Frank
Atom
Bluescreen
Gaffer
Kitchens & Bathrooms
Ivan Klipstein
Little Clever
Exhaust
Hangedup
FRANK
ATOM
WAVELENGTH #62: SUNDAY MAY 6, 11pm
Purveyors of: Progressive pop-rock... with humour!
e-mail: contact@frankatom.net
Pictured: Kevin Lacroix, Marc Rogers, Mark Adam
You
are releasing a new album.
Kevin: Yep. It is called At the Parade. 14 songs. 42 minutes.
You
enjoy the recording process.
Kevin: Yeah... and for myself, recording has always been a tool for writing
songs; dumping ideas to the 4-track, and adding tracks until it seems
complete. So it made sense to develop the record by expanding that process.
Marc: The coolest thing about this recording was that we were pretty fearless
in terms of trying wacky things on different tracks (ie. putting a mic
in the dryer down the hall, covering the drum mike with a styrofoam cup,
etc.) and as a result we were more often than not pleasantly surprised
with what we got on tape. It was also really great to work on analog gear.
(Although it would have been nice had the 1/2" deck not gone down quite
so many times...) Overall it was a great bonding and learning experience,
thoroughly enjoyable.
You
have a lot of nice studio equipment.
Kevin: We went into this with the mind to start investing in our own studio
and learn. Luckily we came across a couple of GREAT finds. The core of
our setup is a Soundcraft Studio 24x8 (which we found at a PAWN SHOP!)
and a TASCAM 38 1/2". We built a couple of really flat omni's from an
article in Tape Op, bought an RNC (a ridiculously great and transparent
compressor that goes for around $250) and then used some 58s, 57s and
a RE20. We also rented a few pieces of gear... the most notable being an
Avalon 737 pre/comp/eq that we used on about 1/4 of all the tracks. It
can make ANYTHING sound beautiful. I have recorded drums through a single
bullet mic into the Avalon that came out sounding great. We also have
an old ProTools Project machine that we used to convert the 2-track mixes.
You
used to be someone else. (Boneclock.)
Kevin: Last
fall, Wavelength took a leap of faith and booked a show for me. I had
the songs, but no band. I got Marc, Mark, and Geordie Haley involved and
we crammed for the show. The name "Boneclock" was always on my mind as
a name for either a percussion project or a studio. I couldn't think of
anything else by the time of the show, so we went with that, but it didn't
really suit what I wanted to do. After the show, three of us decided to
continue as a band and we addressed the name issue (no one was completely
sold on Boneclock). Frank Atom just seemed to hit it for us; something
enjoyably super-hero-ish about it. And I always liked bands named after
imaginary people (like Karen Foster)... and Frank is the name of Mark's
puppy.
You
play "pop" music.
Marc: A lot of times when I hear the phrase "pop" music I think of music
that doesn't have anything to say except "buy me". I don't think that's
the case with our record. I think the songs are potentially appealing
to a lot of people because they're well-written and coming from a sincere
place emotionally, so if you take the word "pop" as short for "popular"
then I guess you could say that this is "pop" music.
Kevin: ...unless no one likes it. Then we will be playing unpop music. I
tend to think of the term as referring to the structure and intent of
the songs. I am pretty clear that we play pop music. I aspire to write
good pop songs. I just think that term is really loaded (which can make
it fun to use sometimes... some folks might think of GbV, some might think
of N'Sync). But it's pretty standard verse, chorus, bridge kinda stuff,
with plenty of hooks. So it qualifies, for me.
You
enjoy solid musicianship and approach songwriting with a producer's ear.
Kevin: I think I actually have a love-hate thing going on with good musicianship.
I feel like technical proficiency can sometimes get in the way of delivering
a song (the way that poor playing can... depending on what the song is about).
Maybe good musicianship just means a listening and playing that furthers
the song. So a technically sloppy performance might be WAY better for
a given song than a tight performance... and vice-versa. I have started
trying to be more clear for myself what the songs are about and what they
need to deliver... and what they don't, and make suggestions and changes
based on that. I find that if the song idea is clear, then it is way easier
to get everyone on the same page, and then good musicianship just becomes
a tool for making the song come together faster (especially if the song
is complex, but the complexity needs to be transparent... Mark and Marc
ARE solid musicians and so are physically able to play a difficult part
while allowing it to sit back in the song when they need to. OR to play
something very simple. I have NO experience with producers, but I am guessing
that that might be the "producer's ear" that you are talking about.
You
have big plans for building a personal space in which to work.
Kevin: Argh. Yeah. Things have been on the back burner for the last couple
months of making this record. But the plan is to get a space happening
for us, and our friends to rehearse, record, and collaborate in - a more
functional and co-operative kinda space than the rehearsal rooms currently
available in T.O. Kenny Kirkwood (local sax player) was totally lit up
by idea and has been developing his plans for an independent music school
which might share a building with what we are planning.
You
have been spotted around Wavelength often.
Kevin: I It has been a while, but I was a loyal disciple for a while.
Actually it was a weekly ritual for me, to go out and hear what was happening
and to check in with friends. I will be back, now that the record is done.
Funny... it just occurred to me that the impetus for getting the band together,
and then getting this record out has been Wavelength shows.
- interview by Paddy O'Donnell
BLUESCREEN
WAVELENGTH #62: SUNDAY MAY 6, 10pm
Purveyors of: Classic pedal-happy dream-pop
Pictured: David Bradfield, David Capannelli, Rob Lambke, Delphine Roussel
e-mail: info@bluescreen.ca
web: www.bluescreen.ca
The
only track available thus far to the public at large is a contribution
to a European music-magazine-with-CD entitled Losing Today. Is this true?
Is a debut release in the works? Are CDRs available at your shows?
blueScreen has just released a six-song self-titled demo EP. This release
is a compilation of songs recorded in 2000 by Bill Hermans at Manta Eastern
Sound. The EP's lead-single, "AM", debuted at #3 on MP3.com's "Shoegazer"
charts in March 2001. The EP is currently only available as a CD-R. blueScreen's
first single, "Blue", was distributed worldwide in copies of the Fall
2000 issue of Losing Today. The song was included on our first CD-R release
called carnival e.p. We sold more than 250 copies of this seven-song EP
at blueScreen shows during 2000. Prior to carnival e.p., blueScreen produced
a cassette called Morning Songs with five early demo songs.
Being
categorized as a shoegazer band, referred to as space-rock, and compared
to bands such as Slowdive and Cocteau Twins seems like it might be as
much a curse as a blessing, but it seems to have worked out for you. Comment
on your feelings of occupying this space.
blueScreen isquickly becoming recognized as one of the best shoegazer
rock bands in Canada. There's something timeless about our style of music.
It's easy to listen to. Non-offensive. And it totally rocks live. New
bands always get compared to established acts. It gives people a point
of reference. None of us in blueScreen mind being compared to bands like
Slowdive and Cocteau Twins. There aren't any bands we've been compared
to that we don't like, so we must be doing something right.
The
bassist of blueScreen was formerly the bassist for An April March. I detect
an uncanny similarity to the two bands. Is this a fair assertion? Who
handles the songwriting responsibilities? Was An April March an influence
on more than just the bassist?
We wouldn't call An April March an influence. One of our members helped
create their sound and write their songs, but that's blueScreen's only
link to AAM. "The similarity between blueScreen and An April March starts
with me and ends with me," says Rob Lambke. Songwriting is a collaborative
effort with blueScreen. One of us will usually come up with a riff, a
rhythm or a structure and we all build on it. This really captures the
essence of our style. We build. Our songs really take on a life of their
own. People that saw us a year ago are amazed at the evolution in our
sound. It's cool to get people's reaction.
Describe
the difference between ambience and ambivalence.
Ambience is floating with a sense of direction. Ambivalence is floating
without a care. Both are good for the soul, just like blueScreen.
- interview by Paddy O'Donnell
GAFFER
WAVELENGTH #63: SUNDAY MAY 13, 11:00pm
Purveyors of: Metallic math-rock attack
Gaffer say: "We have beards!"
e-mail: info@antiantenna.com
web: www.antiantenna.com
Okay, if you know me, you know above all else I like two things: "Fucking Heavy" and "Fucking Loud". This is what Gaffer mean to me, and I've fuckin' FOUGHT to their sets in the past. Unfortunately, after this interview, the band might want to fight me themselves...
You
ain't played here in some time. How come? What, do you hate us, or are
you just cockteases?
We thought YOU hated us! Actually lately we've been writing a whole bunch
and not concentrating on the live aspect. We've just finished work on
our new full-length Ending Again, which should be on da streetz in late
May, so watch out cuz we're comin' back to haunt you.
OK.
Bye bye Teenage USA, hello Anti-Antenna, hello kickass comp. Keeping hopes
and dreams alive. Give us the pitch for the autobiographic movie.
Yeeeeeeah boyeee! We're really excited about our new living arrangements...
new album under our belt, and this comp The 20 Year Design Theory has
some of the premier bands in the province on it... (The Constantines,
Kitchens & Bathrooms, Picastro, Raising The Fawn, Full White Drag, etc.,
etc...) Look for that really soon. Hopefully we'll have some copies of it
for the show @ Ted's.
As
my memory serves me, y'all are pissed off. As an angry band, how do you
feel about the commodified corporate "angry" angst bands that seem to
lurk around every fucking corner?
They make us more angry. Grrrrrrrrrrr. I mean come on, those bands are
just an attempt to make some buck$$ off of the disenfranchisement of the
youth. I've also heard that they do it all for the nookie.
Dynamics,
changes galore, sheer loud and heavy. Why are these good things? Why do
you think those of us that like this sort of thing like it? Is there a
point when you have to give it up, and start playing post-rock like all
those fucks in the U.S. that used to give unto us the heavy but now sit
around with ï80s drum machines and play music parents can listen to?
Hmm I think those are good things and we love them because they're honest.
Bands that play that sort of thing are in it for the art form. There's
really little chance of picking up 16-year old boy-band groupies when
you're knocking out wack time signatures at top volume while screaming
like madmen, ya know? As for the death of rock'n'roll, well I figure around
age 35 the massive amount of accumulated tinnitus causes a brain aneurysm
that blocks out the ability to turn the volume knob past 5. But until
that happens I'll be lugging my 8x10 bass fridge up the stairs, don't
you worry.
What
are the first bands you remember really believing in as a kid? (For instance,
when I was 9, AC/DC were Christ to me.)
As a kid I was brought up on a steady diet of Neil Young and Springsteen.
(I still love both.) But for a really defining band I'd have to go with
Change of Heart, the flagship indie-rock band of my teen years. As I got
older there was Fugazi, Drive Like Jehu, Slint, June of 44, Sepultura...
too many to list.
- interview with Mark Ganassin by Buddy Slade
KITCHENS
AND BATHROOMS
WAVELENGTH #63: SUNDAY MAY 13, 10:00pm
Purveyors of: Space-rock heavyosity
Pictured: What happens when you don't get a photo in on time
e-mail: kbathrooms@hotmail.com
web: www.angelfire.com/tx4/kandb/intro.htm
Kitchens and Bathrooms hail from the fuckin' Hammer, mannn. Home of the Ti-Cats, Steeler and motherfucking Sheila Copps. Hamilton's had some things to say about space and mathematics lately, so Buddy Slade decided he'd ask his new favourite skid-rockers what they thought of all that shit.
"Guns
N'Rodan", "Slint Row". The hell kind of sound you tryin' to push here?
Our "sound" has changed quite a bit in the last little year or so, due
to line-up changes, vocal changes and songwriter changes. Basically we
play what we think sounds good. We're in it for the music... and the free
pickles.
You
guys are on Anti-Antenna. How didja meet Gaffer (also a heavy-minded group)?
We played a show a couple shows with Gaffer in the fall, whom we met through
Chore. A bandship has developed and we have a few dates set up with them
in May.
Your
parents said they like you guys' music a whole lot. My parents said the
same thing. They also said you're all contractors with patents in mind.
Tell me about it.
Too many secrets. We just have shitty equipment... but we are building...
(um, what, exactly? - communication skills ed.)
Hamilton
is all fucked-up musically these days - everybody I meet's shootin their
mouth off about "space-rock", but none of your supposed "space-rock" bands
are strumming aimlessly through fifty-five pedals and putting a whole
lot of effort into being insanely fucking boring. Is it the smog in the
Hammer that's fucking you all up? Is it the drinking water? The bizarre
traffic layout?
One-way streets maybe, poor drinking water, definitely.
IVAN
KLIPSTEIN
WAVELENGTH #64: SUNDAY MAY 20, 11pm
Purveyor of: Fun hip-hip folk-pop...
from Madison, Wisconsin! (home of Killdozer)
e-mail: ivanklipstein@yahoo.com
web: www.ivanklipstein.com
Ivan Klipstein is a nice guy from Madison, Wisconsin. Lifestyle! (Quasi Lathrop International Recordz) is his third CD and it's a good one. Some songs are straight-up pop gems, others have beats and a bunch of white-guy rapping. He's been compared to Beck and that's not completely unjustified. While it probably goes without saying that I am completely crazy about the poppier tracks, his fun rhymes and Ivan's palpable enthusiasm on all tracks are totally infectious. I dig it, hopefully you will too! I asked him some goofy questions, he was sweet enough to answer ïem without calling me an idiot:
Who
are you? What do you do?
I am a boy and I play rock'n'roll music.
In
the past, you've been compared to Beck and Ani Difranco. What person (musician
or otherwise) would you be thrilled to see yourself compared with?
Today, I will say Os Mutantes. They are this rad Brazilian band from the
late 60's. So beautiful and well-done and psychedelic in a very creative
way.
Let's
say you've been given free range to put together a Lollapalooza-type festival.
Who's on the bill?
Probably just all my friends' bands whom no one has ever heard of, like
Rainbow Sugar (awesome all-girl rap band from Denver), Electric Automatic
(rockin' duo with bass-built-in Telecaster), Curb Score Crew (Wisco trash-roots
freestyle).
Are
you a "Crybaby" (name of one of the new record's finest songs)?
Yes. At almost any movie... even The Wedding Singer!
What's
your favorite crustacean? Are you a Cancer? Does the zodiac mean anything
to you? How about the Magic 8-Ball?
Um, I don't really know anything about astrology, honestly. Is a Scorpio
a crustacean? That's me. Scorpions are very dangerous. If you're a cowboy
in Texas, they will crawl into your boots at night while you're sleeping.
And the Magic 8-Ball? I can't even go there. No Comment!
Please
outline the plan for Ivan Klipstein's world domination.
If I have a song included on at least one cheesy, friends-forever high
school girl mix tape in every province and state by this time next year,
I'll be in good shape.
Who's
on your Wavelength, baby?
On my wavelength is a brave stank/ So I save strength before I fade blank.
Sat down for supper and I gave thanks/ Don't get flustered when I rupture
your bunk blank slate. From the 6-0-8 I pixelate/ More rhymes than you
could carry in six milk crates. It's still great Ü even past the expiration
date/ An infiltration rate to bring back barefoot brakes and carrot cakes.
Ivan's an orphan kid from what the stork done did/ My barbituate ordinance
Ü far too rich for subordinates. Like Jimmy C.'s beats to Billy Corgan's
licks/ I bring more fun shit to the 4-1-6.
If
there's one thing in the world that listeners should know about you that
isn't made obvious from the records, what is it?
I like romantic dinners and long walks by the beach.
- interview by Zombiegirl
LITTLE
CLEVER
WAVELENGTH #64: SUNDAY MAY 20, 10pm
Purveyors of: Mississauga indie/electro-pop
How many clever people does it take to screw in two light bulbs?
e-mail: littleclevergroup@hotmail.com
web: www.littleclever.com
Where
and when does the Little Clever story begin?
One day in 1996 Little Clever formed in the large intestine of Mrs. Auga
- Meadowvale. Then, Scott + Adam + Jay = Little Clever. We made Before
You're An After five-song cassette in 1997 - foamcore super pop songs
like: "You're the girl from the mall, I see you there in the halls/ You're
so wicked, you're so rad, you're so pretty, and you're so bad". A year
later we met people who liked us and gave us money - so we made North
American. Our friend Sam played his blue keyboard and Winnie Cooper said
"don't worry Kevin we're not gonna cramp your style."
What
have you guys been up to since your last CD?
After North American was pressed Jay left so he could stake out husbands
who were having affairs on their wives. We played for a few months with
another drummer, but he had no drums so it didn't work. Now we just put
the rap in graphic and bust heavy grooves and funky dope beats that fit.
Mike is our new drummer and just looking at him makes you wanna dance.
Listen for bouncy space and D to the O to the P to the E.
Your
new 3-song CD is all over the map stylewise. What have you guys been ingesting
(musically or otherwise) to cause you to spew out such sounds?
Hmmm. What could you possibly mean by "otherwise"??
The
aforementioned CD was also recorded to hard disk. Are analog loyalists
completely delusional?
What we did on our friend's computer would have been so hard and expensive
if we did it onto tape. Each song bordered on one hundred tracks. It sure
was fun to mix!! Computers are the shit cause it's so easy, and there
are still ways to make it sound like analog styles. Analog is the boomchron
(eh? - old folks ed.) cause it is. Tube amps and space echo yo. Right
now it's all about the internet. Check www.littleclever.com in about a
month.
Who
do want to give props to in the local scene?
We wiggle our asses sometimes fast and sometimes nice and slow for: Blue
Pocket, The Experimental Hip-hop White Boys, Girls Are Short, Femme Fatal,
Ian Blurton, Adam who recorded us, Dave Bookman, Wavelength (smooch),
and your mom and your sister.
What
was with that old promo pic of you guys playing squash?
When you work midnight shifts at a community centre you do some crazy
things. Squash never really happened as it may seem, but we shot a super-8
video one night. It was bonkers. We hauled all our our gear into the squash
courts - double stacked cabinets - it looked pretty. We were decked in
nice-ass Adidas shorts, nipple showing tank tops, Stan Smiths, sweat bands
and protective eyewear. We never dumped the film down to video though.
That was over two years ago.
- interview by Jonny Dovercourt
EXHAUST
WAVELENGTH #65 SUNDAY MAY 27 11:00pm
Purveyors of: "No-nonsense beat-driven soundscapes, (drawing on) punk,
hip-hop and musique actuelle."
web: www.cstrecords.com
In the spirit of godspeed, there will be no interview. Goodnight.
HANGEDUP
WAVELENGTH #65: SUNDAY MAY 27, 10pm
Purveyors of: "Minimalist pop... reminiscent of similarly folk-inspired
modern music by Conrad and Dreyblatt."
Left to right: Gen Heistek, Eric Craven, Some Guy
web: www.cstrecords.com
You may remember Genevieve Heistek as the violin/ viola player in Montreal indie-pop supergroup Pest 5000. Hangedup is the name of her new duo with Eric Craven Ü the pair answered Wavelength's questions and "smushed" their responses together thusly:
How
did you two come together to form Hangedup and how long has the project
been a going concern?
We've been playing together for about two years but we hid in our space
for the first year. We used to play together in a band called Sackville
(which sounds nothing like Hangedup). We found we had a similar taste
in music, particularly a fondness for pretty obscure European art-rock,
Dog Faced Hermans, The Ex, New Order. The idea was to try to write pop
songs and play them with just viola and drums. A lot of what we like to
do could be described as "new wave played on the wrong instruments".
Viola
and "drums + etc" Ü is it a challenge to work within this sparse setup?
Is there a minimalist aesthetic/agenda at work here?
It can be a bit of a pain sometimes but both of us are really into working
with constraints. We both have a very specific idea about what we want
to do, and it can be easier to get to in a duo where there's not a lot
of extra stuff going on. As well, it forces both instruments to occupy
different spaces than they might normally.
Your
debut CD on Constellation contains an imaginative reworking of New Order's
"Blue Monday". Is this an answer to the hideous version perpetrated by
Orgy?
Nothing to do with Orgy... we are children of the ï80s.
The
anti-FTAA protest is happening soon (and will have happened by the time
this hits the streets). Given Montreal's geographical proximity to Quebec
City, are you guys experiencing any spillover of energy/anticipation/anxiety/fear
as the momentous dates approach?
I think that the FTAA is making a lot of folks in Montreal think through
their positions on things in a little more concrete fashion. This contemplativeness
has been noticeable "on the streets" as it were, but maybe I am just projecting.
Gen,
people in T.O. are curious about the status of Pest 5000. Is it officially
kaput or are there plans to resume activity at some point in the future?
Pest is officially kaput. The band played its last show last weekend at
the Casa del Popolo in Montreal. Patti (Schmidt) and Kevin (Komoda) will
probably continue on, but probably under a different name.
- interview by Jonny Dovercourt