I met Nardwuar in December 2011 at the location of his radio show at the University of British Columbia. It was a surreal experience for me because I’ve known about him since his days freelancing for MuchMusic (although back then, I admit, my pre-teen self didn’t see him as much more than a crazy guy with a squeaky voice and a peculiar sense of fashion). In my adulthood (ripe as it may be), though, I have come to respect Nardwuar as one of the best music journalists our country has. When he offered to send me an advance copy of the new album by his band, The Evaporators, I jumped at the chance because I think The Evaporators’ music is funny (in the good way) and entertaining. Plus it comes with a free calendar (featuring photos of such musicians as Iggy Pop, Joan Jett, and James Brown) taken by Vancouver (my hometown!) photographer Bev Davies as well as a little interview between Nardwuar and Davies about each shot.

The new Evaporators album, Busy Doing Nothing!, has fun song titles like “Hot Dog High,” “Milkshake Murder,” and “Hate Being Late”. The calendar explains the motivation behind each song, and trust me, you’ll want to know (“Hate Being Late” is my personal favourite anecdote). The album also features the musical talents of Andrew W.K., Kate Nash, and Franz Ferdinand, as well as an interview (Nardwuar vs. Franz Ferdinand). The interview is a great example of Nardwuar’s ability to wow his subjects with his depth of research: more than once in the three minute and forty-six second interview, a member of the band says something to the effect of, “How did you know that?”

Busy Doing Nothing!, along with the (Better late than never): A Nardwuar vs. Bev Davies Calendar!, will be released on March 6, 2012. Until then, “keep on rawkin’ in the free world, and doot doola doot doo…”