March 2004

BEEF TERMINAL
THE SOMME
THE WINTERLASS
??? ???
HANK COLLECTIVE
HEART MURMUR
ANIMALMONSTER
THE SOURKEYS
JON-RAE AND THE RIVER

BEEF TERMINAL

WAVELENGTH 203 — Sunday Mar 7, 12am

Purveyor of: Ambient guitar and electronic isolationism
http://www.beefterminal.com

Mike Matheson has been writing music as Beef Terminal for nearly a decade. Focusing on ambient textures and the limitations of sound in a lo-fi environment, Beef Terminal consists of layers upon layers of what can only be described as true works of art. Outoftheshine sent a few questions to Mike at the last possible minute for this interview and Mike replied only a few minutes later, demonstrating how technology not only helps him compose great music, but it can also save the ass of a lazy hack journalist.

You have a really fancy website. To what degree to you feel that art and music should represent each other? First of all, all credit for this fancy site goes to my man Jonathan Isaak a.k.a. J1, who selflessly and brilliantly maintains beefterminal.com for no reward other than me emailing him every now and then telling him to do stuff.In my case, I consider the website a real extension of what I am doing, as I can communicate with fans and enemies alike, and get across other ideas that I feel are important... So I feel that the art side and the music side really complement each other, all due to Jon’s understanding of what I’m trying to do.

What are the main differences between what you were trying to achieve with early Beef Terminal – nearly 10 years ago — and your goals now? Ten years ago I was kind of just killing time. I was between bands, and I had written some stuff under the name “scarf” which was sort of like Beef Terminal but not really. Then I started expanding those ideas into something a lot more ambient and repetitive, ending up with tracks that were like 20 minutes long on four-track. I put a bunch of them on a tape and played it at a house party I had, and this guy that was all into like German ambient stuff was all over me, asking me if it was an import or something,so I figured I was on the right track. Then I started playing with Kennel District and sort of forgot about the Beef Terminal until we broke up. In a way though, my goals haven’t really changed,and the goalwas basically just to have a way to express myself with music.I’ve gone far beyond my own expectations. My goals now are just to keep doing it, but better each time.

On your website, why have you taken the time to explain the meanings behind some of your songs? I tried letting the music speak for itself for the first two albums, and in some ways that really worked, and in others it didn’t. Basically because the darkness of the earlier work, specifically 20 GOTO 10 this image of me started to appear in reviews of this sad depressed guy or something who never did anything but cry. So this time around, I decided to write a little paragraph ortwo about the songs onThe Isolationist. It was pretty tough to do, because some of that stuff, specifically the stuff about the death of my mother, was really personal and hard to write about. Ithought long and hard about doing it, and ran the material by Jon Isaak as well as Joe English from Noise Factory and they both encouraged me to be honest and say what I felt, so that’s what I did. I feel I have to push myself to go beyond what Iexpect of myself, so that was a way to do it.

To what degree does your idea of “the Toronto music scene” effect you? Really it has no effect on my music at all. I don’t really consider myself part of the “Toronto music scene.” Jonny and Wavelength have always been amazing to me, treated me really well, and the crowds there have been unbelievable. What Jonny and his crew have done with this night is a great achievement and they should be really proud. But that is the only place (in addition to The Ambient Ping) in Toronto that I’ve really felt part of things.

BY OUTOFTHESHINE

THE SOMME

WAVELENGTH 203 — Sunday Mar 7, 11pm

Purveyor of: Synth-rock screamotions

The Somme are a three-piece screamo synth-rock group from Toronto and Guelph. Kristine K tracks them down and holds Jim Garner’s mind hostage for a few minutes.

What’s the story behind the band name? The name comes from an infamous battle during the First World War in 1916. I was drawn to the absurdity of the whole situation, with over one million soldiers dying over a tract of land measuring only a few meters in advance and retreat. It reminded of the daily, seemingly trivial things that led to a great deal of my own anxiety. In a less academic sense, it just rolls off the tongue nicely and sometimes forces one to take on a wonderfully strained look while pronouncing it.

To me, the songs come across as an emo/electro hybrid. How would you describe your sound? What have been your influences? The intention is to create a band stripped down to its bare bones that could be built up into something fresh with each performance. Consequently, a separate ideal formed around the performance than that of the recordings as two separate mediums, though the two intertwine to a degree. Musically, influences come from a wide spectrum of rock’n’roll, ranging from the girl-groups of the early ‘60s (whom we are fond of covering), Joy Division, Sonic Youth, the Make-Up and Huggy Bear to the more recent west-coast bands such as the VSS. I like to yell, but I have never forgotten the musical education I received from my mother, who would listen to Depeche Mode and then switch it up to Carly Simon. Maybe this is where the hybrid is rooted.

You were originally a solo performer, from what I understand. What gave way to wanting to bring more players into the line-up? Although the first album was a solo effort, it served as more of a test to see if it could be done; there was never any intention to keep it that way. The band developed and work-shopped itself over impromptu performances with various other people, sometimes very much against their will. Although it could make for an interesting spectacle, the thought of a lone screamer in front of a computer seems just a little too vulnerable – a little too Metropolis. Jesse and Leon are just as much a part of the band now and integral to its work. The new album that is almost finished will end up sounding far more dynamic due to their extra input. Friends and others joining the mix from the audience at certain shows have likewise made for an exciting time. It’s interesting how after a while, even with a free-flowing structure, you tend to be able to anticipate and build off of what is happening, adding to the overall effect.

Word has it that you are currently at school in Guelph (correct me if I’m wrong). Have you had the opportunity to perform there? Are there any good local performers (who haven’t moved to T.O.) that we should know about? What’s going on in Guelph these days? I have indeed been going to school recently in Guelph to work on my master’s degree in history. There seems to be a lot going on, though I am often holed up doing research and do not get to participate. We did play one show at the university graduate lounge, but I am not sure how well we were received. Recently, a friend told me about a lunchtime encounter with someone in the psychology department who decried the evils of The Somme as “wack Jimi Hendrix shit” and said: “Why do they have to knock so many things over?” Coupled with the fact that a performance of “Earth Angel” by the Crew-Cuts at the campus bar’s karaoke night almost instigated a fight with local toughs and saw me literally thrown out and banned for life, it appears as though our options are increasingly limited. However, there are lots of other neat little places I would like to play in Guelph.

BY KRISTINE K

THE WINTERLASS

WAVELENGTH 203 — Sunday Mar 7, 10pm

Purveyor of: Calgarian post-punk subterfuge

One would be hard-pressed to find any literature, on-line or otherwise, on the enigma called The Winterlass. The only information the band was willing to make public is this brief yet rather prolix bio, written in blue crayon on the October page of a 1989 Calgary Flames’ Stanley Cup championship calendar. Wesley J Ramos just scratches his head and says to himself: “Guy, I can’t wait for the summer, lad!”

Members:
Sir Grier Basingstoke — Raconteur/Historian
P7 — Laughter/Tears of Rage
P99 — Samurai/Flower
Dean Martin — Stoned/Immaculate,
The Fake Cop-Semantics/Game Show host...

Hailing from the Sevastopol region and discovered by Trotsky on one of his Black Sea sojourns, the original Winterlass were known to perform mighty vespers firmly in the “Cacophonous” genre of music. “Trotsky,” as they liked to call him, brought them back to the Decadent West where they became disillusioned with the “scene”; struggled with personal demons and eventually succumbed to what usually happens to eccentric obscurists. They got day jobs, raised families, etc.

But their children’s children weaned on the stories of their elders picked up the Winterlass tradition and gave those old vespers a new monochromatic sheen built for a “Now Sound”. When asked to comment on their new take on the old, Sir Grier Basingstoke (“Sir” to his friends) said simply, “Look out world...and bring some earplugs you pansies.”

Amen...

BY WESLEY J RAMOS + THE WINTERLASS

??? ???

WAVELENGTH 205 — Sunday Mar 14 @
The Gladstone, 1214 Queen W. — 10pm

On the 14th of this month, Wavelength gets all covert with a Special Secret Surprise Show! Ohmigod, who's it going to be?!? The Stones? Rush? Helix? The Trag'? Scour the rest of this issue for clues.

HANK COLLECTIVE

WAVELENGTH 205 — Sunday Mar 21, 12am

Purveyors of: Pure-pop karaoke jams
http://www.weepingtruckers.com

The Hank Collective is a story about a U.K. exile and his harmonious gaggle of back-up singers. In June of 2003, Hank released Ackrill/Venning ‘91, a 10-song, 20-minute LP in June of 2003 that stunned the listener with spastic, catchy hooks and a lack of a definite, pervasive genre. The Hank website (www.weepingtruckers.com) has a recipe for salad dressing and a bio written by an ant. Hank also really likes Polaroids. So, what’s the deal with Hank? Ryan McLaren got the brains of the operation to clarify.

Who are you? Why are you here? Where are you going? My name is Cab Williamson and I live well. I am here because they threw me out of the United Kingdom. I am speaking to you at the moment, but soon I will be venturing outside to buy some fruit. You need fruit in your life. Ask any doctor.
Who/how many people now comprise the Hank Collective? What are their roles? The nature of the Collective means that there’s an ever-changing roster of participants willing to sacrifice their self-esteem and stand up on stage next to me as I bask in glory. Actually, in many ways they are Hank. They’re more than co-vocalists. Have you seen the way they dance? Yeah, very provocative. At the minute we’re rehearsing with Isaac, Paige, Day, Angela and KB.

Have you ever tried listening to your songs backwards? Listening to songs backwards is symptomatic of having too much time on your hands. Or too many drugs. The enjoyment of a song will not be increased by playing it a different way from which it was recorded. Lighten up, fellas! Ackrill/Venning ‘91 is not bloody Sgt. Pepper and should not be listened to as such. Apart from “Harley Tat,” which contains a reversed incantation, praising The Great God Pan.

What kind of reaction do you normally get from the crowd at your shows? People have been known to holler like howler monkeys. I think that’s a good sign.

What’s the longest period of time you’ve ever stayed in bed? I’m not really into sleeping in until all hours. There’s always so much to do. If you want to talk about lethargy you should ask the British. There’s a nation with its alarm set permanently to snooze. I have a good friend over there who is renowned for sleeping a good 12 hours every day. And if he misses it the night before he’ll catch up with naps the following day. He did once spend three days in bed because he had nothing to get up for. I’m mean, he’s not lazy; he just doesn’t see the point of waking up if there’s sod all to do. He works in a library when he’s not asleep. He’s cool. He actually physically resembles one of those three-toed sloths. But with a beard.

Why are you creating this music? And how come I’m not hearing it on Edge102? What on earth is Edge102? Sounds like hedge clippers.

If Hank were animal, vegetable, or mineral, which would Hank be? Animal. Undoubtedly. Hank would be a red panda. Have you seen them? They are seriously wonderful animals. You hear people at the zoo getting all excited when they find out there are pandas there, thinking they’re gonna see giant pandas. And then, when they finally get to see them they’re a bit disappointed. They’re not black and white and they look a bit like tubby ginger cats. But after watching them for a few minutes they’re totally won over by them. Up and down the trees and belting along like mad. That’s Hank. We’re not what you expect, but we win you over in the end. Yeah, a red panda. Or a snow leopard. Or a tree kangaroo. Or a kinkajou. You can’t get much more rock’n’roll than a prehensile tail.

BY RYAn mclaren

HEART MURMUR

WAVELENGTH 205 — Sunday Mar 21, 11pm

Purveyors of: basement soul naiveté

“Heart Murmur practice in the basement of Gallery 986... Steve plays guitar and breaks a string every practice and then calls me up asking me if I have extras. They cover “Don’t Turn Around” by Ace of Base. NOW’s Elizabeth Bromstein described their vocals as “absolutely painful” in a NNN review” – Jonny Dovercourt, 20Hz message board. From there, Mary Prankster communicated with Vanessa Fischer via email.

Who is Heart Murmur and what do you do? Heart Murmur is Vanessa Fischer, Naomi Woodman and Steve Kado. Heart Murmur is a band fueled by simplicity and love. Every time we play a show it starts with a hug and ends with a hug. I play a Casio CTK520L and sing. We like playing shows and having fun; I mean, who doesn’t like fun? Shows have always been so great: playing, dancing, helping out, etc. Going to shows demonstrates to us what we’re capable of in tight-knit communities, it shows us how to have more fun, more experiences, more life. If we let it, music can show us just how much is possible in this world. And shows in Toronto are exactly the place for this to happen. Do you remember when you went to your first show? Mine was in Brampton. It felt like I’d discovered a whole new world, carefully hidden from view of everyone else. People danced and screamed and dressed and talked and thought in ways that I’d never imagined before. I kept going back because they kept challenging me, kept introducing me to new things. Pretty soon music was my secret world, the pillow I’d make out with at night, where I had adventures beyond anything that could happen in a classroom or an office. Shows are fun when people get involved. Each show should be possible for us to add to the atmosphere, with surprises of our own, like confetti or chocolate cake. If we all surprise each other, then shows will be more than fundamental, and we’ll all have reasons to keep going. I like when people dance like they are having a seizure and yell out words like “hamster cake” and low-five each other.

Where Do Broken Hearts Go? Back to the open arms of a love that’s waiting, but that’s only if they can find their way home. I can’t believe Whitney Houston let Bobby do her like that. I mean Whitney, if somebody loves you won’t they always love you?

Where Does My Heart Beat Now? I dislike French Canadians... I mean Celine Dion. I also really like poutine and Bonhomme.

How Can You Mend a Broken Heart? SOME PEOPLE SAY HAVE A TRANSPLANT!!! I say a little elbow grease and/or duct tape and crazy glue.

Who chills blood and causes hearts to murmur? Who’s more deadly than deadly disease? Good Old Captain Hook. I hear he’s more artful than Artful Dodger, and that he’s more scary than Mary Celeste.

BY MARY PRANKSTER

ANIMALMONSTER

Youngster Alex Snukal hops around joyously in front a sampler in a darkened basement as Animalmonster. He has a CD EP, Mighty Magnificence, coming out soon on the increasing vital Blocks Recording Club imprint. Let’s go:

Animalmonster appears to have dropped from outta nowhere. Within days or first hearing of your existence, I watched you make heads bounce at the Expensive Shit dance night. How long have you and your machines been getting along? Take us back to the days of old, if you will.
I got my sampler two or three years ago. I never got the instruction manual so it took me forever to figure it out. DJ Gay gave me my first show in October. Then I played the Detroit What Project and got signed to Blocks and got asked to play Expensive Shit. I’ve played five shows. I used to make Boards of Canada-ish rip-off crap. For two years I made total shit music. I’d never finish a song because I didn’t get how to finish them and the parts were so bad that it didn’t matter. Then I got a show and that made me get my shit together. I like that I dropped from outta nowhere. It’s kind of romantic.

So: live “bands” and DJs — the new “together at last”? I don’t really know what this question means. Do you mean like Limp Bizkit? Because I’m not too into that. Or like DJs playing at Wavelength? I never really notice them because they’re up in the sound booth. Sometimes music people call anyone who makes electronic music DJs. Do you mean shows that have live bands and electronic music? Or bands that are both?

Blocks bossman Steve Kado says it’s “the most untroubled and happy record we’ll ever put out.” Is this an accurate assessment of your music and/or psychological state?
When I first read that I thought it was kind of insulting. People always think happy music is stupid and naive. But Steve’s right. I wouldn’t say the music has any real one-to-one relation to my psychological state. To be honest, no matter how hard I try to write different stuff on my sampler, it all comes out that way. I’m not trying to shirk responsibility for my music, but it is shaped by the technology. I can only write happy songs on the sampler. In general I’m not a sad or troubled person. I’m pretty optimistic. But even when I’m in a bad mood, the music still comes out happy. If I get up and dance or make conductor hands while I’m making music, then I know the song is finished. For this new song, I’ve started to scream and then do a maniacal laugh. But this has started to piss off my roommates (my parents and my sister). If you make happy music, it can be really cheesy because people give you the benefit of the doubt because they’re happy. But if you make sad music, you can’t be cheesy at all because people will just be mean. Writing sad music is totally harder.

Outline the scenario of a typical episode of the reality TV show, When Animalmonsters Attack. The funniest episode of the real version of this show was when the deer attacks the hunter. It gets up on its hind legs and just hoofs the shit out the guy. He’s in camo and has a bazooka or something but he just gets destroyed. The deer hits him in the head so many times. My reality show would have dinosaurs (my favourite animal) like in Jurassic Park, crazy monkeys (my second favourite animal) like in Jumangi, and animalmonster things from The Island of Dr. Moreau. They would all fight on an island. Sharks that can eat boats would swim around the island so no one could escape.

Some Wavelength attendees have been complaining that we’re booking too much electronic music. What would you tell them?
You are being jerks.

BY JONNY DOVERCOURT

THE SOURKEYS

WAVELENGTH 206 — Sunday Mar 28, 11pm

Purveyors of: Post-punk persistence
thesourkeys.com

Mike Lurz, Paul Drake, Mike Mercey and Mark Ganassin are a worthy bunch to represent the rock for their hometown, Kitchener-Waterloo. Alongside The Silent Film Soundtrack and Masters & Moderns, The Sourkeys are proving that K-dub has developed into a quality indie rock breeding ground. In celebration of their newly released self-titled disc and their upcoming Wavelength appearance, we caught up with Mark Ganassin (a former member of K-W’s original leading squad, Gaffer) to talk Toronto and to find out his feelings on their debut finally hitting the streets.

So, the record is finally out after being in the can for a long while. What took you guys so long? Yeah, we recorded it last summer, which wasn’t really that long ago... OK, maybe it was, but almost right after we finished the record, Paul joined the band. Basically we didn’t want to rush it out and tour/play lots of shows until the live element with the new member was 100 percent. Basically we had to teach him the art of broken strings, fried amps and general unintentional out-of-tune dissonance that plagues this band.

As I understand it, the release was entirely funded by the band and can be considered a totally independent release. Money upfront aside, do you think it was advantagous To put it out yourselves as opposed to going with a label? Aaaaactually, at the last minute we decided to work with the Ford Plant Recording Co. which is run by the same folks who run The Ford Plant, an all-ages community space for rock shows in Brantford. They’ve been supporting us from day one, so its nice to give something back. They’re amazing positive people and it’s exciting to work with them.

Did the Sourkeys’ birth have anything to do with the demise of Gaffer, or was it simply time to put that band to rest? Almost totally unrelated... There was about a year overlap when I was in both bands. Though me being in two bands at once definitely spread some resentment around, Gaffer broke up for its own reasons... The band had basically run its course. All the members had new directions in life and the excitement of being in that band was burning out near the end. Don’t get me wrong, though, I had a fantastic time playing with Cam and Paul.

Coming from Kitchener-Waterloo, how have you found the Toronto crowds? A lot of out-of-town bands have voiced their concerns about the big city not showing them the love. Does the trip down the highway usually result in a worthwhile experience? Ooh, trying to get me in trouble, I see! I do know people who see Toronto as just a scenester cool contest, but they probably need to get off the paranoia sauce. We’ve had good and bad shows in Toronto, just like anywhere else, but lately they’ve been great and we’ve met lots of amazing people. Except of course the fucker who stole Mercey’s backpack last week at the Rivoli; he needs a death sandwich with extra death.

What’s the best thing about K-W? What’s the best thing about T.O.? Which of the two answers wins in the battle royale? Best thing about K-W: Jane Bond lentil-cashew burger.Best thing about Toronto: New York Subway mixed vegetable burrito. I guess the winner depends on how much you can spend on dinner.

BY sarah kolasky

JON-RAE AND THE RIVER

WAVELENGTH 206 — Sunday Mar 28, 10pm

Purveyors of: Hurtin’, drinkin’, being from Vancouver

There is a line from your most recent record, “when my friends get together we sing in harmony,” and when I stayed at your house I saw this happen. Is live performance for you just an outgrowth of this, or is it something else entirely? In Vancouver it totally was, we sang and played together a lot. Here it is a pretty new situation, we’ve only been together for about four months so we still have to get into that, but you know, it is eventual. We will sing with each other more.

The band is still called the River but there are new faces. Is it important for you to keep playing with new people? It is more out of necessity that the change happened. I’m into playing with as many people as I can. Right now this is who we are playing with. In the future we’ll try with other players, other instruments. I’d like to get clarinets, and violins and keyboards.

Who is in the band now? There is Ryan Sawatzky on lead, Ian Russell on bass, Shannon McNally on drums, Anne Rust-D’Eye sings, and Natalia Berlin is singing as well and she’ll be playing keyboards eventually.

You are the songwriter and de facto leader of the River. How do you go about arranging songs with the band? Do I tell them what to play?

Yeah. No; I try to but they don’t listen.

Is that a good thing? Yeah, I think so. It would be too much if I was telling them what to do. I couldn’t handle that. I’m no James Brown. Just play along.

About songwriting, the music you are playing might be described as a sort of roots or folk or even gospel and I am wondering where you find your affinity to this. Is it something you discovered, or is it a tradition you belong to? Oh, completely. My parents aren’t extremely religious, though both my grandfathers were ministers and my dad went to seminary, so he is a minister. When I was growing up, twice a week we’d go to church, and the church that we went to, the service would be two hours long The first hour would be worship, which was just singing. I have extremely fond memories of that hour, the counterpoint of harmonies, and a lot of times it was a cappella. And then we got this new music pastor who played the Hammond B3 like nothing else. He was fucking awesome. It went from a cappella to this full-blown gospel.

When you sing or write music, then is it an outward expression of a faith or instead something that is just for kicks? Well, maybe those things go together, faith and kicks. I don’t know too much about faith, but I know there is a real feeling I get when I play and maybe that is the same thing as faith, you know? Like abandon. If I say God or Lord, it is not directed at the Christian, or Judeo-Christian idea of God or Lord.

Who are you speaking to when you say God or Lord? Well, that is just it. It is like that feeling that is beyond expression and you are not believing whatever is being sung about, but it still sends shivers up your spines. But really we are just talking about shitty folk songs!

But they are jubilant. Jubilant, yeah.

And some people don’t express that. A lot of people would just rather sing about themselves. You are trying to express thAT in some way? Feeling?

Yeah, a particular way of feeling. Have you ever been to a Pentecostal church? There is this point in the service where the singing is going on and all of a sudden someone will stand up, and in this incomprehensible language, called “tongues,” [or glossolalia] they’ll go off for ten minutes just spouting these words, totally sweating and arms lifted. Nobody knows what they are saying, but it is really incredible. The whole congregation just hushes and the music just stops and this person is in this ecstasy and everyone is totally paying attention and they are not even really saying anything. That is part of the “feeling,” I think.

BY kristian galberg