Tues. June 11, 2024

Ahead of Joseph Shabason and Nicholas Krgovich's show at Fortune Sound Club on June 29th (as part of this year's "A Week in Paradise" festival), DJ D.DEE caught up with the two and spoke about skateboarding, restaurants, and CANCON greatness. The duo also contributed the 90th episode of DD's long-standing mix series, "Pacific Spirit." Enjoy the sounds and get familiar with these two essential pillars of the Canadian scene.


DD: Can you two tell us a bit about the mix you put together for us?

Joseph: This mix is all the songs that we heard while we were on tour in Japan that we really  loved. It’s a mix of songs that our friend Koji Saito played us in the van or songs that we heard in listening bars that we shazamed because we liked them so much.

Nick: I feel like I hear the most random music whenever I’m over there. There’s a real like lawlessness or something. I heard a muzak version of Ce Ce Peniston’s “We Got A Love Thang” playing in a Family Mart but Shazam couldn’t find it.

DD: How did you two end up crossing paths and eventually making music together?

Joseph: I first heard Nick’s music back in 2008 when No Kids was opening up for The Dirty Projectors at Sneaky Dees. I really loved that set and his music but we really didn’t cross paths again until 2017 when Nick opened for my band DIANA on a north american tour we were doing. Dan Bejar had played me his new record which blew me away so we asked him to open for us on that (ill-fated) tour. After that he ended up opening for Destroyer on our European tour so we spent a bunch more time together then as well. After that I played sax on his record Ouch…but we really didn’t end up making any music together in a collaborative way until 2019 when we started recording Philadelphia with Chris Harris. We had been sending demos back and forth over the internet and then Nick and Chris came over to my studio that fall and that was the first time we really started writing music together collaboratively. Since then we’ve just been crankin’ out records pretty consistently. Making music with Nick is surprisingly easy and fluid and we rarely disagree with each other…which is odd because we are both hyper-specific psychos but for whatever reason we always synch up on all creative decisions

Nick: Yeah! I feel like we met at the perfect time - mid 30s, things settling, not taking life so seriously etc. The joy I get outta making music together and our friendship is such a dang gift.




DD: Joseph. What are your top 5 skate video parts and why?

Jamie Thomas, Welcome To Hell- Absolute mind melter that shattered my 14 year old mind. Didn’t know people could do rails and gaps that big and skate that fast.

Rick McCrank, Yeah Right- First time I saw someone from Canada on par with all the US skate GOATS. Such effortless style and he could skate transition as well as he could skate street.

Andrew Reynolds- not sure which one because my mind is a piss pit…but I just remember how he was the first dude that I ever saw do really long lines in his parts to the extent that I thought to myself “goddamn, how can someone be that consistent with absolutely everything he does”

Worble, Worble World- Their whole team and aesthetic is perfect. So inclusive and fun. You really get the sense that they are loving every minute of what they are doing and that it comes from such a fun and creative place. Their whole thing just makes me want to skate. Like zero part of it feels corporate or cory and calculated in a capitalist way…it feels so pure and exciting.

Jeremy Wray, Second Hand Smoke- Loved the music and how huge he went.  

DD: Nicolas. What are your top 5 places to eat in Vancouver and why?

Nick: There are too many places so I’m gonna narrow it down to my go-to spots on Hastings between Renfrew and Victoria. I love Tama Organic Life for their daily bento boxes, Tamam for their green hot sauce, Laksa King for the 50s diner décor, Le Pho for everything and how they know all the regular customers names and orders and the On-Lok for when the poodle has to firm things up with a take out order of steamed rice.

DD: Joseph and Nicolas. If you had the chance to induct anyone into the Canadian music hall of fame who would it be and why?

Joseph: $10 says Nick chooses Sarah McLachlan. I feel like my choice would be Joni Mitchell…but something tells me she’s already in it. If she’s not, the CMHF has lost their goddamn mind. If I had to choose someone more current who hasn’t already been inducted I feel like I’d choose Hugh Marsh. He’s played with so many insane bands and has always just flown under the radar as a GOATED sideman…but he elevates everything he touches and what he has done with electric violin is truly unique. His solo albums and his work with people like Jon Hassel and Robert Palmer is just out of this world. Hugh Marsh 2024!!!

Nick: I just gave it a goog’ and Sarah was inducted in 2017 and Joni in 1997. I don’t think Mary Margaret O’Hara is in there yet. I really love her album Miss America.

Thanks for listening everybody! Don't miss Shabason & Krgovich doing their thing live at Fortune Sound Club on June 29th as part of this years Week In Paradise festival.

Tickets for Joseph Shabason & Nicholas Krgovich at Fortune Sound Club on Sat. June 29th can be found >>HERE<<