Pete Yorn
with Weezer
Tuesday, April 23
at Northlands Agricom

Pete Yorn sure is sexy – think David Usher with a little more "I’ve been up all night being sensitive" stubble. He’s so sexy, in fact, that he’s been connected to Hollywood glamour girls like Wynona Ryder and Heather Graham. But is that all there is to him?

Like the Canuck singer/songwriter, Yorn croons about personal experience over a steady mix of Beatles-esque piano-pop and alt-rock guitar. Speaking from his hotel room in Philadelphia, the New Jersey native’s intimate tone spills into conversation as he admits that he’s "like a cat," waiting for the rain to end so he can do an outdoor show.

In a languid voice with a slightly nasal edge that betrays his New York upbringing, he admits that he finds the inspiration for his intimate songs in "people’s relationships in general, not just romantic ones, but family relationships – how people interact with each other."

Indeed, while the title of his latest CD, musicforthemorningafter, might bring to mind images of the sordid aftermath of a late-night rendezvous, Yorn believes that its real meaning is quite the opposite. The name actually came to him while reading a book in which Noal Gallagher of Oasis describes the origin of What’s the Story Morning Glory?: "At the time dance music and raves were so big in England," Yorn explains, "they’d stay up the entire night and have to go back to school or work the next day, back to reality.

"For some reason the phrase ‘music for the morning after’ popped into my head but it took on a whole new meaning for me: finding yourself in a period in your life where you’re content and life goes on."

While he doesn’t necessarily see Oasis as an influence on his music, there’s definitely a British connection to Yorn’s sound: "Oasis has swagger, but in the same way a lot of bands did before them," he says. Instead he finds inspiration in Brit pop legends like the Kinks, the Rolling Stones and the Smiths. Echoes of these bands can be heard in the catchy choruses and simple guitar riffs of the plaintive ballad On Your Side and the dreamy, Morrisey-esque Simonize.

Yorn’s music isn’t all about sensitive lyrics, however. Although he was playing guitar by the age of 12, his first true love was drums and that has had a profound effect on his songwriting process. "I just know that I’m able to sit down behind the drums and play a beat that feels good and reminds me of something, usually from the ’60s, like an old pop song," he says. "For some reason that’ll just inspire an entire melody over and over in my head. I think of everything with a rhythm in mind and it doesn’t have to be a big fancy, crazy rhythm, it can be something static."

It was from behind the drum kit that he sang onstage for the first time at a high school talent show and then was later "discovered" by producer Bradley Thomas, who snagged him to compose the score for the film Me Myself and Irene. Since then his relationship-themed songs have been featured on the soundtracks for teen dramas like Felicity and Dawson’s Creek.

With all these sleepy ballads and tender lyrics, you might wonder whether you’ll be able to stay awake when he and his band of college buddies, guitarists Waz and Joe Kennedy, open for Weezer, but Yorn doesn’t think that’ll be a problem. "It’s going to be a little bit heavier than you’re expecting," he promises. "We capture the spirit of the record but we take it to another level."