Sebastien Grainger is the hirsute ex-drummer and singer of the insanely awesome Death From Above 1979 (which disbanded a few years ago), now appearing with a band of three called “Sebastian Grainger & the Mountains.” I checked him out at the Lexington in London a couple of weekends ago, and he's like a sweaty rock god, moving into guitar driven rock 'n' roll with aplomb. There was a room full of indie kids, with the DFA 1979 double elephant head, dancing like veteran moshers even without Jesse Keeler's stomping bass. You can check Grainger out on his Canadian and American tour, starting March 6. Here are his thoughts on his Canadian hometown of Toronto:

You're originally from Toronto, right? Did you grow up there as well?
I grew up in a big mega-suburb called Mississauga. They still have the same mayor they've had since a few years before I was born -- she's almost 90 years old! Mississauga is basically two towns over, so as soon as I was a teenager I was going downtown...staying up all night, sleeping on benches.

What did you get up to when you started socializing outside of school?
I went to French school most of my life, so our community was pretty small. I didn't have any friends in my neighborhood really. All my friends were school friends, and eventually I started a band with those friends. Aside from lighting fires and biking around, music is what kept me busy.

Was Toronto fairly chilled-out, or is it more of a big-city vibe?
Was or is? Toronto is a big city, so it has that vibe. If you live in a city though, you can always find peace if you want it. Toronto is very much like a big American city, but with far less rubbish floating about.

A lot of good bands have come out of Toronto. What is it about Toronto that inspires so much creativity?
I can't speak for the scene in Toronto...I can only speak for myself. What I love about Toronto, is that there is a tradition of world-class music. It's not just NOW, it's always. And it shouldn't surprise, it's the cultural hub of a very vast country, so artists from all over gravitate towards Toronto. I'm at a point now though, where I feel like I want to get away from it...I still love it here, but i feel it's time to take what I do and try and do it somewhere else…

Do you reckon Toronto's directly influenced your sound? It seems that there's a pretty big range in the kind of noise coming out of Toronto - you've got Rush, Dragonette, Broken Social Scene, and The Russian Futurists as well as your sound - so it must be a diverse place?
It's an extremely culturally diverse city. You can find anything you want here. Personally I've never felt a real creative attachment to the city itself, I've always felt like my music comes from somewhere far away...further than the top of the CN Tower.

How would you describe Toronto to an outsider or a tourist? Is it an easy place to get into, or do you have to dig a bit for the good stuff?
Depending on when you visit. For an outsider the winters might be a little much...But spring/summer, as with Montreal… is a glorious time to be in the city. It gets really hot and sunny and people basically stop wearing clothes.

How does the music scene compare to big cities in other countries?
I have no idea. I'm not from other countries.

What about the art scene? Is it as buzzing as the music scene seems to be? Any galleries or artists you can recommend?
There are tons of artists and galleries. Some of my fave artists are Andre Ethier, Ted Tucker, Jesse Harris, and Josh Reichmann. Some good galleries are Le Gallery, Studio Gallery, Clint Roenish...I should also mention Bad Day Magazine, which is a quarterly arts and culture journal that promotes Toronto artists but also international artists ...It's a great mag.

What do you most miss when you're out of Toronto?
My girlfriend, our bed and my dog.

Are you a pub or bar kind of guy? Any decent places for a drink and dance in Toronto?
I am lucky to live in a good neighborhood for bars. There's always The Dakota Tavern, The Communist Daughter, and Sweaty Betty's.

How about getting something to eat? What's your favorite restaurant in Toronto?
Swan and Terroni. My faves. Swan is a diner-style restaurant with a menu of mostly rich comfort foods. Terroni is southern Italian food...Both are incredible.

Is there anything else about Toronto that deserves special mention?
My studio is here, so if any bands ever want to record in Toronto, look up Giant Studios Toronto!

~Chris Harding