The next Midnight Poutine showcase is soon upon us. Once again, we'll be entering the outside world to bring music directly to you, the (presumably) real people who read our site. When preparing for the event, I took a moment to talk with our opener, Prime Cuts, who will be kicking things off with their unique brand of drum and synth music. Many people might recognize Riley Fleck from the Arbutus Records band TOPS behind the kit. This is his project outside of that band, and on Saturday, we'll get one of their rare performances.

How long have you been playing as Prime Cuts?

I recorded some things on my own and called them Hammond Ri, and then my roommate Nick played the songs with me live in August of last year and then rerecorded some of them with me before he went on vacation. We played Pop Montreal and then when our tape came out we decided that as a duo we would be called Prime Cuts. That was in October I think.

What kind of instrumentation do you use live?

Mostly just a drumset and a keyboard, sometimes Nick uses a computer and sometimes I sing.

How do you conceptualize drums as a lead instrument vs. a rhythm instrument? Does your playing change a lot?

I see it as a rhythm instrument. I'm not that good at playing fills or doing drum solos and I prefer to hold it down and lock into a beat. I like it when the beat is compelling enough to not need fills. In fact I like it when everyone in the band plays their instrument like a rhythm instrument, but I also like it when playing simply but solidly makes other people play a sick guitar solo or sing crazy or whatever. Singing in front of other people is unpleasant for me most of the time so I'm trying to get better at it. Nick's keyboard playing is very textural and I think it matches my drumming well.

Has your recent tour with TOPS affected your playing or songwriting at all?

Yes definitely, after a TOPS show in Portland Oregon we all went out to do Karaoke after our show and I sang a Nine Inch Nails song. I was jumping around and doing spins in the air and handing the mic to people at the bar and unbeknownst to me a friend took a video of it on her phone. When I watched the video the next day it wasn't nearly as embarrassing as I thought it would be, so I'm going to try to channel whatever part of me that came out that night into my Prime Cuts performance. [Editorial note: fuck yeah!]

Do you have any projects in the pipeline?

Yes, my roommate Nick makes beer and on Wednesday we're going to start brewing two kinds, a double IPA and some other British style that Nick likes. I'm from San Diego where breweries are known for making very bitter IPAs and I just haven't been able to find the equivalent in Montreal. We are also working on some recordings; I think they'll be out in the Summer. I'd like to do some more recording at Jizz Jazz.

What are you listening to these days? Anything you can recommend to readers?

I just got an album called "Black is Beautiful" by Inga Copeland and Dean Blunt and it's nice. I like most things that Sun Araw makes, I especially recommend his work. I recently discovered Eddie Rabbitt who has a couple gems in his discography and there is a kind of cheesy song called "Love in the Afternoon" by Evie Sands that always makes me smile. Also Siouxsie and the Banshees and Coolio.

Prime Cuts hit the stage at 10pm sharp on Saturday
check out the facebook event page here
the show is going down at Jackie & Judy (6512 Ave du Parc) with Midnight Poutine favorites Saxsyndrum, Technical Kidman, and BZARYN (formerly Armen at the Bazaar)