Get to Know Green Go

There’s a lot going on in Canadian group Green Go’s music: they’ve got 10 hands on deck and dueling male/female vocals that also compete with synths, handclaps and snares to rule the roost. Yet the result is cohesive and surprisingly calm. Perhaps what makes Green Go’s sound so unique is its versatility: while their electro disco pop music has an obvious pump-up-the-volume dance-ability to it, it could just as easily provide a soothing study soundtrack at a lower sound level. With their debut album Borders out last month, that soundtrack is now a complete one.

Green Go began when Ferenc (Fezz) Stenton spotted Jessica Tollefsen performing with another band. “I liked her stage presence and she had a light up keyboard so we decided to team up,” Fezz explains. The two rounded out their roster with bassist Kyle Squance and drummers Mark Andrade and Adam Scott (though Fezz says that they change up the who plays what lineup frequently to keep things fresh).

Fezz and Jessica took some time off from fronting the group to answer a few questions for us:

What’s the story behind the name Green Go?
The name is pretty open for interpretation, but it does come from a year I spent abroad in Brazil. They use "Gringo" as an endearing term for foreigners.

Can you tell me a bit of background on your debut album Borders?
Fezz: Borders is a collection of songs new and old that we have polished into what we feel strongly is a great depiction of what Green Go is. We worked with Ryan Mills (who recorded and mixed the album) to find the right sound that would bring out the energy and "danciness" of our music while keeping the feel of the live instruments. It was really important to us to make sure the album didn't sound too polished and perfect.

Do you think a band can achieve commercial success without alienating die-hard fans?
Fezz:I think it’s entirely possible: a band like Hot Chip is the perfect example of that. If a band is good enough they will be heard. With today's blogs and torrents, people have faster access to music than ever before, and this gives the artists a more level playing field than 20 years ago.

If you could land one of your songs on any TV show soundtrack, which show would you pick and why?
Jessica: TV shows I wouldn't want our songs to touch would be The Hills or The City. I can't quite wrap my head around those shows... are they reality shows or are the paid actors with scripts? Whatever they are, the editing on that show confuses me. Maybe a safe bet would be The Office. That show is hilarious!

Is Michael Scott the world’s best or worst boss?
Jessica: I think best boss to watch on TV, but probably the worst to work for.

When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Jessica: I always felt that I had grown up in the wrong time period. I really wanted to be a detective in the 1930s. Somehow those old black and white films romanticized that idea for me. Maybe I just got caught up in the movie Roger Rabbit.