Double Trouble - A Conversation With Booster Fawn and Debbie Christ

I recently got together with local musicians Debbie Christ and Booster Fawn to talk about their projects, their upcoming mini-tour, their plans for the future, and staying sober in a city that loves to drink. 

JMS: Pretend that I’ve never heard of you. Can you each tell me about the type of music that you make? 

DC: Well… it’s funny because the band and I always crack up over how whenever we’re reviewed we’re always labeled vastly different from the review before. In one review we were somehow labeled as classic rock so we settled on Modern Dad Rock as our genre. For an actual description though, I feel like we’re kind of like if Cleaners from Venus and the Velvet Underground got together, and asked Angel Olsen to sing. I think that might be on point, but maybe I’m just bluffing. I could be way off. It’s basically a singer-songwriter’s attempt at punk.

BF: I’m not sure how I would label the music that I make because it’s always changing. The first year of this project I was writing acoustic duets, the second computer-enhanced experimental poetic compositions, and so on. To make things easier and to sound a little less weird, I usually tell people that I make heart rock music. I made that label up because when I heard the term art rock - and how it contrasted with my grandfather’s beloved classic rock - I became really attached to that and sort of made it my own. Logically speaking though, with the band I have today, the sound is probably closest to folk rock or even freak folk. Acoustic and electric guitars, two keyboards, and a crazy tight rhythm section. But, honestly I just like trying to make catchy songs. I’ve always disliked genre labels and think there’s amazing music everywhere. 

JMS: You’re hitting the road soon. What are you looking forward to the most about your upcoming mini tour?

DC: There’s a lot of things that I’m looking forward to, I mean being on tour is really refreshing, you get to play in different venues, connect with a new audience, and befriend other bands. I’m also lucky because I went to school in Toronto so I have a lot of friends there, who will hopefully be nice enough to come watch me play haha. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to bring my band along, but I’ll be playing a solo set, and will be giving [a] unique experience that you wouldn’t normally get with me playing with the full band.

BF: I need to get off the island as often as possible and a tour is pretty much one of the only reasons I have to leave haha. I’m excited to play elsewhere and I’m curious to see what’s going to happen at the venues. I’m extremely excited to spread the songs outward. On a more personal note, I grew up on the road doing long stretches of time sitting in a car going from point A to point B, so roadtrips have always been super comforting to me. It’s my happy place. This will also be the first time I’m doing it with a full band and I’m sure we will be making lots of allies, friends, and fans. At this point in my life, if I could be touring forever, I would probably do it, and this is a great start. 

JMS: What have you been up to musically in the past 6 months and what do you have planned for the next 6 months? 

DC: Oh god, it’s been a hectic but a good 6 months in the world of Debbie Christ. So, over the last 6 months my friend Aaron Nadal and I collaborated on a music video for the song “Lust!” which was more work than anticipated, but was an incredible experience. Alongside the music video, on May 10th my debut album “Tower” was released. Besides this tour, coming up in July is a mini West Coast tour in Vancouver, Nanaimo, and Victoria. Other than that I just hope to get some much needed rest, but I also have the next album brewing in my brain so I’ll be glued to my guitar over the next 6 months no doubt.

BF: In the past 6 months I’ve been continuing to promote ‘’Dreams Made Of Snowflakes’’, an album that I released in September, so that means I was spending more time behind the scenes than on the stage, so to speak. We also got asked to play at Taverne Tour which was a dream come true for me, and played a few more local shows. A music video was made over the winter with my friend Gabie Che for a song off of my French language release, ‘’Pour maman’’. It was really fun to make French (and very jammy) versions of songs off of ‘’Dreams…’’. The band and I just returned from a show in Mont-Laurier. Apart from the mini-tour, I’m planning to continue promoting and growing. I’m also going to develop a different formation for acoustic concerts which is closer to my hippy roots. There are also some releases and recordings in the pipes, with the main focus always being bigger and better. The music industry works at a very minimum 6 months in advance always, so there'll certainly be a big deal of planning thrown in there as well haha. 

JMS: What are your thoughts about the Montreal music scene in general and more specifically the micro-scene that you are currently a part of? 

DC: Honestly I have nothing but love for the Montreal music scene. I have met some of my favourite people in this scene, and I am so inspired by many, many people in this scene. I mean there are people who you won’t like, or who don't like you everywhere but for the most part I find the scene very supportive. I’ve lived in other cities like Toronto, and Victoria, and I find the scene is tight knit, but everyone looks out for each other for the most part in my experience. Like if you need a drummer or bass player, people will help you find one, and even if someone is in like 4 other bands they’ll try to help you out best they can. Everyone is so down to collaborate or start a band, and I think that’s what keeps a scene vibrant. I find that there isn’t as much gatekeeping of people, or resources. Even if there are cliques, I find that it’s big enough that you’ll find the right people to hang out with and make music with. 

BF: It’s super interesting because there’s two of everything (due to the city’s bilingualism). And like Debbie says, each linguistic portion is further subdivided into a lot of little cliques. Montreal is a student city, so very few people end up sticking around. That means that the music scene refreshes itself every 3-4 years. When I left in 2015 I knew almost everyone in the indie anglo music scene but when I came back in 2017 I had to start all over again. I film concerts for a living and it’s very fun to work at Casa three nights in a row and for it to be packed every night with completely different people, for example. What I love best about Montreal’s music scene is that everybody has a chance to go on stage, always. So many concerts I go to are at least one person’s “first ever concert”, which makes for a near-perfect environment for experimenting, practicing, and learning the craft. 

JMS: I’ve heard from a reliable source that you are both sober. Can you tell us what it’s like to be sober in this city where everybody likes to drink? 

DC: When I first moved to Montreal I was sober at the time, and I had an incredibly hard time finding the courage to go out and make friends in the beginning because of my social anxiety. I just felt like I was such a nerd, and it’s Montreal so everyone must be so cool. I started drinking again at the end of 2020 and, I mean, as much as I hate to admit it, I did make friends very easily once I started drinking again. It wasn’t because you have to drink in order to have friends in Montreal, it was more like drinking made me less anxious in order to have the confidence to socialize with people. I’ve been sober since the beginning of this year and while I was, and have been, worried about how I would do socially, people are honestly so chill and my friends have been really helpful in making me feel comfortable and welcomed. I meet people all of the time who are sober, too, which is encouraging. Montreal definitely has its reputation as a party city for a reason, but you also don’t have to drink and can still make music and enjoy living here. I find that since I stopped drinking again I’ve been so much more inspired to create, and present with what’s going on around me. So, I find that I can enjoy Montreal for other things like its beautiful arts and culture and the community that goes with it. Like, when I’m at a show I’m way more into the music and observant of how it’s being played, I’m not distracted by trying to keep the buzz going. I came to Montreal to be a musician, and it feels good to be able to focus on that instead of self sabotaging myself with vices. 

BF: I’ve been sober for over three years, and it is the best decision I’ve ever made. I used to think that stopping would mean the end of my hopes and dreams to make it in the music industry but (surprise, surprise) the opposite ended up happening. My dreams are coming true more than ever now and I have my sobriety to thank for that. I don’t find it hard at all, because it was never from time to time for me: it was every night and all night. When I discovered I could end the nightmarish ride, and get off the emotional roller coaster, it was the biggest relief of my life. I definitely had to change my friend group and such when I stopped, but nothing changed negatively concerning my ability to work onstage. Now when I play a show and it ends, I go home, go to bed, and wake up without a hangover. It’s perfect! Quitting drugs and alcohol actually made things much easier as I’m now able to properly communicate when speaking with bookers, journalists, other bands, and basically everyone. My priority has always been my career and sobriety is directly linked to that. It’s been a win-win since day 1 for me and it’s just such a blessing to have my actions reflect my intentions. If someone reading this is struggling with their drinking and doesn’t see a way out, I want to invite them to reach out to me on social media or in person at a show and it would be my pleasure to share with them my strength, experience, and hope. 

You can catch Debbie Christ and Booster Fawn this coming May 17th in Ottawa (at Live on Elgin) and on May 18th in Toronto (at The Bovine).