Karina Zorn: Art for more than art sake; world-renowned singer brings in jazz heavy hitters for a cause for paws.

There’s nothing like watching award-winning artists do their thing, especially when you know you’re supporting more than just self-expression and musical virtuosity.

In a refreshing act of humanity, accomplished songstress Karina Zorn has called on her all-star jazz playing friends, including Quido Basso, Russ Little, and Perry King, to donate their talents for a great cause.

Zorn sat down to chat about “From the Heart,” a benefit for the Toronto Humane Society, which takes place at Toronto’s Palais Royale on Sept. 20.

Interestingly, for someone who has studied with some of the most renowned singers of our time, toured the world over and whose performance history includes singing for the Queen of England and Prince of Wales, Zorn was not interested in talking about music. Her focus lay on the heart and soul of the event: the animals.

Her reasons for choosing the Humane Society are simple yet powerful. As an animal lover, she was horrified at an article she read in the Toronto Sun exposing a specific case of animal abuse where a dog was left chained up and neglected for days. That’s all it took for her to set her sights on the cause.

“It’s horrifying and shameful that human beings can behave this way, . . . animals are dependent on us for love and care and do nothing but offer unconditional love,” Zorn says. “I admire the Sun for exposing this matter, as hard as it is to read.”

In case anyone is wondering where their donations will go, Zorn assures that there are very specific things of which the organization is in need.

“There’s obviously a pecking order,” she says, “space is always an issue as well as medical supplies but proceeds also go to clean blankets, collars, leashes, cleaning, and care staff.”

When asked about the tone guests can expect from the evening, Zorn is quick to answer.

“Certainly not a somber one!” she says. “The wines have been chosen from five or six vineyards in Niagara-on-the-Lake, and the menu all fresh vegetables, meats and cheeses from Ontario.”

With a back drop of musical genius, it may be hard not to focus on the performance, but Zorn insists that she will keep the conversation “about the animals, not on who’s who and doing what.”

“There will be pictures of animal faces up on a large screen during the evening. Poodles, terriers, kittens,”she laughs. “It would be impossible not to focus on them.”

For Zorn, repertoire choice for the evening was obvious: standards that come from the heart, romantic songs. The highlight of the evening will be when she sings “Funny Face” from the 1957 Audrey Hepburn classic movie.

“Most people don’t know that the song was originally written for (Fred Astaire’s) dog!” Zorn explains. “Everyone associates it with Hepburn’s beautiful face.”

The furry images will certainly clear that up!

In terms of getting the band inspired for playing “from the heart,” it was a no-brainer. The musicians are all animal lovers and play every show with depth and emotion. The music will be combo and solo based, allowing each performer to come forward for a tune and give it their all. They made a point of choosing a lot of Bossas, which are “geared towards soloing.”

Zorn was a trooper when questions were snuck in about her own thoughts on what it means to sing “from the heart.” She attributes her former voice coach Judy Davis (whose students include, Barbara Streisand, Frank Sinatra, and Judy Garland) for teaching her the old school way of singing.

“The focus is not on technique, anatomy, and scales. It’s about developing melodies. Live the song, don’t just sing it,” she explains. “The older you get, the more you realize you don’t know.”

“I believe that animals have hearts and souls,” adds Zorn, who plans on expanding her charitable efforts, taking on each city’s Humane Society one at a time.

From The Heart, a benefit for the Toronto Humane Society, takes place on Sept. 20, 3 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Palais Royale. It features an award winning line up of jazz notables including guests Guido Basso, Russ Little, Mark Eisenman, Steve Heathcote, Kelly Jefferson, Bill McBirnie, Anthony Michelli, Rob Piltch and Duncan Hopkins with Rick Wilkins conducting and special guest Perry King. Tickets can be purchased at www.ticketpro.ca.

— Melissa P.

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Khan of the Hill

After thrilling the huddled, sweaty crowd at Toronto’s Sonic Boom Record Store and freaking out people walking by on Bloor Street West, King Khan was just delighted if people would smile.

Khan along with his band the Shrines, recently hauled their touring act through Toronto but on top of rocking out, Khan said he’s happy when his music really touches people.

“The greatest compliment that I’ve ever got as a musician has always been ‘Man you know what, after your show for one month, I was smiling,’” Khan said. “Not one day but one month. We’re like legalized crack.”

Khan and his crew combine grooving rhythm and blues with a positive gospel message and of course, Khan’s over-the-top James Brown-like stage presence, as he’s known for putting on masks and swaggering around the stage.

“The only reason we call it gospel music is because we don’t think about what we’re doing when we do it. We just know the people will follow,” Khan said. “We have followers because all we know is true love, justice and pure goodness.”

The band is currently on tour in support of their album, The Supreme Genius of King Khan and the Shrines. They played a flurry of shows in Toronto, appearing on July 23rd and July 24th at the Horseshoe Tavern and on the 25th at Rancho Relaxo. But on the 24th they pulled off a double-duty set with a free show at Sonic Boom just prior to their second Horseshoe Tavern appearance. As for why they gave the free show, Khan said it’s all about making sure as many people know about his music as possible.

“Any band that tours right now and pays a lot for gas, it’s not about the money, it’s about the message,” Khan said. “Now, we sell that to as many people as we can. We try to spread the gospel to everyone and that’s what it is.”

Indeed, Khan’s sentiments are expressed in his band’s song “Welfare Breed,” a personal song for Khan who once was lived on welfare for years. During performances, he encourages audience members to wave dollar bills, although in Canada, a loonie and spare change will have to do.

The Montreal-born Khan left his hometown in 1995 and toured the world, eventually landing in Germany in 1999 where he founded the Shrines. The band’s first concert in London was met with controversy as it was suspended by police and the band had to duck out the back door. While their show at Sonic Boom wasn’t as chaotic as that, the basement was packed with bouncing bodies and more fans lined the stairs, hoping to catch a glimpse of the show.

Throughout the set, Khan and members of the band hopped into the crowd, instruments still in hand, and even checked out some of the vinyl shelves of the store.

As the band marches on to tackle other towns, Khan will continue to march to the beat of his own drum.

“Labels can never control us and we just sell our merchandise,” Khan said. “Our merchandise is our soul.”

- Jon Brazeau

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A Victory Lap for the Adorables: Laura Barrett

As a member of the Hidden Cameras and Henri Fabergé and the Adorables, Laura Barrett is familiar performing with of large groups. Now, the Toronto musician is also enjoying the thrill of being a solo artist.

After releasing two EPs, Earth Sciences and Ursula, Barrett is ready to drop her first full-length album, Victory Garden (Paper Bag Records), on Sept. 23. Creating the album was an exciting experience for Barrett and it helped take her kalimba-based sound to the next level.

“It really cemented that I was making something big and a bit more representative of what my music can be,” Barrett said. “It was awesome working with (co-producer) Paul Aucoin and an honour too. Overall, it was a great learning experience.”

Other musicians featured on the album include Randy Lee (former bassist for the Bicycles) on violin; Lief Mosbaugh (the Hidden Cameras) on oboe and viola; and Jeremy Strachan (Feuermusik) on bass clarinet and flute. Getting everyone together wasn’t a problem for Barrett.

“We did have to do a bit of wrangling to fit everyone’s schedules but generally, it was done in pieces, so we had string players for a few days and then we did brass separately. We were never all in the room together so that made it a bit easier to organize too,” Barrett said. “It also happened to be a good coincidence Lief and I were in the Hidden Cameras together and I knew when he was available.”

Barrett has been playing her signature kalimba since January 2005. While looking for midi controllers on EBay, she came across an auction for a kalimba, an African thumb piano, and the classically-trained pianist and clarinet player added another musical talent to her repertoire.

Her first live performance with the kalimba came in August of that year at a “Weird Al” Yankovic tribute concert at the now-defunct Toronto bar, the Bagel. Barrett covered “Smells Like Nirvana,” which drew the attention of audience member Henry Fletcher from the band Spitfires & Mayflowers.

Along with fellow Spitfires & Mayflowers member Andy Lloyd, Fletcher gathered Toronto musicians for his next project, Henri Fabergé and the Adorables. Fletcher also reconnected with a friend from Vancouver, Woodhands’ Dan Werb, and borrowed drummer Dana Snell from the Bicycles for his band.

While working at Steve’s Music Store with Adorables bassist Brendan Howlett, Maylee Todd was drafted as an additional guitarist and background vocalist.

“I didn’t actually end up playing a lot of guitar now that I think about it,” Todd said with a laugh. “I was just raging, running around and stuff like that, which was fun to do.”

Following the “Weird Al” tribute show, Barrett became a part-time Adorable, since she had also joined the Hidden Cameras and began working on her solo tunes. Fletcher made Barrett an honourary member by giving her an Adorables coat hanger. When he found out she could also play the clarinet, Barrett was brought on full-time.

“Emotionally, it was a lot of fun to be part of the Adorables, it was so energetic,” Barrett said. “They’re just a fun group of people to hang out with and our tours were more like road trips.”

The group pooled together their pop sensibilities, writing sexy, dance-worthy tunes about lost love on “Crawl Back” and “Favourite Kisses” and paid homage to their ‘home’ on “The Embassy (223 Augusta)”. When performing live, Henri Fabergé and the Adorables let loose on stage and during one particular tour, they were known for convincing audience members to take off their shirts.

“It wasn’t supposed to be this perverse tour or anything but it just kind of ended up being this weird, frat, naked party,” Todd said. “I don’t even know how it started to be honest.”

Along the way, they added part-time Adorables to fill their ranks including the Bicycles, the Meligrove Band and Born Ruffians to join in on the shenanigans.

Henri Fabergé and the Adorables released a self-titled album in 2006 but recently, the band members have focused on their solo projects. Werb returned to Woodhands, adding Paul Banwatt (The Rural Alberta Advantage). The duo dance up a fury, performing electronic tunes with live instruments, most notably with a keytar. Both Barrett and Todd made guest appearances on Woodhands’ album Heart Attack, released earlier this year.

“Dan had a bunch of female singing parts and I was totally down,” Todd said. “That keytar? Amazing. How can you go wrong with a keytar?”

Todd also has her plate full of activities. As a graduate of Humber College’s Comedy: Writing and Performance program, Todd has made a name for herself in the improv field and worked with the Second City troupe. Lately, Todd has been mixing her comedy background with weird fitness shows and she plans to release an aerobics DVD soon. She is also set to head into the studio and record an album of her own. 

“There’s some jazz-influence, funk-influence and I’m hoping to kick in a bit of rock,” Todd said. “I’m pretty excited and a little nervous about recording. I really don’t know what to expect.”

Despite all the solo projects, Henri Fabergé and the Adorables will return, possibly in the near future.

“Hopefully we’ll all get back into the studio by the end of the year,” Barrett said, adding with a laugh, “It’s going to be insanely good.”

-Jon Brazeau

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Let’s Go to War: Full Charge Ahead!

Peter John has grown up around several distinct musical sounds and genres and is now creating a genre and business style of his own — one that can’t be categorized, one that is about the music and the art, not the industry.

John reminisces, “Growing up, the music influence around me was kind of strange. I’m Irish and Jamaican, so on the Irish side of my house, with the older people, it would be country music and classic rock. Then with my younger family members it would be The Clash, Def Leppard, Guns N’ Roses. On my Dad’s side, Jamaican, my older family would listen to Dennis Brown, Peter Tosh, Bob Marley, you know, like a real Reggae influence and then the younger crowd would listen to Big Daddy Kane, EPMD, Heavy D, you know, hip hop.”

Along with producers, Adrian Gough and Henry Walter, Let’s Go to War introduces their album, Karmageddon, to the world, reinstating why it is they can do what it is they do.

“Well first off, I believe in karma and everybody is always talking about Armageddon coming and the end and what not, so it’s kind of like the end of the music industry,” John says. “Karmageddon is basically the idea of the artists taking back control. We got put into all of these different situations where we had to choose what genre we wanted to be in. ‘This sound doesn’t really sound like that, can you guys really mix electro and acoustic music together?’ The industry has been moulding and forming artists for so long, putting this formula together and karma has happened. It came around and it’s proven that the formula doesn’t work. Karmageddon is the idea of artists coming back and taking over the art. We put out a record with reggae on it, with hip hop on it, with acoustic on it, with live violins and horns and a grand piano on it and all of this is fused into one sound and that’s Karmageddon.”

Karmageddon features two of Let’s Go to War’s most popular songs, “Burn Down the Disco” and “Whole City’s Got a Cold,” as well as a slew of fine tracks that take listeners to and through what this band has to offer from club bangers to easy-listeners.

“Now the thing about Let’s Go to War,” John explains, “is that you may have a club banger like ‘Burn Down the Disco,’ and you may have a ‘Maybeline’ on the same record. You don’t party every single day. There are quiet days, you wake up in the morning and get a coffee, and you read a newspaper. You don’t wanna hear crazy electro music banging, so on the record I wanted to have a variety of music.

“There’s definitely a lot of influence on old sounds, I listen to a lot of older stuff so I think a lot of that old sound comes into my music and with Adrian and Henry, they’re really futuristic with their new sounds and all these computer noises they make, so it’s a good fuse between the two of them.” 

The video for the album’s single, “Don’t Love Me,” is on the brink of being released. The video, directed by Aaron A, as John explains, is more like three short films. It contains three stories depicting different relationship situations.

John says enthusiastically, “I think it’s cool. It’s gone back to the old school styled videos, like a short film. It’s not just cars, jewellery, girls, me standing on a green screen rapping; we tried to make it filmesque.”

Prior to the band’s album release and video shoots, Let’s Go to War performed at festivals such as Brooklyn’s Afro Punk and toured with Canadian duo Chromeo and opened for Santigold. They’ve also toured with M.I.A. but as John explains, when Let’s Go to War goes on tour you’re likely to see PJ with a different band.

“It’s a weird set up that we have going,” he says. “Adrian and Henry are the producers so they’re not actually in the band for touring and stuff but they’re the producers that helped me make the record. I have a band that I play with and I tour with; I have another DJ, drummer and a guitar player on the road with me but they (Adrian and Henry) are in the videos.” 

Regarding his performances, John adds, “I try to give energy to the crowd to keep them going and once they start, it gives back to the performance so much. Once you see the crowd dancing and the crowd moving and the crowd singing the songs, it just gives you more energy on stage and gets you hyped. It’s like a give and take relationship with the audience, it’s really fulfilling.”

Let’s Go to War are on a great path in their musical career and are continuing to gain a supportive following within Canadian and international cities and with all that has happened to this point and that may happen in the future, John expresses, “on a personal note, I think it’s a blessing. This doesn’t have to be given to me, that’s why it’s special. I think every moment, whether I become really successful or whether I get to put this record out, it’s a blessing, it’s a crazy opportunity. I mean, who the hell am I? I came from Montreal and I’m being put in a position where people are getting to hear my songs and my emotions and it may help them or influence them to do the same and I think that’s the most special thing. I think you just have to look at it like, as much as it’s hard work and it’s bullshit that you have to deal with, it’s a blessing.”

Let’s Go to War has begun their career in a full charge towards anyone and anything that even suggested that they limit themselves and their music. Going to war against industry standards and bounding expectations, this group doesn’t seem to be giving into any of those requests any time soon.  

John concludes, “At this point I’d say I feel like we can almost do anything we want. I think that with us being such renegades about it, we formed our own style and our own approach and now that’s our genre. Let’s go to war with everything and everybody and do everything on our own, how we want to do it.”

— Xolisa Renee Jerome

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The Lovely Feathers: Tarred and Feathered

Montreal’s The Lovely Feathers are the perfect example of that old story: band meets success, band and success flirt, hardship ensues, band and success reconcile serendipitously at a sweaty rock club a while later…happily ever after? Alright, I may or may not have postulated parts five and six of that story, but the eventual union of The Lovely Feathers and success is definitely inevitable.

Their 2006 debut LP, Hind Hind Legs, which sounds as frenetic and infectious as its origins require (“We just kind of ran to the studio and pounded it out in like three days”) was met with praise and delight. They toured the world with Metric; were lauded by Rolling Stone, Spin, and Pitchfork alike; and thus, were introduced to success. So why is frontman Mark Kupfert telling me in his rapid-fire delivery that they “definitely feel like [they’re] starting over”?

Well, it seems success and The Lovely Feathers had a bit of a falling out. The band are by no means at fault — there was someone else. You see, back in those halcyon days, The Lovely Feathers had just “released an album in 2006 and finished [their] last tour in 2007.” This was, let’s say, the honeymoon period of success and The Lovely Feathers’ relationship. Amidst heavy flirtation, just as the witty boys “were ready to record [their] next album,” the unthinkable happened. With one sweaty hand up the skirt of success, (not to mention her hands somewhere else entirely), who has to walk in and send it straight to hell?

“Basically our label just imploded and told us that they [would] not be supporting another recording from us,” Kupfert says.

The Lovely Feathers fell victim to yet another case of the dreaded label interfering with a beautiful relationship. It turns out success was just a big slut all along, so she ran off and found someone new. Understandably, “it was a really big blow,” Kupfert says but stoically goes on to describe their journey from there to here.

In 2007, the band entered a so-called “indefinite hiatus” (or, in the words of so many tearful high school couples, “a break”) from which, with their newest, Fantasy Of The Lot, they have emerged.

“We’re not like little wide-eyed kids anymore, you know. We’ve been through the washing machine,” affirms Kupfert.

Luckily, their sound is no worse for the wear — if anything, it’s stronger. From the artwork to the lyrics to the very sound of it, Fantasy Of The Lot is an undeniable and fascinating progression from the “ironic, quirky” Hind Hind Legs. It is a reflection of the time Kupfert, guitarist Richard Yanofsky, bassist Mark Shortt, drummer Ted Suss, and keyboardist David Buzaglo spent “making tunes for the fun of it,” “laying low” and working day jobs (including bicycle repairs, teaching high school math, and “selling wood”).

It was this break that has granted The Lovely Feathers the “perspective” not to take any more shots at success for granted. It was also this break that allowed them to “sit on [the new material] for awhile” and for songs to “come up and embrace them.”

Much as they claim that they are no longer the “wide-eyed” children they once were, their excitement for the new material and tour is palpable, even a province away. Kupfert has a tendency to start sentences within sentences within sentences and wrap them all up somehow double-time. It’s no surprise, then, that as main songwriter for the group the past three years have endowed him with so many ideas that they hope to have a part two  of Fantasy Of The Lot out soon. The band seems to function at the edge of exhilaration at all times, describing their live shows as “an uncontained explosion.”

However, “[this] recording had many different phases and I think you can hear that in the album,” says Kupfert. (He’s right, but it thankfully remains coherent).

Kupfert describes their goal now as “putting some music out, interacting with the world, and like if it works out it works out, if it doesn’t it doesn’t.”

As they discuss the heated issue of live shows vs. recordings, it becomes clear that The Lovely Feathers are motivated by the “the moment [that] you can only see once forever.” By creating “something that everyone experiences in common, that happens to be the music and that’s what it’s about,” Shortt elegantly and passionately explains.

Bittersweetness is usually the marker of a valuable experience — anything too far in one direction or the other won’t teach you anything.

“That’s what we’re satisfied by — it wasn’t a clear-cut experience that we’ve had in the last 3 years, and the album’s not clear-cut,” explains Kupfert.

He’s very right, and it shouldn’t be any other way.

As Suss thoughtfully notes, “every day’s different, every show’s different, you feel somewhat differently, and you might feel parts of the songs differently too.”

Shortt sums it up, perhaps unwittingly, in his interpretation of the meaning behind their band name. When he begins by relating it to being tarred and feathered, I’m sure it’s not serious. Maybe it wasn’t and maybe I’m reading into it too much, but it starts to actually mean something when he says, “the loveliness is to say that humiliation is part of life, and that it’s beautiful or meaningful or whatever. And it’s also, of course you’re humiliated, this is life, what else could you be?”

- Sally Walker Hudecki

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Lynne Arriale: Using Both Sides of the Brain

More than 20 years of playing amongst the heavy hitters of jazz has evidently helped pianist Lynne Arriale get it down to a fine art.

On her latest release, Nuance: The Bennett Studio Sessions, Arriale uses a successful formula of shape, feeling and common sense in her songwriting and playing. Teamed up for the first time with Grammy Award-winning trumpet player Randy Brecker and bassist George Mraz, along with Anthony Pinciotti on drums, Arriale tinkers the ivories in a way that leaves no doubt of her sensitivity as a player, and logic as a creator.

Arriale sat down to talk about the CD/DVD in what turned out to be a mini master class on everything from melody construction, to pre-gig meditation.

Known for her emotional playing, Arriale brings a lyrical element to music, ranging from heart-wrenching to Sunday afternoon chit chat, she manages to speak in an album that has no words.

“You need to treat music as any language….there are common elements and themes to which people are drawn, whether they know it or not,” explains Arriale. “You and I are having a conversation and we’re not reading from scripts, we’re going with the natural flow. Musical thoughts should work the same way. Form and familiarity will grab an audience, as well as shape.”

Though not so crunchy that they bury the point of the tune, beautifully woven chords dance within Arriale’s original compositions displaying her grasp on the art that is harmony. She makes her thoughts clear on the role of both harmony and melody.

“Harmony is secondary for me,” says Arriale. “I don’t write with harmony in mind first.  A melody should be able to stand out on it’s own. Look at a tune like ‘Danny Boy.’”

She begins to sing, “Oh Danny Boy, the pipes the pipes are falling….” The first three lines are based on the same shape and the last line concludes the thought.

You can’t help but notice a theme of logic in art when speaking with the piano player.

“You should be able to take your hand and draw a shape….continuity is key,” she says.

One of the first thing that stands out when you pop in the album is the surprising choice to feature the trumpet or fugelhorn soloing first on many of the tracks. When asked about her choice to step aside on an album supposedly meant to feature the piano, she answers matter-of-factly.

“I like the sound of the horn off the top,” she says. “I don’t consider it just strictly soloing and accompanying, but weaving different ideas in an out of each other. I’d peak at a certain point and he’d solo under and vice versa.”

Her approach to improvisation is motivic-based also.

“One idea leads to the next and an arc happens in the solo, each idea is a melody,” says Arriale.

There is a more abstract side to the straight shooting, logical pianist. When getting ready to record “Yada Yada Yada,” an intensely dissonant blues with off the wall rhythms, she played the guys a motivic theme that she wanted and simply suggested a mood in which to play in. Each player brings there own unique take on it to the table.

“I told the guys to sound tipsy and they ran with it,” she says.

Considering her definitive approach to most things musical, it’s no wonder that she has certain things she does to get ready to play or perform.

“I talk certain rhythm patterns to myself…..singing helps put me in my intuitive brain,” says Arriale. “I never understand people standing around chatting before a performance. I need quiet time to get into a musical headspace.”

A bit artsy for some tastes maybe, but it seems to be a recipe for success.

Nuance: The Bennett Studio Sessions displays Arriale’s mastery of songwriting on her six new original compositions, and covers some of the greats including Sting, Thelonious Monk, and Dizzy Gillespie.

- Melissa P.

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Magic Christian: A Band of Wackos

Magic Christian played the legendary Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto on Jan. 19, hoping to re-introduce psychedelic rock and roll to the masses. These guys just might have the experience to do it as well, with Cyril Jordan of the Flamin’ Groovies on guitar, Clem Burke of Blondie on drums, Eddie Munoz of the Plimsouls on bass, and Paul Kopf of the Heebeee Jeebeez on vocals. Jordan carries forward his iconic style of writing and playing to create a unique sound not readily found in today’s music scene.

The place seemed sparse at first, until I noticed everyone jammed around the bar, typical of the seasoned crowd attracted to the band. Once the band hit the stage shortly after, the front of the stage was jammed and the band were immediately into it. They ran through a short set of nine songs from their forthcoming first release, Evolver, including the lead single “Tomorrow Never Comes.” These dudes had flashback written all over them, from the oversized glasses, skinny pants, Mod T-shirts and fish-bowl haircuts. Two quick encores and they were off.

In 1991 Cyril Jordan disbanded the legendary San Francisco quintet the Flamin' Groovies after 24 years, 15 albums, and hundreds of gigs. He spent the next decade exploring his other artistic side as a painter, until he met Paul Kopf a few years back. Kopf was more active on the promotional side of things, creating and producing the successful “Bay Pop” series of music festivals. One night over several drinks, as so often happens, a band was formed with fellow musicians Prairie Prince from The Tubes on drums, and Alec Palao from the Sneetches and Chocolate Watch Band on bass. Prince and Palao eventually had to leave due to scheduling conflicts with other musical projects they were involved with. Enter guitarist Eddie Muñoz and Clem Burke to form the line up currently on tour.

The band name comes from the Terry Southern book, which was later made into a motion picture in the late 1960’s starring Peter Sellers, Ringo Starr, Rachel Welch, and the Monty Python crew. The Magic Christian was a huge cruise ship with a bunch of wacky characters on it, fittingly appropriate for this onstage incarnation. Self noted as the Psychedelic Rock and Roll Machine for the new century, this could be taken as an oxymoron from a band that looks backwards as much as they move forward. Kopf says, “People seem to want to reach out for what was cool about the 60's and adapt it to today's time in history.” Although the group is stacked with talent, they prefer to stay away from the “super group” term, preferring to be looked upon as a bunch of dudes just keeping rock and roll alive.

Having played a few dates along the west coast of the United States, including a stop at SXSW was a good primer for this current eastern tour that includes a few Canadian dates. SXSW really gave the guys that much needed kick in the ass that showed them they still had it, and music fans still wanted it. It also led to a gig at the O2 Wireless Festival in London’s Hyde Par, alongside the Counting Crows, Ben Harper and the Goo Goo Dolls. They also plan to do a follow up gig at this year’s SXSW, and potential European dates are also in the works.

As for who is digging their sounds, Kopf says the audience is typically made up of all ages from 16-70. “We got a fan club in the UK run by a bunch of 16 year olds who just love us”, he laughs.

So why continue to lead the rock and roll lifestyle?

“To keep the music alive, to educate, and playing rock and roll is the thing we do best”, he admits. “We're poisoned! We can't help ourselves. The horizon looks very bright as I think people want to rock again. It goes in cycles and now it's time to have fun again. It's escapism at its finest. Rock N Roll can cure your ills, man”, he concludes.

True enough, 2009 will not only be known as the year of change, but also the year of escapism, and there is no better means to do this and through music, The band currently has one full-length release, Evolver, which is available in demo form at their shows. The album has a planned March UK release date on the Dirty Water label, followed by the North American release in April on either Get Hip or Burnside. Although their sound is a throwback, it also does come across as refreshing. Catch them next time they hit your town.

- Bryen Dunn

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Metalworks: A Gem of the Music Industry

Tokyo Police Club. Feist. Ill Scarlet. Metric. Wintersleep. Sam Roberts. What do these artists have in common? Besides being some of the country’s most well-known musicians, they have all recorded at Metalworks studio.

Hidden in an industrial area of Mississauga, Metalworks is the gem of the Canadian audio recording industry. The studio is owned and operated by Gil Moore, ex-drummer and vocalist of former hard rock band Triumph. Metalworks was originally used as a studio for Triumph to record in, but after the band’s breakup in 1988, they began letting other musicians use the facility. Of the three members, Moore held the most interest in the studio and agreed to take over.  Now an 11 time winner of Canadian Music Week’s “Recording Studio of the Year,” Metalworks is celebrating its 30th anniversary. 

It isn’t hard to believe that Moore was once a touring rock star. A tall man in his 50s, his aged face dons a pair of pink faded glasses and his curly dark hair still clutches to the ghost of a mullet. Sitting around a large boardroom table covered in scattered papers, Moore crosses his denim-clad legs and smiles, “The first time I walked into a studio and saw a big console, I thought, ‘wow this is great!’ Something about a studio, it’s the coolest thing in the world.”

Despite its modest exterior, Metalworks is incredibly modern. Gold and platinum records cover the walls ranging from Nelly Furtado’s debut, Woah, Nelly, to the Oscar-winning soundtrack from the film Chicago. Metalworks offers five audio recording rooms – each with its own distinct qualities – as well as studios for video recording and graphic animation.

“When you are here you can get a lot done – there is a broader palate for artists to work from,” Moore says.

Refusing to be simply a music-making factory, Metalworks prides itself in helping to create hit music and making artists as successful as possible by offering their decades of musical expertise. They cater to bands’ individual recording needs the way a high-end hotel caters to its clientèle. A highly-experienced staff of audio engineers and production technicians handle all of the in-studio work while Moore oversees Metalworks business operations.

“[Moore] carries a lot of weight and good feeling. Having the drummer of an internationally successful band as the president of your company – it’s not [your average] CEO – it gives us a good industry feel just having him here,” says studio manager Paul Gross, who has worked with Moore for a number of years.

The good feel is obvious throughout the building. Metalworks has a casual, relaxed vibe. Studio six, the newest and most impressive, boasts a console affectionately known as “The Starship Enterprise.” Fitting name, as it is at least 20 feet long. On the window separating the “Enterprise” from the band recording area beside it, hangs a sign that jokes “Please Do Not Feed the Engineers.” Around the corner there is a billiard table, a The Who’s “Tommy” themed pinball machine and a kitchen with coffee is brewing and mismatched mugs. Turns out even grown-up rock stars are cool.

Recently, Metalworks added something new to its portfolio: The Metalworks Institute, an accredited college for sound and music production located in Mississauga.

Moore says, “The idea of education came along around 1998 and I started developing some curriculum materials. The school is growing really fast. We have 200 full-time students studying here now and are seeing them get out and get jobs and start populating the industry.”

He cites this as being the most rewarding aspect of his career switch from musician to businessman.

Although Moore prides himself on the institute, he has yet to take on an instructor role there.

“We do a guest lecture series and I’ve been remising my lack of participating in that,” says Moore. “The people who run the school have been bugging me from day one to do it.”

Ironically, Moore has spoken as a guest lecturer at other schools.

“It didn’t feel so personal,” he says, “With this school here, being the founder, it feels like there’s an extra spotlight on me that makes me a bit more nervous… I should probably quit being a sissy and go and do that.”

Despite his stage fright, Moore makes time to meet some of the students.

“They remind me of when I started in the business, but there was no school like this for me to go,” Moore says.

It’s becoming apparent that Moore is creating a legacy through Metalworks. Not only will the next generation of audio technicians be infiltrated by his institute, but the music that is recorded in the studio will live on indefinitely. His colleagues are adamant that he was there every step of the way.

“Not much of the activity in here, whether it is in the studio production company or the school, does [Moore] not know most of what’s going on,” Gross says.

Moore’s career proves that passions don’t have to be surrendered with age. With talks of a Triumph reunion tour in the works, their recent induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and plans for a 30th anniversary celebration in February, Moore is not slowing down. When asked what the studio’s anniversary means to him, all Moore can respond with is, “Where did the time go?!”

- Allison Smith

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Matt and Kim: United they Stand, Divided they Fall

Matt and Kim, as their stage name suggests, are never apart. Between the two of them, they share one cell phone and only recently upgraded to a double bed in their modest Brooklyn apartment after three years in a twin. This synth and drums dance-punk duo have been dating and living together for the past six years, five of which they have been working and touring in their band.

“Kim and I should totally hate each other at this point... As cheesy as it sounds, we still go together wherever. It’s completely amazing that we’re not totally sick of each other... I think it will never happen,” said Matt Johnson, vocalist/keyboardist.

Johnson, 26, and girlfriend Kim Schifino (drummer) met while studying film and illustration, respectively, at the Pratt Institute in New York and graduated in 2004.

Neither Johnson nor Schifino has had any formal training in their instruments. Johnson is from a bass and guitar background and he usually plays one keyboard as a bass and another as a guitar. Schifino started playing the drums when her friend Ian Vanek, vocalist/drummer of Japanther, gave her an old set of his. Vanek, so it happens, was the one who pushed them into being an official band when upon hearing that they had been playing together, he told them that they were going to open for Japanther in October 2004.

Their sophomore album, Grand, was released in January and recorded over a nine month period. Grand was self-produced and named after Grand Street in Brooklyn, a name which Johnson deems a tribute to home. For the initial six weeks of recording, Johnson and Schifino stayed in Johnson’s parents’ house in Jacksonville, Vermont. The remainder of the album was recorded in their apartment between small stints of touring.

“[Grand] was about putting the energy somewhere to make music that makes people want to get physical; that make you want to get your clothes dirty, if that makes any sense. Roll around the floor, you know?” Johnson said.

Previously Matt and Kim have released an EP, To/From, in 2005, and a self-titled debut in 2006 which was recorded in a nine-day period. Money and time constraints explain the short recording process. Johnson said he would never want to record an album in that small duration of time ever again, but added that it did have a live energy that would not have been present otherwise.

Currently on tour with Cut Copy, Matt and Kim have conquered their fear of crossing the U.S./Canada border. Earlier in their career, they could not afford the working papers and permits to play in Canada legally. Considering that Schifino is bad at trying to get away with illegal activities (at least according to Johnson) due to a nerve-inducing uncontrollable squeaky giggling, they were not going to risk it.

“Even once going up towards the border, we even had work papers. There was nothing wrong, nothing illegal in the van or anything like that. Kim started giggling like she was hopped up on something to the point where I was like, ‘Kim, you need to chill the fuck out. We’re going to get so busted.’ We’re scared of the Po-Po, needless to say,” he said.

And a Matt sans Kim? Not likely.

“I have no idea what I’d do without Kim. She deals with so much of everything in my everyday life... I’d be completely lost if things had to change in that way,” Johnson said.

- Melissa Kim

Matt and Kim roll into Toronto on March 20th, performing with Cut Copy at CiRCA (9 p.m.)

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A Minimal Overdose of Matthew Barber

One of the first things one notices about Matthew Barber is his eyes; not the startling blue of them, but the clear intensity present within them. When he speaks to you, he meets your gaze confidently, devoid of any pretension, and it’s easy to understand how this man can pour forth such honesty into his music.

His new album, Ghost Notes, is the culmination of two years of creative exploration. Completed over the course of six days at Bathouse studio in Kingston, Ontario, most of the songs were recorded with Matthew singing live alongside other musicians rather than having each layer recorded separately. This is his first release since 2005’s Sweet Nothing and the change in sound is notable. While the previous album was more “guitar riffy”, this time he chose to unplug and reduce the electric influence, hoping that the end result would capture the feel of a live concert.

"My aim was to get away from electric guitar work. This is more geared toward a mellow, singer-songwriter sound," said Barber. Preferring what he called a “minimal overdose” of musicians, Matthew hoped to aim for a less polished sound on this album. By not fussing too much during the recording process he has created a sincere, personable CD that can reach listeners on multiple levels.

Ghost Notes is a very intimate album, but Barber manages to balance the vulnerability shown therein with the strength and insight gained from personal growth. There is no overly-emotional sappiness here, just very real expression from someone who isn’t afraid to let his walls down. Delicate melodies are interwoven with more assertive, higher-energy songs, “And You Give”, for example, has the kind of groove to it that inspires instant finger-drumming, toe-tapping response from the listener.

The lyrics are poignant without being pretentious, and the simplicity of the melodies make them appealing to anyone listening. There is a profoundness to his poetry that becomes apparent the more it is heard. Though Matthew may speak softly, his words carry a great deal of weight. The cadence of his speech and his word choice, both in conversation and in song, hint at a definite draw to philosophy-- the very subject in which he earned a Master’s degree.

"I thought of my favourite albums—those I listen to over and over again,” he said, “ and decided that I wanted to make a record like that; one that I wouldn't get tired of listening to." The influences of bands that Matthew holds dear are notable in the songs he creates; Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and Led Zeppelin are but a few names listed among his favourites. There is a timelessness to these musicians, and that same characteristic echoes through Ghost Notes.

When asked if he had a favourite song on this album, after a great long pause, Matthew said that he had a particular affinity for “Easily Bruised”. “I like the arc it takes as it starts out, how the band worked together to play the song. But really each song on the album is special to me in its own way.”
Matt’s sister Jill lends her talents to this album as well by contributing “ghostly” background vocals on a few tracks, adding another rich layer to the music. The two siblings are very close, and have supported each other in their musical careers since their late teens. Neither of their parents are musically inclined, so Matthew and Jill were each other’s “saving grace” in terms of their musical growth. While they have sung on each other’s albums and performed together, they have yet to collaborate on the conception/creation of a song, instead taking supportive roles with each other’s careers.

However, the Barber siblings are currently on their first North American trip together and their “Sibling Revelry” tour will arrive in Toronto, April 3 at the Rivoli. More details regarding concert dates and some samples of Matthew’s album Ghost Notes can be found on his Myspace page at www.myspace.com/mbarber

- Lana Winter

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Diving Deep With Morcheeba

Morcheeba, a quietly popular British band consisting of brothers Paul and Ross Godfrey surfaced in England during the early 90’s, playing a unique style of soulful trip-hop dance music. Their refreshing sound first came to light in 1996 with the album Who Can You Trust? Worldwide success and a following ensued and the brothers managed to produce consistently great music for the next ten years. However, after releasing The Anidote in 2005, Morcheeba decided to lay low. Three years later they are now resurfacing with an impressive new effort called Dive Deep. Speaking over the phone with brother Paul, who still calls England home, we discussed the new album, modern music and what caused the lull between recording The Antidote and Dive Deep.

After their last album, the Godfrey brothers become disillusioned with the music industry, Paul explained. On top of that their father died and therefore they retreated into their own personal worlds. For Paul, this was a dark period in his life. The depression he experienced as a teen reared its ugly head again but this time he felt he couldn’t shake it. “I was in a right state, even had thoughts of suicide. It was the worst time in my whole life, a time where nothing had any meaning. I was running away from my problems, not facing things at the time. I guess I was going through a premature mid life crisis of sorts!” he said.

This bleakness stalled him musically and was the primary cause behind their lack of musical production the past few years. “It was like a rite of passage, I realized I had to accept adult responsibility and grow up. Everything is so fast forward, you don’t have time to reflect on or adjust to anything, and you are just thrown into it,” he explained.

After some time, Paul had a talk with his brother Ross about beginning work on a new album. The brothers agreed Paul would produce the disc and put all his manic energy into the album. This lifted his depression and allowed him to channel his emotions into music. The soul, intensity and honesty of this emotion is etched into the songs and results in a gift to the listener. The title Dive Deep, Paul explained, is intended to evoke the image of a band immersing themselves in oceanic sound to ease their pain. When asked how his depression impacted his little brother he replied, “It didn’t! Ross moved to Hollywood because his girlfriend is there, he has a different life there, he goes out to the desert, he is having fun. He hasn’t experienced the crisis yet being younger so we’ll see.”

Working with family isn’t always easy and Ross and Paul have had their share of personal and creative differences as Morcheeba. “Ross drives me mad! He is very difficult; he annoys the hell out of me.” Paul confided, “It can be awful working with a sibling, as those relationships tend to be more extreme but at the same time it has a positive influence on the music and we are close as a result.”

On the new album Morcheeba decided to again collaborate with a variety of guest vocalists including Judie Tzuke, Thomas Dybdahl, Cool Calm Pete and French singer, Manda. In a very modern move, they advertised on My Space when searching for contributors instead of using the traditional route. “We get messages from singers around the world through iTunes, My Space etc and the ones we connected with and decided to collaborate with now perform in the live shows,” Paul explained.

While the brothers are the creative core of Morcheeba, the guest vocalists were able to add their own touches to the record. “They have lots of creative input, a hell of a lot actually and they bring it to the table,” Paul explained. “That’s the thing really, I guess people think we are on a big ego trip and are controlling and won’t let others in but with Dive Deep it was the opposite, we had less control and the artists drove this and made it work.”

Having stepped back from the music world for a few years, Paul has had a chance to reflect on the current state of affairs and his perspective on the music scene is that there is not much of one left. “It can be very gloomy but we do live in interesting times. The problem is that many of the artists are ironed out, packaged by the record labels that tend to choose one band to focus on. They groom and promote them; others are shut out. Not much of an open mind there...” he joked. “It’s hard to make a living with all the new laws, media etc. it is more complex and difficult to navigate. We were fortunate to already be established before the industry changed. I wouldn’t want to be in a new band starting out now. Record companies have a narrow view, one has to go to desperate measures to get recognition.”

Despite his bleak assessment of modern music, Paul still has hope. “I want to believe that things aren’t going down the toilet, that they will be good again. There is a revival in the UK of some sort, some interesting things happening. The club scene has not really developed into anything different but there is something called dubstep, where trip hop and drum & bass are making a come back.”

The tour to promote Dive Deep is currently under way and comes to Toronto at the end of March. “We are going all over with this tour,” Paul said enthusiastically. “North America is first this time, Europe after that.” Though he misses his family while touring, performing around the world has its pleasures for Paul. “I love Eastern Europe, they are soaking [our music] up, it’s a refreshing attitude, and it’s all-new to them so they are very open to the music. I also enjoy playing the old cities like New York, Paris, Toronto and Vancouver. They have all been good to us.”

Often with electronic-based music what sounds great in the studio doesn’t translate well on stage and performances can come off as cold and indifferent. Morcheeba tries to avoid this pitfall by connecting directly to the audience. “It’s a different experience, the warmth comes from the lovely audiences and their response to the music.” he explained. “What is it about Morcheeba shows?” he asked. “We get couples coming out and they are hugging and kissing in the audience. It’s funny!”

After a long absence Morcheeba fans are surely excited to have the band back in the loop. Dive Deep is a great album that reminds us of the strength and warmth of this band while displaying fresh and new ideas. Toronto will undoubtedly welcome the band with open arms Mar. 30^th when they come to The Opera House.

- Daria Essop-Lafontaine

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Mr. Scruff: Not a Fishy DJ

What do 12 hour sets, funky cartoons, tea and a bizarre fish obsession all have in common? British DJ, producer, cartoonist and tea aficionado, Mr. Scruff.

Mr. Scruff has been DJing for almost two decades, as he first began to experiment with beats and music-mixing when he was just a young lad in England. But one has to wonder what the path from just being a tyke interested in music to a world-renowned producer and DJ looks like. Luckily for us all, Scruff presents a clear picture of how that journey started for him.

“I think it was a logical progression from listening to a lot of music and recording a lot of stuff,” he said. “Rerecording warped into editing which went into multi-tracking and then I bought a drum machine and a deck, and a mixer and an effects peddle, and it was sort of just what I was into as a child and a teenager.”

In those early days, his tastes were influenced by the short-lived English record label 2 Tone Records and releases by artists like Madness, The Specials and The Selector. But it was a 1984 mix from Street Sounds, that really keyed him into the style of music that would shape is career.

“I suppose one of the most important records that I actually started mixing was an album called Crucial Electro Volume Two which was sort of a U.K. mix album but it was pretty much all the new American electro stuff that was out at the time,” Scruff recollected. “I guess it was the fact that they were mixed together which kind of started me DJing. I thought ‘oh that sounds good, I’ll try that.’ So it was a very influential turning point where I heard this mixing and then I started trying to emulate it with the family hi-fi.”

Mr. Scruff released his first single, Hocus Pocus on Robs Records in March of 1995 and has been recording, DJing and living in Manchester, a hotbed for every form of music, a fact that has influenced his own music.

“I like the fact that I’ve lived in this city (Manchester) for thirty years, but haven’t heard half the music to come out of here, there’s so much going on,” Scruff said about the scene in his home town.

He elaborated further about why Manchester seems to be a continuous hot bed of new music.

“It always attracts people, it’s known as a music city. Especially students, who come here because of the music reputation,” he said. “A lot of the students end up staying on and forming bands, or starting club nights or becoming promoters or DJ’s, so there’s always an influx of people who come to Manchester because of it’s reputation and end up being the next generation of music makers so it’s a great place to be.”

The scene in Manchester and his own club night, Keep It Unreal, which is currently in its 10th year at the Music Box, presented Scruff with another unique business opportunity, and it’s one that wouldn’t seem like an obvious choice for a world renowned DJ. Scruff has his own tea company, Make Us a Brew. The berth of MUAB came about organically.

“At that club night I started a little tea shop in the back room, I thought it was a nice thing to do,” he said. “I really like drinking tea in clubs, and I figured that other people do as well.”

It turned out that other people did enjoy the tea room and it became not only a staple at his Manchester club night, but the tea room went out on the road with him and eventually led to Make Us a Brew beginning operations in 2007.

Through the years Scruff has defined himself as a technical DJ who uses sound bites to create linear storylines and has grown the reputation for marathon sets that tend to go all night.

“I’ve done a couple of twelve hour ones (sets) and they were a little bit to long. One was outdoors in Barcelona which was great, but by ten in the morning it was getting so hot there that everyone was just dropping like flies,” he said. “I also did an all day set at a festival in London called Lovebox, which was great fun as well.”

Although his reputation for marathon sets is well known, Scruff prefers to keep it to a lean six hours, but given the right crowd, in the right town and the right system, the sky is the limit. Some of his favorites, outside of Manchester include Perth in Australia, Chicago and Toronto.

“Toronto, of course, has an amazing music heritage, obviously you have all your movement history. With Jason Palma, and John Kong as well, you have a big crew of people who like generally good music of all persuasions,” he said. “There’s a jazz dance scene and there’s obviously a great history of reggae in Toronto as well, so musically for me it’s a very fascinating city.”

But as was mentioned you have more than just 12 hour sets and delicious tea. When talking about Mr. Scruff, it’s hard not to notice how often fish and nautical themes emerge.

“Over the years I’ve done about five songs about fish,” he said. “It started off as something random, then I found that I had a lot of spoken word samples that had to with water and fish and seaside activities, and stuff like that so I had a lot of material to make a bit of a narrative, and once I kind of hit that seam, I just basically had found a subject to work the samples around then it kind of took off from there really.”

The fish is ever present on the cover of Scruff’s latest album, Ninja Tuna, released last year. Looping jazz piano, pieces of organ and guitar melded into grooves, combined with frantic, syncopated beats, rubber-band synth and soul horn phrases, populate an album that isn’t short on beats, rhythm or incredible contributions from some of Scruff’s most talented friends.

“I’m working with amazing people like Quantic (Donkey Ride) and Alice Russell (Music Takes Me Up),” he said. “Theses are international respected people but they’re also people I’ve known for years. Same with Roots Manuva (Nice Up The Function). I’m quite happy puttering along and bumping into friends and occasionally getting them into the studio.”

What Mr. Scruff produces with a little help from his friends is another innovative stepping stone in a career built around pushing his craft harder, further, and deeper into the night. As for the cartoon thing. His drawings populate his album art, his flyers and his website, as well as popping up in several different British publications, begging the question: Is there anything Mr. Scruff can’t do?

“I couldn’t possibly name my favorite record,” he said.

Maybe not, but with Ninja Tuna and many of his previous releases, Scruff have made it a lot easier for people to name their’s.

- Aaron Long

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N.A.S.A: Because Collaborations are the Final Frontier

In April 2003, DVNO hosted a party of about 20 friends, chatting over drinks in a small studio. In its confines, Sam Spiegel, music producer/DJ and brother of director Spike Jonze, was introduced to Zé Gonzales, formerly a professional skateboarder and DJ from then defunct Brazilian band Planet Hemp, who had just relocated to L.A.

 When Gonzales said that he was Brazilian, Spiegel—who was still on a high from the sounds of Brazil featured on the City of God soundtrack one year after its release—waded the waters of Brazilian funk music with his new acquaintance.

The next day, an excited Spiegel and Gonzales embarked on their first mix together; a track that eventually became “Hip Hop” featuring Fatlip, KRS One, and Slip Kid Tre on the duo’s album The Spirit of Apollo, which debuted in February.

They continued hitting ideas off of each other, but it was only after they recorded “Strange Enough” featuring Karen O (whom Spiegel had produced the album Show Your Bones for), Ol’Dirty Bastard, and Fatlip, that this two-some became serious enough about the project to become N.A.S.A., short for North America/South America.

 “That was kind of a big milestone in the beginning of the record. We were like, ‘Wow! This is fucking amazing. We’re onto something. Let’s do the whole record like this,’” Spiegel said.

Spiegel, 29, grew up in New York City and spent most of his summers living with his brother in L.A. where he interned in film production, skateboard manufacturing, and commercials. After high school he moved to L.A. and has lived there since.

“It’s just a really great place to live and there’s so many amazing creative people out there actually doing shit and not just talking shit. Right now the art scene and the music scene are the best in the U.S.,” he said.

Gonzales lived in L.A. until 2005 when he moved back to São Paolo. For the next four years, Spiegel a.k.a. DJ Squeak E. Clean, and Gonzales a.k.a. DJ Zegon, maintained their relationship and honed their ideas through their day-long video-talks via iChat.

In those six years, they wrote letters to over 100 artists that they wanted to collaborate with, explaining why each artist would be good for a specific enclosed track. Over 40 artists, including M.I.A., Tom Waits, David Byrne, Kanye West, and Chuck D, got back to them and contributed to the 17 track album.

“Sometimes we would trade production work for vocals, but we didn’t really have to do special favours or anything. People were down. They wanted to be part of this cool project and we wanted them to be part of it too,” he said.

Some critics have disparaged that there are far too many collaborations, as most songs feature four very different artists at once.

“It’s a fair criticism. It’s a big hodgepodge of stuff and everyone’s entitled to their own opinion and they can feel that way in their mind. Their opinion is just as valid as anybody’s. To those people who say that, I appreciate the feedback I guess,” Spiegel said.

But N.A.S.A. is about excess. Numerous collaborations aside, the duo is releasing a remix album, a B-sides album, and a documentary of the making of The Spirit of Apollo; as well as flaunting five different album covers for their debut.

Spiegel is unsure of whether or not there will be a follow-up. He describes himself as a producer who just happens to be doing a lot more DJ’ing than usual. Between tour dates, he flies back to L.A. to his own Crack Alley Studios where he has been consumed with producing the next Cee-lo and Spank Rock records.

“The biggest thing in both DJ’ing and producing is taste. Secondly there are skills. I’m both,” he said.

-Melissa Kim

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NXNE: 15 Years and Running

Andy McLean still can’t believe he’s been organizing the North by Northeast festival (NXNE) for 15 years.

As NXNE managing director, McLean has seen it all – from receiving band submissions in toilet bowls to watching Sex Pistols’ frontman Johnny Rotten order drinks for volunteers and charging them on the NXNE bar tab. Now in 2009, McLean is excited to see the event gradually expanding from the grassroots level and becoming not just an indie rock festival but something the whole city can enjoy.

“It’s kind of grown organically in a way,” McLean says. “We’ve crossed over to the point where people know about North by Northeast worldwide. We wanted a signature event for the city; we’re seen as a signature attraction event up there with TIFF and Caribana and bringing a different kind of perspective to what we do. Now it’s not a question of nobody’s heard of North by Northeast, it’s more of a question of keeping it relevant.”

Running from June 17-21 with over 500 bands and 50 venues, McLean says he’s really looking forward to the lineup they have in store at Yonge-Dundas Square with free performances from The Black Lips, The Sonics, GZA and others.

“We’ve kind of inched our way onto the square,” McLean says. “This year we went all out and are on for four days and nights so it was a big commitment by us and we’ve got great support from the city of Toronto as well. We wanted to do a big outdoor free series of concerts for the city, attract tourists and really maximize that Yonge-Dundas location, which I think has really come into it’s own.”

NXNE started back in the early 90s, when McLean (then promoting upcoming Canadian bands such as the Barenaked Ladies and Lowest of the Low), NOW Magazine co-founder Michael Hollett and Yvonne Matsell (El Mocambo) were among a handful of Canadians attending the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas. Together, the three of them thought it would be great to have a similar event in Toronto.

“It was clear that Toronto needed an event that was more grassroots-driven and a chance for a lot of the independent bands that were just starting to breakthrough the indie scene was just starting to happen,” McLean says. “I’ve been to various cities and Toronto is a good place where you can have a festival like NXNE, where there’s club-hopping and moving around.”

The idea started coming together in 1994 as they gathered all of the club owners in town into the same room to lay out their plans.

“I remember speaking to them and saying we were bringing this festival to Toronto and they were like ‘Oh that’s great’ and they probably thought we were crazy, it wouldn’t happen,” McLean recalls. “But they were very supportive. The live music scene does get slow sometimes in the summer as people are leaving town so they were up for it.”

In the beginning, the event was designed for bands to perform and attract A&R attention and hopefully land a record deal. Over the years, the event has evolved, as the importance of drawing the attention of an A&R executive has wained and the rise in fan bases, MySpace and blog hits and YouTube views has increased. NXNE has adapted to include conferences and keynote speeches for musicians to learn how to manage their band as a brand better as well as network with their fellow counterparts.

“It was very much an A&R-driven event in the beginning and the goal was to put these bands on stages and hopefully get them signed to a record deal,” McLean explains. “Well, of course that’s completely changed but in many ways we’ve become more relevant as an event. Bands meet people and come and network. It’s all fragmented now, every band is its own business, so providing an event like NXNE is extremely important for everybody to get together and network and make those connections.”

McLean says the most memorable thing about the first NXNE in 1995 was the amount of submissions they received: about 1200, of which close to 80% came within the final week and a half.

“The thing I remember the most was the stacks and stacks of tapes and CDs that came in through the mail. The mailman would arrive every day, sometimes twice a day, with a truck,” McLean says. “They would come in sacks and we would have to haul them upstairs and store them somewhere...it was all piled to the ceiling.”

They also received quite possibly the funniest submission: a toilet bowl.

“That was pretty funny,” he says with a laugh. “It came in from the States and it was massive. It must have cost a fortune to ship but it was a new toilet. Inside, you had to reach your hand down into the vent and the tape was positioned down there. It was full of Smarties or something, I don’t know. That was probably one of the most creative submissions. One came in an acoustic guitar and the tape was taped underneath the guitar and it said, ‘The only way you can get this out is if you smash the guitar. We insist that you smash the guitar.’”

With the advent of the digital age – allowing bands to simply e-mail their music – things haven’t gotten any easier for McLean and co.

“You think it would be easier and it is, the fact that it comes electronically and we can listen and rate, we have a database the size of a planet now that keeps track of all that stuff, and sending messages to bands and tracking them is a lot easier,” McLean says. “In the end, sometimes we still have to pick up a phone and call the manager or call the bass player and get things done. We can communicate more but I’m not sure we’re communicating any better.”

In 2001, NXNE added a film festival to its lineup, with a focus on films related to music. McLean says it was a natural addition as bands would come to NXNE looking for filmmakers and filmmakers would be looking for bands for soundtracks and wanted to avoid all of the label tangle-ups.

“It was clear it was a very specific film festival just about music and now it’s become its own very niche market and I’m quite proud of how it’s grown,” McLean says. “We’re getting more and more Canadian and world premiers at the festival and people know it’s a narrow but targeted focus. If your movie is about music then it’s a great place to premier it here and garner lots of attention.”

As a result of the film festival, McLean was able to meet one of his idols: Steve Earle.

“I’m a big Steve Earle fan and we showed his movie a few years back called Just An American Boy and I got a chance to hang out with him in the alleyway behind the Bloor Cinema before we were premiering his movie,” McLean says. “He was really, really nervous because it was a film and he’s a musician so that was really cool.”

While McLean has tons and tons of other memorable moments from over the years, he cannot help but remember the time when Johnny Rotten was performing a seemingly nice gesture...or so McLean thought.

McLean explains: “Seeing Johnny Rotten buying drinks for our volunteers [was great] or I thought he was buying drinks but in the end I realized he was charging the drinks to North by Northeast.”

As for what’s in store for the future of NXNE, be on the lookout next year for North by Northeast Interactive. The event will continue its expansion into the web world and bringing the event to those who can’t make it. McLean is also looking forward to simply building upon what they’re putting together this year, with live webcasts of performances and having 28 venues running until 4 a.m. At the heart of it all, McLean just can’t believe how every year is special in its own way

“After 15 years, it’s funny, each year is different,” McLean says. “It’s kind of a custom-made event every year even after doing it for 15 years.”

– Jon Brazeau

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Happily Independent: Hanging out with Oh No Forest Fires

Loud music and four sweaty guys jumping around the stage is not an unusual sight at the Horseshoe Tavern and the Oh No Forest Fires’ performance was no exception.

Despite the fact they played at 9 pm on a Wednesday night on Nov. 19, Oh No Forest Fires managed to draw a fair-sized crowd, which they satisfied with their strong bass lines, fast guitars and loud vocals. The Toronto-based band just released their first full-length album, The War on Geometry this month.

The album is an independently produced collection of 11 high energy tracks preformed by band members Rajiv Thavanathan (vocals/guitar/synth), Brock Swanek (vocals/guitar), Matt Del Bueno (vocals/bass/piano) and Adam Nimmo (drums).

Oh No Forest Fires is not the first band for any of its members but it is their favourite.

“We all came from bands who had varying levels of success but when we come together and play its just so much fun. We are all really good friends,” Thavanathan said. “Some of my favorite nights of the month are practice nights.”

Del Bueno and Nimmo were childhood friends who have played in bands together for years. They met Thavanathan when his band opened for theirs in St. John’s and convinced him to move to Toronto. Soon after, Thavanathan saw Swanek playing with his old band.

“I swore that I would steal the guitarist [Swanek] to be in a band with me and three years later, I stole him to be in the band,” Thavanathan said.

The current line-up of Oh No Forest Fires was assembled in February 2008, making them a significantly new band.

Oh No Forest Fires claims the hardest part of their creation was picking their name, a process that took them about seven months. Now, they pride themselves in being able to provide the origin of their band name in one breath, almost:

“Originally we were going to be called Forest Fires because we just like the idea of forest fires, but then we thought the name was a little too safe and not memorable enough,” Thavanathan said at high speed. “So one day, Adam [our drummer] came up with the name Oh No!, but the next day we found out there was a rapper in the states named Oh No! So because we are so incredibly creative we decided to just stick the two names together and to call the band Oh No Forest Fires!”

Now, band name intact, Oh No Forest Fires is ready to do what they do best: play live shows and have a good time. The band has spent several weeks of the past year touring and playing a couple shows each month in Toronto. The aforementioned Horseshoe Tavern is their favorite venue to play.

“Every time you go to the Horseshoe, you know somebody. It’s like Cheers, but with bands playing… And the bar service there is amazing!” Swanek said.

When asked about the band’s future plans, the guys were hesitant to commit to any real goals and were a lot more comfortable stating what they didn’t want to do.

“We’re not that band who is going to get played on The Edge and then get a record contract with Universal and then open for Billy Talent and then play the ACC,” Thavanathan said. “We’re not a fourteen year-old girl band, we kind of scare them. We play all-ages shows and kids generally really like us because we’re exciting but we’re not an autograph-signing, have-posters-of-us-above-your-bed band. We’re just sweaty bearded dudes.”

Oh No Forest Fires seems all around blissful about the state of their band and the fun they’re having. Not having a label definitely reduces the level of pressure a band feels. We are living in a time when bands can afford to make music, perform and receive recognition without necessarily signing to a label. A band can maintain complete creative control over their projects, often without huge overhead costs.

“We’re lucky that we don’t try and sound like anything else. If you play in a garage-punk band, you have to wear a leather jacket and you have to play a certain sound of guitar,” Thavanathan said. “We’re lucky that we can go in and one moment play a country song and the next moment play a space rock tune – we get to play literally whatever we want and that’s the best feeling. We don’t have a label telling us what a single needs to sound like.”

For the time being, Oh No Forest Fires is happy to let their music and energy speak for itself.

“I would really like us to get signed to something we believe in,” Thavanathan concluded. “We will take it as far as we can go but we’re only going to cross one bridge at a time.”

You can see Oh No Forest Fires live on Dec. 5 at Ranch Relaxo or check them out at http://www.myspace.com/ohnoforestfires.

-Allison Smith

Photo by Kyle Hutton
http://kylehutton.com

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Gritty With Soft Spots: Ohbijou's Carey Mecija Talks to Spill

I call Casey Mecija, lead vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist for Ohbijou, a little after noon. We are both on our lunch hour at our day jobs (Mecija works as a production assistant at CHUM), but through the phone her voice still carries the effervescent charm and sincerity she brings to her band's enchanting debut album, Swift Feet for Troubling Times. Her candor forgives my forgotten dictaphone and general awkward phone manner, and I settle into an interview with one of Toronto’s brightest indie balladeers.

Ohbijou started as [Mecija’s] solo bedroom project in the outskirts of Toronto. Realizing that her sister Jennifer was pretty great at the violin, Mecija enlisted her help with the violin, as well as vocal harmonies and organs. As it goes with all big dreams, Brantford could not hold the Mecijas forever, and eventually they moved to downtown Toronto to attend Ryerson University.

While at Ryerson they rounded out their lineup with a number of like-minded individuals. In addition to the Mecija sisters, Ohbijou became Heather Kirby (bass, banjo), James Bunton (drums, trumpet), Anissa Hart (cello), and Ryan Carley (keyboards, mallets, and harpsichord). Also included on the Swift Feet... are contributions from a number of their musical friends, lending to an impressive slew of instrumentation to the album.

But what’s in a name? When asked this question, Mecija replies that their name is a term of endearment that came out of nowhere in a romantic moment. And verily, ÔOhbijou does posses a sort of cute, faux francais romanticism that complements their sound perfectly.

Though Mecija does not strive to make particularly pretty, quiet music, the end result is noticeably so. The songs are rooted in simple chords and melodies. Mecija explains that to her, lyrics come first and the rest of the group tends to retain the hushed sparseness of the original singer songwriter pieces with an ethos that prizes lyrics and feelings over epic sound and catchiness.

As a band they appear very aware of when these basic melodies are lost through over-orchestration. This awareness of the notes as well as the spaces, (as Mecija has told the Eye Weekly) keeps their music from becoming overbearing but also subdues it, though the bands exploration within these parameters never fails to intrigue or entertain.

Listening to the songs of Swift Feet for Troubled Times, it is evident that Mecija has her finger firmly on the painful pulse of the irreconcilable relationship. When asked about why the figures in Mecija s songs are constantly dealing with the end of romance, her answer seems checked and somewhat self-conscious. As cheesy as it sounds, there’s a certain romance to living in a big city and [being] in a bad relationship that’s devastating yet romantic. “Favourite Skin” strikes an almost Margaret Atwood level of romantic malaise, though it is balanced playfully against an almost Dr. Suessian sense of rhyme. Lines like These eyes are open like picture frames/ that look at lives passing in subtle ways, build to a chorus of And you are my favourite skin to wear/ whether here of there or everywhere. The lightness of the rhyme scheme bellies the cruelly ravaged Ôskin of a once-lover. This tension between innocence and bitter lessons learned in love is a dynamic that Mecija excels at and plans to revisit often in her song writing, though she by no means limits herself to the broken hearted.

Among other influences, Mecija’s lyrics very consciously reflect the streets, parks, and people that populate Toronto. When asked about her references to the CNE and Parkdale Dollarmart in, "To Rest in Peace on Righteous Tides", she describes her city’s chief qualities as ones of grittiness with soft spots. Though Mecija does not revel in Canadiana, she definitely wears her city and neighborhood (Parkdale) on her sleeve.

Despite Ohbijou's singular sound, they do find themselves walking the same musical lines as a number of others artists. The exercise of listing off influences and contemporaries is a tiresome one for Mecija, though she sees some similarity between her song writing and that of former Eric's Tripp-er, Julie Doroin. Both songwriters are no slouches when it comes to constructing minimalist songs set around painfully frank lyrics.

Other kindred spirits that come to mind listening to Ohbijou are Yo La Tengo (the boy-girl harmonies ) and Jenny Lewis, in the sense that their eclectic instrumentation informs what genres a song will dip into. Heather's banjo turns the song into a banjo song. Likewise, Jennifer's violin alternately trickles or flows like a some austere stream through the British countryside, adding deep currents of Black Box Recorder-style grief to more than one track.

Indeed, Ohbijou stands apart with each band member bringing their own strong character to the project and in turn offering a unique timbre that doesn’t really sound like anything else. At times beautiful and heart-wrenching ("Misty Eyes"), while at other times somber and brooding ("Widths and Curves"), Ohbijou are astonishingly delicate/classic balladry and composition that rivals anything to have come from this city or any other over the past few years.

Despite their recent successes, Mecija and company aren t content to rest on what laurels they've accumulate to date. In the summer of 2006 Mecija and drummer Bunton began putting on shows in her basement to utilize a lot of spare time. "I have a dog that has hip displasia", explains Mecija. "I was using the parties to fundraise for its treatment. It's the sort of sentiment that makes one want to yell ÔOhbijou or some other form of random endearment for the band."

From this came the recently released, Friends in Bellwoods, compilation. Realizing that they had some pretty awesome friends, (an understatement when those friends include Bry Webb on the Constantines, Kids on TV, Sebastien Grainger, formerly of Death From Above, and Gentleman Reg of the Hidden Cameras to name but a few,) the shows snowballed from their original cause into the double-disc fundraiser for the Daily Bread food bank.

Without exaggeration, the Friends in Bellwoods compilation is quite amazing in both its diversity as well as its overall unity and flow. With over thirty-six tracks and more than two hours of campfire anthems, boy s club techno, and unadulterated indie pop and rock Mecija attributes its wholeness to the genres [actually] being fairly similar.

The album seems to speak very well to an overall aesthetic that drew each musician to the project. Perhaps this points to the unique Queen West aesthetic or maybe just one that holds this circle of friends together. In any case, the record could easily serve as a Cliff Notes on a hugely important chunk of Toronto s current musical landscape. Plus it s the only place to hear Bry Webb and Casey Mecija s sandpaper and silk cover of the Velvet Underground s Sweet Nothings. And seeing as the funds go to a noteworthy cause the album is a must-have for everybody who is anybody and those in between.

When asked to name her favourite acts, Mecija keeps it close to home, seeming to almost read off the list of artists on Friends in Bellwoods. Mecija says that she always says We re Marching On... to answer that particular question, no surpass, seeing as it s Ohbijou pianist Ryan Carley s other band. She also lists Germans, who have a new album out right now, Timber Tamber, The Acorns (out of Ottawa), and Jonas Bonetta, just to name a few. Not surprisingly, Mecija likes to keep her tastes somewhat quiet and close to her heart and home, though she will shortly be leaving all things quiet and homey for the the often raucous and foreign rigors of the open road.

In addition to ending the month of February opening for Bright Eyes and playing Eye Magazine s Canadian Music Week showcase, Ohbijou are planning to charm the pants off of western Canadians during a summer tour, hitting a few festivals along the way with their guerilla heart-on-sleeveness.

Ohbijou is exited at the possibilities of reaching different audiences in and outside of Toronto and Southern Ontario. Their opening slot with Bright Eyes is part of gaining exposure to a whole new set of fans. Anyone who hopes to catch Ohbijou live will be treated to pretty melodies and orchestrations [and] nice voices, Mecija promises in her understated way.

After a summer of touring Ohbijou will be retiring to a cottage to record with instruments, beer, and campfires, with their sophomore album to be released sometime after that. Mecija notes that being bound by their full time jobs, Ohbijou is a band that will be taking off slowly rather than bursting onto the scene. Mecija voices her respect for those who can devote their lives to the the full time, unglamorous career of a full fledged touring musician. Unfortunately for her, it would seem that somebody has forgotten to tell her that her band has already burst onto the scene, and that their Bright Eyes opening slot and Summer tour is likely only the beginning.

Catch Ohbijou before they re charging forty bucks a la the Arcade Fire, at Eye Weekly s CMW showcase along with Frida Hyvonen and Under Byen at the Mod Club, March 8th.

www.ohbijou.com
http://www.myspace.com/ohbijou

By Christopher Langer

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