Much like Hollywood, there's a rush to Toronto of droveing Canadian talent looking for the next big break. After all, if you want to make it, you have to be where the action is. And for Canada, there's nowhere more media savvy - or competitive - than T.O.

Not true, says Harlots' frontman Buck Garinger. The big city can keep their high housing costs, mega pollution, and snobbish fakery. Winnipeg may not be the mogul Toronto is, but it has enough going on to keep things interesting - and to keep The Harlots right where they are.

Contrary to high priced advice, being based out of Winnipeg - Canada's 8th largest city - hasn't hurt The Harlots one bit. Having been an indie band for most of the 5 years they've been together, they've recently made the grailish transition to the evil major label. And they like it.

Crawlspaces, the Harlots first release on Universal, brings the band into their own. Digging the depths of isolation and the highs of camaraderie, The Harlots breadth of emotions - and tempos - capture the listener in a personal way. From break down to build up, poignant choruses and anxious musical fits grow Crawlspaces from start to finish.

Still getting used to being open for scrutiny, Buck Garinger talked to Dixie Tucker about The Harlots' embarking popularity. Buck also clued us in on how The Harlots solve brotherly disputes, rocking out in Saskatoon, and why he's afraid of mice.

Dixie Tucker: So what's it like having three-quarters of the band consist of brothers?

Buck Garinger: It's hugely beneficial, we have strong solidarity. We know each other's personalities inside and out and we trust each other completely. There are downsides however in that we are competitive and have no problem beating the crap out of each other. Fortunately the fisticuffs are usually pretty short lived, I would say we get along better than OASIS but probably not as good as HANSON.

DT: Does having the close relationship help solidify the music?

BG: Yes. We get compliments on our voices melding very well together and we probably have genetics to thank for that. We share the songwriting and have pretty compatible music tastes. Being in a band is all about compromise but our closeness seems to make this easier. It's harder to divorce your band when they're your brothers.

DT: How was it going from an indie label to a major?

BG: Great. We have been able to do a lot of things we wouldn't have been able to do ourselves. We seem to have a good team of people looking out for us. I love the fact that someone else is looking after the business side, abling us to concentrate on our music. I haven't felt any loss in integrity and was pleasantly surprised to meet some of the people from Universal and realise that they weren't evil money hungry tyrants... most of them are genuine music fans and have been really cool so far.

DT: Do you get any more support or a different fan base now that you are on Universal?

BG: Unfortunately, I think the indie loving college crowd frowns on major label bands so I don't think we're getting the support there that I had hoped. But being on Universal has exposed us to a broader audience and we've never been an elitist or pretentious band that only accepts fans from a certain clique. I'm happy that our music is reaching more people.

DT: It seems that in order to make it in the Canadian music biz, you have to be in Toronto. Being from Winnipeg, have you faced different challenges to getting noticed?

BG: Winnipeg has been great to us, we have a loyal fan base, rent is cheap, we have fewer extraneous distractions and we have a nice long cold winter that inspires songwriting. Hopefully we can use Winnipeg as our base and win Toronto over by relentless touring.

DT: Has being in Winnipeg influenced your outlook?

BG: We like Winnipeg, our friends are here, there are good bars to play in and good bands to see. I think our city suffers from low self-esteem, but personally I don't find the grass any greener anywhere else in Canada.

DT: So you don't feel the pressure to relocate to Toronto and be in the thick of things?

BG: No. The "thick of things" translates to more competition, higher rent cost and more distractions to our main goal, which is writing good songs. Don't get me wrong Toronto is a really fun place and I enjoy spending time there, but Winnipeg is home.

DT: Afraid of Mice is your second single off Crawlspaces and there are some unique circumstances behind the song. Can you tell us why you're afraid of mice?

BG: I'm not actually afraid of mice, I was probably one of the only people that went out of their way to see WILLARD on opening night. The lyrics refer to a friendship I had in high school with a guy that liked to smoke a lot of foreign substances and cruise around. One night I thought I felt mice breathing on me (drug induced paranoia) and freaked out. He laughed at me because it was only the car's heater. I wrote "I'm afraid of mice but I'm not scared to die" in my journal sometime shortly after that occurrence and the rest of the song expands on that theme.

DT: You worked with X-men 2 special effects guy Darren Wall on the AOM video, what kind of perspective did he bring to the shoot?

BG: Darren is a really creative and charismatic guy, because he has faith in the band and is a fan he's putting tons of work into the video for cheap, cheap cheap. He came up with the concept of The Harlots being pied piper figures and saving a town from disease spreading rodent infestation. The video, like the original fable has a little twist at the end but I'll save it for surprise's sake. The concept strays from what the lyrics are actually about, but I really liked his interpretation. I like the fact that lyrics mean different things to different people. I try not to make my lyrics too literal.

DT: You've gone on record defending your music and lyrics on a number of occasions. What is it that critics just don't get?

BG: I guess I'm still sensitive and just getting used to critiques. When you've worked really hard on something that's extremely personal to you it's easy to take offense to criticism. Nobody has written anything scathing yet, but I'm mentally preparing myself for that. I wish every critic out there could be in the studio with us for one day just to see how much work is put into a song...to see how every detail is scrutinized. We write our music as honestly and passionately as possible. When you put your heart into it like that, you run the risk of having it stomped.

DT: Of course, we have to ask this. What happened with the Ballroom Zombies? You know they still have sort of a cult following, so what made you decide to move on?

BG: Robin Black moved to Toronto to pursue his goal of forming The Intergalactic Rockstars. The rest of the Zombies didn't share the same vision and didn't want to move. So he went his way and I was asked to join the band in 1998. It would have been redundant for me to try to emulate Robin, so we created a new entity with a new sound and called it The Harlots. We're still friends with Robin, I think his band is doing a good job of destroying Canada's squeaky-clean image.

DT: Are you still able to express yourself without all the obvious glam outer trappings or is it harder to convey what you mean through your music?

BG: I think it's important to entertain people if they're paying hard-earned money to see you live. I'm sick of paying to see bands that look resentful of their audience while putting zero intensity into their playing. We put as much enthusiasm into our live shows as possible, so that we have fun, but more importantly so that the audience has a reason to come see the show instead of just listening to the C.D. at home. I don't consider the Harlots a glam band but I'm not hurt if people call us that because glam usually means that the band is exciting visually.

DT: You've said you don't want to be the next U2 and that you're not looking for major stardom. Why not?

BG: What I meant is that we would be content at this point if we could just pay our rent through playing music. We aren't a superficial band and we don't let the pursuit of material possessions motivate the steps we take. I like U2, and I wouldn't say they are in it for the money, but with that sort of huge success I think judgement can get clouded and you might lose track of why you started playing music in the first place.

DT: Any thing you want to say to the people back in Saskatoon?

BG: I love Saskatchewan, I grew up in Kelvington SK. and only moved to Winnipeg in 1994. I still tell people I'm from Sask. and I have a Sask. flag on my wall that serves as a shrine and testament to my dedication. Saskatoon rocks and we always have a good time there. It's a beautiful city and the people are totally hip. I would rather live there than Toronto.


For more info on The Harlots check out: www.theharlots.com