After a few years of radio silence, two members of Montreal proto-indie-tronic pop group Pest 5000, Patti Schmidt (also host/producer of CBC Radio Two's Brave New Waves) and Kevin Komoda, have joined forces with fellow human Lewis Braden to create an all-new nanorobotic music ensemble. Their self-titled release, on the new label Ta Da (run by Schmidt and Jeff Waye), is entitled (hold your breath) The Nanobot Auxiliary Ballet and the Museum of Modern Insect Art with the Office of Woodland Security present: TylenolandAdida the deadly ballerina, featuring the Chillbot Slider, the PushButtonMaster and the WhiteHotFunkbot, and Dr. Idiotbot if it can make it. Or you can just call them the Nanobot Auxiliary Ballet if you like. They visit Wavelength on May 23 as part of a mini-tour with the artist behind Ta Da's second release, none other than The World Provider.

Who are the members of the Nanobot Auxiliary Ballet and what sort of toys do they play with? Patti: The Chillbot Slider, The WhiteHotFunkBot, The PushButtonMaster. I think that's all pretty self-explanatory.

We understand that "Nanobot Auxiliary Ballet" is the short-form of a very long official band name. Can you please enlighten us as to the whole story. Patti: Part of it involves incorporating things we find funny. We did seriously '” for a minute '” consider calling ourselves TylenolandAdida (that's two copyright names in one, and who could sue that combo?). It also incorporates mishearings our friends have had about what we're called (thus the deadly ballerina); there's the Ben Katchor-inspired Museum of Modern Insect Art, and the politically motivated Office of Woodland Security. We've also taken out major paragraphs in our time too '” say goodbye to the Blatti Blitt Bland. Plus we add a phrase if say our friend, the lovely and talented Slideprojectorbot, is with us. It grows. Plus we mean to confuse and intimidate... working?

It has been quite a few years since we last saw you onstage with Pest 5000. Are the Nanobots descended from Pest at all, or is this an entirely different entity with its own history? Is there any musical/stylistic overlap between the two groups? Patti: The obviously overlap is people/bots. Kev and I have been making songs together since around 1992. We did most of the core writing for P5K and so that would seem to be the common element here. Of course while we can't help sounding and being who we are, we're trying to stretch out (and sometimes reduce) things with NAB. We always used drum machines and keyboards when we made music as Pest '” and after five or six drummer divorces... Of course, Lewis is a lovely human too '” he comes with his own unique instructional and musical manual.

From your unique vantage point in Montreal, what's your take on the Toronto music scene right now? Unlimited expansion or imminent crash? Patti: It's nice that there's a manic indie scene now... there's been always small pockets of that....but for a city the size of T.O., why do many of my favourite things come from Mississauga? Kevin: May the world revolve around the musical genius named Don Pyle and shower incredible riches upon his domain. Lewis: There is always unlimited expansion with music. Now whether or not Toronto is gonna lead the way, I don't know. Maybe.

Do you think nanotechnology will ultimately help create a better world? Patti: How can it lose? It's little. It's cute. It's smart. It doesn't take up much space... it probably won't complain much. Lewis: Damn straight! Think how it will change the face of porn alone, the ramifications are endless.