Booter Never Asked For Perfection...It Just Happened: The Indie-Rock Darlings Dish About Their Debut Album
This is Booter. With Alannah Walker and Brendon Yarish on guitar and vocals, David Schellenberg on bass, and Ian Ellis on drums, the quartet constructs catchy indie rock with breezy 90s vibes.
The four started as friends, each floating around the local music scene but never taking the stage together. In 2017, Alannah decided it was time to do something with all the untouched songs she had written over the years, and Brendon, David, and Ian helped bring the pop tunes to life.
Today, they’re quick to recall the strengths each member brings to the band.
“Brendon is the hot one, David is also the hot one, as is Alannah, and me too,” says Ian.
Formerly known as “Spooky Eyes,” the band revealed their current name with a digital word puzzle in January of this year. The name change came just in time to announce the fast-approaching release of their debut album "10/10" (“Our expected Pitchfork score,” David explains).
The 13-track record drops September 9th, and we’re celebrating with a can’t-miss live show presented by Real Love Winnipeg. Wear your best boots and prepare for a top-notch time.
To prove they know a ten when they see one, the band has offered some minimal-context, irrefutable out-of-ten ratings that cover a whole swathe of categories. Let’s get into it.
- Meeting your idols
Brendon: Meeting anyone is a 1/10.
David: Canadian idol gave us Carly Rae Jepsen, 12/10. American Idol gave us Kelly Clarkson, 10/10. I have met neither of them, but have seen both live.
Ian: I served Christopher Walken a drink once and he gave me the thousand-yard stare. 10/10.
Alannah: 0/10.
- Stage diving
Brendon: 2/10.
David: Fully encouraged and expected. Constant stage diving at our album release show. 10/10
Ian: 4/10.
Alannah: 8/10.
- Jeanne's cakes
Brendon: It’s cake (10/10), but it tastes like cardboard, so maybe 3/10.
David: My grandma’s favourite cake. My grandma: 10/10, the cake: 1/10.
Ian: 0.5/10.
Alannah: 10/10. I can’t believe no one else in this band likes Jeanne’s cake.
- Daylight saving time
Brendon: Springing forward is 0/10; falling back is 10/10. We should only ever fall back and, eventually, it’ll all even out.
David: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ / 10.
Ian: 3/10.
Alannah: 10/10. We should always be in daylight saving time.
- Phone calls
Brendon: 0/10.
David: ABC. Always Be Calling. 10/10.
Ian: 10/10. In high school, I didn't have a cell phone. Every time someone gave me their number, I would write it on a piece of paper and throw it under my bed with no name attached. Some evenings, I would sit on the floor, pulling out random numbers and calling them, just to see who would pick up. I was not a well-liked teenager.
Alannah: 0/10.
- Being 17 years old
Brendon: I think at the time I was sort of mopey and miserable, but looking back on it now I remember a lot of fun times and I think it was probably okay. 6/10.
David: Honestly, was a pretty good time I guess. 7/10.
Ian: 0/10.
Alannah: 8/10.
Now, to ensure they don’t get drunk with the power of their own opinions, we humble the band with a challenge: turn these 0/10 boot-related mishaps into 10/10 experiences.
- Leaving a house party in Wolseley and not knowing which Blundstones are yours.
Brendon: I have actually solved this problem by sewing a little X in yellow thread on the loop part. If you see a boot with a yellow X on it, it is mine. Do not take it.
David: I avoided this by never owning Blundstones.
Ian: They're all party favours for you. 10/10.
- Finding really cute boots at the thrift store but feeling the ghost of the previous owner follow you home.
David: As long as those fuckers never blast out of the wall, I’m fine.
Ian: It sounds like I just made a friend.
Brendon: Leave the boots at a Wolseley party, unmarked with a small yellow X. Not my problem anymore.
- Getting a booter.
Ian: Bring the boot home, boil that snow up—you've got yourself a water soup.
Brendon: I would simply remove both feet by amputation.
David: Name a band after it.
10/10 drops September 9th. Don’t wait, grab your tickets to the album release show now.
