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ODESZA’s audible odyssey continues

ODESZA’s new album, In Return, is music that suits any scene in your life.

Picture yourself frolicking on a beach in slow motion, the sun refracting through cotton candy clouds and bouncing off the water, polaroid-style light-leaks filling up the sky; that’s how ODESZA’s music feels.

It’s hard to find a decent electronic song that you can listen to on the bus to school, in the shower, and while having a drink or three on a Friday night. It’s even harder to find an entire album of those songs. But that is exactly what In Return, ODESZA’S new album, is.

Harrison Mills and Clayton Knight, the duo who make up ODESZA, met through a mutual friend in their senior year at Western Washington University in Seattle. They clicked instantly, fitting together like audible puzzle pieces.

“We were the only people who were making electronic music at our college, really,” said Mills. “We just kind of sat down one day and jammed, and it went so well that we decided to make a project out of it. That actually became our first album.”

With electronic music ever on the rise, it can be hard to establish a distinct sound without alienating your audience or creating a niche. But ODESZA manages to do just that – they stand apart well enough to earn them a dedicated fan base, yet their sound is sufficiently familiar to appeal to everyone. Since their debut album, Summer’s Gone, though, the seeds of their sound have sprouted. With In Return, fans can expect a better-defined, more mature version of that recognizable sound.

“I think each album and EP we’ve done has been us trying something new in one way or another,” said Mills. “This one was definitely us trying to see if we could make a more song-based album. We actually have verses and choruses, and we worked with people to actually do vocals instead of just sampling songs.”

While song-making can be a lengthy process, Mills and Knight do it with speed reflective of their rise to popularity.

“What takes a while is finding the right singer and kind of going back and forth with them,” said Mills. “In general, we usually come up with ideas in the first day we’re jamming together, but all the detail work seems to take a bit longer.”

Some of their best-known songs aren’t originals, though, but remixes. And their mixing process is a different one altogether.

“It helps to not listen to the original song and actually listen to the individual stems by themselves – so, like, vocal, percussion, guitar, whatever – because we don’t want it to sound like what it originally was,” said Mills. “We want to really make an entirely new song out of the base that they’ve given us. And I think that’s what makes a good remix, too: if it’s recognizable but also completely different. Something we strive for in the remixes is to make it feel like a really unique song in itself.”

This focused, defined way of doing things has made ODESZA a name that gets more recognition with each new release. They played both Osheaga and Shambhala this year, to name just a couple festivals, and they’re just getting started.

Since their formation in 2012, they’ve released two studio albums and an EP – one album for each year of their existence. And coming out with so much music so quickly has paid off: just this month, they reached number one on Billboard’s dance/electronic album chart. But similar to that dream-like, ethereal beach scene, fame doesn’t quite seem real yet to Mills and Knight.

“I don’t think we’ve had any time to really soak it in, ‘cause we’ve been busy for the last two years straight,” said Mills. “We were working on the album the whole time we were touring, so there was never a moment to rest. Now that the album’s out, everything’s picked up and doubled back, so we’ve kind of just been constantly on the move – we’re either working on a remix, working on an original song, or on tour. But it’s a good thing, because we like to stay focused, keep working as hard as we can, and utilize the opportunity that we’ve been given.”

Part of that opportunity includes the chance to collaborate with impressive names in the music scene.

“Everyone we tour with has influenced us in a positive way. When you get to meet and talk to people that have inspired your music, you realize how much of a normal human they are,” Mills laughed. “Hearing their workflow and getting to pick their brains is really just an honour. Definitely one that stands out to me is Bonobo – seeing how humble he is and how talented he is was really inspiring. He’s like a god to me. A musician god.”

While their ascent to fame has been rapid, it wasn’t always that way. Their advice to any aspiring musicians?

“Play to the one person dancing. We really needed that when we first started out – we would focus on the 20 kids in the front who were only there for the headliner, when we were the 7 p.m. opening act. And to the audience: “It doesn’t really matter how stupid you look if you’re dancing and enjoying yourself. Those people have way more… what’s the word? Way more balls than anyone standing at the back and head bopping.”

 Catch ODESZA at Le Belmont on Oct. 5.

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Music

We think Fink is fantastic

The band aims to top their previous albums with Hard Believer

Fink is a three-piece band from Brighton, United Kingdom, that formed in London in the ‘90s. The trio is composed of frontman Fin Greenall  ̶  a Bristol born singer-songwriter  ̶ accompanied by Guy Whittaker on bass and Tim Thornton on drums. The band’s genre is an ingenious blend of contemporary folk with a surge of blues and dub. Back in the early 2000s, Ninja Tune Records picked up the trio as the label’s first band in the folk category. Soon after their debut album, Biscuits for Breakfast (2006), they hit the ground running. Unlike most contemporary bands, Fink’s beginnings resembled a kicked-back jam-sesh turned into something truly special.

“I was a trip hop kinda electronica guy for many years,” Greenall said. “The boys were in a myriad of pop, metal and indie – our paths crossed when I changed direction and needed some mates for the ride. Five studio albums, two live albums later, world tours, and a lot of bus time….happy days.”

After collaborating with the likes of John Legend, Amy Winehouse and Phillip Phillips, and over 300 live shows, it’s a wonder that Fink has stayed under the radar. Greenall told The Concordian about their collaborations in the past couple of years, and about how exciting it is for the songwriters to come together despite their backgrounds.

“John [Legend] is awesome. Our work on the ‘12 Years a Slave’ soundtrack was extremely epic. It’s a pleasure to work with pure talent of any genre. For example, I really also loved working with Phillip Phillips for his record too. Amy was sensational, but totally raw,” he explained.

They’ve built an incredible presence, which has been paying off in the past couple of years.They’ve entered British charts with recent albums Perfect Darkness (2011) and Hard Believer (2014).

When asked what their vision was for Fink before all the touring, Greenall replied: “pretty much what we’re doing now. Writing music we like, recording in fancy studios and living the dream, then touring the world and living the nightmare.” Touring has become part of the band’s repertoire but they are still “in it for the music,” Greenall added, and rejoice every time they release something new.

That’s exactly what you will find on their new album released this summer — it’s a breath of fresh air. Stylistically, Hard Believer is different from previous records as it features a more mature ensemble.

“The new record is bigger, more ambitious, maybe more international,” Greenall explained. The record was made “in response to the live shows and the tours,” and was meant to show the aptitudes of each of the members, and to demonstrate their new confidence. We can hear it, loud and clear.

Greenall started off as a DJ in the club scene in London, putting on a strictly electronic show. After ten years of “shopping for records, hangovers, and synthesizers,” Greenall finally had enough and wanted something new. “It took a few lost albums, and a lot of artistic soul searching to turn into the very thing I was antithesis [of] for so many years,” he explains. The current sound of the band resonates well with the indie crowd, but is interesting in comparison to the previous discography of the group.

Hard Believer is an interesting name, just like the music it holds. It represents the challenge to their faith that the band members faced in the past years. Greenall said that “it’s talking about not needing proof.” That you have to “just do it, just believe in yourself and get it done.” Despite the difficulty of tackling new ground, the aim of the record was “to make a better record than the last one.” Greenall clarified: “It’s the focus of every record, track, song and gig.”

The recording process for the new album began backstage in London, Brighton and Amsterdam, in “too many places to remember.” Once they had the demo down, they took to LA for 17 days of intense recording.

Fink will start their North American tour at the end of this month. The band loves that people want to see them live and are filled with joy when they see their music cross seas. “The live thing is just how you do it. If you don’t gig, you don’t grow artistically or professionally.”

Fink performed in Montreal two years ago to promote their last album, Perfect Darkness, to a small and intimate crowd at La Sala Rossa. This year, the venue has been upscaled a couple clicks. Fink explains that the band has no idea what they’re going to play when they go onstage for a show. “Every night is different for us and [the audience], so hopefully it will be Hard Believer heavy with a few of the oldies that we’ve just toured in the festival set,” Greenall said.

Greenall ends the interview by adding jubilantly, “that and a shit load of lights that we’re shipping over!”

If rare displays of seasoned talent interest you or you are looking for something new, head over to Café Campus on Sept. 29 for a little perspective.

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Music

The Drums drum-up a brand new album

The Drums reflect on Russia, Elizabeth Taylor, and discovering the joys of a US National Parks Pass

“Russia is a funny little animal right now, doing all sorts of things that aren’t good… this is going to sound strange, but to be perfectly honest, what’s been going on in Russia has really influenced a lot of this album…” says Jonny Pierce, lead vocalist of The Drums. So, most fittingly, The Drums played a kick-off show for their new album, Encyclopedia, in Moscow, Russia.

Encyclopedia has an incredibly dark, dreamy, hallucinogenic sound. Then, there are layers of deeply emotional lyrics, weighted in anxieties and feelings of “loneliness and desire and fear of losing [but also] fear of never getting,” Pierce explained. Feelings that, essentially, relate to the political complexities and emotional hardships, linked to the desire for personal freedom in a country such as Russia. Pierce adds that this opening show felt so relevant and important, and actually made him feel emotional on stage for the first time in years because “the album is really meant to be a letter of comfort to the outsider or to someone who’s being abused and hurt.”

This idea of an ode to the outsider is referenced in the music video for the first single and opening track on the album, entitled “Magic Mountain.” At the end of the beautifully cinematic piece (directed by Pierce alongside long-time collaborator and the Drums’ other half, Jacob Graham), is a dedication. The music video is dedicated to the late actress Elizabeth Taylor. She appears in one brief glimpse during the final few seconds of the video. When asked about her importance to the band, Pierce says he and Graham had always been fans of hers. “She identified with the freaks and outsiders in the world. She’s just always been  a really beautiful symbol of acceptance and celebrating differences,” Pierce says. His explanation means a lot because it solidifies the overall message that these songs are really about acceptance. For example, Pierce describes the track, “Let Me In,” as “a song about just being exactly who you are, nothing more, nothing less”. He also describes the meaning behind “Magic Mountain”: “[it’s] finally finding what’s good and pushing out what’s bad and fighting to the death to protect what you’ve finally found.”

Though the songs all have a dark quality to them, as Pierce says, “the future is uncertain always…if you crack these songs open and you really sit with them, you can find a sliver of hope in all of them.” So perhaps the harsher songs exists on the surface and it takes a few listens to seek out the hopefulness the band suggests is still there.

Another theme that boldly resonates throughout the album is the presence of nature. Pierce excitedly recalls his exploration into the wilderness, just prior to writing the album.

“I’m a big US National Parks junkie! I have a pass to any American national park, and I would encourage anyone to do it. It’s eighty bucks and you can get a whole carload of people and you can do it for a year and there are just places you can’t imagine!” Songs like “US National Park” and “Wild Geese” represent a totally different locale of forests and fields, whereas in the past, songs like “Let’s Go Surfing” and “Down by the Water” clearly evoke sun, sand, and beaches.

Encyclopedia reflects the tumultuous time in which it was written and recorded. After a year of touring, press and promo for 2012’s Portamento, the Drums needed a break. Pierce and Graham began working on solo material. The temporary split was evidently short-lived as they regrouped, realizing that The Drums’ loss of band members was an opportunity to create the album Pierce and Graham had been dreaming of for years. Encyclopedia was a product of many changes, some good and some bad in the lives of these two musicians. It was a result of anger and frustration at first, but then also a result of letting go of anxieties and simplifying the creative process by working with only each other. Pierce says he felt he and Graham were “very much on the same wavelength – sometimes we feel like we’re sharing a brain when it comes to music.”

It was during the creation of Encyclopedia that Pierce got married in the beautiful New York countryside, while at the same time he was finally able to shut out the people in his family who weren’t supportive. He also embraced his atheistic point of view and has a new outlook on life, “because that fear is gone for me and I’m not worried about being punished in hell forever for loving someone. A flower smells twice as sweet and a tree looks twice as beautiful than it did before,” he says. All of these discoveries and experiences clearly gave him inspiration for the album, so it was incredibly difficult for the pair to amalgamate the final material. “You know, I probably could have written an Encyclopedia of Encyclopedias,” laughs Pierce.

The Drums will continue their tour for Encyclopedia, and, as promised by Pierce, they will “always be going where people want to hear [them]–  that’s a policy we have.” So, to all you outsiders… the Drums have your back.

The Drums play Le Cabaret du Mile End Sept. 24.

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Music

Lydia Ainsworth sees the magic in the mundane

Photo by John Michael Fulton

The musician writes songs that are smooth, ghostly, and even a little magical.

“Are you still recording?! Shut up already!” Lydia Ainsworth quotes her roommates jokingly saying in exasperation.  Last year, Ainsworth recorded much of her debut EP, Right from Real, in her New York City bedroom. “I would have to make sure that everyone was out of the apartment. A lot of my roommates would get pissed off,” she recalls. Right from Real, now released via Arbutus Records, is getting rave reviews — more than her former roommates can account for.

Ainsworth’s electronic-orchestral-pop is the result of sifting through online sound-banks of orchestral sounds, triggering horn and string section sounds, and finally letting her sweet ghostly vocals shine through. Mostly written from behind the glow of her laptop, the musician’s music is just as powerful as if a 50-piece orchestra were playing her songs.

Appropriately, Ainsworth had spent her days studying film-scoring at McGill University where she wrote music for 50-piece orchestras. Her music reflects the overwhelming sensation of having a room full of musicians play-back the melodies she wrote. “I wrote with sound libraries to recreate that feeling- it’s an amazing feeling to hear your music played by live instruments,” she says.

The process of translating her songs’ power and enchantment to a live setting had Ainsworth, “[practicing the songs] at tiny clubs to about five people just to get a feel for how they sounded in a live setting; I’d work out the kinks,” she explains.

Photo by John Michael Fulton

Her music is definitely devoid of kinks. There’s an inimitable quality that accompanies Ainsworth’s songs; a smooth transition of beats and synths playing in and fading out, strong electro beats, and an eerie texture infused in her vocals. Ainsworth has created a masterpiece on all fronts, much like the artists that inspire her.

“I drew a lot of inspiration from this artist named Guido Cagnacci, an Italian baroque painter, who painted these private salon paintings depicting women on the brink of death. Iconic figures like Joan of Arc and Cleopatra. Their gazes were so serene amidst such a terrible and frightening situation. I loved that juxtaposition and I drew from that for my vocal treatment for a lot of the songs.”

The songwriter identifies the unique sensations she is overcome with when experiencing art and reflects this in her performing and mixing of vocal tones and melodies.

“I draw from films, like The Shining. I imagined myself as this little possessed boy for one of the songs called “Malachite”. You can find inspiration anywhere: a conversation with a stranger on a bus, a letting someone has written you,” she adds.

Ainsworth tries to decipher why she holds this ability of finding inspiration in other art forms than music:

“It’s a natural thing for me because of my background in film scoring, or collaborating with other artists. It just feels natural to draw inspiration from a painting or song,” she explains.

The EP is named Right from Real which is a name that represents her belief that, “the impossible is possible, and magic is all around if you only look hard enough,” she explains.

The songwriter’s daily life consists of finding “the magic in the mundane,” she says.

“I’m always searching for a feeling of magic and aliveness, of seeing things a little differently than what I’ve seen before. That’s what I’m chasing when I’m writing music of any kind,” she adds.

There are definitely magical qualities floating around in her music—the song “Holograms” layers clear piano melodies, soft choir voices, and ‘80s-style electro beats that frame the song. Finally, Ainsworth’s soft voice chants “into the garden I find my center–I found peace in dreaming of you and all the things we do,” and it sounds great.

The song “Malachite” dives further into a darker magic. The synths and vocals are even more intense; they vary from being rhythmic and staccato to becoming smooth and fluid. The music video for the song is set in a warehouse and features three b-girls performing a complicated choreography to the music—their fingers adorned with lights flowing with the song’s beats. The music video is just another way for Ainsworth to express her talent for combining art forms together.

 

On a final note, Ainsworth tells readers to, “come out to Sala on Sept.19– there may or may not be a snake on stage!”

Lydia Ainsworth’s album release is Friday Sept. 19 at La Sala Rossa with TOPS, Moon King, and Homeshake.

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Sports

Olivier Hinse is ready to lead the charge

Stingers’ new hockey captain confident his team will be better than ever

When the Concordia Stingers men’s hockey team lost its captain and long-time forward George Lovatsis at the end of the 2013-2014 season, the team had some big shoes to fill. But head coach Kevin Figsby didn’t have to look far to find his next captain: six-foot-two centre Olivier Hinse, who is entering his third season with the Stingers, was more than ready to wear the C on his chest.

“I’m excited [to assume the captaincy]. I’m not a guy who’s going to talk a lot in the dressing room. On the ice, I know I can do the job. I’m working hard everyday. I’m not stressed with the [captain] role, I like it. I like making the guys feel like they’re part of the family,” he said.

Hinse’s hockey career began an hour and a half southeast of Montreal, in his hometown of Sherbrooke, at the age of seven. Originally a speed skater, Hinse hated the sport and begged his mom to let him play hockey instead.

Photo by Brianna Thicke

Hinse then bounced around Quebec during his teenage years. At 16, Hinse played Midget AAA in Magog, before being a fifth-round pick of the Val-D’or Foreurs of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. He never played with the Foreurs, but was traded to the Victoriaville Tigres a year later. He made his major junior debut with Victoriaville in 2008 and played there for a year and a half, before being traded to the Quebec Remparts, a team then coached by Montreal Canadiens hall-of-famer Patrick Roy. He played his final junior season for the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada before coming to Concordia.

Hinse hit the highest and lowest points of his hockey career so far while playing in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. His least favourite memory?

“That’s easy. When I broke my jaw. I received a shot in the face in junior,” he said. He missed the last 10 games of the season and the entire playoffs because of his broken jaw. Despite that injury, Hinse will never forget the playoff run he had with the Remparts in 2010.

“When I was in Quebec, we had a playoff game [against the Acadie-Bathurst Titan], we went to overtime, and I scored [the overtime winner], in front of all the fans,” he said. “It was crazy. Then, the night after, we had another game. It went to overtime, and I scored [the game winner] again. It was the biggest moment of my career.”

If he learned anything while playing in junior, it was how to be mature and responsible, a quality he has taken with him to the Stingers.

“[Even though] there’s a big group of adults taking care of you, if you’re not responsible or not mature enough, it can go the wrong way,” he said. “Being responsible is the biggest thing I’ve learned and that helped me when I got to university. It’s not the same. Now, you do your own thing.”

Last season, Hinse led the Stingers offensively with 35 points, including 18 goals, good enough to rank third in the Ontario University Athletics division. Hinse was the Ontario University Athletics East nominee for the Randy Gregg Award for the 2013-2014 season, an award  “presented annually to the athlete who best exhibits outstanding achievement in hockey, academics and community involvement,” according to the Stingers website.

Hinse’s play helped lead Concordia to its first playoff appearance since 2011. Although they fell to their rival, the McGill Redmen, Hinse believes the team can rebound from their playoff loss and build from last season.

“With the team we have this year, we can have a long run,” he said. “I know we’re going to win the first round. [After that], the championship is close. We’re not far off [from that championship]. We have a lot of recruits, but they’re really good, so with the team we have this year, we can go to the top.”

Photo by Brianna Thicke

The Stingers had a young team last season, with 13 first-year players on the roster, but still managed to make the playoffs. Hinse believes having one more year under their belt will make a big difference.

“Maturity is a big thing, especially in university hockey. It’s a fast game, there’s a lot of hitting,” he said. “So, if you’re not mature enough, you’re going to be scared and you’re not going to be good. With a year [of experience], you’re better.”

Hinse will be going into his third year in child studies at Concordia. As a francophone, going to an English school wasn’t a tough decision.

“Nowadays, you need English everywhere,” he said. “You need to speak in English everywhere, if you want a good job, if you want to travel, you need to know how to speak English.”

Hinse has plans to open his own daycare once he’s done school, and wants to teach the kids both English and French, while including sports in the program as well.

But Hinse is not giving up on his dream to play in the NHL just yet.

“I want to maybe go to Europe, to play a couple of years of professional hockey. If it all works out, maybe I’ll get a tryout to play in the AHL [the NHL’s farm system], because my dream is still to play in the NHL, that’s for sure. If I can get a tryout, why not? After that, I’m starting my daycare,” he said.

For now, you’ll find Hinse at the Ed Meagher Arena with the C on his chest, hoping to lead his Concordia Stingers to their second straight playoff berth.

Concordia’s first regular season game will be at Carleton on Oct. 3, before coming home and playing Carleton again for their home opener on Oct.10.

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Music

Take a trip to the 90s with Solids

Solids’ music combines all your favourite post-Cobain bands

Forty shows in nine countries on two sides of the Atlantic Ocean in a span of three months is enough to render any group of human beings good and pliable. However, the critically-lauded hard-rock duo Solids are as sturdy and as vibrant as ever. Indeed, one could be forgiven for thinking they weren’t two musicians I was speaking with in a Cafe Express near Papineau Metro, but two Montreal-bred, industrial sized Rubik’s cubes, seated in the two comfy armchairs across from mine.

And the analogues don’t stop there: if we take the bright September sun streaming through the window as a giant stage light, Louis Guillemette (drums and vocals) and Xavier Germain-Poitra (guitar and vocals) are presently the spitting image of their live sets: Germain-Poitra is inclined a little forward, not demanding so much as politely requiring our attention, while Guillemette is more casual, taking more or less full advantage of the back of his chair.

G-P: We played [The London Calling Festival] in Amsterdam and at first it was weird…the drums were all the way far behind.

G: Usually I play [alongside him] up at the front of the stage, but it was a festival with really fast changeovers. So he was playing up front…totally alone.

G-P: Exactly, at first we were like “ahh this is going to suck,” but then it ended up being super wild. People got crazy.

One can imagine. The official London Calling website puts it best: the Solids guys have what is called “veel enthousiasme,” the kind that can’t help but rear its banging head. Their live shows manage to be visceral while remaining metronomically flawless, with Germain-Potra’s guitar running through a fairly massive guitar amp, a bass amp and a bass cab; achieving a wider range of frequency than most four-pieces can attest to. And who needs a four-piece anyway, when you have what can only be described as Quebec’s answer to Dave Grohl tearing through the measures beside you, the aural inclination is inevitably towards assault.

But that’s not to say Solids’ music is emotionless: listen to the first track on their debut LP, Blame Confusion, and it’s quickly apparent that you should really be listening to this on your Sony brand non-skip discman, traveling back to a soul-destroying, early-90s high school. In short, their songs have that beautiful dynamic of angsty introspection and cathartic exuberance that both characterized and dominated the post-Pixies alt set for most of the early ‘90s:

G-P: I’d say for our influences, of course, the bands that are always mentioned; Dinosaur Jr., Sonic Youth.

G: Because when we were in [our first band], Expectorated Sequence, we were listening to a lot of Breach and Converge and we still like that kind of style.

G-P: I think there’s a new Breach, eh?

G: A new Breach?!?

The Concordian: A new “Bleach”?!?

G-P: I think there’s another band, like, called Breach.

The Concordian: Oh… I thought you meant “Bleach” like, the Nirvana album.

Both: Ohh nononono!

G: The Swedish band.

G-P: Yeah it’s like a Swedish…noise-metal I’d say? Maybe?

The ‘90s are confusing, folks. But, returning to the matter at hand, one is inclined to ask whether Solids brings anything new to the table set by all the above-mentioned bands. The answer is yes and no. The remarkable thing is how Solids manages to be so much a synthesis of all the different strains of Cobainism – everything from My Bloody Valentine to Swans is traceable here – while still maintaining a certain individuality. Good vocals, heavy drums, and dense, detailed production are what make Solids’ album,  Blame Confusion, stand out from most of the other throwback bands currently making a resurgence.

Another thing that is immediately apparent both on Compact Disc as well as face-to-face is that Solids are having extreme amounts of fun doing what they do. Their primary focus is on hammering out fresh tracks as much as possible, hitting their fan base hard and often.

G: At first we wanted to do only EP’s so we could get something out every 6 months, always writing new jams and having new jams coming up, but doing an LP is a whole different process.

G-P: Yeah we try not to overthink but it happens anyway.

The Concordian: Do you guys prefer working in the studio or doing live shows?

G-P: We really enjoy both, it’s just that at some points in the studio the feeling can get lost. In the studio it’s more zen, but [sometime you hear] something so many times that you don’t know… “Is it even good?”

G: And now the only thing we do in life is play music. So for the next album for the first time we’ll really get the chance to work a fuckin’ lot.

That is, right after they finish another three months of touring. After performing at POP Montreal on Friday Sept. 19, Solids are heading west to Ontario and then down into State-land. They’ve set themselves the goal of having a new LP on the shelves by Fall 2015, which means having the recording done around February. They also offered the vague clue that they were planning to experiment a little more. So…Keytar, I’m assuming?

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Music

The Gaslight Anthem is a gas gas gas

Their new album, entitled Handwritten, is inspired by heartbreak and moving on

In 2012, The Gaslight Anthem released Handwritten to the acclaim of critics and fans alike. After two years and countless miles under their belt, these Jersey boys are back to amaze once more. In the mid-August Billboard Charts, dominated by pop artists and summer beats, The Gaslight Anthem’s fifth studio album, Get Hurt, a grungy rock EP, debuted at number four. Currently touring North America, The band will be rolling into town on Sept. 18. The Concordian recently spoke with Alex Levine, the group’s bassist and backup singer, to talk about the band’s past, present and future.

“It started in our parents’ basement. At first it was just me and Brian [the group’s frontman] and then the other two guys were in a band together,” Levine recalled. “We all got together and the rest is history as they say.” Taking the name of the old New York venue, The Gaslight, for their own, the group set out to craft their sound. Even though the venue closed in 1977– long before their time — many of the performers who played that stage influenced The Gaslight Anthem’s work.

“We were influenced by [artists] like Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen.  Any artist worth a dime will start off one place and end up somewhere else. We were really just a punk band but with a singer-songwriter twist,” Levine said.

This past year has been a time of both work and change, Levine recounted. “In the last year or so we’ve become more professional. We would never practice all together before a tour. I guess we kind of enjoyed the thrill of figuring it out [live] but now we realize that we don’t have time for that. We don’t have time for a shitty show,” Levine said.  Before going on tour, the band rented out a small venue to practice on a stage and set up a “full production with lights and everything,” Levine explained.

The past year was also marked by a nearly 9-month period off the road.  “That stretch at home gave us time to figure out what direction we wanted to go in for this record,”

Levine said. The band’s songwriting process is far from an exact science. “We don’t have a formula, everything is up for grabs. Nothing is done a set way. Brian writes the lyrics — that’s always been his thing — but somebody might have a whole song or a riff and we go from there,” he said.

In the end, Levine likes the final product. “It’s pretty bold and pretty simple. It’s stripped down in terms of imagery, but it’s a lot of growing up, heartbreak and moving on. A changing of the guard as they say.”

Levine sees the new album as a landmark of sorts. “I think that years from now, looking back, this record could be a turning point in our careers. We’ve grown as musicians. I think we’re at a point where we really feel like we know what we want to get out of our work.”

Since the release of Get Hurt, the group has done a handful of publicity, most notably their appearance late last month on The Late Show with David Letterman. The band caught fans off guard by including a small string section when they played their new album’s title track, “Get Hurt”, on the show.

“The string thing came about out of nowhere; our manager was friends with one of the composers. We did a lot of versions of “Get Hurt” in the studio; we thought it would be cool.  We thought that this was a way of showing that the newer songs are more versatile.”

While interesting, Levine would not want to have the violins on the record.

“One of my greatest pet peeves is when people go back and record songs to make them sound better. You can never record the same song twice or three times. There’s a certain authenticity, an energy, when you first record a song, and redoing it loses that feeling. I’m glad that we have the studio version and I’m glad we have the Letterman version.”

While Fallon and Levine are the founding members of the rock band and share a certain connection (the two even have matching lyric tattoos from “Young Lions” by The Constantines) the group as a whole has been solid for nearly a decade.

“Our ten year anniversary is coming up next year. We haven’t decided what we’re going to do for it yet but … we want to do something a little bit original,” Levine relayed. The bassist even stated that “we’re already writing new songs at this point — there might be another album out before you even know it.”

What we can expect, however, is to hear “Underneath the Ground”, Levine’s favourite song off the new album, on Sept. 18 when the band plays Metropolis. As for what Levine thinks of our fine city, “Montreal has a special place in my heart. When I was 18, I lost a lot of money at the Montreal casino, but your town gave me a chance to sow my wild oats as they say.”  So when the group inevitably says that they love playing in Montreal, as all bands claim, you might just be able to believe them.

The Gaslight Anthem plays Metropolis Sept. 18 along with Against Me!

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Sports

Life after Stingers basketball: Where is Kyle Desmarais now?

Photo by Brianna Thicke

Nineteen years ago, if you had asked Martha Pierregiovanni and Dave Desmarais what sport their eight-year-old son, Kyle, would be playing on a professional level, they would have said football without a doubt. Today, Kyle Desmarais, a Concordia University economics student at the John Molson School of Business (JMSB), is training in the hopes of someday playing basketball professionally in Europe.

Photo by Brianna Thicke

In fact, it was football that led Desmarais to play basketball in the first place. One of his former football coaches recommended that he stay active during the winter months by playing another sport. Desmarais chose to try out for basketball.

“I started off at the Brookwood house league when I was about 14 or 15-years-old, a league out in the West Island,” Desmarais said. “From 15 to 18 [years-old], I wasn’t very good at all. I couldn’t make the inter-city teams, which I was a little upset about, but hey, I wasn’t that good. Then, a year before I [went to] Dawson, I played for the West Island Lakers AA.”

Despite his struggles when he first played house league basketball, continuing to play the sport worked out well for Desmarais however. In the summer of 2011, he helped Team Canada win the silver medal at the Summer Universiade in China, the best they had done in over 15 years. A few months later, he represented Canada at the Pan Am Games in Guadalajara, Mexico, where he had the chance to play against NBA players such as JJ Barea, who represented Puerto Rico and who had just won an NBA title with the Dallas Mavericks.

To add to his trophy case, he was part of the men’s AAA basketball team at Dawson College that won both the Provincial and National Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Championship in 2007. At the national tournament, Desmarais was an all-star alongside his teammate Evens Laroche.

In order to make it on the Dawson Blues team, Desmarais had to compete against the team’s existing players. His determination and hard work are what got him a spot on the basketball team.

“To be honest, I thought he was just another kid wanting to enjoy the program and play basketball,” Laroche said. “He eventually proved that he was amongst the best point-guards in the province, when he was named a CCAA All-Canadian in [CÉGÉP]. He was a good shooter and scorer. He was definitely a huge facilitator during games at the college and university level no doubt. This surprised everyone. The good thing is that he continued that path and was once again awarded the same nomination in university.”

Being athletic and loving sports is in Desmarais’ blood. When his parents first met, his mother was an aerobics instructor and his father won several awards at a bodybuilding competition, last year.

Desmarais recalls his childhood as being a great one, with lots of love from his parents and fights with his younger sister, Melissa. The half-Italian, half-Irish basketball player considers himself a very family-oriented person.

“My father worked extremely hard to give us everything that we wanted,” says Desmarais. “I definitely got my work ethic from him.”

Dwight Walton, a former basketball player for the Canadian National team and the Continental Basketball Association (CBA), first met Desmarais at The Trevor Williams Basketball Camp back in 2004.

“We respect each other greatly,” says Walton, who played basketball in the 1988 summer Olympics in Seoul, Korea.

Walton and Desmarais share similar backgrounds. Both played for the Dawson Blues, won All-Canadian awards, and obtained free education in order to play for the NCAA in the United States.

“His parents are fantastic as well and are a major part of what Kyle has accomplished up to this point. I constantly tell him what he needs to work on and I feel comfortable doing so. He knows that it’s coming from a good place. All I want is the best for him.”

Several years ago, Desmarais would have never imagined obtaining a free education, because of his skills in basketball. However, after being named the Quebec League’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) and receiving the All-Canadian award on his third season at Dawson, Desmarais was offered a full athletic scholarship at Central Connecticut University.

However, playing NCAA basketball in Connecticut was not exactly a dream come true. After not being able to see eye-to-eye with his coach, not playing enough during games, and being homesick, Desmarais decided to come back home and play for Concordia instead.

However, Desmarais decided last summer not to return to the Stingers basketball team.

“Concordia basketball had run its course in my life, it gave me a lot of great opportunities, and I’ll always be thankful for that,” says Desmarais. “But for my own individual development it was time for me to move on. Life after Concordia basketball involves a lot more free time, less stress I would say. I get to put my time into things that will benefit me and help me in the long run. Things like studying, training and improving my skills as a basketball player.”

If playing basketball professionally overseas does not end up working out for Desmarais, he hopes to become a financial broker or adviser.

When Desmarais is not studying or training, he enjoys going to the cinema by himself. Among his favourite movies are Tombstone, Training Day and It’s a Wonderful Life.

“It’s perfect time for myself, it’s alone time. I just get to watch movies and don’t have to worry about everything else,” explains Desmarais.

Desmarais claims that it takes hard work and dedication to accomplish anything in life. However, he admits that it was sometimes very challenging to reach his goals.

“To stay mentally strong throughout the setbacks early in my career, getting cut from a team, maybe not getting the playing time I felt I deserved, stuff like that,” says Desmarais. “Mental toughness comes from believing in yourself and abilities, and knowing that if you keep working hard, the results will come.”

Categories
Music

Painting a landscape with audio soundscapes

A film’s composition is threefold: it has a beginning, a middle, and an end. By nature, it is a sequence of images, usually accompanied by an audio backdrop or verbal interactions. Each part of the film is designed to push viewers further into another state of reality, to instill in them a certain feeling, or to create a lasting memory. When you take away all visual cues, you are left to create your own film, your own memory. In just three tracks, Raveen prompts you into the director’s chair to indulge your imagination.

“For me, it’s a beach at night time, which sounds really uppity and pretentious, but that’s the only thing that comes to mind,” said Eric Seguin, Raveen’s bassist and vocalist, of the upcoming self-titled EP. “We sat down to think about it, but we kept coming up with waves.”

“It reminds me of that feeling you get when you’re on the beach at night time: you’re not supposed to be there then, but there’s something personal about it,” he added. “It’s not day-time music,”

Although they have been working on new material for several months, the EP launch will mark their first ever live performance as a three-piece collective.

“There’s definitely a band aesthetic to [Raveen] even if we play mostly electronic music,” said Seguin.

Multiple band members are in the electro acoustics program at Concordia, giving them a solid background in electronic instrumentation allowing for Raveen combines electronic beats with more traditional rock sounds including bass guitar and drums.

“If you think of the set up, it’s a lot easier to explain [the style of music]. If you heard it, it’s the best way of figuring it out.”

Unlike traditional band recording, Raveen produced their material in pieces, and at times, miles apart from each other in different cities.

“It’s a collage,” laughed Seguin.

This collaborative effort between bandmates often required them to send each other what they had been working on from Vermont to Toronto, then Toronto to Montreal, for example. This layering and piecing together of material however, led to a set of tracks that Seguin describes as “the closest to what [Raveen] embodied.”

With almost a dozen recorded songs to choose from, over half of them were left on the cutting room floor.

“The other songs were more basic,” said Seguin, referring to the instrumentation involved. “They didn’t really make the cut.”

Wanting their EP to reflect their full sound spectrum, they chose the three tracks they thought contained the most audible layers.

“I guess it’s more to showcase your production skills than your playing skills, because people can see that at our show,” he said.

“We probably chose the most complicated ones,” he said, in order to emphasize the distinction between their in-studio sound and their live performances.

In a live setting, Seguin highlights the importance of having energetic stage presence, especially with a drummer.

“What you need is almost a dancer,” said Seguin enthusiastically. “When you go to a show and you just have a guy standing in front of a mic, it can be so boring. I want people to feel like moving.”

When there are varying personal preferences, it can be almost unavoidable to disagree on certain aspects of production or performance.

“I wanted it to sound more like D‘Angelo and Drake, than you know, a rock show,” said Seguin, “but they push it to be more of a live thing.”

Despite minor differences of opinion, they push each other out of their comfort zones, which for Seguin, can only be a positive thing.

“I think it kind of happens a lot: people end up working with people who are like minded before they play with people who play to their musical strengths.”

“Mostly it’s just about chemistry.”

On Feb.28, Raveen will be bringing their production to the forefront at O Patro Vys for their official album launch. The next step? Probably putting out a full length LP.

“Honestly, I just hope one day someone tells me what movie my music sounds like.”

Raveen will be performing with VLVBVMV and Boho on Feb.28 at O Patro Vys. Check out the Facebook event

 

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Music

Jay Malinowski sets sail with The Deadcoast

Press photo

Jay Malinowski has grown from his days as a young singer-songwriter in the Canadian band, Bedouin Soundclash. Even if he won’t completely admit it.

“I don’t think I’ve changed much,” said Malinowski. “I think I’m less mature than when I was 19.”

Malinowski, who continues to make music with his most recent project under the name Jay Malinowski & The Deadcoast, has been doing some self-reflection while Bedouin Soundclash has been on hiatus.The time away has allowed him to fabricate an audio coming-of-age story, filled with adventure and tales with his ancestor, Charles Martel, as the protagonist.

The double-disc album entitled Martel, is essentially a musical travel log of his voyages during the 1800s.

“After 10 years of touring [with Bedouin Soundclash], I was asking the questions of life like ‘who am I’ and ‘what do I become?” he said, “I loved the idea of a sailor, that you’re always moving, because the choices I made were very similar. My lifestyle was more or less the same.”

While the goal of the record was to honour his past, Malinowski sees a bit of himself on the new album.

“I wanted to do a journey of this person named Martel,” he said. “It’s based on the history, it’s based on me, it’s based on my grandfather’s notes, going around the world from Pacific to Atlantic, over 18 songs.”

Martel has received its fair share of buzz on CBC Radio’s website, being previewed as one of the 10 Canadian albums to look forward to in February, alongside other artists like Sam Roberts, Mas Ysa and Solids.

Malinowski even has a website for the album, WhoIsMartel.com, an interactive site that allows fans to look at the track list for the album, gaze at Martel’s travel log, and use an interactive map that tracks his journey at sea.

“Even with Bedouin [Soundclash], it’s always been about hailing things that came before you.”

According to Malinowski, Charles Martel traveled from France to Halifax in 1757. After the country outlawed Protestantism, many fled to other European countries and to North America. Martel fought alongside British soldiers when they attempted to capture the Louisbourg Fortress, which belonged to the French. In return for his service, the British gave him land, where he settled and established a family.

Malinowski recalls hearing these stories from his grandfather, who fed him countless tales of his ancestors and his family lineage. In addition, Malinowski did some personal research around Cape Breton with other relatives, where he uncovered old family heirlooms.

Martel features the single, Patience Phipps, a name Malinowski fell in love with once he read it amongst his grandfather’s notes. The song itself is about Martel promising his hand in marriage to Phipps, once he has returned from his travels.

Teaming-up with Vancouver string trio, the End Tree, Martel brings together folk, European and Caribbean influences, including calypso music. One song in particular, “Carnival Celebration”, (a personal favourite of his), was recorded in Trinidad. The song was originally recorded in the 1950s by Small Island Pride. The song speaks of Americans trying to leave Trinidad, and also the West Indian Federation, where a group of Caribbean countries joined together to escape British control.

“We did this kind of Eastern European, gypsy rumba [on the track],” Malinowski said. “It was really fun to record.”

Malinowski has enjoyed his time recording and preparing for Martel, and recording as a solo artist in general. The album allowed Malinowski to not only find out about his past, but allowed him to discover himself as an artist. However, he hasn’t closed the door on reuniting with bandmate Eon Sinclair and returning to Bedouin Soundclash.

“Everything’s a journey for us and we’re never going to fake it,” Malinowski said. “As long as Eon and I are friends, we’re going to make a record.”

Martel debuts on Feb.11. Jay Malinowski & the Deadcoast will be in Montreal performing on April 5.

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Music

Mik Brown finds her voice on her debut album Miss Mik

Press photo

In a world plastered with inspirational posters and where pseudo-individuality is broadcast from every Facebook page, it’s refreshing to find someone who legitimately believes in making sacrifices in order to follow their dreams. Mik Brown is such a person.

Press photo

Brown grew up in a family of academics and graduated from Berkeley University with a degree in cognitive science. With a bright and no doubt lucrative future ahead, she decided to give it up to pursue her passion for music and try to make it big in Los Angeles.

A year later, Brown was invited to perform at the Grammy’s after-party and is working on the release of her first album, titled Miss Mik.

“I’ve always been an artist at heart,” said Brown. “For me it was really about finding the strength and the confidence to really break away from the norm and really pursue what was in my heart.”

Her words may sound cliché, but Brown is the real deal. Having always been drawn to art and poetry, it took a while before she was able to find her voice.

“I always wished I could sing and, you know, I don’t have a typical singer’s voice, so I didn’t really feel like that was an option,” she said. “As my poetry progressed and I started to think — you know, I can really rap.”

Brown’s single, “Let’s Werk,” is a dancey hip-hop track with about 100,000 views on VEVO. She describes her music as a combination of various elements including pop, rap, and dance.

“I like to listen to music that makes me feel good. I like upbeat music,” she explained. “That’s why a lot of the songs on my album are dance-inspired tracks because I really like something that’s going to get me going.”

Miss Mik is set to be released in late February or early March and will feature a little bit of everything.

“So you have your fun dance music and some things [that are] a little harder. My next single, “Respect” is like that. It’s kind of rock with some heavy guitars and more in your face.”

Brown compares her journey towards stardom to a 500-piece jigsaw puzzle, “You gotta start with the corners of whatever pieces look like they fit together and just build from there,” she said.

Having moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in music, Brown feels that “it’s really inspiring to be able to make a mark in a big city. The other thing about L.A., it has so much to offer in terms of the history and the possibilities. You can pretty much do anything here. It’s a little bit surreal, but very exciting.”

She says that in order to make it big in this industry, it requires “a combination of preparation and opportunity and tenacity. You have to be prepared and you have to keep putting yourself out there. And if you do that, then eventually opportunities will come.”

Most of all, Brown finds satisfaction in performing her music live. “Getting to that point where I’m able to bring it to the people and share with them this whole process of creation. It’s really when I get to deliver everything, and that’s the most rewarding part for me.”

Brown is also intent on using her art and status to speak out on issues that are important to her. She recently performed at the No Bull Music Showcase, an event that seeks to raise awareness about bullying.

“I think that my message is really empowering and really positive and so it’s an honour to be able to represent an [organization] like this with my music,” she said. “Especially because, I think a lot of artists growing up were like nerds or introverts and misunderstood, and did get bullied, and for us to have surpassed that and be the ones who are looked up to now… it’s really important for us to speak out and to give people who are coming up faith.”

As for what the future holds, Brown hopes to keep gaining momentum and doing what she loves.

“I really feel like the sky’s the limit.”

Categories
Music

Montreal: a special place for well-travelled musicians

Photo by Thomas Van der Zaag

“You have to be making roads all over the place to be taken seriously,” said Peter Katz. And that’s precisely what he’s been doing as he makes his way back to Toronto from a stop in Ottawa, one among many on his tour.

Photo by Justin Broadbent

The Montreal-born singer-songwriter began playing the piano and the violin at the age of four. As a teenager he started playing guitar, which inspired him to want to start writing his own songs. But it wasn’t until he started studying theatre at Ryerson University in Toronto that he realized music was something he wanted to pursue.

“We were doing a production of The Laramie Project and I had been writing and going to open mic’s and playing songs and the director asked if I’d write a song for the show,” said Katz. “[So], I wrote this song called ‘The Fence.’ That song changed things for me as far as realizing that this was the thing I really wanted to do. [It] was around the same time I saw Glen Hansard play and when I saw him play I was like, ‘oh man, this is what I want to do for the rest of my life.’”

When Katz returns home to Montreal to play at Petit Campus in the Mile End on Feb. 7, he will be bringing a Juno Award nomination, a Canadian Folk Music Award nomination, a CBC Galaxie Rising Star Award, and an album, First of the Last to Know, that debuted at number one on the iTunes singer-songwriter charts, back with him.

Since releasing his first studio album in 2010, First of the Last to Know, he released two more albums in less than two years, Live at the Music Gallery and Still Mind Still, while also performing over 150 shows a year around the world, something he doesn’t think he’ll be doing again.

“It was just a bit too crazy,” he said. “I was in the middle of a Canadian tour, and I was having to pull over the side of the road to listen to mixes and send feedback and looking at album artwork on my iPhone. I don’t regret it, [but] I really don’t want to do that again. I was just in a state of mania for too long.”

Katz is taking things a little more slowly now. He’s working on his fourth album while on his current Canadian tour, but hasn’t set any release dates.

Photo by Thomas Van der Zaag

“I think I sort of did myself a disservice by setting release dates in the past and booking tours and having to have an album done. I don’t want to do that again,” said Katz. “I want to release it because it’s ready to be released. But obviously, this is what I do for a living, so if I don’t keep putting out music, then I can’t survive, but it’s more important that I make something that’s going to make a difference in my life than to just release something.”

Katz has travelled all over the world from Copenhagen to Singapore, to the US and Canada and says he’s experienced some of his best shows in the Netherlands and Denmark.

“A lot of people are like, ‘wow, you get to see all these places,’ and it’s true that I do get to see a lot of places, but I’m certainly not the tourist,” he said. “Every now and then there’s a day off on a tour, and I get to see the cities a bit and I get to go out for a dinner and that’s really nice.”

Despite all the places he’s been to, Katz says there is no place like home.

“Canada is the place where I really want to make an impact,” he said. “I really feel like some of the things [I sing about] are born out of Canada. So, it feels like I would be most understood playing for a Canadian audience, like there’s this extra level and it does feel special. I love touring in the Netherlands, I love touring in Germany, I love touring all these different places, but you want to feel like where you’re from, the people get you.”

“ You have to go to other places too in order for Canada to take you seriously. But I just love to play, and I’ll play anywhere where I could play to an audience that’s willing to listen.”

Coming home to Montreal is still always a special occasion for Katz.

“No matter how long I’ve lived in Toronto, Montreal just feels like me,” said Katz. “Obviously, when I go to Montreal, I get to see my brother and my dad and some of my old friends, that’s always something that I look forward to, personally. There’s a certain spirit to Montreal I think because of the European-French influence, there’s a certain ‘joie de vivre,’ a certain attitude that I just love and I miss and I look forward to every time I come back. I just feel like I’m in my own skin when I come back to Montreal.”

Peter Katz will play at Petit Campus, located at 57 Prince Arthur Est, on Friday, Feb. 7 and will be performing with fellow song-writer and keyboard player Karen Kosowski. Doors will open at 7:30 p.m. with the show set to begin at 8 p.m. Admission is $20, and $10 for students. For more information on how to get tickets visit www.peterkatz.com/shows.

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