Interview with The Stanfields; Frontman Jon Landry Discusses the Band and New Album ‘Modem Operandi’

Halifax, Nova Scotia-based rockers The Stanfields released Modem Operandi – their fourth album and follow-up to 2013’s acoustic For King and Country – on September 18th, 2015 via Groundswell Music. With themes focusing on political and social dissatisfaction, we caught up with frontman Jon Landry via email to learn more about his group’s new offering.

Your new album Modem Operandi was released earlier this fall. Now that it’s out there, how do you feel about it, and what has been the response so far?
Landry: I feel great about it. I don’t expect that it will set the world on fire, but I’m happy with the final product. I feel it’s an accurate reflection of our band’s personality these days.

What is your writing process like?
Landry: Erratic.

Check out the song “Fight Song” here.

When you write, do you do so with the live setting in mind or do you write a song just for the song’s sake?
Landry: Songs aren’t written that way, but the recording process is definitely informed by the live setting. I think it’s very important to have both your realities
speak for each other to an acceptable degree.

Along those same lines, do you take advantage of technology and email riffs and parts back and forth, or do you get together in a room in a more traditional sense and write together?
Landry: A bit of both. Haha.

What is the story behind the name of the Modem Operandi?
Landry: It’s Latin for “Five Guys who finally agreed on an album title.”

You have toured the world extensively. Is there anywhere on the band’s “tour bucket list” that you haven’t been to yet?
Landry: I’ve been told we should go to Australia, but from what I understand, there are spiders everywhere down under. I wouldn’t last a day.

What do you think of the current state of the rock world?
Landry: I think it’s going by the way of Jazz and is becoming a niche market. Oddly enough, I see this as a healthy thing. It’s definitely great to see bands like Royal Blood out there in the world though.

What are some newer bands that you are listening to or enjoy?
Landry: I’m a poor excuse for a music fan, having a very small collection of recordings. I guess you could call me a music fan by proxy only. I’ve been digging Lake Street Dive lately. They have been played daily in the tour van.

Being from Halifax, do you receive a lot of support from the local scene?
Landry: Sure, it’s a tight community. Everyone knows each other, or is a degree of separation away.

Do you have any rituals before you hit the stage? If so, what are they?
Landry: Water and Advil.

Check out the song “Hard Miles” here.