Fresh Meat founder and musician-turned-actor-turned-musician Jonah Allingham is returning to Ottawa this week to play a show with his awesome new band The Budds. We persuaded him to take a break from his rocking life in Toronto to sit down and catch up with us. Get the juicy details below, and don’t miss The Budds, Fun Fact and Caveman Techno on Thursday September 3rd at Avant-Garde Bar.
Fresh Meat: Tell us why you started Fresh Meat:
Jonah Allingham: Soooo about 4 years ago I was like "whoa there is some rad DIY theatre in Ottawa being made by emerging artists with no money, but it's not really a scene yet". So I figured we should make it a scene and started up the first Fresh Meat Theatre Fest. We ran in like a rock show and just threw a bunch of young theatre companies together at a bar and gave them total creative control. I produced it for three years and did shows with my own company Backpack Theatre each year. Now it's like a big thing and I couldn't be more of a happy papa.
FM: What are you up to these days?
JA: Soooo I'm kind of a total jabroni cause I moved to Toronto. Things are good, I'm going to film school and I play in the craziest rock band in the city. We're called The Budds and we play psychedlic garage rock, all our songs are about drugs, girls, and growing up and people just go insaaaane at our shows. Oh waaaait, if you're in Ottawa you can see us on Thursday (Sept 3)! We're playing at the Avant Garde with the awesome touring funk band Fun Fact. There will be sweat, there will be dancing, there will be rock n roll. It's PWYC. Be theeeere.
Pictured: Jonah (right) with bandmates Chris and Alex "Drumming Is My Life" Shackleton
FM: if you were a kitchen item, implement, or appliance what would you be?
JA: I would be a bottle of Jack Daniels.
FM: Speaking from your experience as an artist, how do you think Fresh Meat impacts the local community?
JA: Fresh Meat exposes independent theatre to a diverse crowd. This is not just for the grey hairs, everybody can enjoy it. It's not museum theatre, it's a night out. It exposes indie theatre to the O-Town masses. It brings theatre to non theatre people.
FM: What’s your favourite thing about Fresh Meat?
JA: Fresh Meat is important because it gives artists a voice. It is very rare for an arts event to trust their artists to just do whatever the fuck they want. And that's where the magic happens. The coolest thing is you don't even have to be sure it will work, because who cares?? Theatre should be punk/DIY as fuck and Fresh Meat makes it so.
FM: Of course, how do you like your meat? (Veggie-friendly answers accepted.)
JA: I love my meat.
Touché, Jonah. Touché.
The Budds play Avant Garde Bar Thursday September 3rd at 10pm. Pay what you can at the door.