Toronto-based indie rockers Broken Social Scene have spawned some of today's most popular artists, including Feist, frontman Kevin Drew, and Metric's Emily Haines. One of these breakaway solo artists, Jason Collett, has been wooing fans on both sides of the border with his Dylan-esque vocals and folky, upbeat style.

Cross-collaboration is practically the raison d'être being a Broken Social Scene bandmate, and Collett has had his fair share of guests on his early albums. But his latest, Here's to Being Here, has a more personal focus and introspective story to tell. We spoke with Jason in advance of his show tonight at Iota in Arlington. He explained why he wasn't in the cheeriest of moods at SXSW, the difference between his U.S. and Canadian fans, and shut down any rumors that he has an unhealthy obsession with food.

Why did you initially decide you break away from Broken Social Scene and focus on your solo work?

Well, I never really broke away from Broken Social Scene like several of the artists involved in that band. I had a solo career going before. You know Amy Milan, Emily Haines, Andrew Whiteman, all of us, you know…so it was just natural to keep it going. And especially to take the opportunity that the band had given all of us individually, like sort of kicking the door open internationally for all of our solo work. Previously all of us were known in Toronto, but we hadn’t really done anything outside of Toronto before Broken Social Scene.

Why did you cut back from Broken Social Scene’s involvement on the new album?

It just seemed like the natural thing to do was to focus on the touring band that I’ve been using. We’d already started playing some of those songs live and I just like the whole feel of it, I really love that band. And the extra folks that ended up on the record, anyone from Liam O’Neil from The Stills to Andrew Whiteman from Apostle of Hustle, Tony Scherr from New York...all those guys play with us at any point along the road. If we bump into them, they’ve all played with the band. So I was just sorta keeping it a more focused affair.

What is the collaboration process like with members of Broken Social Scene? Is it pretty informal? Do you guys just show up and play or do you invite them along?

It’s very informal. I think everybody understands the essential spirit with which things are approached, but other than that there’s not a lot that needs to be said.

On your album, can you talk a bit about a few of the inspirations for your songs?

Well with "Charlyn, Angel of Kensington", my wife came home from a place where she was doing a placement as a social worker, a place called St. Christopher House, which is in the song, and she discovered this history written about her aunt who was estranged from her family, whose name was Charlyn. She had been the first social worker in Kensington Market neighborhood which is where my wife and I live, and had been hugely instrumental in preventing the neighborhood form being bulldozed by the city. It was a bit of slum in the late '50s early '60s, and St. Christopher House was a new settlement house for new immigrants so that neighborhood is a very important part of Canada’s heritage, in that it sort of represents the mosaic of cultures that Canada’s always sort of tried to be an example of.

So it’s a really rich neighborhood to be a part of because there’s the remnants of the waves of Jewish immigrants and Portuguese immigrants, and Vietnamese, and West Indies, and so on and so on…you know lots of little shops and markets. So she was very instrumental in helping a lot of poor folks get a new start in the country. And they fondly called her the Angel of Kensington. So I read all this in a history book, my wife was blown away by it as well, and I just penned the song from there. We both have a real connection to the neighborhood because it’s where we live and it’s where I’ve raised my kids. But also it just took us off guard that we had a family member that was hugely a part of that history. The story’s a little long winded..sorry. But it’s a very person one.

And that song “Waiting for the World,” it’s not so directly about my friend James Loney. I spent the better part of the last six years touring very much in the U.S. I remember being on the road with Broken Social Scene when the war broke out in Iraq. And that’s been a big backdrop for a lot of the touring we’ve been doing. Particularly sort of arriving at venues and, you only need to be 19 to get into a show in Canada. But the whole 21 thing I always found quite frustrating when there’s kids standing outside of a club who normally can’t get in but they hope to catch a glimpse of the band or hear em because of the sound check or something. But they’re like 19 or 20 years old. These kids could be considered old enough to be off in Iraq with a gun you know and trying to kill, but not considered responsible enough to have a beer in a venue…the whole thing’s just fucking insane man, and “Waiting for the World,” it’s just a simple mediation that comes out of all that.

Has having a family impacted your music?

Not in any great way. I had kids at a very young age and I had to figure out how to do this. So it’s kind of all unknown. And there’s lots of people that do this that have families. It’s a juggling act, but having a family is a juggling act whether you’re on the road or not. It does mean, however, that I can’t afford to just dick around. When I go out on the road it has to count for something. I have to support my family and we are all invested in this sort of sacrifice that’s required to do this. It just means that I can’t take it too lightly. It doesn’t ultimately change that much.

Do you notice any difference between your Canadian and U.S. fans?

There’s some subtle differences. The Canadian character is a little more reserved. And the American character is a little more entitled to what they feel. Like in expressing it at a show. And that can be like, “you suck get off the stage” or “you’re awesome”, and when it’s in Canada people are generally polite one way or the other. So it’s a little more difficult to read. You get a sense when you talk to American bands that come to Canada to play, they can be a little bewildered at first, by the lack of engagement of the audience. But it is a subtle thing.

I heard you wrote a new song on your tour to SXSW. Do you do a lot of writing on the road?

Yeah, I do. Having kids and all at home it’s quite busy and hectic on the domestic fronts. So I try to take the opportunity to write more. And even just reading and catching up on that on the road. It’s a great opportunity for me.

What have you been reading recently?

The day I got to SXSW, which was a Tuesday, I started to read that new Cormac McCarthy book, The Road, and I finished it in a couple days and it’s so devastating. But you can’t put it down. And it permeated my entire SXSW experience. I was not in the mood for partying. On one hand I was really intrigued by it, by the story, and on the other hand I was like, “why the fuck did I read it now?”

What about music, what are you listening to right now?

There are so many iPods in the van, it’s ridiculous. So it’s all over the map. We listen to tons of McCartney, for some reason I don’t know why, and lots of reggae. It’s pretty eclectic all in all.

At SXSW did you get to see any other shows, and who were you most impressed with this year?

Well I got to see My Morning Jacket for the first time. All my friends had told me that they are the best band live, and I’ve always been out of town when they’ve come through, so I took the opportunity to check them out and they were awesome. They were great live. And I’ve never felt like I’ve been able to penetrate their record so much, I don’t listen to them so much, it all makes so much more sense live. And that’s often the case with bands. There are many bands that are just better live than they are on record. I accidentally caught this young band out of Brooklyn called Via Audio. They totally blew my mind. I was on my way to meet somebody else to see some other band whom I forget, and I had to go through one venue to get to the other, and got stopped in my tracks by Via Audio. The woman who was singing in the band sort of reminded me of Feist’s kid sister or something. She was really great. Great energy.

Also you’ve mentioned before that you’re a big food fan?

I don’t know how that got out. I did an interview with a foodie magazine, that a friend of mine actually runs. So we ended up having a long conversation about drawing comparisons between indie rock and the slow food movement, you know the organic food movement. There’s some obvious comparisons in that both movements are locational and cottage industries, and when things are done on a small scale they are done better. Somehow that’s gone out that I’m this big foodie, and I’m not. I appreciate a really fine meal but I’ve not made it a fetish like some foodies do.

Photo by Victor Tavares, from the "Here's To Being Here" photo sessions.