When: 9 p.m. Saturday
Where: The Blue Note

The Canadian band Stars will be stopping by Columbia this weekend as part of what vocalist Amy Millan calls their “epic world domination tour.” Concertgoers can expect a sound influenced by The Smiths, Billie Holiday and New Order.

**[MOVE]:** You just put out a new album, _The North_. How is it different from your previous ones?

**[Amy Millan]:** We just really try to write a good pop song. That’s been the mandate for most of our lives. This is definitely our fanciest record … our most “get naked with your girlfriend” record. I wasn’t really going for it, but it just sort of happened. I think that’s what makes it so successful.

**[M]:** What is the theme of _The North_?

**[AM]:** It’s just a collection of great pop songs. We’ve created our greatest hits with songs that you’ve never heard before.

**[M]:** What was your favorite part about creating this record?

**[AM]:** Having my daughter there when we were making our record. She was not even born yet. (During) our first recording session, I was nine months pregnant.

**[M]:** Is playing in a college town different than for a regular audience?

**[AM]:** It’s a great time. They’re generally more drunk.

**[M]:** Does that affect your performance?

**[AM]:** Yeah! We love to have a party.

**[M]:**  Later this fall, you’re playing at Austin City Limits Music Festival. How is playing at a music festival different from individual shows?

**[AM]:** You get to see your friends, which is really fun. And you get to meet other musicians that you’ve always wanted to meet. There’s a big camaraderie backstage with being able to be with a bunch of different bands. That’s the best part because you can sort of talk about road stories, and you get to meet a lot of new people. And there’s always some shwag.

**[M]:** Any memorable encounters?

**[AM]:** We got to play with Beach House once at a festival, and that was really great. The Shins, we recently played with. That was excellent. I love their music, and I think they’re a great band. (During one particular festival) Snoop Dogg stayed in his big Escalade, so we didn’t get to see Snoop Dogg.

**[M]:** What do you have planned for the future?

**[AM]:** We’re going to put out a new EP in the spring, but right now we’re just loving playing the new songs from _The North_.

**[M]:** You’ve lived in both Canada and the United States. Which do you like better?

**[AM]:** Everywhere is so different from each other. Everywhere you go there is something new to discover. As long as the kids show up and sing along, I don’t really care where we are … cause it’s about that two hours you have on stage with the band and our audience that matter. And everywhere we go, the kids love to rock.