KANDLE AND KEENAN TRACEY INTERVIEW

Kandle Osborne has been setting speakers and airwaves ablaze. The Vancouver-based JUNO-nominated artist pens tales of toxicity, manipulation and heartbreak, delivered with stark, striking honesty over a captivating array of sonic influences. Limitless and fiercely determined, a global pandemic did far from bring Kandle to a halt — it empowered her. The prolific, independent artist strengthened her production skills, launched her own company, and released an array of music in 2020, including Stick Around and Find Out, Birds EP and this year's impassioned new project, Set the Fire.

Keenan Tracey is an actor and musician based in Los Angeles. He was born in Canada, and spent much of his early life moving around the world, living in South Africa, Israel, Egypt and Amsterdam. He was introduced to film at a young age by his father who is also an actor, who was largely responsible for introducing him to the instruments he still plays today, including guitar, piano and drums as well as vocals. He began acting professionally at seventeen. His early roles included guest stars in Fringe, Supernatural, and Arctic Air, in which he was nominated for a UBCP Award in the category of Best Newcomer. He then recurred largely in Bates Motel, The 100, The Returned and Rogue. He will star in the upcoming series Day of the Dead, which will premiere October 15, 2021 on Syfy.

Kandle and Keenan worked together in two of Kandle's videos, the recently released “When it Hurts” and also in “Honey Trap.” In this interview, they discuss their collaborations, and Kandle talks about her new album Set the Fire, her work with the director Brandon William Fletcher, and her recent collection of drawings capturing some experiences faced by women in music.

Interview by Tyler Nesler

Kandle, you’ve found such a perfect collaborator with the director Brandon William Fletcher, who has directed four videos off your latest album Set the Fire (“When it Hurts,” “Honey Trap,” “Misty Morning”, and “Lock and Load”). How did you come to work with him and what appeals to you most about his visual style?

Kandle Osborne: When I left the Vancouver recording studio last March with a finished record and a canceled flight home I had no idea I would end up actually living in this city. With all my usual collaborators out East or in L.A., I asked social media who the coolest directors in Vancouver were. Multiple people suggested Brandon and after about thirty seconds of checking out his work I knew I had to work with him. Brandon has a gift for creating powerful visuals that are equally as dark as they are beautiful. We quickly realized we had all the same artistic influences, favorite movies, playlists, etc. I knew together we could take my songs to a whole new level.

Keenan, you are featured in two of Kandle's videos, the recently released “When it Hurts” and also in “Honey Trap.” How did you get involved in these productions and what was the greatest personal appeal for you in working with both Kandle and Brandon William Fletcher?

Keenan Tracey: When they asked me, I was super excited about the idea of working with both of them. Kandle was already a good friend of mine, and I’ve always loved her sound. I had also seen Brandon’s work in their video for “Lock & Load” and was pretty blown away by the cinematography and vibe of the stylistic choices they made. Then working together on “Honey Trap”, my hopes for the outcome came true. When they asked me to do the next one, I didn’t even have to think twice. They’re a killer duo that not only makes great work, but were a blast to work alongside with.

The production values of the videos are high, and they are all quite cinematic — when I watch them they register to me almost as if they’re trailers to full-length films (especially “When it Hurts” and “Honey Trap.”). Kandle, how closely did you work with Brandon in terms of designing the overall look and narrative of the videos? And Keenan, what was it like as an actor working with Brandon? How much of what you did was scripted versus improvised, etc.?

KO: Brandon and I work pretty closely and effortlessly together. Once we have an idea, all the pieces seem to quickly fall into place whether it’s intentional or accidentally. We’ve never had a big budget to work with, so much of pulling these videos off is being adaptable and extremely creative, both which Brandon and I excel at. If he can’t find a location or a prop that he needs, he will make it. He would never compromise his vision or allow any financial issues, logistical problems or technical errors get in his way and boy do I love that about him. He demands perfection and will do whatever he has to to achieve it.

KT: Going from scripted film to music video, the most obvious and usual difference is no dialogue! So (at least for the first one) my job was a lot easier as half of it was taken care of by the tunes! It must have been me expressing this ease in the first one that made them throw me the chunk of monologue in the second! Can never give a peace, y’kno? :p

“When it Hurts” heavily references the looks of Twin Peaks, Blue Velvet, and Paris, Texas, and according to the press release the “haunted retro dreamscape” was “created by patch-working together clever sets, thematic lighting, and a collection of props sourced through thrift stores and flea markets” and it was all shot in Kandle's Vancouver apartment.

What were some of the main challenges in putting all of this together in such a shoestring way? And were there any particularly surprising thrift store/flea market finds that wound up in the final cut?

KO: Brandon wanted to keep the time frame purposely vague — heavily hinting towards the late 20th century — and maintained a limited color palette, which ended up being a double-edged sword. It really scaled down the options for objects and locations we could include, but when’s the last time you tried to find a telephone booth in real life?! Budget constraints meant compromising in some situations, or taking the DIY path for others, while trying to source just the right props and set dec to build a believable world.

The peep show we’re especially proud of. A lot of the concept revolved around that Paris, Texas imagery. Brandon and I could not get it out of our minds so building a convincing set was key. We had to create our own one-way mirror (also called two-way mirror or one-way glass) from cut glass of a specific size that would take into consideration the square footage of my small living room in relation to the mirror, and the realistic size of set flats (fake walls) we could build to fit in the space. Some of our regular collaborators were busy on TV shows making real money so Brandon had to fabricate all the sets and some props himself, I watched ; )

The rotary telephones were some of our favorite props I think, they were more expensive than you'd think! We couldn't find just the right color of blue so we actually got two of the same red one and just painted the other one this powder blue. I kept the red one and Keenan has the blue!

Set the Fire, 2021 — *Set the Fire*, 2021

Keenan, you have a scene at the end of the “When it Hurts” video that is a direct reference to the peep show phone booth scenes between Nastassja Kinski and Harry Dean Stanton in Paris, Texas. It's an almost minute-long monologue recounting a surreal and troubling childhood dream. First off, what was it like for you as an actor paying homage in a sense to the similar monologues acted by the offbeat screen legend Harry Dean Stanton in Paris, Texas? How much were you using what he brought to those original scenes and how much of your own craft and experience were you incorporating into it?

KT: On both pieces I’ve worked on with Kandle and Brandon, there has been a very streamlined and clear idea of what the end will look like, and they were very good at getting everyone on the same page as to what that is, right from the get go. As for the parallels brought to “When It Hurts”, specifically from Paris, Texas, they had built such a vibe to reflect that world, in the set pieces and the lighting and the words themselves, that by the time you plant the people in the scene, the rest should be the portion tied less tightly to the mast. The references are what take the piece nostalgically out of its time. The components of it that are inevitably themselves are what tie it to now.

Kandle, you have a screen presence which fits well into the look and vibe of your videos, and you also had a speaking role in Jack White's elaborate “Corporation” video. Do you presently have any acting aspirations beyond music videos?

KO: It’s not something I’ve ever actively pursued but I certainly always say yes to exciting opportunities, especially when Mr. White wants you to go on a killing spree for him! I found the murder scenes much easier than the speaking ones!

Kandle, you also recently started a collection of drawings capturing some experiences faced by women in music. They remind me a bit of Raymond Pettibon's 1980s edgy text and illustration flyers for Black Flag but obviously with a very different focus. Any plans to expand these into a larger collection (in book form or otherwise)?

You have an Instagram page dedicated to your other non-music work such as drawings, collages and photography. Do you see yourself headed towards any greater focus on visual arts, or do you think music will continue to be your primary focus? Or do you see these areas overlapping in any unexpected ways?

KO: Wow I am so flattered! I love Raymond’s illustrations! A book is my goal for 2022, I know it’ll be a lot of work but since these drawings are all based on real life events from myself and fellow female musicians, the stories and inspiration is endless! Visual art was my first focus, I went to photography school and moved to Montreal to be a photographer when somehow I ended up getting signed and becoming a musician instead! I would love for my eye and my ear to overlap more in the future. I feel overwhelmed by the idea and a little scared of it which probably means I need to do it!

Set the Fire is available now.

Keenan Tracey will star in the upcoming series Day of the Dead, which will premiere October 15, 2021 on Syfy.

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