Purveyors of: A Dance Dance Revolution
 
Spy Machine 16 wants you for your body, but also for your mind. The dynamic guitar rhythms and swirling keyboard melodies of this Guelph-based band will get your blood pumping and your limbs shaking, while their choral statements will stir your social conscience and ignite a political fire in your soul. Mika Posen found herself craving tofu cheesecake and fair trade coffee from Guelph's famous Cornerstone cafe as she wrote an email to SM16 frontman Dave Hudson. 
 
Please introduce the members of your band and tell us how Spy Machine 16 came to be.

Spy Machine features Jess Tollefsen and Olivia Brown on keys, Kyle Squance on bass, Jeff Beemer and myself on guitar, and Dave Bazinet on drums. I guess you could say that I do lead vocals, but all of us sing a lot of the time. Sometimes Amy Armstrong and Kurt Krausewitz join us with live choreographed dance moves.

I started the project because I've always wanted to be in a pop band that's not afraid of talking about the world around it. And I like keyboard hooks a lot. So a few years ago, I convinced Olivia Brown to start a band with me and we recruited a bunch of friends and acquaintances at the 2004 Track & Field Festival. We've had a few line up changes and additions since, with Jess moving down from Collingwood to join the band last summer and Jeff joining the band last winter, but we're starting to settle with the current line up, who are all swell kids.
 
Your music has been labeled "politically-charged dance-punk." What are some of the main issues that are addressed in your songs?

The songs are really about the things in the world that frustrate, enrage, and inspire. The lyrics touch on everything from the politics of sexuality involved in drive-by heckling to sweatshop labour to questions about human rights in discussions about global warming to white privilege to ideas about imperialism as it relates to how we in the so-called West go about travelling. Sexy, eh? I think so. But then, of course, we're actually really, really uptight and politically correct -- the thought police, in fact. None of us ever laugh, we usually try to make people feel bad about everything they do. That's our goal. Well, that and making people shake their bodies into a sweaty frenzy. That's cool too. And we hope that some of the things we actual get on about make a few people think.
 
Guelph has a history of churning out fabulous music and musicians. How has residing in the Royal City shaped this band?

Guelph's a wonderfully inspiring community with a whole bunch of different music, art, and other activist work that produces a lot of really interesting stuff. It's hard to live in Guelph and not want to pick up an instrument, set up a show, get writing, or get involved somehow. Beyond that, I think the intimate, neighbourly feel that characterizes our community has really helped shape the way we as a band interact with folks when we hit the road. We love going out to play shows because of the music, but also because we get to meet other folks and often end up hosting them in Guelph in some way.
 
When recording your new album, was it difficult to capture the intense energy of your live show?

Well, that was certainly our goal, and I can't say we didn't think about it at every turn. Of course, there's really no substitute for six to eight sweaty bodies moving around on stage, but we feel really good about the album -- and indeed we've gotten good feedback on that front in particular, with folks saying that we've managed to capture a lot of the energy that we try to bring to our live show. We're happy when we hear that and we hope folks are dancing around to the album on their own time, too. That makes us happy as well.
 
How can Toronto music fans prepare themselves for the SM16 Wavelength experience?

Pull out shoes with good soles and arch support, and set aside comfortable clothing.   Stretch your leg, arm, and back muscles. Warm up your vocal chords. Find a date or two or three. And then get ready for a dance off during which you flail around wildly, try to out-sweat us, while singing along to the songs. And then say "Hi" to us afterwards, buy the album, read the liner notes, listen, and let us know what you think. We'll feel good. You'll feel good. It'll be win-win. Simple really, but still, we think you'll like it. A lot.
 
 
By Mika Posen