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The
Spiny Anteaters |
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THE
SPINY ANTEATERS When I hear your albums I get the sense that you're documenting feelings of sounds, tones, rhythms, and textures that instruments have hiding in them. You also once performed a set at the El Mo as one 35-minute-long song. I can't imagine you use a traditional songwriting method, how do you come up with your songs? Most often songs begin with Andrew or I working on a song alone, without writing in parts for the rest of the band. The songs will usually have the better part of a coherent chord pattern, lyrics, and if we were feeling inspired, solo stuff too. Then we usually introduce part of the song during a Spinys' jam session. We jam a lot, trying out stuff randomly, everyone looking for a part to work into the improvised jam. When the mood strikes, either of us two might introduce a part of a respective new song, mainly to test the water and see how everyone reacts to the particular structure/sound. If all goes well, everyone ends up adding to what has already been written, and if it goes really well, we'll end up showing the band the whole song. We then jam out the entire song, everyone feeling around for different approaches to parts. Often the original song structure is foregone in favour of something someone came up with jamming. So, we can end up stretching songs into longer pieces, you know, long jams, because that's usually how they got started. You have a studio in your suburban Ottawa home, and Kranky actually got you started on this D.I.Y. path by purchasing the band an 8-track after your first album. I know you now use some sort of recording software now, so who puts all the overdub pieces together and how do you decide what makes it onto the final mix? Kranky told us to figure out how much it would cost us to record All Is Well in a studio, and then they would send us the money. But we figured, after realizing what studio time would cost, let's buy an 8-track instead, record the songs ourselves, and then we would use the machine for the next album too. That way Kranky wouldn't need to send us money for the next album. In the end, Kranky didn't have to pay for Current's recording. So, back to your question. Andrew is our resident recording guru. He sets up the deck, or, as you've noted, the computer and software. So it's mainly his playing around on the computer that has led to a lot of the overdub pieces. Last Supper was mainly an assemblage of Andrew's: prerecorded material cut and pasted to make sense (at least to our ears). Same can be said for most of the pieces that appear between songs on (newest album) Well Laid Plans. He also ended up rewriting some of those songs through editing and looping of elements of the songs. He refuses to do any of this, though, without our express consent, so we all watch and listen (and sometimes comment) as he mixes away. Despite this, the final mix is a collaborative effort, where we listen to what he has assembled (he does decide the initial song order), make suggestions, and point out technical problems (like buzzes that aren't meant to be there)! Have you heard anything lately, any bands you like? I confess that the rest of the band probably thinks I have the worst taste in music, so I really shouldn't namedrop bands. Let's just say there is a lot of cringing going on when I sit the band down to listen to my most recent purchase. I think I'm less inclined to follow what's going on in music than others. I don't buy a zillion records trying to keep current, but I have a pretty odd assortment of records that nobody but me appreciates. I hate radio, especially anything called "new". It's usually not really new, by that I mean "interesting," so then I'd rather hear something good, and that usually means something old. I miss 1050 CHUM when I'm working around the house; the songs were mostly new for me, and some of them have really interesting things going on. With husband-and-wife rock team Andrew and Marianne as well as Kathy at the home base in Ottawa, and yourself relocated with wife and child in Toronto, what impact has that had on the band? Our day careers have had a large impact on The Spiny Anteaters as well as our recent locations. It was mostly my last employment that prevented us from scheduling practices regularly or booking gigs. Ironically, at one point we all lived on the same street, but we practiced maybe an fifth of the amount of time we practice now. Again, my work schedule was so nuts that nobody could make any sort of plans for the band. Now things are much better and we schedule well in advance, and we can keep our commitments. The only drag is the commute every three weeks. How did you end up on Kranky and then Ba Da Bing? Well, the story of The Spiny Anteaters' signing to Kranky has irritated a few people -- mostly because they think we had it way too easy. We had submitted demos to various labels for our first official recording, but only received rejection letters. So then we recorded and pressed our first 45, "Soundcheck", with Baby Universe, Andrew and Marianne's label. Sale copies were sent to Cargo Canada for distribution, and Cargo subsequently sent copies to the U.S. offices, including Chicago. Both Kranky guys were working at Cargo Chicago, and hearing our 45, they invited us to submit a demo for their then-fledgling label. Liking what we gave them, they sent us a contract, then some dough, and that's about it. We signed for one album, and they had first rights, which they used, for our second album. Oddly, it apparently angered some fellow musicians that we seemingly "got signed" so easily. We did All Is Well and Current with Kranky. Ben at Ba Da Bing had heard our Kranky stuff and was sufficiently pleased to ask for a song for one of his Gramophone CD compilations. So when things ended with Kranky (it was mutual, believe me), we went to Ben with the next album, Last Supper. We went to him because he's a laidback, personable guy that really likes music, understands the scene, and was willing to help us. We're not under contract with him, not even verbal, so we just give him a call when we're done a recording and see if he wants it. He listens to it first, though, before deciding, so it's tough because he can just as easily turn something down as take it. So far, everything has gone well between him and the Anteaters. In keeping with the mysterious aspect of the Spinys, where there's no listing of who's in the band, who sings what, or what instruments you play on your albums, I hear someone in the band is in fact the head of the Canadian bio-terrorism unit in charge of protecting us from anthrax attacks. Will your fifth album have an anthrax theme to it, and more importantly, are we all doomed? Well,
one of us does have a job which is related to the investigation of the
mysterious white powdery stuff, but it's not me. So, I can't really comment
on what they do for a living, but then again they can't tell me much either
(and they don't!) I do know that they have been awfully busy with work
since Sept. 11th. It is very mysterious. The "Anthrax" that I am familiar
with is that song by Gang of Four, which is wicked. And that is just about
all I want to know, even though I may be jamming with an anthrax expert.
As for the next album, again, the most likely reference to "Anthrax" will
be related to the song, not the disease. There are plans to record, but
they're more about how we're gonna record rather than what we're recording.
We're going to try and take away a lot of Andrew's recording responsibilities
so he, and we, can concentrate less on the technical and more on the playing.
But who knows, we've been known to turn on a dime and completely change
our plans and direction, despite having well laid plans. Hee, hee, hee.
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ANORAK
Brad Crowe, you are a mystery. We know you've lived in Ottawa, played in Sully, worked at Songbird, are part of the Anti DJ Syndicate and make your own recordings as Anorak. Can you put these facts together sequentially and make some sense of your existence for us? Well, I suppose "low-key" is a good clichŽ to explain the "mystery." Plus, the fact that I live in no man's land, which is where I belong. I'm actually from Nepean, but lived in Ottawa and Hull for several years before moving to Toronto to pursue my studies in 1994. I played in Sully briefly after my favourite band called Spindrift broke up due to ego tension and musical disagreement. David Jackson (Spindrift, Red Pony, Rocktagon, Mig 20) and I are still musical parallels although he lives in Ottawa. He should be playing on the 7th, hopefully, along with another Ottawa native, Damien Dupuis. As far as the Anti DJ Syndicate goes, we formed as a result of unintentionally angering listeners while DJing at a few unmentionable venues. We decided to become reactionary and play records that we love that club DJs would not touch. Anorak is me (beats, synthesizers, drums), David Jackson (guitar), Jason Kuhar (drums), and Damien Dupuis (drums, keys). We don't always play as a group, however. The existence question is more complicated. Existence is. (uh, complicated? -- dangling participle ed.) Anorak sounds akin to artists like Boards of Canada, Fourtet, Manitoba or I Am Robot and Proud inasmuch as the process is electronic, but the moods and melodies are more "indie." Is this an accurate assessment or just lazy pigeonholing? Well, I think that the "indie" aesthetic in electronica comes as a reaction to the ridgid quantization that is so prevalent in "dance" music. There are ways to capture similar moods and melodies with electronics, and those artists do it magnificently. They are "indie." On that note, how about "folktronica" -- legitimate movement or dumb-assed taglinery? I think that these terms are created by critics for consumers, and not for or by artists. In the world of criticism, new words need to be invented as dialectics are formed. That is the nature of language. "Folktronica" is one way to describe certain artists to people. "Folktronica" is a funny term. What is "electro-clash"? Is this an essay? Can the worlds of indie-rock and electronica ever get along? I hope so. I think I get along with both worlds. Brave New Waves has been doing a good job marrying the two but the listeners of each are slow to act. In the last few years there has definitely been more curiosity in each scene, and more synthesizers in rock bands, which is amazing. Electro people with guitars, too. One note on an MS-20 is all it takes... The name Anorak reminds me both of being a kid in soggy England, and of the style of dress of certain British new-wave bands. Your CD cover looks like a childhood holiday snap. Does nostalgia drive your music, or does it just make for good aesthetics? The name comes from my obsession with protective clothing, expecially jackets. I also found out yesterday that it has become a British term for anything or anyone that is extremely boring. I hope that is irony. The CD cover is a semi-secret dedication. It was chosen for its aesthetic quality, however. I don't think it is so much nostalgia that drives my music, but memory. I don't really have a sense of nostalgia as I am not very keen on my youth. How do you plan on tackling the eternal solo-guy-with-laptop problem of visual presentation at your Wavelength show? That solo-guy-with-laptop thing is peculiar. Sometimes I think that people are checking their email and writing things like "Dear Mom, the Toronto show is OK but they keep staring at me like I'm supposed to do something..." I use hardware sequencers, drum machines, and synthesizers along with live instrumentation. Call me old-fashioned, please. I like tweaking things live. Also, if all of your sound is being converted through the same DACs, then all of your instruments will share similar characteristics. Each hardware piece has its own sound, which I believe makes for a better whole. But we'll keep the tech talk for us anoraks... -- interview by Jonny Dovercourt |
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PONY
DA LOOK Wavelength correspondent Paddy O'Donnell tracked down the mysterious Pony Da Look and asked them questions regarding their existence... I try not to ask this of too many bands, but what is the meaning of your name? How did you pick it? What is Pony Da Look? Why is it apt for your group? We were playing Boggle one night and the words "Pony Da Look" jumped mysteriously out at us. We joked about starting a band with that name and then just did. That was about two years ago. There were a few changes during that time, then we hibernated last winter and emerged again in spring feeling fresh. I hear you're re-recording some older songs, as well as writing and recording new ones, all in the hopes of a new album. Is this true? Can you give us more details? This summer we are making new songs with plans to record a full-length album in the fall. This will include some songs from our first album plus at least six new songs. You're also shopping around for a label. Any favourites? What would be the ideal label, in your eyes, for PDL? We will start looking for a distributor once the recording is complete. I saw you open for Add N to (X). They are among my favourite bands making music today. They tend to walk the line between camp, art, noise and pop. It seems this line is not far removed from the Pony Da Look mode of operation (though I don't think you sound like ANT(X).) What would you say to this ascertation? People have compared our sound to bands all across the board, from goth to punk to Ô80s synth-pop. It is true that our influences are derived from a variety of sources, although we rarely strive to zero in on just one particular sound. At first, the process of songwriting was simply recording or writing down any random riffs, sounds or lyrics we thought of, no matter how banal or whimsical they seemed. We figured out how to play them on keyboards and then keyboards became our instruments. We wanted to have a live drummer instead of a drum machine, but sometimes incorporate both. We still use the same method of songwriting now. What inspired you to make music? What makes you carry on? Our inspiration often comes from people and places we see, haunting memories and absurd objects. Anything else? We have a number of shows coming up in Toronto and Chicago. Contact us at ponydalook@yahoo.ca. A website is on the way. We will have CDs and some T-shirts for sale at Wavelength, at a cost of $10 and $5, respectively. See you there! |
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DETECTIVE
KALITA You're returning to Wavelength. What happened in the world of Detective Kalita since we last saw you here? This past year has been a fertile one for the DK. Not only have we become much funnier and more handsome, but we also managed to release a split 7" with those juvie-rockers Rhume. On a more sombre note, our Moog/lap steel player, Sandro, has left the live incarnation of the band to focus on his much more lucrative side-projects: Polmo Polpo and tie-dyed T-shirts. "Cycles," he says, "Everything in cycles." Finally, our foray into the studio with the King Of Miracles his-own-self, Andy Magoffin, has resulted in some exceptional indie-rock. Surely Jeremy Siepmann is rolling in his grave. What can we expect to see at this Wavelength performance that we hadn't seen at the last one? Other than an empty spot on stage and some new attire, not much really. But did I mention we have horns? Fuckin' horns, people! What is Preppyrecords all about? Preppyrecords is all about the look on people's faces when I tell them that I have a record label. They're usually impressed, and why shouldn't they be? What are your thoughts about writing songs, making music, and distributing it in these present times? Writing songs and making music is fun. Distribution, so far as I can tell, is really quite easy. You make 500, give 40 to friends and family, and put the remaining 460 in your closet, where they will either grow exponentially in value (fingers crossed) or gradually decompose. Whichever comes first. What has been catching your interest musically lately? Pick something local as well as something not local. I saw Prince a couple of weeks ago and it was the greatest thing I have ever seen -- better than the O.J. freeway chase and the best episode of Northern Exposure combined. I get giddy just thinking about it. I suck compared to him. On a more positive note, the Kelp Records anniversary party was a beautiful thing. Andrew Vincent and the Pirates were absolutely incredible. Rhyming "pajamas" with "Bahamas"? Pure Genius! I bet Prince would have loved them. What does Zumpano have to do with any of this? When I think of Sneaky Dee's I think of two things, and one of them is Zumpano. What are the aims and aspirations for Detective Kalita before the close of 2002 and the dawn of 2003? We are currently working on our next album, tentatively titled The Night We Ate The Cake, and I hope that it is good. I feel good about it. I feel that I am surrounded by good people. Bumpy's bass in "Hard Luck" is good. Walker's sax line in "When You Age" is good. Eli's trumpet line in "Lucky Guy" is good. Cox's little guitar shit is good. That sax note that Andy suggested in "Hard Luck" is good. The Detective Kalita cartoon which my friend Doug is drawing looks good. And we've only just begun. Add anything else you might like. Quote of the week: "Remember to live one day at a time, just like the winos do." -- Andy Swan interviewed by Paddy O'Donnell |
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LORELEI Lorelei is a fantastic post-punk pop trio, consisting of two bassists and a drummer, who hail from the urban-renewal miracle of Pittsburgh, PA. Jonny Dovercourt fired off the questions to singer/bassist Susannah Bailis. Let's get the band-bio stuff out of the way. Who is Lorelei, and how/when/where/why did you form? Lorelei is three: Dan Barone, Susannah Bailis, and Thad Kellstadt. A mutual friend introduced us one by one in the summer of 2000. Dan and I, the bassists, started playing together to accompany these performance pieces that our friends were doing under the name Sarrogit. Thad and I met and started playing together a few months later. Dan was hanging around where we were playing one day and the next time we got together it was as a trio. I think we all needed a band. What is it about the dual-bass approach that works for you guys? It works because when people need to play together, what instrument they play becomes less important. And how do you deal with the inevitable "filling-the-top-register" issue? Not to disregard your question, but it just happens. Distortion and effects pedals help. We exist though, because it is how you play and never what. I hear an allegiance to late Ô70s/early Ô80s British post-punk (Wire, Slits, Gang of Four, etc). Is this accurate? If not, where do your allegiances lie? Allegiance is a great word. But we would describe ourselves as traitors in the sense that there are so many styles to reinvent sounds from. And everything sounds familiar anyway, doesn't it? Lorelei is an experiment in the trust it takes for three people to influence each other without genre-dogma. You guys are from Pittsburgh, no? Tell us something surprising about the ÔBurgh. We are all Pittsburgh transplants. The surprising thing about any city you live in is how fascinating and wonderful it can be some days, while being ugly, even brutal others. There are excellent hills here. And a million gems of rock n roll. Are you a political band? Yes! If you could devote your life to one political cause, what would it be? "Make art, not love!" If people can't treat each other with respect, they should devote themselves to making beautiful things instead. There seems to be some wordplay going on in your songs, especially in "My Assassin." Do you consider yourselves well-read? No! But appreciative! What books would be essential reading on tour with Lorelei? Anything new, inspiring, or otherwise noteworthy... Or on tape for that matter. -- interview by Jonny Dovercourt |
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THE
FABULOUS MR. MULI & THE DIRTY HEARTS
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THE
STRATFORD 4
Do The Stratford 4 share the same manifesto as Luc Stratford, that being a desire to bring "revolution and anarchy... to all the world"? I think it's pretty obvious that the world needs something, don't you think? Do the members of S4 have differing definitions on useful manifestations of both Revolution and Anarchy? We actually don't agree on much (including music). Maybe we'll sound off on our differing views of anarchy while we're on stage for the Wavelength series... It'll be a political discourse put to song. A member moved from Buffalo to San Fran? What kind of culture shock did that poor sod experience!? Well, I moved to San Francisco from Buffalo, via Los Angles and London, so I had a bit of a buffer zone. Since our fair continent is essentially separated by geographical divides, I feel as though I'm outta touch with the west coast after having lived there for so long... how has San Francisco affected the aesthetic development of the Stratford 4? People ask us that all the time, and I'm fairly sure that San Francisco doesn't have much to do with our aesthetic development... We don't sound like most of the other bands around here. We're not Green Day, we're not Third Eye Blind (thank God...) Anyway, the San Francisco of popular lore is a myth. This city isn't about peace, love, and artistic freedom. It's about lofts, lattes, and SUVs. Do your smartass friends ever refer to the band as S Club 4, and what are the consequences? Are they severe and brutal, or is the offender excommunicated? There aren't a whole lot of people around here who are familiar with the British pop scene. That's S Club 7, right? I glance at the NME once in a while, but I can't say that I pay much attention to it anymore. There was a time, though, when it was my bible. What are you guys expecting from or looking forward to in Toronto? How did you hear about Wavelength? I'm really looking forward to it. Growing up in Buffalo, I had to drive up to Toronto to see any decent shows. I used to listen to CFNY exclusively back in the day (I hear the station has changed a bit in recent years, though...). My sister lives in Toronto, so it will be good to see her. She's a fan of the Wavelength series. I can't help but ask: Do the S4 members share the same affinity as their mythical namesakes for various mind-altering substances such as ether, absinthe, hashish and tea? Or can you be found raiding local residential gardens, pilfering the wild Papaver Somniferum poppies planted by Chinese rail workers almost a century ago? I'm sipping a cup of herbal detox tea as I write this... Does that answer your question?
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THE
ELECTRIC SHOES
The Electric Shoes make me grin with thoughts of summer crushes, requited longing and guitars that echo the bloodrush of a first kiss. Of course, with all that bliss must come the inevitable crash which only makes the experience more intense, more meaningful. This Toronto trio's sweet lyrics juxtaposed with noisy, feeding-back guitars and crashing drums makes for perfect summer music for those still unjaundiced by heartbreak. Who are you? How did you meet? Had you already decided on the name before the band was a band? We are Phoebe, Kevin and me (Steve). Kevin and I used to run around the same scene, then I met Phoebe through a friend who knew I was looking for a drummer. I think we were going to use the name The Failures, Ôcause I had already put out an album with that name a couple of years ago, but we changed to The Electric Shoes about a week before our first show. Have you ever left anyone on a train (reference to what should be their first hit, "New York on a Train")? If so, where did you go? Did you return to them? Pure fiction. Although once when I lived in the ÔShwa, I left town on the GO train to come to T.O. and look at all the girls. I came back later that night, but it didn't matter much, Ôcause the girl I was hanging around with then was in love with a guy named Paul and never really gave me anything more than a friendly hug. You guys look pretty young, but your influences sound classic. What do you listen to? To what do you attribute your sound? I saw the Ramones twice, so I guess I'm a big fan. I listen to a lot of Norwegian black metal and Voivod. I think my favourite band right now is The Ropers. Starflyer 59 and Joy Electric are close. I really love Cuff The Duke, who incidentally used to be in The Failures. I guess I wanted to write the most pretty songs in the world and make them as noisy and brutal as I could. Three-piece band: pros and cons? Getting around, finding time to get together to practice and play shows is easier to manage: less people and gear. Most three-piece bands tend to sound a little thin, but we manage to keep it simple enough to make a big noise with what we've got. Kevin's bass is pretty much an army of nasty guitars. None of us has a car though. I guess if we got paid more for gigs, we might be able to buy one. If we got a fourth member, I think they'd have to have a van. They could be the "behind the scenes" member. (please let us know where we can find one of these mythical band members! -- jaded ed.) Your lyrics are beautiful. Are you big on other people's lyrics? If so, whose lyrics do you like? Um, thank you. I think i'm actually blushing! I like songs with stupid lyrics, you know, like old country or Phil Spector bands ("stupid???", Jo responds), but I guess I've always liked, you know, The Velvet Underground, Stones, the cleverer ones. Actually, I think Another Blue Door has the most amazing lyrics I've heard in a long time. Compare and contrast your recordings with your live show. I guess I tried to make the recording sound as live as possible. We're pretty loud, so I wanted the recording to sound big and messy. We don't jam or shit like that. When we play, we play songs, but even still live is always kind of like chaos. The recording is a concrete form of that. OK, let's ask some
musical questions: I'm sure it's on its way. I'm not hard and cynical enough yet. Why do fools fall in love? It must have something to do with all the stupid people breeding in the United States. Are you ready for the summer? I bought a fan for my room. So yes. And I'm totally ready to sit down on some Queen Street patio and watch all the girls in cotton. I fucking love the summer. Can I get a witness? Hallelujah. |
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July 7 selector: Dynaflex
MC TBA July 14 selector: Kingshit
of Fuck Mountain MC Mark Chalmers July 21 DJ Jonny Dovercourt
MC Crazylegs July 28 DJ Lost at Sea MC Crazylegs
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