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LIGHTS

How are you enjoying the rain today?
- Well, actually, this was the second rainy day we’ve had on Warped Tour and that was in Montreal and I would definitely pick this day over Montreal any day because our bus was parked like 3 miles away from the venue so to go anywhere we had to get absolutely soaked. But, I don’t mind the rain, I’m not afraid of it.

Did you go to Warped Tour when you were younger?
- Oh yeah! Definitely.
Who were your favourite bands to see?
- They change every year, but when I first started going I was a fan of Dropkick Murphys & Flogging Molly & Pennywise. I watched them all the time. And then Underoath the first time I saw them on a small stage and then I started getting into that world. I’m a big fan of Silverstein.

You sang with them, how was that?
- Ironically, their last record, I was on it! It was really fun. We’re all kind of from the same area in Ontario so when you get in the music circuit in Canada it actually gets smaller, so it was really really cool to get to sing on that record.
I remember reading Shane’s twitter and it said something about it being so cool to have Lights singing on his record.
- Yeah, it was really sweet and then we started filming something for their DVD afterward and I was in the back and I started fan-ing out and I was like “I used to be such a fan girl!” Remember that robot they used on the cover of When Broken Is Easily Fixed? They kind of re-vamped it for their new stuff but I used to draw that robot in art class and put it on my walls and stuff.
So you were a big fan?
- Yeah, for sure, and I still am.

What’s your favourite part about being on Warped Tour?
- I think the best part is and is beneficial in so many ways is that A) You get better at what you do, because you have to throw yourself up on stage and hope that it sounds good. So you get better at not taking forever to set up, getting quicker for setting up sound check and just making sure you sound good no matter what. There’s that, then there’s also people walking by and people discovering your music. There’s so many new people that Warped Tour makes available to you. You make a lot of new friends and fans that are of course on the tour already.

So with the incorporation of Myspace & Facebook and everything how has that helped you get your name out there?
- It’s pretty much the only reason I’m out there. It’s pretty sweet because it’s kind of a cool time we’re in because people can find the music they like instead of someone telling them what’s available to them. People can make music and put it out there and if you like it you’ll find it. That was kind of my intention when I figured out my sound and made some really nice songs I was happy with, I put them on myspace and it’s exactly the way I wanted. And if people like it, that’s cool, and if they don’t, they can avoid my page. That’s just kind of how it happened. If something’s enjoyable to people it’s like a virus and that’s what music’s about. The more you put out, it gets bigger, faster & people will keep finding it and online platforms can do that. For me, I got myself a little bit of a fan base so when you actually do get signed, you get signed you don’t get signed under their terms but under YOUR terms.

We saw you in October and we heard you say that your keytar had a name…
- Russell!
Tell us about Russell. How’d he get his name?
- Russell is sweet. When I first got the keytar it was more for practical reasons. I always play keyboards on stage and I always like to be involved with music being played on stage and I don’t like to just stand there and sing… maybe one or two songs… but, I always like to play. So, I felt a little bit restricted when I play my keyboard because I can’t go anywhere… I wanna move around on stage! So, I’m walking around one day in Toronto and went to a music store which is no longer there, and I saw a keytar there that was vintage from the 80’s. I had recognized it from this awesome movie that I own called Nothing But Trouble and you know that band in the court room that’s playing in front of the judge?
Yes, the guy with the nose! (Digital Underground)
- Yeah, they have the exact same keytar and I bought it and didn’t really use it for about a year, and I don’t know, I wasn’t sure if I could go there but then I was like “You know what? Screw it. I wanna move around on stage” and started to play the keytar which kind of became my thing. And that’s how Russell came about. I don’t know. I kind of have this ability to look at things and know what they should be named. I name eeeverything.

What’s your favourite movie of all time?
- I don’t know! That’s such a broad question.
How about top 5?
- Ok! Top 5. The Shining. Barberella. Xanadu, Logan’s Run annnd I would probably sayyyyy… Spongebob Movie.

So on the topic of kid’s movies… What was your favourite tv show growing up?
- Well, strangely enough, I grew up in the Philippines, so they probably had different tv shows there. I watched a show called Cowboys of Moo Mesa annnnd Power Rangers.

Do you have any favourite Disney movies?
- I love Lion King. I think I watched that 35 times. And then Little Mermaid because I always identified with Ariel. I’m not really into the new Disney stuff. They’ve kind of gone in a new direction. They’re very much about reality and real people then the cartoons, but I think they’re trying to bring that back.

What’s your favourite food in catering?
- I like these questions! They’re new! It’s different all the time -- Warped Tour food is really good. They take care of us but I always like when they have a bucket of fruit. Like grapes. And they usually have them in a bucket, like they’re not on the sticks anymore so you have to use a spoon and it’s the hardest feat to get them out because you have to get them out like one grape at time.

Are there any bands on the tour that you want people to check out?
- Innerpartysystem.

If you were a pinata, what shape would you be & what would you be filled with? And just for you, what would your pinata be named?
- I would probably be an octopus because then you get each arm filled with candy like, various different ones. Say one kid’s really dumb and misses everything but one arm, they get some candy. And then everyone has a chance because once arm breaks off, everything else generally stays in place. So no one has to be jealous because not just one kid gets all the glory. The octopus’ name would be Reynolds. I would be filled with… tootsie rolls.

Any last words?
- My new record comes out September 29th. I’m very excited and I’m making a music video for “Saviour”.