There are some who would argue that it’s impossible to remain friendly with an ex. From lived experience, I can certainly attest to the fact that it is a rare thing to witness. At best, “friendly” exes have a strained acquaintanceship 99% of the time. But sometimes, such a rare bond is forged that not even heartbreak can stop magic from happening between two people.
The Falls are one such rare case.
Their songs of love and loss are so very intimate because they are the proverbial Phoenix rising from the ashes. Once lovers, now a band, Melinda Kirwin and Simon Rudston-Brown have poured their love story and its not-so-fairytale ending into their debut EP, Hollywood. Receiving tremendous praise across the board, theirs is a classic folk song, evocative of the timeless art of Simon & Garfunkel or Joni Mitchell with the modern appeal of The National or Fleet Foxes.
OTM is stoked for the Canadian debut of The Falls, having heard the accolades all the way from Australia. Recently, I invited Melinda Kirwin to jump on the virtual couch for “welcome to Canada” chat about life, love and the pursuit of powerful songwriting.
OTM: The Mayan Calendar was lyin’! Now that we’ve lived to see 2013, what albums are you looking forward to this year?
Melinda: Some artists with rumored releases this year that I am keen to check out: The National, Matt Corby and Arcade Fire
Name five essential albums you can’t live without.
Choosing just 5 is tough… Right now it’s:
1. Father John Misty – Fear Fun
2. Otis Redding – The Dock of the Bay
3. Neil Young – Harvest
4. Ryan Adams – Gold
5. Joni Mitchell – Blue
Your favourite guilty pleasure?
Cereal for dinner.
Am I supposed to feel guilty about that? *laughs* Now, share with us something that fans would find intriguing, but no music writer has managed to draw out of you yet.
I draw sometimes – there might be an album cover in the works.
The great debate of our lives: who would win, ninjas or pirates? More importantly, why?
That’s easy! Always ninjas – they are so stealth and agile. Pirates (like a lot of musicians) spend too much time in the company of rum. It makes them slow *laughs*.
Spice World: terrible movie that should have never been made, or five clever, self-deprecating women taking the piss?
I’m all for girl power!
Bastardizing a Metric lyric: who’d you rather be, The Tragically Hip or Rush?
RUUSSHH!
Chicken or the egg question: which usually comes first, the music or the lyrics?
For The Falls, it’s almost always the music.
The music industry can be daunting at best. What keeps you going in a world flooded with talent, each person or group jockeying for listeners and airplay?
I can’t imagine ever doing anything else! Every time someone says they like what we do is enough to keep me going.
Your first concert: who was it, and how old were you? More importantly, how was it?
I grew up in Darwin, NT a very very isolated part of Australia, so nobody ever toured there – except Cliff Richard. I think he may have played there as recently as last month! My Mum loves him so we would always go. I may have heard him first in utero.
Only cool people have gone to concerts in utero (myself being one)! In the spirit of Shaun Of The Dead, what was the second album you ever bought?
Nick Cave – Murder Ballads.
And the best music-related film ever made?
Singin’ in the Rain – for sentimental reasons. I watched this movie at my grandmother’s house almost every weekend my whole childhood. I will be in love with Gene Kelly for the rest of my life.
The world is ending in ten minutes. You can listen to one and only one song before the world ends. What song do you go out on?
“Heart of Gold” by Neil Young.
What can we look forward to from you in 2013?
Well, straight after CMW, we are flying off home to Australia to tour with The Lumineers, and then we’ll be hitting the studio again. So lots of new music heading your way in 2013!
Thanks so much, Melinda! I’m super-stoked to check out the magic of The Falls live.
Music festivals draw tremendous talent not only from the local scene, but internationally. This may be a rare opportunity to catch an incredible band, so be sure to pencil them in for a must-see You can catch The Falls at CMW March 20th at 1am (Cameron House) or March 21st at 7:40pm (Church of the Holy Trinity, alongside Amanda Merdzan and other great Aussie talent).
You can land a free copy of The Falls’ EP Hollywood via this site. Care to score some free music? Share this interview on social media, then head here for details on our ever-growing CMW Giveaway!
Open 'Til Midnight 
Yay Melinda! I’m sure Amber will love seeing you perform live, and I’m looking forward to seeing your album art 🙂
Stay warm!
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