Under New Management

Life-long dreams have become a reality with the introduction of Winnipeg’s newest pop-punk offering, The Management. Local genre veterans, Nic Dyson and Brandon Kupiak (Parkview, Minus 40), recently came together to form an indie-folk-pop-punk project that has been a long-awaited dream for Dyson.

On the eve of their first live performance (September 6 at The Handsome Daughter), Nic spoke with us about the project, the overwhelming response to their launch, and what goodies fans (new & old) can expect from the new band.   

JA: A folk-punk band was something you had always wanted to do. What made you decide to finally go after it and how did you guys get together?
ND: I have been writing punk influenced songs since I first started writing. “Another Song About Letting Go” on my album This One’s For You was my first try at it, and it ended up being a favorite on the album and my live sets. For the next album I had the opportunity to take that a little farther and plug in, with Dylan James (Slow/Steady) and Jordan Voth (Bleed American) behind me. So, in the midst of my usual acoustic sad music there were two full-band, full-out punk songs. I wanted to prove to myself and everyone else that I could do it, and that I had it in me. But as to not alienate my audience that has grown to appreciate the acoustic sad side of me, I came to realize I should probably have a separate outlet for the more aggressive, louder side of me. I also take my solo music very seriously, as it is very emotional and personal and sometimes even hard to perform. I’ve wanted a way to express myself in a more light-hearted way for quite some time.  

I’ve known Brendan my whole life, and he was there in my audience as well as playing with me during my first ever shows as a solo artist, and I was there to see every band he was a part of since high school until now. He primarily plays bass and sings in his bands, and he had expressed to me that he had an electric drum kit that he’d been teaching himself how to drum with. About a year ago, I had written three songs and asked him if he wanted to jam with him behind the kit. It went okay, but then we forgot about it for a year as we were both releasing music for our primary projects. This past summer, Brendan and I got back together and the fire was reignited. Inspired, I wrote a few more songs, and we realized we already had a full set worth of material that we were confident and excited about. As soon as we made the band public, we had people wondering when we’d be ready for shows. It was very heartwarming and helped us fully realize the potential of the project.  

JA: What can people expect from this new project?  It sounds like it’s going to be vastly different than what you guys have been doing on your own.
ND: They can expect short, fast, loud, clever hooks. The songs themselves are simple, and because there are only two of us, we had fun and got creative as to how we could execute them dynamically, lyrically, or rhythmically to make them stand out individually.  

 I am incredibly excited that The Management is being flung into this new wave of bands, and I hope we can carve out our own unique space within it.

JA: You’ve both been a part of the local pop-punk scene for a while now. In what ways have you seen it grow and how do you hope The Management can help continue that growth?
ND: I first entered the scene in 2011 as a solo musician. Most of the bands that I grew with and played shows with don’t exist anymore. Now, I’m seeing a new generation emerging made up of members from the dead bands as well as brand new faces. I am incredibly excited that The Management is being flung into this new wave of bands, and I hope we can carve out our own unique space within it. Not only that, but be a positive, supportive, good example the way bands were to me when I first started playing shows.  

JA: Who were your biggest influences and inspirations when writing for The Management?
ND: The first thing that tickled our interest was our love of The Front Bottoms. A two-piece acoustic indie-folk punk band with clever, sometimes silly but also meaningful lyrics with undeniable hooks. I always thought that Brian Sella was singular in the way that he wrote lyrics and melodies. When I first started writing for this project, I tried to emulate him but with my own twist. When I kept writing, I expanded my influences to include old Green Day/Blink-182, Weezer, and Title Fight. It’s been very fun, exciting and refreshing to be able to draw on influences that were mostly off limits when writing my solo acoustic music. Right now, I’m being inspired by Soccer Mommy and Snail Mail. I can’t wait to see how I can bring that into the fold.  

JA: Anything else you’d like to add?
ND: I got the name from a sign my mom put on our garage door that said, “Please Wipe Your Feet – The Management.” This was a way for my mom to tell my dad and I to wipe our feet as to not track dirt into the house. She has done this my whole life to both my dad and I. My bedroom door or his studio would have a note on the door that said something like “Door stays closed until it’s clean – The Management.” So we’re turning that into a theme. My mom is stoked. We released a live-off-the-floor demo on Bandcamp that we recorded during Pride Weekend, so we had the idea to find a gender-neutral bathroom and put a sign over it that said, “Everybody Poops – The Management” as an homage to inclusivity and Pride. Finally, I’d like to point out that Brendan is still very much active in his bands Parkview and Minus 40, and I am currently recording my third solo album.  

Catch The Management at their debut show with Merin and Arenas, September 6 at The Handsome Daughter. Tickets are $7 and the show starts at 10 pm. Stay up to date through Facebook and Instagram. Listen to their Live-Off-The-Floor demo, Everybody Poops on Bandcamp.