before. The Grammar Architect and The Inactivist, and he just published an e-book if that’s your jam. The new one is crazy. It’s about all these other Chris Eatons around the world and how all of their worlds intersect. I can’t really explain it. It’s great so far though.

I heard you were the tour manager for Timber Timbre?
I was just tour managing them last year for a month or two before my record came out. I was out of work and it seemed like a good way to get out of town and see some countryside. Taylor and I did our first tours ever together, many moons ago, and now because we’re both so busy we don’t get to hang out as often and so it was just really nice to travel together and catch up. Not to mention that band is untouchable and any opportunity to see them I would jump at so the idea of getting to see TT every night for a month was perfect!

Out of curiosity, you spent a lot of time in the saw mill that your Dad ran. What was the lumber used for after it was sawn?
The milled lumber was used for all sorts of stuff. I mostly did cutting for other people. I had to cut a bunch of wood for a friend of mine who had built a cabin north of Peterborough. That was pretty great. I was cutting floor and roofboards for her and then sleeping in the cabin at night. Really peaceful. The wood I did cut for myself was used on a few different things. We built some fences, sheds, mini-cabins, etc. It was a hobby mostly.

For me it’s home, as hippy and cheesy as that may sound. I grew up on a big property with tons of forest and that’s where I spent all my time. In a lot of ways, running the sawmill wasn’t so much about how many board feet I could cut but more about the smell of the wood, being in the outdoors, and getting exhausted from the manual labour. It’s a pretty hi-tech piece of machinery yet the whole process is very old-fashioned and traditional. I try and find as much of that in everything I do because it’s comforting. Sitting at a computer or working in an office is just gross in comparison. One of these days I’ll man up and move out but for now I will sit at my computer and dream of drinking my coffee on a porch in the woods.

Thanks Jonas.
-Whalebones.
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