Music
for Mapmakers
Cuff the Duke
Raising The Fawn
Bluebird
Wavelength Christmas Karaoke
Holding Pattern
JImmy Guthrie
MUSIC
FOR MAPMAKERS
WAVELENGTH #92
SUNDAY DECEMBER 2, 11PM
Purveyors of: The drama that you crave
Pictured: Neil Haverty, Derek Ma, Shayne Cox, Myles Ross Bartlett
web: www.grenadinerecords.com
email: musicformapmakers@grenadinerecords.com
Toronto's dramatic pop-rock quartet Music for Mapmakers have a new CD
EP, entitled .O2, out on Montreal's Grenadine Records. M4MM have selected
Wavelength as the locale for their CD release party. Here, singer/guitar
bloke Myles Ross Bartlett responds to Nora Charles' queries.
What
is the recipe for a broken man?
Two parts Earl Grey, one part email interview... In the context of the
song, it is discovery. Being unaware and then being thrust into the know...
I think that the most shattering experience is the discovery of one's
self, because with that self-awareness comes the awareness of your own
mortality. This awareness can break you, especially if you consider the
fact that once you have this knowledge it is impossible to rid yourself
of it; it becomes quite a burden.
If
it's not about the places you go, what is it about?
This was a statement to a band we knew who thought playing a couple of
bars in the suburbs of London, England would make 'em famous. It didn't,
plus it's really the wrong goal to have anyway.
Please
describe the importance of Grenadine to certain tropical liquor-based
drinks.
Ahhh.... The sweet tang of pomegranete.
Are GPS systems rendering Mapmakers obsolete?
If anything it makes them more important. GPS only works if it can point
you the way on a map.
Are
redheaded drummers more likely to be social deviants than their blonde
or brunette counterparts?
Just look at him.... Do you even have to ask?
If
you could add a course of study to a high school curriculum, what would
it be?
Culture Jamming... On second thought I would do anything that would create
less bureaucracy, more real education.
Any
favourite Bill Murray moments?
The bowling champion in Kingpin. His hair alone is brilliant. Bill
as Hunter S. Thompson in Where The Buffalo Roam. Played it to perfection
and more convincing than Johnny Depp, hands down.
Is
a slow suicide better than a quick murder?
They can't really
be compared, one being self-inflicted the other being perpetrated against
you and all. Plus, neither is really good in any way. The term 'slow suicide'
reflects my disdain for those who lack the imagination to connect things
like smoking to a shortened life span. It's been proven. If someone asked
you if you wanted to die a year early, who the hell would say yes? Nobody.
Yet people still smoke. An incredible lack of imagination. And don't even
get me started when I have to play in a smoky fucking club...
CUFF
THE DUKE
WAVELENGTH #92
SUNDAY DECEMBER 2, 10PM
Purveyors of: Backyard stills and shotgun justic
Pictured: Jeff Peers, Brad Fudge (on drums), Wayne Petti
web: http://cufftheduke.com
email: cufftheduke@cufftheduke.com
Explain
the circumstances that led to you all playing music together.
Two bands +
school friends x (tape experiment) = Cuff the Duke ... Actually, we formed
as a formality to fill show slots in the lower southern dregs of Oshawa,
Ontario. The Rockin' Highliners were in town and Wayne and Jeff were asked
to put something together for an opening act. And did they ever.
The
"demo" you sent to Wavelength seems more like a full-fledged
album, only with no song titles. Give us some details on its recording.
Any plans for a "proper" release?
Well, you see,
in actual fact we presented you with the rough mix of our debut release,
Life Stories for Minimum Wage, which is still pending a release
date due to subharmonic complications. Deep deep deep bass to hit the
deep deep deep south (Jamaica, Tobago, Argentina). The album itself was
recorded at Umbrella studios in Toronto over the summer and was just recently
mixed down to a final impenetrable product. With any luck, it will soon
see the light of day to bring to life a new era in down-home key-of-C
rock'n'roll.
Duke
of Connaught vs. Duke of Gloucester?
Duke, duke,
duke, duke of Earl... bitch.
Name
four bands from four decades that explain the existence of Cuff The Duke.
1940's: Hank
Williams. 1950's: The Everly Brothers. 1960's: Booker T and the MG's.
1970's: The Flower Travelling Band.
Your
lyrics seem to deal with damnation and death (yet it never seems dour
or mopey, a feat in and of itself). Are you grappling with real demons,
or simply being dramatic?
"I'm in
grade 11 drama, of course!" Listen here, just because we want legions
of girls to feel sorry for us, and the fact that we are your "average
hard-done-by white suburban teenagers" doesn't even begin to reflect
lyrically in Cuff the Duke. Seriously though, to digress, if you think
this is dour and mopey you should hear what our mothers used to sing us
to sleep with. (uhh... we said it never seems dour or mopey - forever
misunderstood ed.)
You're
out drinking in a bar, when suddenly your drinking buddy turns to you
and says, "I think alt-country is just for people who want to hear
middle-of-the-road music that's still authentic." * How do you respond?
Y'allternative
is basically a cop-out for not having the talent to play real country.
Either that or years of CHFI-esque conditioning brought on by parental
road trips. Remember Rick Astley? Candi? Mike and the Mechanics? Mr. Mister?
The fine line between '80s adult contemperary and alt-country is stark,
powerful, and not to be fucked with.
Any
last words?
Don't squat
while wearing spurs.
- interview by Jonny Dovercourt
* thanks to Bruce Lynn for his numerous opinions
RAISING
THE FAWN
WAVELENGTH #93
SUNDAY DECEMBER 9, 11PM
Purveyors of: Bedtime music to inspire complicated dreams
Pictured: Julie Booth, Scott Remila, John Crossingham
Not pictured: Guest drummer Steve P. McGrath
illustration by: John Crossingham
web: http://raisingthefawn.tripod.com
email: thefawn@hotmail.com
It's been a helluva
year for John Crossingham and Raising The Fawn since first playing Wavelength
last December. They've released their first full-length CD, opened for
Mogwai and gotten the thumbs-up from the local press, while offstage John
has become one of the friendly faces behind the counter at Soundscapes.
Their Dec. 9 Wavelength will be their last gig before taking a break to
work on LP #2. Buddy Milton drops the smartass
act for a sec to ask Mr. J.C. some insightful questions.
Have
you ever noticed how certain songs sound better in certain seasons? Why
the hell is that, and which season are you most attached to?
Because certain chords and melodies just bring you to that "place."
It's an intangible but very real thing. Like the Rheostatics: nothing
makes me feel happier in winter than a fresh snowfall and Whale Music.
Sublime. Personally, I think we are an autumn band. Lots of minor chords
and slow passages, but still plenty of harmonies and shimmering parts.
Would
you rather hear new music, or music you already know but in a new context
(i.e. in a car, on a cheap tape player on a porch up north)?
I guess new music. I enjoy hearing new things that other people are doing,
new places yet to be discovered. However, context is everything. I remember
driving up to Montreal with my Broken Social Scene bandmate Andrew Whiteman
and playing the Shuggie Otis reissue. I already enjoyed the album, but
he was hearing it for the first time and grooving on it hard. His
excitement was so contagious that I really felt the album like
never before.
How
would you describe your songs visually?
Wool sweaters. Piles of fallen leaves. Faded family photos. Your lover's
exposed collarbone... and a discarded ember threatening to burn down the
whole fucking forest.
What's
the last thing on your mind before the first note and first thing on your
mind before the last note?
"Jesus, am I shaking!" (nervousness) "Jesus, am I shaking!"
(excitement)
Give
your own reasons for wanting to "squash all beef"?
Well, our guitarist Julie would probably want to squash all beef because
she is a vegetarian. I want to squash all beef into hamburger patties,
although I'm much more partial to fish and chicken. I dunno... This is
just one of those dumb questions, right? 'Cause I'm kinda like, "
'Squash all beef'? Is that one of my lyrics?"
What
chord progression would you like to play to animals?
G, E-minor, C, D: It starts off curious (G), becomes wary (Em), gradually
gets more trusting (C), and finally ends with big lick (D). Kinda like
meeting a dog for the first time.
BLUEBIRD
WAVELENGTH #93
SUNDAY DECEMBER 9, 10PM
Purveyors of: Empty bottles and broken hearts
Pictured: top: Simon Bedford-James (a.k.a. Rowdie B. Haviour), Cindy Archer
(a.k.a. Cindy Lou Cindy); bottom: Sara C. Montgomery (a.k.a. Bernice Bernaise),
Marty Knox (a.k.a. Clutch Clampett)
Cindy,
Bluebird is your project, though you only started playing guitar and writing
songs about a year ago, as I understand it. You then decided to recruit
three people who have years and years of (dare I say anything so lame
as) "indie cred" between them to be in a band when you've never
played with anyone before. Is this all true? How did this all happen so
quickly? What do you think of the band that you've formed and what do
they think of you?
That is almost all true. I wrote a couple of songs
and played with a couple of different people (Bruce Lynn, Paul Watson,
Michelle Smith) before the band formed as it is now. As for Bluebird,
Marty (The Mercurymen) and Simon (MAdE) have been very close friends of
mine for years and years, so I asked them if they wanted to give it a
go, and they did. I then had the brillant stroke of genius to try and
lure Sara (The Co-operators) into our evil web of country madness (insert
demonic laughter); luckily she liked the songs and joined. I think I have
the best band in the world. There's nothing like being thrown in the deep
end with people who can play to force you to pull your socks up. You'd
have to ask them what they think about me, but we're having a lot of fun.
Bluebird
seems to harken back to a golden age when country was more than just country,
but instead 'Country & Western'... A time when the sentiments were real
if not downright dark, and when the music had not yet been viewed as a
tired clichŽ or kitschy or ironic. What is it you feel the band is trying
to convey? Is the music meant to reflect a golden age of country? Are
you traditionalists?
I like music with a timeless quality, so I guess
that is what we are trying to convey through the music. I also just love
the simplicity of the Nashville sound of the '50s and early '60s. I'm
not entirely sure what a "traditionalist" is, and I'm still
working on my neo-arts-and-crafts movement manifesto.
What
do you think of any of the following bands? The Sadies, Neko Case & Her
Boyfriends, The Backstabbers, Kelly Hogan/The Pine Valley Cosmonauts...
let's even be difficult and throw in The Mekons. Is there a modern-day
revival and/or continuation of roots-based country-rock?
You forgot to mention Luther Wright and the Wrongs,
The John Borra Band, The Kensington Hillbillies, Laura Repo, etc. It's
all part of the "roots-based country-rock" genre, which all
put together covers some pretty wide territory. There had to be some kind
of backlash to this endless drone electronic music and art-school-wank-rock
we've had rammed down our throats for the past few years. It's like this
kind of music is the kid in the parade crowd saying, "the king is
in the all-together!"
What
do you have to say about the lyric-writing process? How do you write about
commonplace, everyday experiences without making it sound mundane, uh,
commonplace, and, umm... everyday? (Or have I somehow missed the point?)
I just try and keep it simple.
What
do you have to say about "new country"?
It's "adult contempory pop" (doesn't detract
from the commercial jingles) with a token fiddle tossed in to countrify
it. (I think Faith Hill may be a Stepford wife.)
What
is the defining country outfit? Does Bluebird have a dresscode?
The defining country outfit is all about the shirt.
We don't have a dress code, we just like getting all gussied up.
Are
there any other ideas taking form now that the band is performing around?
Would you entertain the thought of more members/instruments? What do you
hope to accomplish in the future?
We're just going to keep going as we are for now.
We are going to be recording with John Critchley in his brand spankin'
new studio in the very near future. We're thinking about slide, banjo,
accordion - you know, all the country classics.
- interview by Paddy O'Donnell
WAVELENGTH
CHRISTMAS KARAOKE!
CADILLAC LOUNGE, 1296 QUEEN ST. W.
SUNDAY DECEMBER 16, 10PM
Join
us for an evening of good times and great oldies at the Cadillac on Sunday,
Dec. 16 (our regular live engagement was pre-empted by Michael Gira's
Angels of Light). See your favourite Wavelength Crew members make drunken
fools of themselves, or be a star and take the mic yourself! Everyone
is welcome, and DJ Heavy Early will take us all the way to last call.
HOLDING
PATTERN
WAVELENGTH #94
SUNDAY DECEMBER 30, 10PM
Purveyors of: Instro-mental volume swells and handsome dynamics
Pictured: Scott Ballen, Lee Sheppard, Evan Clarke, Kristian Galberg
web: www.matlockrecords.com
email: russettbros@sympatico.ca
Holding Pattern will be releasing a full length CD in the new year on Matlock Records. Lee, Scott, and Kristian answered some questions via email.
You
guys all participate in a few, well, quite a few side projects. How has
that affected Holding Pattern?
Scott: Holding Pattern has always been that thing
that we've always come back to. Without the other projects, I don't know
if we would have lasted so long without a record. Also, I think it helps
if everyone brings something fresh to practice every week.
Kristian: Ultimately there are no adverse effects, though infrequently
there may be minor scheduling conflicts. We all benefit from each others'
experiences and on an artistic level we are never obliged to satisfy our
every creative whim. This maintains direction. I am curious as to what
would result if we were to attempt to be all things to all people, ourselves
included.
Lee: In many ways, my side projects exist to indulge my musical interests
that aren't indulged playing in Holding Pattern. Holding Pattern functions
in a very specific way (see below) and for any of us to fully realize
all of our goals within the collective is impossible (I would suggest).
The side projects let me (and the other guys, I think) let off the excess
steam so that we come back to Holding Pattern focused on working as a
collective and so that we can appreciate the unique advantages of fully
sharing writing responsibilities.
Your
songs don't tend to fall into traditional song patterns. What type of
method do you use to write your music?
Scott: Play, argue, play, disagree, argue, play,
disagree, play, argue, play, agree.
Kristian: Extreme confusion and agitation are generally good guidelines.
Disagreement has become such a part of the process that it is now essential.
I, myself, no longer understand what we are doing, but I always recognize
it when I hear it.
Lee: A long, deliberate and patient one. Each song in its present form
is the product of fine balancing that involves each of us bouncing ideas
off of each other and trying to determine where the song wants to go (and
take us).
Many
of your side projects (and in turn your members) seem to be pretty involved
with dievenom.com. Does the Die!Venom crew have any covert plans to take
over Toronto? What are the mission objectives of the Die!Venom community?
Lee: The "Die!Venom community" is a small
group of hardcore kids from Oakville and Mississauga (or Mississauga and
Oakville), who share an interest in music and who are interested in playing
with and, as a result, supporting each other. It's something that seems
to have come together without any effort, but which we are now trying
to nurture... but I'm not the one who should really be answering this
question... (cue Kristian)
Kristian: Die!Venom is Jim McIntyre. He is our friend, and we share enough
of a vision that whatever disagreements arise are for the good of our
community. If you don't share our
vision, please refer to the next question.
At
risk of starting a Toronto band war (actually, in a valiant effort to),
do you guys have any local arch-nemesis (i.e., the anti-Holding Pattern)?
Kristian: Don't pretend you haven't heard.
Scott: No comment; talk to Lee.
Lee: A Battle Cry rings out: "KMFDMST"! (So similar, yet so
different.)
Are
your songs still numbers, rather than names?
Scott: No more numbers, just names that we later
have to change when it comes time to actually put them on the track listing
of our record.
Kristian: The sequential numbering of songs smacked of "progress",
an ideal to which Holding Pattern felt no affinity. Song titles now consist
of arbitrary phrases which make us laugh, an ideal to which Holding Pattern
feels much affinity.
Lee: No. We've made an attempt to come up with equally as meaningless
(or esoteric) linguistic titles.
Why the heck did it take so long for you guys to put out a CD?
Scott: We are plagued with a disgust for imperfection.
Thank god for ProTools.
Lee: See the answer to Question 2. It may be "special", but
it is slow as molasses.
Kristian: There was never any rush.
-
interview by Count Floyd
JIMMY
GUTHRIE
WAVELENGTH #94
SUNDAY DECEMBER 30, 10PM
Purveyor of: Joystick pop
web: www.threegutrecords.com
email: jimgut35@hotmail.com
Jim Guthrie and his Quintet never made it to their Wavelength slot way back in June 2000 and we've been meaning to make it up to him since then. The original Three Gut recording star and ex-Guelphite will treat us to a solo set of his bizarro pop just as we say goodbye to 2001É
What
led you to start tinkering with obscure gadgetry all by your lonesome?
I think making music is more about the process rather
than the end product. Songs are a nice by-product of that process but
they're really just proof of a deeper process or journey. The PlayStation
(a.k.a. "obscure gadget") is a pretty stimulating process at
this point because of its obvious limitations. It's a pretty basic music
program and it's just fun to see what i make it do next. I don't really
know anything about gadgets as a rule. It's what I have time for and it's
a great compositional tool. With work and Royal City, it's hard to find
the time to get a band together and practise.
Tell
us some more about said gadgets. We heard rumours about PlayStations and
black box recorders. While we're at it, have you tried the XBox yet?
I'll just stick with the PlayStation. I'm sure the
XBox has ass-splitting graphics but I'll stick with my three games for
now (ProSkater, Chessmaster and golf).
Tell
us a true story about life in the Big Smoke since you moved here from
Guelph.
I don't have time to get into it but I'll just say
a certain "soccer player" from Montreal gave me a run for my
money last week. It was a hell of a thing.
Are
friends the new family?
Yep.
Is
sincerity the new irony?
I dunno, but it's a better question than "Music
and sex: is there a difference? Why?"
Books,
movies, records.... we like to surround ourselves with these Things. Pick
one each of your favourite, please one from another medium of your choice.
Recently a book called Time by Andrew Wraugh got
me going. Movie: Mulholland Drive. Music: Classic rock has been good to
me lately. Needle point is getting my fancy too.
What
does the future hold?
I'm going to have a little "me" time in
the new year. Make a record and get off the computer cause Justin's gonna
punch me on the lip.
- interview by Jonny Dovercourt