This photo is © Two Hours Traffic
Named after a phrase from Shakespeare’s prologue in Romeo and Juliet, Two Hours Traffic is a Canadian band that was founded ten years ago by lead singer Liam Corcoran and guitarist Alec O’Hanley. Leading up to the recording of their first full-length record, Liam and Alec were joined by Andrew MacDonald (bass) and Derek Ellis (drums) in 2003.
Over the last few years the band has been featured on a number of television and film programs including “Gossip Girl” and In The Land Of Women. Along with those TV spots, the band has been touring around their home and most recently in Australia.
A couple of months ago I got my hands on the band’s latest release, Territory, and I’ve been jamming it ever since. “We were drawing on romantic experiences for much of the record,” explained frontman Liam Corcoran, “and more specifically the tough times in a relationship.” Well, somehow these guys make their tough times sound awesome!Territory is a catchy, well-written record in its entirety – a must have for every indie music fan.
Two Hours Traffic is currently on tour in Australia, but be sure to keep checking their tour dates to see when they’ll be playing in your city! In the meantime, check out my Q&A with lead singer Liam Corcoran and get into Two Hours Traffic!
How are you enjoying your tour in Australia?
Our time in Australia has been excellent so far, we are really just getting started. Highlights have been the delicious domestic beer and the beautiful scenery. And yes, we have seen our first kangaroo.
Where are you guys from and how did you meet up?
We are from Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada. We were originally an acoustic duo but we cemented the current 4-piece lineup in 2003 while attending the University of Prince Edward Island.
What inspired you to call your band Two Hours Traffic? I love the name, by the way!
Our name comes from the prologue of Romeo and Juliet which we were studying at the time.
Territory is an awesome record. What kinds of life experiences were reflected in the writing of that album?
We were drawing on romantic experiences for much of the record, and more specifically the tough times in a relationship.
What’s your writing process like? How do you put it all together?
One of us will bring a song to the table, chords and melody, and then we hammer out the arrangements together.
What are some differences that you’ve noticed in the music you’re making now compared to what you’ve released in the past?
I guess our songs aren’t as sugar-sweet as they were in the beginning, although we still write a lot pop songs about love.
How has your writing process changed since you wrote the music for Little Jabs?
The writing process is still very similar to when we made Little Jabs but we do collaborate more on our lyric writing these days.
I love your song “Noisemaker,” what inspired that song?
Alec wrote “Noisemaker,” so I can’t speak for him exactly but I believe it is really just about two people in a relationship who aren’t getting along.
Do you all have similar music tastes? And who are some artists that inspire you?
Our musical tastes are quite similar for the most part. We are inspired by bands like Spoon, Wilco, the Magnetic Fields, Deerhunter, Phoenix and about a million others.
What three albums should every music lover own?
Every music lover should own Dylan’s Blonde on Blonde, George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass and Lucinda Williams’ Car Wheels on a Gravel Road.
What do you typically like to do on your days off?
On our days off we watch movies, drink beer, maybe try and write some new tunes.
What are your goals for the future?
For the future, we just want to keep making music and we hope that some people out there will want to hear it.
What’s your favorite song to play live?
I don’t know if there is one favorite song to play live, we probably would all have our own personal choices. I really like playing “Drop Alcohol” because there is a lot of empty space in the song and this makes the keyboard and guitar parts very powerful.
What kinds of albums, books and movies are you into right now?
Favorites of the moment:
Movies – Wild At Heart, Drag Me to Hell, Castle
Albums – the National’s High Violet, the New Pornographer’s Together
Books – anything by John Updike or Cormac McCarthy
