wavelength

	January 2002 \| head \| phone \| over \| tone \| Delta Waves Heston Rifle The Mercurymen Rhume Werbo A Northern Chorus The Keep On Keepin' Ons DJs
	\| head \| phone \| over \| tone \| WAVELENGTH #95 SUNDAY JANUARY 6 11PM Purveyors of: \| drone \| tone \|over \| load \| web: www.dnaslinky.com/hpot \| head \| phone \| over \| tone \| vs killcityhills 2002 Wavelength will kick off with \| head \| phone \| over \| tone \|. I will refer you to www.wavelengthtoronto.com and ask you to find the September 2000 edition. You will note that Speedway and \|h\|p\|o\|t\| shared a bill. It was thought to be an intriguing concept to have Marco from Speedway interview one of the members of \|h\|p\|o\|t\| to see what the two could come up with in print for 2002, after sharing the stage in 2000. Here's the stunning and unedited line-by-line comparison. Fwd: Re: Wavelength - Questions? Answers? [By Alien_d.] ..the release of our new cd, 'solar sails', is imminent. it's been completed for some time, but we believe society is only now prepared to experience its strange dissonant beauty. ..it will be interesting to see how it is received. upcoming shows will feature music from our 'summer of love' cd, and a few key moments from 'solar sails', including special vibes provided by the voice of samana-neptune. This eloquent piece then got reworked into a masterpiece by Marco, hereby lovingly reprinted in all its glory for the enjoyment of all of mankind as follows... headphoneovertone [By Marco L.] ...headphoneovertone are set to release their new cd solar sails any day now....alien says that the albim has been on the shelf for some time now but they had to ice it untill the world was ready for its "dissonant beauty". their show will feature 'choons offa summer of love and key moments from solar sails, taking the mike will be samana- neptune. As an addendum to this miraculous piece of prose, we got insight into the complex and fascinating creation of this, the first 2002 Wavelength masterpiece, with the following message from our roving reporter, chained heroically to a public library computer terminal on the day of the printing deadline... sorry thats all i could do. [By Marco L.] they're kicking me off the computr............. Please enjoy the equally stunning set by \| head \| phone \| over \| tone \|, and, keep in mind, if you would like to write for Wavelength, contact us at wavelength@soon.com -- Paddy O'Donnell (Malevolent Sub-Editor)
	DELTA WAVES WAVELENGTH #95 SUNDAY JANUARY 6 10PM Purveyors of: Detroit space-drone beat-rock Pictured: Greg Naumann, Ryan Anderson, Anton Abramov web: www.topqualityrockandroll.com/delta_waves.htm email: delta_waves@hotmail.com Having started off as a duo comprised of Greg Naumann and Anton Abramov, Delta Waves have been featured on the masstransfer magazine installation #3 and Little Miss Loveseat compilations, and have numerous singles praising their space-rock sound. But this would just be a hint at what they were up to -- creating a sound that could be described as mixing a barrage of sonics with hypnotic beats. This Detroit space-drone beat-rock trio has now completed their first full-length CD, dream in realtime, which is out on TQR&R/Burnt Hair Records. I managed to bounce off some questions, off of Greg; this is what he said. What are "Delta Waves" in reference to? A slow brain wave, having a frequency of fewer than six cycles per second, that emanates from the forward portion of the brain and is associated with deep sleep. While the brain is in the delta stage, dreams are at their most lucid state. Our music has a dreamy sound to it and causes the mind to wander, much like lucid dreaming. That is where the connection is. How has Delta Waves changed with the addition of Ryan Anderson (ex-Fuxa) to the band? Ryan has added a more human feel to the band and a more relaxed flow. Before we were relying on synthetic percussion (nothing wrong with that), and playing live was somewhat rigid. We really had to be on the ball, with no room for error. With Ryan however, we can build more dynamics and also improv a bit. That's where it becomes a little more rewarding for us. Ryan also is a big help with the music. He's a great musician and is very familiar with writing songs. He's also been a good friend for a long time and is easy to work with. Groove, beat or drone... where are Delta Waves most likely to reside? All the above! We don't want to back ourselves into the wall. Each of us have a vast love of music of all types. Though we keep some personal, we like to be as original as possible in the formula of our music. I would not like to put a label on our music. I would rather leave that in the hands of the listener, if labeling music is their thing. Right now we are experimenting with dub reggae and slightly adding it into the mix of things. I think our next release will definitely be looser and a more of a feel-good release. What is the perfect realtime dream? Hmmm. To live in a world free of hate and human suffering. To be able to express yourself in any way you seem fit without restriction. To do whatever you want, as long as it does not threaten or harm anything else. And that's just the beginning. I could go on and on. Sometimes dreams are all we have. What a beautiful thing. -- interview by Zig Zag Wanderer
	HESTON RIFLE WAVELENGTH #96 SUNDAY JANUARY 13 11PM Purveyors of: Ear-piercing instrumental sonics Pictured: Vicki Pilato, Jerry Chierchio, Bill Oxios, Erik DeAngelis, Brian Gallagher web: www.hestonrifle.com IHeston Rifle are a New York City five-piece who bend guitar riffs into sharp and deadly weapons. A mournful violin weaves through like a sheep in this wolf's clothing. They don't have a singer; they're loud just like you like it. Guitarist Brian Gallagher talks to Jonny Dovercourt about it all. What role did Charlton Heston play in forming your band? If none, please explain other circumstances. The band had the name before Vicki and myself joined. Before we were in the band, Heston Rifle was two bass players, one guitar and drums. As for the name, I have yet to get a straight story out of Bill, Erik or Jerry. You guys sure seem to love playing Canada. Is it just the ketchup chips? We love Canada. People seem to understand our music up there. Plus, a lot of the bands we love are from Canada, my family is from Canada and we love hockey. The last time we went up Jerry and I spent a whole day at the Hockey Hall of Fame running around like idiots, and, yes, we always inhale at least two bags of ketchup chips when we're there (well I do anyway). If you had to compare being in Heston Rifle to attending a family reunion, what role would everyone play? Bill would be the happy drunk uncle that is always hugging everyone. Erik would be the weird arty type who moved to San Francisco when you were two. Vicki would be the sweet aunt baking cookies. Whatever I say about Jerry, he will yell at me, so I'm not touching that. And I would be the uncle that get too drunk and embarrasses himself. If you saw a member of The Strokes walking down the street, what would you say/do to him? Who are The Strokes? What about George Dubya Bush? Dubya looks as if he could hand-kick just about anyone across the Oval Office. As for politics, I don't like talking politics for this reason: anyone who gives you an opinion on politics almost never wants to hear your own. Songwriting = collective jams vs. individually established riffs/structures. Discuss. You know as well as I do that that will take weeks to discuss in full, but as for Heston Rifle's method goes, it's different every time. We tend to write pieces that we can't play. We have about three record sides we wrote but can't pull off. The ideas usally come from jams we record and then go back and tidy up. We change things right up to the minute we record. Bill and I wrote the guitar line for "Quad" (off the 20 Strings EP) in the lounge of the studio while Jerry was laying down his bass track. If you could smoke up with any celebrity, who would it be? I once smoked up with Dave Chappelle, but if I had a choice it would be Tiny Tim. Any suggestions for how we get indie-rock out of the "hobby-band" ghetto? I like it where it is. Now's your chance to freestyle. Get anything off your chest and brush those chips off your shoulder. Nicklas Lindstrom is the most underrated NHL player of all time.
	THE MERCURYMEN WAVELENGTH #96 SUNDAY JANUARY 13 10PM Purveyors of: From space-rock to agit-prop and back again Pictured: Neil Exall, Greg Davidson, Marty Knox web: www.mp3.com/TheMercurymen What happened to the tapes, loops, samples, full-out dub jams and sense of adventure that marked your debut? Has there been a conscious effort to steer away from such things? The first CD, Multimediaocrity, was more or less me (Neil) putzing around with some free studio time I had acquired. Marty came into the picture about half way through the making of the record, and Greg joined in time to play bass on the title track. (Roland Rainer, who was in Project 9 at the time, plays drums on that record.) As Greg, Marty and I began to gel as a live unit, new songs were written and older ones fell away. Our early shows incorporated all the gizmos and gadgetry of the first CD, but as we played out more, we began to realize that when we were on stage we much preferred the straight-out rock approach. However, we never entirely abandoned the more esoteric approaches found on Multi, and when we began work on AntiMaterialHeadsetDrill, our second CD, we dug up a cache of ancient drum machines, keyboards, outboard gear and primitive samplers to use on some of the songs. In the time between CDs, we had become obsessed with German rock music of the early '70s and so instead of dub mixes and faux hip-hop, we headed in the direction of space-rock, for lack of a better term. There was never any conscious decision to move away from or toward any particular style or sound, this was just the direction our writing and musical obsessions took us, a trend that still continues. The only exception to this would be our third CD, How To Teen. We set out to show that we could be focused, and tried to compile 40 minutes of rock music that could stand up to repeated listens, and that was also more representative of what we did on stage. I have mixed feelings about how successful we actually were; Teen could have sounded a lot better had certain circumstances peripheral to the recording been different. I can promise you that the next CD will be back to the Anti route. Your health was in question, but you rebounded after a long battle and a "reunion" show. Did the thought ever cross your mind that you might not play music again?" The short story is that three times over a period of about two years, I wound up in hospital for lengthy "visits." In this time I had two separate surgeries that were literally life-saving -- they had my immediate family in the "grieving" room and were preparing them for the worst. I ended up having my esophagus completely removed. Marty and Greg were troopers and stuck by me through a very tough time. The thought that I might not be able to continue playing definitely went through my mind more than once. Because the operation involved my esophagus and general throat area, I was very concerned about my ongoing singing ability. This question was not fully answered until we were actually back in the rehearsal space playing music again. When we got to that stage, I knew everything would come back eventually, it just might take some time. Once I knew that Marty and Greg were sticking around to the bitter end, I knew I would be able to find the strength to rebound fully. Part of the reason Greg needed time off from The Mercurymen earlier this year was that he was finding it hard to cope with ongoing aspects of my illness. There were, and will continue to be, relapses, and this made it hard for all of us. [But now] I finally feel like I am looking at the experience from the other side. How is it working with a producer of Martin Bisi's stature? Martin is awesome. I probably learned more in a single day in the studio with him than I had in the preceding five years of playing music. We have never really thought of him as MARTIN BISI: PRODUCER because we were introduced to him through mutual friends first, before there was any talk of us working together. Martin is definitely one of the most under-appreciated producer/engineers out there today. His work is always impeccable. The first time we went down there it was more than a little intimidating -- Michael Gira from Swans answering the "front" door, the myriad LPs Martin has worked on pinned to the control room walls -- but once we found out we had been taking dumps where the guitars for [Sonic Youth's] Bad Moon Rising had been recorded, we felt right at home. How close is the release of your next CD? The fourth Mercurymen CD will be out by the start of 2003 at the latest. The reason for the extra long wait is that we are planning some truly crazy things that we can't really talk about yet because they are not finalized. We will be recording more stuff with Martin next year, and there will be at least one seven-inch, probably in the spring to coincide with some road dates. We are in the midst of a big writing spurt at the moment. Any parting words? "If we can't rock together, then we can't walk together!" - Rob Tyner, 1969 -- interview by Paddy O'Donnell
	RHUME WAVELENGTH #97 SUNDAY JANUARY 20 11PM Purveyors of: La musique Rock Pictured: Jon Bartlett on the cover of Jeu de Puissance web: www.kelprecords.com Picking up where Guided by Voices trailed off around Under the Bushes, Under the Stars, Ottawa's Rhume started off as a lo-fi, low-key bedroom recording project, but soon became a supercharged power-pop experience live, with singer Jon Bartlett (also Kelp Records' emperor and country sharpshooter with Greenfield Main) doing the Worm across the dancefloor and getting the audience to be the percussion section. Jeu de Puissance is the follow-up to Rhume's debut Snack of Choice, and it's all sung in French. Formidable! What is the recommended daily intake of Kelp? There's a lot of Kelp stuff out there now (we're up to release #27), so I think you can safely say that some Kelp every day may not bring you to insanity, but possibly close. Are you beyond your home recording days? No way. The main reason Jeu de Puissance was recorded in a studio is due to the fact that I got some grant money. I will always record some at home, and I just got a new Rode NT-1 mic, which means I'll be recording even more at home. I just started working on a psych-rock record last week. How do you keep your various musical alter egos in check without one staging a coup? It's been a bit complicated. Greenfield Main kind of took over most of 2001, mostly because it had a better response than anything I'd done before. Rhume is still focused though, and I'm excited to get the guitar off my back and have some fun with these new songs. Can you envision you and Julie Doiron touring your French records together? Maybe. We share a keyboard and studio genius in Dave Draves, so it could work. I don't foresee Rhume doing any kind of wide-scale tour in the near future, though. Is Jeu de Puissance a better plea for federalism than marching to Quebec and singing "O Canada"? I don't know if people, particularly QuŽbeckers, will take Jeu to be a plea for federalism. I tried to open up a bit of discourse on "Vous tes une province," but I'm not trying to take any sides, just encourage discussion and reflection. It would be a bit of a pain to have to go into another country every time I went back to New Brunswick, though. Was Elizabeth Taylor a shameless hussy for having an affair with Debbie Reynolds husband Eddie Fisher after Debbie helped her out when she was in the hospital? They were both shameless hussies. I went to Junior High with a girl named Debbie Reynolds. She was a hussy, too. Is whiskey better licked off the barroom floor? Only when the floor is clean, like at Winnipeg's West End Cultural Centre. I've taken a likening to scotch lately, so my floor-licking days may be over. Any favourite Bill Murray moments? We were talking about his slo-mo stair-climb to the diving board in Rushmore the other day. Recent, but very classic. Bill is a genius. I hear that your Kelp empire is funding your solo hot air balloon flight around the world. Do your signees mind that this is how you spend their royalties? Yeah, I owe some people some money. I hope to get the accounting in order for 2002, but ballooning is very expensive, so what do you expect? -- interview by Nora Charles
	WERBO WAVELENGTH #97 SUNDAY JANUARY 20 10PM Purveyors of: They really, really don't want you to know Locale: Ottawa web: www.werbo.com/werbodance.htm email: jeff@werbo.com Your band seems to have a sense of humour. Are you sure this is a good idea? Jeff: Yes, but those who do not share our sense of humour will obviously find nothing behind the chesterfield. We're not angry, suburban rich kids, we need humour to get through the day; and Chinotto, we need our Chinotto. Miche: It's a better idea than digital mustard. Describe the sound of Werbo for those who may not have heard your music. Use words in this particular instance, please. Jeff: Dynamic percussion, the bass guitar, the three chorused-out and delayed guitars, a few stupid samples, a few stupid keyboard bits and a few people singing. Fast, slow, long, short, you can't buy this at a Birks jewellery store. We like music. Miche: It is an honest approach to melodious, loud, pop-like guitar-based music. How many languages is your band fluent in? Jeff: We took an unscientific poll and came to the conclusion that we are perfectly fluent in exactly, 2.9 languages, 0.4 of which are near extinction in Ottawa. Miche: Seven. Do you aim to confuse? Jeff: No. Miche: Please make sure the first knot is the tighter of the two. What is a Werbo? How does one go about getting one? Where can one find more? Jeff: Fucked if I know, but there is absolutely no relation to the band's name and the drummer's last name, none. Everyone can get one if they are nice, but unfortunately, you can really only find one atÉ Miche: Werbo is a state of mind; come to the temple and we'll talk. Can you give us an idea of the general mood in the Nation's Capitol? Jeff: Ottawa is really starting to grow on me. We usually head off to Spanish Harlem for breakfast, lunch at this tiny Peruvian eatery in Brooklyn, then over to Lower/Upper West Manhattan for more lunch, afternoon tea in Tribeca, then dinner at The Olive Garden in Yonkers and a nightcap over in Jersey. It's nice. Miche: "Spare change" is the new "good morning." You have a recording. It is a 2CD set called Lakehead Tragedies. You have recorded a handful of songs since that first disc. Now what? More recording? Touring? Outdoor festivals? What exactly is the plan, as you see it? Jeff: Record five more songs, either release another double album or two separate ones at different times, do some live performing, try to hook up with something, tour within a reasonably sized area, which pretty much excludes anything west of Windsor, go to the Montreal Formula One race, meaning we don't have to play NXNE, get our bodies in better shape and keep having an enjoyable time. Miche: We have recorded 14 songs to be released as one thousand beautiful watts before the summer returns. Play some shows in various cities in the Untied States and Acanadia. Apply to some festivals. Go to the Formula One race in Montreal. Eat less. Drink more. Smash lightbulbs and eat toast. What is the band's collective favourite moment in music? Jeff: Has yet to take place. Miche: When the guitars come in. What makes you run from a room screaming? Jeff: Other people screaming and running from a room. Miche: Soundmen. Further words? Jeff: See you at the show. Miche: Beyond. -- interview by Paddy O'Donnell
	A NORTHERN CHORUS WAVELENGTH #98 SUNDAY JANUARY 27 11PM Purveyors of: Everything but The Verve Pictured: Pete Hall, Dan Jagt,Erin Aurich, Mark Raymond, Stuart Livingstone web: www.blackmountainmusic.ca Name the absolute worst famous band for whom you would open a world tour and envision that experience for us. I would have to say a Helix reunioun tour. We would obviously have to get a spandex sponsor, and our rider would consist mostly of booze and hairspray. But I think the entire experience could probably be summed up in two words: "Rock Ballads." Tell us about the video you just shot with Chris Mills. What's the concept? It was a lot of fun. We all made plaster casts of our faces and I had to plaster my entire upper body. Mostly it was a lot of simple shots of our faces and playing with shadows. As far as a concept goes, it's going to be a simple one. I think he's going to layer a lot of different shots on top of one another, we've basically said he can do whatever he wants. You guys have awesome four-part harmonies on stage. Where did y'all learn to sing like that? Well, in our spare time we all run an inner-city choir for tone-deaf children. But seriously, I think we all just sing well together. You thank quite a few beers in your liner notes. Would you play a Molson's Blind Date? No, not unless we were given truckloads of money and were guaranteed that the audience would be given a memory lapse pill. Then, and only then, would we play a Molson Blind Date. A Northern Chorus gets a fair amount of ink for its odd instrumental setup: violin, flute, bowed guitar, etc. What is more important to your music: the way the notes are written, or the instrument used to play them? Or in other words: the phrase, or the voice that speaks it? I think they go hand in hand. If we write a strong melody then we always try and complement that phrase. Losing sight of the original idea can be easy with so many instruments, that's why arranging is so vital to our songs. Making sure each instrument is playing the right notes takes a lot of time. Name an unusual venue that you would like to play someday. One of my friends showed me an outdoor venue that would be perfect for us. It's below an almost dry waterfall and the audience would have to hike through the woods to get there. However, I'm not sure how the rest of the band feels about carrying our equipment up a river bed. Finally, compare A Northern Chorus to a full course meal (appetizers, drink, mains, sides, desserts, the whole deal). What would be served? Well, we would start the meal with Beef Jerky and Jalapeno Poppers, a favourite of mine and Julie's ( ANC's flautist). Of course there would be plenty of alcohol, consumed mostly in shot form. For the main course, anyone who's eaten at an ESSO restaurant will know what this tastes like. I think dessert would only taint a meal of this quality. The only thing that would make this chorus of taste complete would be a finely aged bullet of Malt Liquor heated to just above room temperature. Bon Appetit!! -- interview with Pete Hall by Papa Deer
	THE KEEP ON KEEPIN' ONS WAVELENGTH #96 SUNDAY JANUARY 27 10PM Purveyors of: Projector rock email: gregsmithsounds@sympatico.ca The Keep On Keepin' Ons are Greg Smith (Oxford County Circus, Co-operators, Rhume) and Matt James (Wayne Omaha) plugging their guitars into film projectors, cranking up and jamming noise until people puke Labatt 50 everywhere. OK so which one of you is Bob and which one is Doug? Fight the Power! Don't believe the hype! It's about the ying and the yang, the Bob and Doug in each and every individual. Describe the importance of wearing flannel to your guitar tone. Flannel's pretty good for wipin' the beer and sweat and shit off yer stuff. Woodstock, Ont.: a cultural mecca or potential militia group HQ? Why? What have you heard? Do we have to "take you out behind the barn"? I've heard you're about to team up with the London Symphony Orchestra. Do you think Bach nerds could fully understand your music's harmonic complexity? What? But... we don't play harmonicas. We play guitars. Can you talk about your infamous banned-from-the-Cadillac-Lounge experience? No. Did Ann-Margret and Elvis have an affair on the set of Viva Las Vegas? Man, I wish everyone would just leave those dudes alone. I say fuckin' give 'er. If two people are into some physical lovin' then who are we to pass judgement. Beauty on Ann and Elvis, I hope it works out. Tell us about recording on Toronto Island. Dale did it, we got wasted, it was cool man. Is the world really ready for the KOKO's? We don't fuckin' care. The world never asked if we were ready for it! Godzilla vs. The Smog Monster... which would have better investment portfolios? Who's the what now? We like Beer, you could buy us a beer at the show, that would be cool. Later. -- interview with Greg by Nora Charles
	THE WAVELENGTH SELECTORS Jan 6 DJ Papa Deer "Dance music for narcoleptic broken-hearted southpaws who do the white-man's overbite." Jan 13 DJ Corn Fed "Purveyor of Fried Chicken and Biscuits." Jan 20 DJ Katie's Eighties "Getting teenage kicks with and without reverting back to the music of my teenage years. Music that's jumpin-on-the-bed, air-guitaring-ly good." Jan 27 Floating through Life DJs cerebral itch and duhherbivore. "Remain calm." See Home Invasion for more words with duhherbivore.