The Hoa Hoa’s: Never Too Complicated

On Jan. 20th, at about 7 p.m., I made my way down to Ronnie’s Local 069, a small pub located in the heart of Toronto’s Kensington Market. After obliviously passing each other by (and laughing about it afterwards) I finally got to sit down and get to know the quartet who prior to that night, had been only voices on the album I held in my hand; faces I’d seen in videos on my computer screen.

With Richard Gibson boyishly perched on top of a ledge to my right, Femke Berkhout bundled up in spite of the crisp winter weather beside Gibson, Calvin Brown sitting to my left and Lee Brochu relaxed and casual next to him, The Hoa Hoa’s share their story.

“They were a band a couple of years before I joined and then Calvin came along and we were like, ‘let’s be a band!’” Brochu jokingly began.

Note to fans: There’s a bit more to it than that!

 “We’re from St. Catharines originally,” Gibson explains. “I remember I wanted to move to Toronto so I stayed at their place for a little bit and that’s when we started playing, then we just kind of became friends with Calvin. We didn’t take it that seriously, but we kept doing it.”

The four have played instruments for quite a while now and as Gibson explains, they tend not to over-think the sounds that go into their compositions.

“I think we kind of like the music where it doesn’t take a virtuoso to be able to play it,” Gibson says. “It was never a problem of how good we were at playing as long as we had it in our heads that that’s what we wanted to be, like the right spirit. We weren’t too concerned about how good we were at doing whatever; I think it still goes the same.” Berkhout, Brown and Brochu jump in, in agreement.

What’s cool is that between Brochu, Berkhout and Gibson, the three often alternate on instruments and as the process goes, things just kind of fall into place.

“I don’t think any of us plan out the entire song until we all play it together,” Gibson explains. “We have our own ideas that we bring and then after that it’s like, ‘whose got ideas?’ Sometimes it requires a keyboard, or you know I’ll hear a bass line and I’ll be like, ‘ok, I’ll play bass on this song.’”

“It’s never too complicated,” Brochu continues. “When the songs get too complicated, the formalities are lost. Or maybe there’s a good song and then everything else gets too complicated. It’s like you just let it happen, try to keep it simple.”

Looking back on how the band has grown musically from their first album, Flower Flower, to their current work, Gibson recalls, “Flower Flower seems pretty old to us now. We were a band for about maybe six months or so when we recorded that so I kind of think of it as us just learning what it was like to be in an actual studio, we never got to do that before. It kind of feels like it was a bit of a practice run.”

Brown explains his own musical growth: “I’ve never played drums before in a band so it’s kind of like, growing musically, I think I’ve just been putting myself in different positions, trying to adapt to that.”

“I think we’ve just improved over time really,” Gibson adds. “The more we play together, the more we practice together, the better it gets. So far it’s been getting better and better all the time.”

And better it has gotten. The Hoa Hoa’s recently released their third album, Pop/Drone/Pedals, under their record label, Optical Sounds. The album offers 13 tracks, most of which hold its own unique tie to some of music history’s greatest psychedelic rock songs of all time.

“There are lots of influences and we could list bands forever but you know from the ’60s, ’70s, ’80s, ’90s, all of that, just what we’ve been into for the last couple of years,” Gibson says.

“I think it’s more of a combination of a lot of different experiences, it’s not inspired by just one thing,” Brown adds.

One aspect that differentiates this album from the bands’ previous work is that it was written, produced and recorded by the band themselves.

 “Yeah, we have a studio,” Brochu says.

“Technically it’s a living room,” Gibson adds.

“It’s not the kitchen though!” chimes Berkhout in laughter.

“Yeah, it’s the first one (album) since we’ve gotten our own studio in our place,” Gibson explains. “The ones before, we did in St. Catharines at the recording studio with Joe Lapinski. We just decided that these days, you can do everything yourself. You don’t need anyone pushing buttons for you; we get to do it at our own pace. I think it’s important to take control because it’s like, if you were doing a painting or something and had some other guy touch it all up for you; it’s not really your painting anymore right? So this is something we’re proud of because we really did everything from the very beginning to the very end so it’s really truly our thing.”

Pop/Drone/Pedals was a completely hands-on project, down to the albums artwork which shows a serious of snapshots of the group in gritty contrasts of black and white.

“We all kinda decided like,  ‘should we go with this?  Or this? Or I really  like this,’ ” Berkhout says.

“That’s a photo of me and Femke at like four in the morning,” says Gibson, motioning to the albums’ front cover which shows him and Berkhout side by side, looking downwards.

“There’s probably a big jug of wine right about . . . here,” adds Gibson laughing as he uses his hands to place an imaginary jug of wine on the table in line with the albums’ cover  image.

The Hoa Hoa’s have performed in and around the city at local pubs and annual festivals such as Toronto’s NXNE. Similar to NXNE, the Hoa Hoa’s have also performed at Austin, Texas’ SXSW.

Recalling their past performances at the two festivals Gibson says, “It’s always really great, they put on excellent shows but SXSW is so much bigger than NXNE, I mean literally thousands and thousands of bands go down there and it makes NXNE look very tiny. They’re both good, we try to do them a lot. You get a lot of coverage and it introduces you to people that wouldn’t know you otherwise.”

With local performances, the band explains the vibe of Toronto audiences, “Toronto crowds are kind of famous for being really boring and stand offish,” Gibson explains, “but we’ve been doing it for a while here now and I think we’ve managed to get a crowd that is the opposite of that and aren’t those kind of hipster dudes that try to be cool. People who come to our shows now are trying to have a good time and are kind of dancing up a bit and not trying to act so cool. When we played in New York a couple of weeks ago, or when we play in Texas, like automatically, the first thing they think is to like it. People have come to expect that from us now, you know Toronto has lightened up a little bit to us because they know what we’re all about and what it’s all about-having fun, doing shows.”

The Hoa Hoa’s are preparing for a return to Texas for the 2010 SXSW festival and are looking forward to a bit of touring in the U.S. sometime in the summer. Also, fans will be happy to know that the Hoa Hoa’s are currently recording new music.

“For the rest of the winter and spring, we’ll probably be spending a lot of time recording in our studio,” Gibson says. “We’ve got a lot of new songs on the go so we’ll keep it moving.”

With all they’ve accomplished and continue to work towards, the Hoa Hoa’s have a great quality to their music because it speaks for itself; the playing, the brainstorming, the naturalness.

“I’m playing with people who are really sincere about it and we’re not trying to be rock stars or trying to do it for fame or anything like that,” Gibson says. “We’ve been doing it since day once first of all because we’re all really big music fans. That’s kind of special, were not just some band, a bunch of guys trying to look cool. We’re actually friends, we do hang out. If we don’t feel like doing it, we won’t do it.”

“There’s nothing like it,” Berkhout adds.

“We’re not concerned about anything more than the actual artistic qualities of it. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.” Gibson concludes.

— Xolisa Renee Jerome

Woodhands: The Heartbreak Kids

“We’ve got lasers,” singer/songwriter Dan Werb of Toronto-based Woodhands states matter-of-factly. “We’re very laser-positive.”

Referring to what we can expect to see for Werb’s band’s upcoming tour and not to some wacky new sexuality, this indietronic duo has been known to whip crowds up into a hyper-charged Bacchic frenzy during live shows, working their own asses off in the process. With the much-anticipated follow-up to 2008’s breakout record Heart Attack, Werb is excited to be hitting the road this February on a Canadian tour in support of Remorsecapade.

Touring constantly throughout ’08 and ’09, attention from a multitude of international media has helped to create some impressive buzz for this little island of a band. Q named them “One of the Top 10 bands on Earth” in their post-SXSW wrap-up last year, and iTunes Canada listed Heart Attack as the best electronic album of 2008. While touring last year, Woodhands remixed Eddy Grant’s “Electric Avenue,” receiving props from Rolling Stone, NME and Grant himself for their spunky rendition.

And while it may go without saying that being recognized for your hard work is in itself the major pay-off, when asked whether all of this attention has put the pressure on, Werb’s response is sincere, if not proud.

“It’s lovely — it’s stressful at times because people you don’t know expect things of you, but it’s wonderful. I love making music,” Werb says, adding with a laugh, “I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t love it, and I want to be the best at everything.”

For Werb, part of being the best at everything would include putting his all into their live shows, where the synth and drums duo paradoxically strive to achieve a greater emotional connection with the audience by way of their aggressive, hard-hitting songs. Pairing crunching electro noise with emotive lyrics and live instruments has made Woodhands somewhat of an anomaly in the electronic scene, no doubt helping them stand out from the pack.

But this is all a part of the master plan for Werb and bandmate Paul Banwatt, of not being trapped behind a cold barricade of computer equipment and pre-recorded tracks. Rather, it’s in making music and performing in earnest that the band in their current formation has always set out to tackle, but it wasn’t always this way.

As Werb explains: “The project was initially something that I worked on, on my own, like a basement recording thing when I lived in Montreal years ago. I never really saw it as being live — it was just a way for me to explore and it was a way for me to express and just sort of do whatever I wanted. And it went through different formations, where there were more people in it, less people in it, but I think throughout the whole process, it was me wanting to meet the right person, and that person was Paul.”

Similar in energy and enthusiasm, it was through collaborating with Banwatt where they felt real magic happen. A move to Toronto in 2005 and a supportive live music scene made them continue to perform and work on material to record. And while Woodhands does record fun dance music, it’s in their often improvised live shows where you will experience what they’re really all about: making every person in the room feel physically and emotionally connected to what they are doing. Let’s be clear here: when there are just two dudes on stage who are pretty much kicking the shit out of each song they’ve created or remixed, it’s hard not to feel a bit stoked.

“We never really knew what the hell was going to happen, but somehow it worked,” Werb says. “Our entire show is based around the premise that we want to elicit an immediate reaction from the audience and we don’t want anything mediating the experience that we’re having and that they’re having.”

Werb and Banwatt wrote most of the material for Remorsecapade while on tour last year as they both tend to live very busy lives outside of the band. The album treads along the same lyrical path as Heart Attack, focusing on love and all those insane feelings that accompany it. Intimate relationships are a central theme in the majority of Werb’s material, and not without careful reflection, for Werb tends to display his own matters of the heart on his sleeve when songwriting.

“I have a tendency to only write about my relationships,” he says. “I think if you only write about your relationships, no one can ever accuse you of being wrong; and everyone kind of knows what you’re talking about. But for this album a lot of the lyrics were really about trying to evoke an environment and a feeling rather than just talking about particular experiences — they’re informed by heartbreak and relationship stuff, but for a large part, they’re really just trying to paint a portrait.”

Pop songs, in general, are based on love and heartbreak; the difference with Werb’s lyrics and the band’s output of their songs is that love and heartbreak to them is totally maniacal. The first single off of Remorsecapade, “CP24,” is a play on Werb’s tendency to sensationalize emotions, fictitiously plotting ways in which to get on the news (the title is a reference to a 24-hour regional news station, making the song all the more visually hilarious).

Another standout track, “Pockets,” sounds a bit like a countdown to Armageddon, and don’t be surprised if you find yourself listening to it again when it’s finished, almost not believing what you have just heard. In fact, a way to describe Woodhands’ music is just that: cleverly addictive. And if it wasn’t clear from the start, Woodhands is really excited to get back on the road and test drive the new tracks and stage set-up to a hopefully receptive crowd.

“It’s going to be another fun journey into trying to basically . . . almost start from scratch, getting comfortable with the new equipment and seeing how the songs are received live and tweaking them live,” Werb says, “and that’s the really fun thing about the set-up: we have a lot of freedom to do things because of our set-up and because there are only two of us.”

So when band and crowd unify in a club by dancing to songs about lost souls in clubs, it can make for a darn good meta-narrative. But unlike the sensationalized lyrics of their songs, Woodhands is in the end only two guys on stage, improvising and getting sweaty, and this time they have lasers.

— Chloe Vice

Woodpigeon: Lego Stacking, Argyle Slagging, City Musicians

Over the course of two full-length albums, a Pink Floyd cover for Mojo magazine, and numerous singles/EPs, Woodpigeon has been consistently creating densely layered chamber pop that bridges the gap between simple folk music and avant-garde art rock.

Led by singer songwriter Mark Andrew of the Hamiltons, Woodpigeon has built a name for themselves by matching sad and sombre lyrics with pastoral pop. Not unlike the Beatles, there is often a darker side to the poppy sound that is revealed in the confessional lyrics. Perhaps a more appropriate comparison are the songs of Ray Davies of the Kinks, whom Andrew considers among his greatest influences.

“‘Pesky Druthers’ on the new album is my version of ‘Shangri-La.’  A ‘Shangri-La’ for Canada,” he says. “People come here expecting big cities and excitement only to find average folks hiding in suburban homes.”

It’s all wonderfully melancholy. Though you don’t need to despair, there is humour as well, and rest assured that no matter what the songs state, he is not completely against argyle, and was once an advocate of the pattern himself.

Andrew has worked with many musicians on past efforts. For his latest album, Die Stadt Muzikanten (available now), he reunited in his hometown with “Team Calgary,” a group of musicians who understand his methods and intentions better than most.

“I can tell them how I think I want something and they’ll come up with a sound that is just right,” he says.

While he does have an idea of a song’s structure before bringing it to the band, it’s with them that he stacks track upon track (“like lego”) often using his guitar or drum demos as a starting point. The result is an album that Andrew claims is a final push in the pop direction. In that respect, this album feels like a transition point in which he has not only reached a new level of poppiness but also branched out into newer territory he plans to explore on future releases.

“Instead of traditional Verse Verse Chorus Verse style structure we found the structures more Verse Verse Chorus Bridge Bridge Bridge,” he says.  

“Like growing a beard to feel comfortable in crowds” is how Andrew describes the confessional nature of his songwriting. He admits that all the writing is indeed from his own experience, but often from behind a mask. (And if you’re into confessional there is a top-secret full-length bonus disc in Canadian editions that features what Andrew considers his most personal and unmasked song yet.)

“I don’t set out to right unhappy lyrics, but find them more interesting,” he says. “It’s easier to list your top 10 songs about heartbreak than about unrequited love.”

During the making of this album, he spent much time listening to the girl group comp One Kiss Can Lead to Another, all pop songs about heartbreak. It’s easy to see where the themes tie in, as well as how the wall of sound style production of these early tunes would have inspired the stacking of his own tracks.

This philosophy of using song as a weapon or technique to overcome emotional strife seems to chart back to a story that relates to Die Stadt Muzikanten’s evolution. As a child, Andrew’s grandparents had a painting of several animals, defending their town from evil-doers. It was entitled the Der Bremen Stadtmusikanten (The Bremen City Musicians), and in the album’s opening, he sings of these characters chasing the bad guys away with their music.

In a similar manner, Andrew writes songs on painful themes as a means of closing off a topic and moving on. Beyond just a sense of closure, this also keeps his songs fresh and always coming from a different direction.

“There’s nothing intriguing or cathartic in writing about the exact same pain or situation over and over again,” he says.

Does he relate to the animals in the painting? “I’m probably the donkey.”

— Daniel Demois

Castanets: Outlaws of folk

Since blindsiding listeners with the release of Cathedral in 2004, San Diego-based experimental phenomenon Castanets have set a new standard for the brand of unique experimental folk they’ve spear-headed.

The brainchild of Ray Raposa, the only permanent member in an ever-evolving lineup, the band has released their fifth album, Texas Rose, the Thaw and the Beasts, to further acclaim.

A departure from 2008’s City of Refuge which has been cited as “a minimalist desert opera” after seemingly exuding the tendencies of the hot, dry sand, the latest record seems to embrace the naturalistic and experimental, even gravitating toward elements of dance.

“I don’t think it’s that big of a move,” Raposa explains. “Maybe from Refuge, but every other record I’ve done has had drum machines/synths, etc. . . . But then the word ‘pop’ shows up in a one sheet and that’s the hook for the record. Happens. I didn’t feel the shift if it was there, though. 2.4 Richters.”

Regardless, with an approach to music that’s undoubtedly multi-faceted, Raposa has succeeded in creating albums that refuse to act as follow-ups or sequels, maintaining distinct presences with each release.

“[I achieve that] by not really thinking too hard one way or another on the maintenance,” he says. “There’s different people from record to record. I’m a different person from record to record. Different studios. Different s/o’s. Different presidents, etc.

“The record is not trying to say anything. The Beasts, however, never shut up. They’ll tell you anything you’d like to hear if you ask and a lot of harsh white noise otherwise.”

Following the acclaim of the Castanets’ early releases, the band was quickly labelled and categorized, being hailed as pioneers of psychedelic folk — a notion the front man fails to embrace.

“It depends whose saying it and what they mean when they do, I guess,” Raposa says. “But oh man — fuck freak-folk. I have no time for that shit. Inaccurate and insulting. I deal in the genres that outlaws can understand.”

In the spirit of creative freedom, the music of Castanets has been no stranger to remixes, with bands like Lucky Dragons and the Odawas having interpreted “Worn From the Fight (With Fireworks)” and “My Heart.”

“To be fair, I’ve only heard the LD remix once,” Raposa admits. “I should probably give it another listen soon. I think the Odawas one is incredible. One of the best things I’ve heard this year.”

— Anne T. Donahue

The Past, Present, and Future of Mother Mother

Singer and guitarist Ryan Guldemond of Mother Mother remembers a time when he was unsure of how his band would fare in the music industry. When the band was first starting out, it was within Guldemond to imagine any possible future.

“You go to the worst places, and you go to the best places,” he says of his former expectations for the band. “We were hovering in the middle. We imagined reaching this place and beyond, but also feared a complete flop.”

However, after almost five years as a band, Vancouver-based Mother Mother is anything but a flop and has achieved some major successes. Their latest album O My Heart was rated both the number three Canadian album of the year and the number five overall album of the year by iTunes. In addition, the band has made the shortlist for CBC radio 3’s 2009 Best Live Act Bucky Award.

All of this success is extremely pleasing to Guledemond, who has always been deeply involved in music. He grew up taking guitar lessons, attended college for jazz guitar and says that he always thought that music would be his path in life. However, he reveals that while he was growing up, he hardly ever played music with his sister and bandmate, Molly Guldemond. Apparently, it was initially a surprise to the family that the two siblings had joined a band together.

Ryan says that Mother Mother has changed his relationship with Molly, and “has been a vehicle to grow together and to become great friends and partners.”

In addition, Ryan Guledemond still clearly remembers the band’s very first performance at an open mic.

“It turned out great,” he recalls. “We won the room, and the host offered us a gig the next week opening for his band.”

Mother Mother was very excited at the  prospect of a real gig, and had to write more songs before the show, since they only had two or three at the time.

The result of more songwriting was Mother Mother’s 2005 album, Touch Up, which featured the band’s creative alternative rock sound, including their trademark layered vocal harmonies. The album is very unique, which left many people wondering who Mother Mother’s influences were. While Ryan names the Pixies as one of his influences, he strongly believes that Mother Mother’s sound doesn’t come from a place of emulation, and doesn’t try to sound like any of the bands that the members of Mother Mother listen to.

However, he admits that Touch Up is somewhat disjointed, and switches frequently between styles. Therefore, Ryan explains that there was much intentional foresight into how O My Heart would be made and recorded. He says that the second album’s more cohesive sound was a natural progression, and a result of the band’s strategy to “unify something that felt a little scattered.”

Since their latest release, Mother Mother has continued to write new music, and is going back into the studio in the New Year to record their third album. Guldemond says that the band’s new songs bare a great similarity to those found on O My Heart. However, while the new album will remain true to their sound and contain familiar melodic vocals, songs will explore “new imagery and pathways.”

Furthermore, since Guldemond says that the band prefers to feature album art that reflects their lyrics, fans can expect another vivid, intriguing cover for the new album. He also offers insight into past album covers, explaining that the scratches on the fish’s eye (on the cover of O My Heart) are from the rooster on the cover of Touch Up. He says that these scratches are meant to show a continuation of sound, just like there will be on the new album. However, he’s currently unsure of whether or not there will be an animal on the new album cover.

These days, Mother Mother has moved up in the world and is currently on tour with Matthew Good, with a show scheduled at Toronto’s Massey Hall on Dec. 18 and 19. The tour is very exciting and musically rewarding for Mother Mother, since they get to play bigger venues and have long been acquainted with Matthew Good’s music, citing it as “the soundtrack of alternative rock in the ’90s.”

With such an important tour under their belt and a brand new album on the way, Mother Mother may well achieve further success beyond their current status, just like Ryan Guldemond once dared to dream.

— Jess Harris

The Zolas: Clock ticks for thee

Recently, Vancouver has established itself as a prominent musical presence, maintaining a nurturing environment to budding musicians while supporting bands that have earned national and international notoriety. As attested by Zachary Gray, lead singer and guitarist of the up-and-coming piano-pop progressive band, The Zolas, the emergence of a Canadian West Coast “scene” is long overdue.

“I think what’s happening in Vancouver right now is more than just like, a pretty good music scene, and I think that most cities don’t get to enjoy that all the time,” he begins. “I think cities have their moments in the sun and then they fade a little bit . . . but I think that Vancouver’s has been a long, long . . . . cycle for the last little while, and only now do you have something really, really worth listening and worth writing about. There’s so many incredible bands coming out of Vancouver to the point where Vancouverites will actually listen to Vancouver bands.

“Suddenly in Vancouver, there’s this explosion of local bands, and for the first time ever, being a local is a virtue, just because there’s so many good bands coming out of Vancouver right now. And what’s cool is that . . .[Vancouver is] the least cutthroat you can imagine. It’s a very supportive, open-hearted scene.”

Following the dispersion of the Vancouver-based band, Lotus Child, three years ago, Gray and pianist Tom Dobrzanski used both their friendship and love of music to form The Zolas, creating a spirited and inspiring sound that echoed their sentiments of life in the city.

“This album is about being in your twenties and living in Vancouver — although it’s really not that much specific to Vancouver, there’s only a . . . few, like, specific references to living in Vancouver,” Gray explains. “So it’s sort of like, being in your twenties and living in a decent-sized city, I think.

“It’s about trying to talk to girls on the bus, and it’s about like, the feeling that maybe the idea of human beings not like, dominating . . . nature is a kind of relief in some way to some people, and it’s about the vapid side of hipsterism.”

Produced by Howard Redekopp of The New Pornographers production fame, The Zolas’ debut album, Tic Toc Tic, began as a way for two friends to create and bond over music, eliminating the business mindset that came to fruition during their time in Lotus Child.

“We decided to hang out like we were 15, and play music and not think about like, ‘the biz,’ because it was really annoying and uncomfortable,” Gray shares. “So we just wanted to have fun. . . . You have to be having fun doing it every step of what you’re doing. That’s what we did, and that’s where this album came from. Just us fooling around and like, playing in my parents’ dining room where they have a really nice piano, and writing songs and then being like ‘hey, I bet we can get grants to make this album.’ . . . It’s based on a foundation of like, ‘we’re having a really good time!’ and I think that comes through.”

Regardless of their professional achievements — Tic Toc Tic has gone on to receive both critical and public praise — Gray and Dobrzanski’s musical bond and enthusiasm for creativity remains the key to their success.

“What it really is, [is] the collaboration between me and Tom,” Gray reveals. “I’m a really frantic person and I listen to . . . a new album and all I want to do is sound like that band that I’m crazy about that week. And I think it’s going to change my life, and I wanna like, write an entire album that’s like, really, really heavy or something. 

“Tom is more of a rock that way. He’s not as swayed by the tides of pop culture and he’s not as, well, I’m not going to say manic, but I’m kind of excitable, that’s for sure. . . . He’s definitely the detail guy, and I’m the dreamer.”

— Anne T. Donahue

YACHT: Lights in the dark

Throughout history, musicians have used their roles as entertainers and public figures to spread their message. John Lennon and Yoko Ono urged us to give peace a chance, Bono has received countless awards for his humanitarian work. Even Muse’s recent live album is named for a conspiracy theory surrounding the High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program in the United States. Rarely though does a band immerse themselves as thoroughly into their beliefs as YACHT.

Founded by Portland, Ore. native Jona Bechtolt, YACHT creates what they call “mildly-psychedelic danceable 2000s-era grunge musics.” Last year, the project expanded into a duo with the inclusion of vocalist Claire L. Evans, whose talents are present in much of their July release, See Mystery Lights. Musically, the album is a collection of upbeat electro anthems meriting their inclusion on renowned New York indie label DFA and an opening slot on tour alongside the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

YACHT, however, is much more than a musical group. The band describes themselves as a belief system and has even gone on to pen a book, The Secret Teachings of the Mystery Lights: A Handbook on Overcoming Humanity and Becoming Your Own God, with music being but a part of something much bigger. 

“We wrote it so that people would understand that the belief system of YACHT is essentially non-religious (i.e. we are NOT a cult) and actually very useful if implemented correctly,” Bechtolt explains. “That science and religion (and all other like human structures) are, despite their seeming conflict, essentially the same thing. They both attempt to articulate something which is completely, and inherently, beyond human grasp — that is ineffable. A scientific diagram, or a mathematical equation, is much like a golden idol of a God: it's a stab at representing physically something beyond representation.

“If we understand this, then it's not much of a leap to assume that the non-representable thing in question is, in fact, the same thing in the case of both science and religion. It's simply that which is greater than us — it's the universe itself. That if ‘God,’ if you will, is the universe, then we are part of God as we are matter in the universe. We are part of the mystery and the unknowable. This should be empowering.” 

Bechtolt continues, explaining that, “as ‘gods’ ourselves, we have the power to make our own destinies, write our own holy books, make our own media, and think for ourselves.  Furthermore, that all of the previously existing systems of transcendence — meditation, Zen, penitence, TM, self-flagellation, etc. — have been failures. We cannot transcend our animal natures to become somehow superhuman or separate from our humanity. We are sloppy, defensive, and animal — essentially.

“This is because we are part of a chaotic, dirty, insane and unknowable universe and we should simply understand ourselves, nurture the creative parts of ourselves and strive to live happy and fulfilled lives instead of feeling as though we have ‘sinned’ by being human.”

This is definitely not your standard dance music. The aforementioned See Mystery Lights is thematically and lyrically based upon the Marfa Lights, a “paranormal optical phenomenon” visible in the Far West Texas desert.

“The Lights completely reorganized our belief system, as well as our naive understanding of the universe,” Bechtolt says. “We realized that for centuries of humankind, even the most banal phenomena in the world were inscrutable mysteries, before magic became science. In this information-rich world, and for people like us who grew up with access to computers, whose entire lives have been influenced by constant access to knowledge, the mystery that the Marfa Lights represents is very powerful. It's a perspective-changing experience. YACHT could never be the same afterwards, so we devoted ourselves to making music which reflected what we were feeling, the things we were meditating about in the presence of these Lights. 

“That said, this wasn't merely a phenomenological experience. The Lights triggered a latent part of our minds, and we delved immediately into research — into Western and Eastern esotericism, science fiction, conspiracy, magic(k), religious ritual and symbolism throughout history, and mythology. This may seem like a somewhat onerous task but we are fascinated with the extremes of human experience and the various modalities of experiencing the universe. For us, the Lights triggered a general interest in the unexplainable — we ratcheted over from left brain to right brain, if you will.” 

YACHT urges its fans to get involved with their philosophies, stating that all people are welcome to become members of YACHT, whether it be on a permanent or temporary basis.

“The general intent of the ‘member’ concept is to encourage as much personal involvement as possible with us,” Bechtolt says,  “and an attempt to break down the barriers between performer and audience, which we find to be an obstacle to real dialogue.”

The group is an active user of social media, including a blog and Twitter to engage fans, friends and family, encouraging all to “dive down YACHT’s rabbit hole to search for answers.”

“The album, See Mystery Lights, is only the  most visible piece of an  entire system of thought and  belief that we are only now beginning to fully develop,” Bechtolt says. “That said, it's not as cut and dry as ‘questions’ and ‘answers.’ It seems to us that the most fundamental questions we ask as a species are always the vaguest: what is life? That’s not a question that can be answered satisfactorily by anyone. We don't aim to provide pat answers to these kinds of questions.”

YACHT’s philosophies may be complex, but the heart of their music and belief system hits the proverbial nail right on the head: “Perhaps what we do is ask the questions back to their askers and appreciate how the echo sounds.”

If it sounds anything like See Mystery Lights, we’re definitely listening.

— Heather Adamo

Amanda Martinez: Mixing Business With Pleasure; Martinez multi-tasks with style on her sophomore album, Amor

As she embarks upon a new album, touring, and motherhood, singer/songwriter Amanda Martinez draws on her business background and strong work ethic to enhance her artistic endeavors. With a voice so soothing and melodic, and lullaby-like arrangements that combine all the best elements of Latin music, it’s hard to imagine a woman with such artistic flare came from a finance background. Amor, produced by George Seara, features a mix of Martinez’s usual bandmates with some surprise guests. Martinez sits down to chat about her creative methods and how she finds balance between “work” and creating.

Creating an album solely of originals is no small feat. With a name as important and powerful as “Amor” many artists would come up dry or fall short of relevant material, referring to the same old love clichés. Martinez examines love from many different and creative angles and delivers them in a way that could never get old. She explains the places in which she was able to find inspiration.

“About half of them came from more specific situations; falling in love with my husband, waiting for love while I was pregnant with my son,” she says. The rest came from a variety of different inspirations and observations.

In a multifaceted industry where the emphasis is not only on what you create, but what you do with what you create, many artists claim to have trouble with the business/marketing side of their music. Martinez, who completed her master’s degree in business and left a finance job to pursue music, laughs when talking asked about the balance between music and business.

“I find the complete opposite is true for me,” she says. “Coming from a business/finance background, my mind is always thinking about new marketing and business opportunities when it comes to my music. . . . Dedicating time to writing and creating is the most challenging for me.”

She explains that her creating process is an inconsistent yet comfortable one.

“A lot of it ends up being collaborative, sometimes I sit with a guitar player and play out some ideas, sometimes it’s just me and guitar,” she says. “Sometimes my husband follows me around with a guitar while I sing melodic ideas.”

With melodies so easy on the ears, you could have the CD on repeat for hours and the beautifully complex yet subtle guitar comping of Kevin Laliberte, it’s no wonder so many of her songs have been featured in television, film and other artists’ albums. The arrangements are perfectly crafted getaways, complete with accordions and the lovely and surprising use of male voices singing background harmonies. She over-sings nothing but somehow manages to squeeze passion into even the smallest of syllables.

With added dates to her tour and the hectic nature of parenthood and the business, Martinez relies on her deep-rooted love for music to keep her head in the game.

“Once the band starts playing I am transformed into a performer,” she says. “It changes my mindset immediately.”

What to expect next from the lovely songstress? Her business mind already ahead of the game, Amanda hints that her next project will probably be an album sung in both English and French. You can expect some great live jams and surprises in her upcoming live concerts, including a string quartet and some stripped down versions of her songs.

Amor is out now and features Martinez’s longtime musical  partners Kevin Laliberte (guitar), Drew Birston (bass), Rosendo “Chendy” Leon (percussion), Alexander Brow (trumpet) and Osvaldo Rodriguez (violin) along with special guests Kevin Fox (cello), Robi Botos (piano) and Tom Scezniak (accordian).

— Melissa P.

DJ /rupture: /rupture up!

Unlike most current electronic efforts, Brooklyn’s DJ /rupture (Jace Clayton) and Matt Shadetek used their collaborative debut album, Solar Life Raft, to showcase their musical backgrounds as well as their appreciation for New York, storytelling and science fiction.

“We were thinking kind of like a drowned New York, you know, music of the future, where water’s risen and . . . people are paddling around with solar panels in their strange plastic life rafts from burrow to burrow,” Clayton says. “There’s a kind of musical experience you get from living in New York City. It’s a very musical town, people are public with their music . . . and there’s a whole sort of visual sci-fi aspect, like imagining a future New York City under a couple layers of water, . . . sort of that bizarre, futuristic kind of like soft apocalypse feel to how we were thinking about things for the mix as well.”

A prominent fixture in the electronic scene, Clayton responded to the recession by utilizing his Brooklyn background by enlisting Brooklyn native Shadetek to co-produce the album and inviting local musicians, remixers and poets to actively contribute. The result was an undoubtedly original sound.

“I’m like, ‘Okay, I know these amazing poets, and they’re published poets . . . so why don’t we see what happens?’” Clayton says. “So that’s kind of what [I wanted] to do — taking sounds from one different context and putting it in a whole new light. Like Caroline Bergvall . . . it’s almost like sound poetry. It’s not mainstream at all, it’s not rap, but it’s not normal poetry. But add a beat to it, put on some effects, and all of a sudden . . . you’re hearing her in a very different way. I love doing stuff like that.”

Originality is important to Clayton, who uses his music to tell stories and convey emotion: “I’m always thinking in narrative terms. I want [my music] to have a beginning, a middle and an end; I want it to have peaks and I want it to tell a story, but not in a contrite way — to really have these peaks and highs and moments of intensity.

“I always think of DJing as being much more than just a sum of two songs, as more than one thing after another. So [I was] looking to do these types of mixes and blends that really kind of say something new, that can take [parts of] the . . . elements and try to push them into this new evocative state.”

In order to create a sound that straddled both the narrative and electronic, Clayton and Shadetek used their affinity for science fiction and diverse musical tastes to develop the concept of Solar Life Raft.

“That’s one of the great things about doing a mix,” Clayton explains. “I would have a tune I love and think, ‘Okay, this song is great, let’s build on it and work with this or look for a mix that will highlight what we think is so incredible about this song.’

“Matt and I are actually big science fiction fans and we’d often switch books back and forth and throughout the whole course of this mix CD, we’re probably reading the same books maybe once a week or something . . . so that was kind of like the same sort of strange headspace or something.”

Luckily, their shared mindset resulted in a solid foundation for a successful musical partnership.

“It’s really good and easy to work with Matt . . . and on [Solar Life Raft], a third of the songs on there are songs that we wrote or songs that we remixed . . . and that really helped us focus,” Clayton says. “We talked about the kind of vibe we were after, like, ‘let’s sit down and make something that will work along this vibe,’ so it became very specific in that sense.”

While Solar Life Raft has allowed Clayton to expand on the electronic genre’s pre-conceived notions, the DJ embraces the progression of sound as his career continues to evolve.

“I started off mixing drum and bass back in the day, but then I was like, ‘I want to say more,’ and it kind of came from me wanting more and more different types of dynamics and different types of moments into the DJ mixes,” he explains. “Music is always changing . . . and it’s not like I stick to any one genre; I’m always interested in the evolution of music. As types of sounds that I find most alive and invigorating shift from place to place, I kind of move around, dance around there, so the material in my sets is always changing.”

—  Anne T. Donahue

Mittens on Strings: Alex Preston Says

With the release of their third album, Let’s Go to Baba’s, Chicago’s Mittens on Strings has evolved from a group of friends who like to jam into a multi-faceted and eclectic presence who has managed to maintain an egalitarian dynamic in the midst of establishing a distinct persona.

“I guess it’s not always easy, but . . . we kind of have very complimentary talents [and] that helps things a lot,” shares vocalist/guitarist Alex Preston. “We actually have pretty clearly defined roles in terms of like, things we do for the band . . . [and] in terms of the music, we’re all probably all fans of each other which is a cool thing.”

As each member boasts different musical backgrounds and unique talents, the band prides itself on its ability to work together — unlike other acts who use their music to fuel rivalries or maintain conflict.

 “We’re just kind of fans of each other . . . and that’s why the record ends up sounding kind of eclectic and everything,” Preston explains. “It really comes more from having different principle song writers on different songs. . . . The music isn’t super complex or like, you know, the compositions aren’t anything that are going to blow anyone’s mind, too

“We don’t have a lot of ego clash in terms of like, if someone doesn’t like something we’re unwilling to change it or whatever.”

The record has already been praised for its ability to be both fun and concrete, with symphonic instrumentals successfully complimenting the prominent elements of rock ’n’ roll and the album’s unique title, Let’s Go To Baba’s — a reference to a European story — reflects Mittens on Strings’ individualistic tendency.

“It has to do with like, a sort of transformation, you know, from the mundane into maybe the supernatural or just something greater,” Preston says. “It has to do with the collective spirit of the band, I guess, in general. You know, we’re normal people [who have] come together and we want to make something really nice.”

Citing The Velvet Underground as a musical influence, one can’t help but notice the similarities between the Chicago band and the original punk rockers — specifically in the track, “Lou Reed Says” — but it’s important to realize Mittens on Strings is far from an imitation.

“So my vocal delivery on “Lou Reed Says” . . . can be similar to Lou Reed but I’m not trying to imitate his voice quality,” Preston states. “I actually use a lot of the same chords — they’re not in the same order — but a lot of the same chord that he used in certain songs . . . but the whole point is like, he’s talking about how someone else is, but this is really his view point on how they are . . . and this is really my viewpoint on how he is.

“It’s about getting your message across through music. Things that you think are interesting, and also, you know, the words that you use are always your words as long as you’re not straight up stealing them from someone else.”

The band’s creativity and independent spirit branches into their album art, merchandise and their decision to release the album via digital download and LP only.

“We’ve been accused of being DIY for the sake of being DIY or whatever, but . . . we just want to be involved in every aspect of the creative process because the person who is at the receiving end of that knows like, more about you,” Preston says. “They know more about what you’re about.

“It has to do with the depersonalization of music in general, you know? You don’t get albums anymore and like, hold the art in your hands . . . so that’s why we put it out on vinyl. . . . It’s really about the personalization of . . . objects, making things more precious.”

— Anne T. Donahue

Fool’s Gold: L.A. band keeps digging

Eclectic L.A.-based ensemble Fool’s Gold is launching their first-ever North American tour in celebration of the release of their self-titled debut album (out now on IAMSOUND). Consisting of musicians and artists from various areas and backgrounds — including members of We Are Scientists, Foreign Born and The Fall — the band works to successfully bring their individualities to the music, while working as a collective to create the ultimate musical mosaic.

“Fool’s Gold is certainly blessed and cursed to have such a large rotating cast of characters in this sit-com/rom-com/nature documentary that we call a musical group,” shares Lewis Pesacov, lead guitarist and co-founder of the band. “Although Luke (Top; bassist, vocalist and co-founder) and I tend to act as musical directors with strong support from Orpheo McCord in the percussion section, the fragile beauty of the band really lies in what each individual person as musicians bring from their own experience into our community of sounds. By weaving all these distinct personalities into an open ended yet semi-formalized pattern, we’re able to create a wonderfully colourful, human tapestry.”

Having begun as a side project for Pesacov (Foreign Born) and Top to explore their love of African music and ’80s pop, Fool’s Gold quickly grew to include an ever-expanding roster of talent who have worked to create the band’s distinct dance-tastic sound.

In addition to the debut of their record and their upcoming tour, Fool’s Gold released the Micachu & the Shapes remix of the track, “Surprise Hotel.”

“The Micachu & the Shapes remix just has such a sweet-ass beat — it got us moving immediately!” Pesacov explains. “We also very much enjoyed and appreciated how they were able to transport our music and sound to a different world.”

Pesacov reveals that the band also hopes to showcase more remixes in the future.

“We love the idea of people using our raw musical matter to create their own experience,” he says. “To enter into a parallel dialogue as ours with music and musical traditions, to become extended members of our musical family.”

Although they’ve only played a handful of cities over the course of four years, Pesacov shares that certain locations have already responded to the band’s unique premise.

“We did have a very special and memorable experience in Chicago recently,” he recalls. “We were playing on Navy Pier — you know, the type of boardwalk-y pier that all water cities have — (and) what’s great about these types of shows is that they are the exact opposite of a hipster/indie venue — they allow for the very large, open-ended demographic of the general public. That night, we had a range of experiences from a three-year-old climbing on stage to sing along to 75-year-old women shaking it.

“The apex of the evening, though, was when the whole entire crowd spontaneously started to do this quasi-line dance in unison to the beat of our song ‘Poseidon’ — we found out afterward that it’s quite the famous dance from the Windy City called the ‘Cupid Shuffle.’”

In anticipation for the upcoming tour, Pesacov remains positive that challenges and scheduling conflicts will be successfully worked through as a result of Fool’s Gold’s camaraderie and supportive atmosphere.

“Those are challenges we have yet to overcome, but we shall, as it’s a work in progress — fluid and ever evolving,” he maintains.  “We’re yet to be completely ‘road-tested,’ but we are certainly lucky enough to be a very special group of friends that have come together for our love of playing music.”

— Anne T. Donahue

Check out Fool’s Gold’s single “Surprise Hotel” now playing on The Spill’s Playlist.

Spiral Beach: Spiral to the touch down!

Maddy Wilde, Daniel Woodhead, Dorian Wolf and Airick Woodhead of Spiral Beach are quickly throwing down goals in the music field and doing so in the most creative way — through their music.

The band has been together since early 2003 where brothers Daniel and Airick began writing music in their early teens. As Daniel explains, music didn’t just play a role in the relationship.

 “Music IS the relationship between me and my brother!” he explains. “From what I can remember, we really weren’t as close until we started writing songs together. We still have really similar tastes in music and art, although our methods of working are very different — he’s much more spontaneous and I’m a little more of a schemer I guess.”

From there, things seemed to fall into place with the rest of the band.

“Maddy was a childhood friend of ours who lived up the block,” Daniel says, “so she just kind of naturally fell into it as a result. I met Dorian at school and asked him to be in the band at around the same time and it’s been the same line up ever since!”

Listening to the band’s music, their influences seem to come from several different directions. For Daniel and Airick, the musical style of their father played a role on different levels in some of the influence they hold today.

“I think most of the influence would have to be subconscious,” Daniel says. “We weren't really listening to music at all until we discovered our own generation’s pop culture through our friends, which kind of opened up the whole world for us. I think there must be some kind of melodic influence though his playing style (he's primarily an electric bassist) is so unique that having it around our whole lives has to have left some traces.”

Six years after their formation, Spiral Beach now look toward the beginning of their month-long tour across Canada in showcase of their new album, The Only Really Thing, out now on Sparks Music. The album features the visual creativity that fans experience while watching the four live.

“We’ve always thought of the band as being very visual,” Daniel explains. “We've gone through tons of different staging ideas: pylons, stage lights, mannequins, projections, costumes etc. We’re always looking for something new. If there's some kind of weird object backstage often we'll bring it out and use it in the show. All four of us have ideas but many of the props originally came from our tour manager Ryan’s basement — he’s been working on film and TV sets for years and has a kind of Pee Wee’s Playhouse-on-acid kind of aesthetic that has really influenced our style.”

The Only Really Thing, as Daniel expresses, derives from different inspirations.

 “We’ve always been inspired by people we know — friends of ours who are artists and musicians, other bands . . . there’s too many to name!” he says. “But also just that initial moment of discovery, when you first come upon a song or something you know instantly that you love, it's that kind of immediacy I think we're always striving for.”

The album also shows growth in the bands understanding of different music styles.

“I think just listening to as much music as possible and trying to understand as many different musical styles and cultures as you can is the best way to grow musically,” Daniel explains, “Throughout the recording process for The Only Really Thing, we were trying to emulate the sound of these ’60s and ’70s Bollywood compilations that we never would have known about five years ago!”

The Only Really Thing was produced by their good friend and member of The Hidden Cameras, Mike Olsen, who also produced the bands previous album, Ball.

“Mike is one of our best friends, and he definitely put his heart and soul into making this record — he pretty much gave us three months of his life!” Daniel says. “Everything is always very smooth when working with him, he knows how to handle the dynamic between band members and push us in ways that we never thought of — also he LOVES analog delay pedals, and so do we.”

Their Canadian tour includes visits to several cities across the country, including Thunder Bay, Winnipeg, Regina and Saskatoon, as well as shows in Chicago and New York City.

“We love the bubble you get into on the road; it feels like we’re living a kind of cartoon existence, which gels really well with our personalities!” Daniel explains enthusiastically. “We all tend to get along better on the road; I guess it’s just kind of an escape for us — like we’re waiting at home until we can get out there.”

Looking toward the future, Daniel says, “For the four of us all together, I think we just want to be able to keep pushing ourselves and have the music and the shows stay exciting! We’ve always been able to do exactly what we wanted to our entire lives, with the band being an extension of that. Knowing how rare that is in the world, I think it’s definitely unique and special enough to celebrate.”

— Xolisa Renee Jerome