Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
The Gothamist Band Interview: Metric
By
Jen Carlson
Published Oct 5, 2005
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Carlson
Published Oct 5, 2005
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Emily Haines is the Karen O-esque singer of Metric (the two actually shared a loft in Brooklyn at one point), she's also one of the many different branches of Canadian collective band Broken Social Scene. These are facts that are often cited when the band is mentioned, another is that they've lived in practically every city in the world. Currently based in Toronto, they'll bring their brand of indie pop down to a sold out crowd at the Bowery Ballroom tonight. Their hard edge, new wave, indie punk pop fusion sound fronted by Haines' fearless vocals is a combo you don't want to miss.
This week Jimmy Shaw from Metric (guitars, co-writer, producer) took some time to answer our questions.
Let's get this out of the way, where did your band name originate?
In the studio in the early days [the name was] meant to represent the difference between the imperialists and the rest of the world.
What is your favorite/least favorite memory involving New York?
favorite: playing Hammerstein Ballroom with the Pixies
least favorite: choking on carbon monoxide in our brooklyn loft
What is your favorite/least favorite thing about playing shows in New York?
favorite: getting to be there before and after the shows
least favorite: new york self conciousness.
Is there a difference in the New York music scene from your own local scene?
There is more legitimate rock and roll music history in New York than anywhere else we've lived. Proving yourself in NYC actually means something.
Now its time for some fill-in-the-blank action
“You know you’ve made it when…”
There's a drawing of you in The New Yorker
“It’ll be time to pack up the gear for good when…”
Gasoline is $5 a gallon
“I’ll never forget the first time I…”
Dropped a giutar from over my head
“I’ll never forget the first time [insert another band member’s name here]…”
I met joules scott key and his girlfriend dropped me on my ass
Let's have some fun with word association. Give me your immediate feelings on the following (if you’ve got no discernable feelings, make something up that won’t embarrass you in the morning)
Yankess
septics
Mets
queens
Bridge & Tunnel
thighs
Blogs
students
Pitchfork
students
Times Square
marketing budgets
Bloomberg/Smoking Ban/Noise Laws
Fascism
A few quickies on the music tip
What's the most played song on your iPod (or an equivalent music playing device) in the past week?
"Sick of Goodbyes" by Sparklehorse
Who would be in your ultimate music supergroup, your all-star Olympic team of rock?
Neil young, john lennon and elvin jones
If you released a 7” what would you put on the cover?
A 6 inch sub
What was the first/last album you bought on the day it was released?
I never have
If Josh Schwartz, creator of the OC, asked your band to perform on his tv show (as Modest Mouse, the Killers and the Walkmen recently have) would you?
it would depend on where the band was at, and the details of the offer
And finally...What came first, the music or the misery?
the music.
Metric plays a sold out show at Bowery Balroom tonight.
You can purchase their cd's here.
Tagged
band interview
bowery ballroom
Broken Social Scene
brooklyn
emily haines
hammerstein ballroom
history
karen o
Music
new york
nyc
toronto
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
In the algorithm age, NYC college radio DJs are still broadcasting the funky stuff
We dropped by WNYU to see what the next generation of radio DJs is up to. The answer is "Br00tal Beats To Study/Relax To."
By
James Ramsay
Published Oct 22, 2026 at 11:18 a.m. ET
A Queens prop shop shutters, bunnies find a home uptown, and more openings and closings
Highlights of shifts in the city's business landscape.
By
Hannah Frishberg
Arts & Entertainment
A Queens prop shop shutters, bunnies find a home uptown, and more openings and closings
Highlights of shifts in the city's business landscape.
By
Hannah Frishberg
A new film invites you to eavesdrop on one of the greatest conversations in NYC history
By
Sonia Rao
The Knicks are NBA champions. Now they have to start dressing the part.
By
Sonia Rao
Will Barnes and Noble in the East Village spell doom for smaller shops? It's complicated.
By
Sonia Rao
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .