Sound City

Anyone like myself who was coming of age when Nirvana's Nevermind was released in 1991 is probably a bit stunned at the heights Dave Grohl has reached in his career. I don't say that because he isn't deserving or hasn't worked harder than most. Think about it......how many stories are there of drummers stepping out from behind the kit to front a band......then going on to sell over 10 million records....and then going on to direct films? Oh....and collaborate with Sir Paul McCartney on live television? Yes....he deserves all the success he has earned.

I'm sure 19 year old Dave Grohl wouldn't even be able to process it, or even want it. That young kid drumming in Scream, a Virginia punk band would probably look at the success of Foo Fighters and accuse of "selling out".  Boy, have times changed. Grohl is fighting to keep a center in the current state of the music industry; which lives in the left, follows formulas to create hits, and insists that a drum beat must snap to a grid on a computer screen to sound "right". Heck, most bands now record their drum parts and then the engineer copies and pastes perfect drum hits over all the imperfect ones as though the differences in drum hits are some sort of flaw or weakness.

Hence, Grohl's newest project, "Sound City". A documentary film about the legendary music studio in the Los Angeles Valley that recently closed. As the film explains, studios popped up all over America in the late 60's, and through no rhyme or reason.....certain buildings became the environment where our greatest rock records were made. Sound City stayed the course with analog recording throughout the digital revolution, largely due to the legendary Neve recording console that it features. At the time, sticking with analog tape, tubes, and transistors seemed stubborn and limiting. In truth, the limitations of analog often force the musicians to focus on a great performance rather than laying down parts and "fixing it" later on a computer screen. I have been working towards a live recording culture at Spur of the Moment Media....although it ain't a cheap undertaking. Thankfully, I had the pleasure of using a Neve console and recording to 2" tape in college.... but now it is 15 years later and I have yet to do either again. Who has $50,000.00 to set up even the most basic of analog studios? What band can afford to pay a studio bill when their songs are being sold online for $0.0004 per play? I feel torn between these 2 worlds.

If you watched the 2012 Grammy's, you may remember Dave Grohl accepting an award for the Foo Fighters' album Wasting Light. In his speech he mentioned the human element in musical recording, and I wondered that night who was hearing this statement and understanding its meaning. What Grohl was trying to describe in a 33 second acceptance speech is now explored in detail with Sound City.

One point that is made in the film is that in todays world, many musicians would never make music if it wasn't for the ease and accessibility of recording to a computer. Bands can record themselves and release an album digitally at little to no cost. So what is more important......the human element of analog, or the ability for more musicians to make music? How many of today's bands would not exist if they needed a $10,000 budget to release a record?

Grohl is saying that there is a place for both....but again how relevant is this message outside of his world? After all, Grohl grew up in an era where a record label would cut a $60,000 cheque to a virtually unknown band and send them to a studio to craft an album.

In the end, this is a great documentary for any fan of Grohl's, or anyone who has an interest in what magic happens in the analog music studio. I'm not so sure about how the average music lover will appreciate or enjoy this film due to the extensive chat about the equipment and studio elements, but it is worth the effort either way.

Sound City is an important view into an era that is fading away, and I truly believe that analog recorded music must be preserved as an art form. 

Feist Wins the Polaris Prize

On September 24th....Feist Won the 2012 Polaris Prize for her 2011 Album "Metals". I have my own opinion on this which I am about to express. There have been some mixed reactions to Feist winning....and from what I have followed on Twitter, Facebook, and several internet news articles, I wonder if everyone truly understands what the Polaris Prize is all about when they are posting these comments.

The Polaris prize may or may not be something you are aware of each year.....I'm guessing it would be tied to how involved you are in the Canadian music scene. If your idea of keeping up on current music is tuning into corporate radio and listing to the the weekly top 5 at 5, chances are you aren't aware of what is going on. I'm not bashing corporate radio with this paragraph.......but I am acknowledging that corporate radio's idea of "new music" is generally the most recent bands that they are allowed to play by their sponsors. That could be an album release 5 years ago.....or one that isn't yet released.

Beginning in 2006, the Polaris Prize was meant to recognize the best Canadian Album released in the previous year. Remember what I just said....."Best Canadian Album", not artist. I'll reference this later in the post. The Polaris Group Board of Directors selects 200 "Jurors". These Jurors are Bloggers, Journalists, Broadcasters, etc, and no Juror is allowed to have any financial link to any artist. Each Juror picks what they believe to be the best 5 albums released in the previous year.....and based on a points system, (5 for top pick, 4 for second, etc), a list of 40 albums is selected and released to the public. Then the Jurors pick their top 5 from this list....points are awarded, and the list is narrowed to a "Long List" of 10. The top 10 bands perform at a Gala in Toronto in September for 11 of the Jury members, known as the "Grand jury".

There you have it..........a system to ensure impartial selection of the best Canada has to offer each year. Sounds great doesn't it? Well.....there are still many who wonder how an artist like Feist could have won.....as though she is too big of a star and that this Polaris thingy has become a popularity contest. One thing I will stress is that Polaris is not meant to be confined to "Underground", "Indie", or artists that "need the help". There isn't a maximum income requirement. The Prize is open to any Canadian musician. If those 200 Jurors somehow feel that Celine Dion belongs in the top 40, then her record would go into the pool. (God Help Us).

So lets talk finally about Leslie Feist. I became a Feist fan through her involvement in Broken Social Scene, just as many Canadians did. I already knew who she was, I had seen her perform as part of the band "By Divine Right" at a music festival in Hamilton in 2000. Her involvement in Broken Social Scene years later, however, was what made me take notice. The delicate yet powerful voice jumped from my speakers and I couldn't help but notice the sexy silhouette jumping about in the "Almost Crimes" video. For those who only later knew of Feist as the girl from the iPod commercial, they may not realize the sacrifices she made leaving By Divine Right to focus on a solo career.......travelling all over the world attempting to carve her own identity, only to find greater success back in a collective band as a featured singer. When I finally purchased "Let it Die", the genius of her solo work became quite clear, and then looking back to "Monarch", and forward to "The Reminder" confirmed what I already suspected. This girl has the battle scars from the road, the chops both vocally and on the guitar.....and she can write one hell of a hook.

"Metals" feels like a bit of a departure for Feist, almost a back to basics, or the way you get to know yourself again after a break-up. There are no jump out radio singles on the record like "Mushaboom", "One Evening", "1234", or "Feel it All". Therefore, I found myself listening to the album in the background rather than blasting hits in the car as part of a playlist. This revealed to me the beauty of Metals as a complete work of art, front to back. The production is very transparent. Instruments are captured as though you are sitting in the room and feeling the pulse of the bass or the thud of the bass drum from the floor. The acoustic guitar on "The Bad in Each Other" has a tone and timbre that every engineer dreams about hearing through their studio monitors. Some of these elements may have been derived by the fact that Feist chose Big Sur, California as the place to lay down the record. Or the fact that rather than a slick studio, they brought gear to a cliffside home and lived and worked as one. The result is a record that is not trying to please you, but rather a record that invites you in to stay a while.

As you can see, I am in agreement with the choice of Metals for the Polaris Prize. I have not heard every album on the short list.....so I can understand why some may feel that a particular band was robbed or overlooked if they were as taken with one of those albums. Most of the reactions I have read however refer to the fact that Feist "doesn't need the money"..... "give it to someone who does". Again, I repeat..... the Polaris Prize is not based on the bank account or level of opportunity the artists enjoy. (although I am sure Feist would chuckle at the thought that people think she has a fat wallet). It is based on the people who live and work in the industry and their pick for what single album deserves to be known as the best of that given year.

I wouldn't single out any artist in the top 10 as not deserving a win unless I had thoroughly listened to the album and compared. I certainly hope that those who are criticizing the Feist win aren't basing this on whether or not they liked her in the iPod commercial. I hope that they gave Metals a solid listen and it didn't prove its worth. Bottom line.....there is no musical conspiracy with Polaris once you understand what it is all about. I'm glad we live in a country where one of our Musical Stars still has their feet firmly on the ground.


I'll leave you all with a track from Metals, performed live on Jools Holland.

Olenka and the Autumn Lovers

I'm very obsessive when I fall in love with a new band or record.....I'll just play that album over and over in the car to and from work. Then when I get super crazy about it I'll start pushing it on my friends. There have only been a handful of records that have qualified for this obsession in the past decade....but when I find one it is all that much more sweet. Although there are many great bands out there today writing many great songs.....lets face it, we live in a world of singles in 2012. 

Every once in a while a band crafts a GREAT album. What qualifies for a great album? There are so many factors.

Obviously pure musical ability is a factor.......maybe a great voice, great production.......but when an album is elevated to GREAT, for me it is because of how the album flows. How one song relates to the next, and the way the first song grips you and takes you through to the final note. 

A year or so ago I was in Grooves record store in London, ON. (the place to go to find GREAT music). As usual, I'm asking the dude behind the counter who the newest or best local band is at the time. That day the clerk told me to check out "Handsome Dan and his Gallimaufry". Pretty elaborate and interesting band name I must say. Is there a guy in the band named Handsome Dan? Is he in fact Handsome? Anyways.....when I asked "what do they sound like", he replied...."Well, the guy from Handsome Dan plays in Olenka....so.....they are pretty cool".

I ended up purchasing Handsome Dan, but when the guy tried to explain how good they were by referencing the other band that he plays in.....I couldn't help but wonder who this Olenka was. The store was sold out of all their Olenka albums, so I went home and bought "And Now We Sing" from iTunes. 

The first track "Odessa" showcases all aspects of lead singer Olenka Krakus and her group the Autumn Lovers. Deep, soulful singing........soaring harmonies, bouncing classical guitar that is kissed by rich violin and cello. Initially, I couldn't make it much past the first track. Just kept repeating it over and over and singing along. Once I started letting the album play through, that was when I realized the Gem I had discovered.

The next song that really gripped me was "Mama's Bag". I can't tell for sure if it is a romantic tale that Krakus is recounting from a novel she read....or whether it is a more personal story. Either way, the combination of the lyrical imagery, and the way the vocal and guitar melodies intertwine.....a very pretty tune.

The deeper you listen into the album, the more you understand Krakus' vocal mastery. Similar to the way Bjork tests the boundaries of the human voice.......Krakus busts out a vocal clinic. For anyone that remembers and loves the Velvet Underground and Nico album.....imagine if Nico could actually sing. (Thats right, I said it).

The other elements on "And Now We Sing" that should not be overlooked are both the warm, intimate production, and the blazing lead guitar work.....both electric and slide guitar. Recorded at the House of Miracles in London by Indie legend Andy Magoffin.....the album has an electricity that is captured with brilliance on each track.

And just like any great album..........there is an epic track. Louise of Littleville is that track that just nails the coffin. A singalong melody, and a slowly building momentum that pulls together the records' best moments and holds them up for all to hear. 

I realize I am pretty late to the rodeo with this post......many Londoners are probably reading this and wondering where I have been, considering Olenka has been a fixture of the local music scene for years.  Well, that doesn't make me any less of a fan.....and I'm hoping to spread Olenka's music to some new ears. I had the opportunity to speak with Olenka when she was in Chatham for Culture Factory's Indiefest this past August, and learned that she is putting the finishing touches on her third full length album. I'm not sure how she plans to top the greatness of "And Now We Sing"......but something tells me I might be writing a follow up post in the new year.

Sheepdogs

If you are a fan of indie rock and haven't read the August edition of Rolling Stone, shame on you. That article is the story of the Canadian Dream.....for every young musician who wants to try and have a life in music. In fact, reading it reminded me a bit of a Cameron Crowe movie. With the Pitfalls, and triumphs of a blue collar band looking for direction in a music industry full of roadblocks, monsoons and stolen vans.

So why am I writing this Blog post now? After 4 months of having the Rolling Stone in my magazine rack? Well.....because I had the chance to see the sheepdogs live at Call the Office in London, Ontario of course. Fitting......as I spent the majority of my young adult life seeing bands come through CTO; destination unknown. What a crazy sensation to see possibly Canada's biggest band on their upward trajectory.

I had heard that Sheepdogs were coming but it was sold out as fast as I could even think of booking it. I wasn't at all surprised. Turn on any rock station and you'll hear "I Don't Know" and "Who" played every couple of hours. About 2 days before the show, I get a text message from a friend that they have tickets and one of the holders backed out of the show. Its mine if I want it. I have to get up at 7am the next morning for work.....but in my mind there is only one right answer. There you go, I'm going to see Sheepdogs.

We all take a Van from Chatham to London, 5 of us, all caught up in the cinderella story. Sure we have heard the hits and we bought the album.....but part of the draw is still the legend of the rolling stone cover. I couldn't help but think of what it must have been like back in the heyday of 70's rock, going to see a band like Led Zeppelin in their raw state. Not yet one of the greatest rock bands of all time.....just a damn good band burning up the airwaves.

We arrive in London, and out front of Call the Office is a massive tour bus pulling a trailer. Hmmmmm we thought, is there a rock show tonight? The funny part is......I have been going to call the office for 15 years and I've never seen that. But could it be any other way?

My favourite exempt from the Rolling Stone article:
- The Sheepdogs' nightmare touring stories are epic. "Basically anything and everything that could have gone wrong has gone wrong for us," says Gullen. They can't agree on the most dispiriting moment, but the time their van's transmission blew on the way to Calgary is near the top of the list. For the last 4 hours of the drive, they had to stop every 10 minutes and pump in gallons of transmission fluid. They finally ditched the van 15 minutes from town, had friends drive them to the gig, and returned the next day to discover a pile of broken glass in the van's place. Or when they drove 34 hours to Toronto for a big-city club gig and arrived to find that the club was closed that night. (they all peed on the door.) Or the tour when their van was broken into 4 times. Or the multiple times they've booked shows in Halifax, only to have nobody show up, making the 50-hour drive back to Saskatoon even more depressing."

So I ask you....is there any better symbol of success in Canadian indie rock than the "Tour Bus"? I have seen countless artists roll up to Call the Office in minivans or cargo vans. The Dears, Hawksley Workman, Thrush Hermit, Eric's Trip, Sebadoh, Hayden, Wintersleep.....you name it. I think once you have the tour bus you can safely say you are doing something right.

It was also the first sold out show I have been to at CTO for years. It brought back a rush of memories.....having to stake out a spot and send runners to the bar, puffing out my arms and shoulders to keep a pocket open large enough for my friend to return. Drinking Labatt 50, the forgotten ale. Legs sore, back sore......secretly hoping for the night to end before I collapse yet unable to take my eyes off of the stage. Ahhhh those were the days.

The Sheepdogs were fantastic. Absolutely nailed every note of every song, vocal harmonies dead on as well. They played with the urgency you would expect from a young band with their dreams coming true.And they are YOUNG. Could I be any more jealous? I've played that stage before, but never to a crowd like that.

I only hope that somehow the success of Sheepdogs can spark some sort of action in the Canadian Music Industry. There are countless amazing bands out there that you'll never hear. Maybe with this rags to riches story the label execs will look a little further down their noses and give some more young indie bands a chance.

I thought I'd troll youtube for some posts of the show from Dec 8th....and I was able to find one. A nice Jam called "Down By The River". Below that is a nice live clip of "Who" from CBC.

Eric Welton

Back when I started Spur of the Moment Media, I was the first signed artist (baddum cha). I didn't intend to be a solo artist as much as I just loved recording music and the only person I could count on to always show up at the sessions was myself. I recorded 5 albums in the span of 8 years and although my closest friends and family showered me with praise, I never expected the recordings reach too far.

Soon after recording my first cassette I met Eric Welton. We swapped music and had a few good chats about local bands. We both shared the love for recording our songs (for mostly our own enjoyment), so we traded our most recent recordings. Shortly after I moved to London, Ontario and didn't run into him again for several years.

Eric contacted me one day to ask for a copy of my 2005 album, "all the broken hearts". He had heard some tracks on my myspace and was really digging the direction I had gone in. After I got him a disc, I kept hearing from others that he had really been pushing the songs. Playing the cd at parties on repeat, playing it at the bar he worked at, lending it to friends......little did I know he had been doing that with my music ever since we swapped our first albums 7 years earlier.

But this post isn't supposed to be about me.......I'm saying all this because Eric Welton is just that kind of guy.......the champion of his local music scene. Always attending the gigs, always sharing news about local bands. Always bringing people together to support local music and foster the scene that we all want to be a part of. He helped to give me the confidence I needed to re-start Spur of the Moment Media after my day job had taken over the better part of my life. I suspect he has done the same for countless other Chatham-Kent and Windsor artists.

That is why it makes me very proud to return the favour on October 28th by releasing Eric's newest album......"Kill Them With Kindness" on Spur of the Moment Media as our 26th album release.

Kill Them With Kindness is a collection of noise pop gems ranging from the melancholy ballad "The Evil In Your Violence" to the very Pavement-esque "Gone", to the all out dance jam "LC/DC". All the Welton fans out there are in for a serious treat, this one is a must have.

So friends, I'll finish this post by saying....now's the time for me to share Eric Welton with the world. For those who are already familiar with Eric's work, get ready for "Kill Them With Kindness"......coming October 28th on Spur of the Moment Media.

(heres a video to leave you with, as always. the title track)

Band of Horses

I remember the day I discovered Band of Horses..This was around spring '06 I think. I was sitting at home in my last house in London, Ontario and i was listening to some good old itunes radio. I decided I would flip around to some indie stations and try to find some new bands to get into. I went upstairs for a beverage and when I came back down I heard a GREAT song and ran around the corner to see who it was. All I could make out in the song title was "horses". So I did a google search "horses music band" and the name "Band of Horses" came up. I played a couple of their tunes and it wasn't the same band I had just heard.......but actually even better! As soon as I saw that they were on Sub Pop, that was it. I had a new favourite band. Ok, call me indie snob but the Sub Pop sticker usually indicates quality.

I ended up locating the album through the Sub Pop site and giving it a listen....it was like nothing I had ever heard. The vocals were soaked in reverb and in some weird southern accent. The songwriting was incredibly simple but layered in fuzzy guitars and thumping drums. The song that grabbed me the most was "Our Swords"......I just couldn't get enough of the transitions and delayed bass.

I remember playing that CD for everybody who came to my house.....it was almost like cost of admission. It gave me that feeling I haven't had since highschool.....when there was a such thing as underground music in my life. It seemed like every band that came out were gems that I could show friends and feel like the "founder". NOBODY had heard of Band of Horses and EVERYBODY loved it. That was a great summer. I'm pretty certain that BOH dominated my car cd player for 6 months or more.

After searching for shows and only seeing mid western - west coast shows, suddenly DETROIT! Perfect, called up some friends and we made the run for the border on June 15 06 to the Magic Stick.

As we walked up to the venue, there were 4 very scruffy looking fellows with sunglasses on having some food. My friend Eric turned to me and said "I'm pretty sure thats them....I'm going to go ask". Turns out it WAS them.......and they were absolutely astounded that we knew who they were. They were expecting to play Detroit to a crowd of unfamiliars. We explained how huge of fans we were and that we were Canadian.......again they were bamboozled. "You drove all the way from Canada!!!!!" exclaimed Ben Bridwell in his awesome South Carolina twang. We let him believe that was a big deal for a few minutes and then finally admitted that it was only a 1 hr drive for us.

I'd love to say that they knocked our socks off at that show....but unfortunately the sound guy at the Magic Stick was off in LaLa Land. There were many technical issues and not many people attending so the show didn't quite have the energy to leave us buzzing. After the show we met up with the band again out front and before sharing good-byes, Eric took the Canada Pin off of his jacket and handed it over to Ben. Ben acted like we had just given him a bar of gold, and offered that if we wanted to come to the Toronto show in a couple of days.....that they would put us on the guest list.

So Lee's Palace in Toronto was our next stop and I will say, this time they did blow us away. That show was incredible. We hung out with them, shared some beers, and chatted about the craziness they were starting to feel surrounding the album. In only a couple of days they had already begun to feel the mayhem and had been offered to make a video as well as appear on David Letterman. They were so humble and down to earth, it kind of imprinted on us what is pure and good about indie rock shows.....the ability to see bands that are in the exciting stage of their careers. The stage that is full of wonder and hope for where it all may lead. The ability to buy your new favourite Rockstar a beer and not have 100 hipsters lined up for autographs, all pretending they were the first to Discover the Band.

To finish off the post, I'll put up a couple of clips I took with my Dig Cam at that show. Lets just say I went back to Lee's Palace a year later to see them again and it was like U2 came to town. There would be no beers with Mr Bridwell in 2007.

Helium

I love blasts from the past. I was doing some cleaning in my studio and decided to throw on some vinyl so I could whistle while I worked. Digging through my milk crate full of records, I flipped right past my Helium record, and then stopped. I decided to throw it on, since I haven't given it a spin in a couple years. After the first couple of notes.....I remembered just how much I loved Helium in the day.

Helium was in no way a big name in the 90's indie scene. My recollections are that they were marketed as a slacker band with a cute and pouty female lead singer, and I don't believe they ever had radio rotation in Canada, or even a hit. Most of their acclaim came from "The Dirt of Luck", their second major release. The album was lifted by the singles "superball" and "honeycomb", and was full of ambient, feedback laden guitars with dreamy tempos. They came and went for me....I didn't pay a whole lot of attention at the time but thought they were cool.

Several years later I was at the record store and saw "The Magic City" on vinyl. I didn't even realize Helium was still around, (I found out they weren't) but I was starting a modest vinyl collection and thought..."what the heck". Got home, put it on......and wow. Such a huge leap forward musically, stylistically, much deeper songwriting. Also, much stronger guitar work. That record spun several times that summer and fall and I played it for many of my friends. I also respected its true album feel. There are no weak points from start to finish. The album ebbs and flows and tells a story from start to finish. Definitely the type of album you can listen to on repeat throughout a day.

Just a few years back I went to The Phoenix in Toronto to see Spoon with opener Mary Timony......who I didn't realize at the time was the cute and pouty but also kick ass guitarist of Helium. She put on an amazing display that night and really rocked the crowd. Between her set and Spoon taking the stage.....I saw her sitting at the merch table and went over to say hi and pick up a copy of her solo album. She seemed a but surprised when I brought up Helium and specifically my love for The Magic City. She remarked that although The Magic City was a labour of love, it was also their dying gasp.

Often times bands can peak too early and receive acclaim for the weaker album.....only for their landmark album to be overlooked and passed by. I suspect that they were marketed for the stereotype that Timony filled during the era of Courtney Love and Babes in Toyland, but the talent was never truly recognized. Victims of being lumped into a genre that is on the way out.

A similar and more recent band that comes to mind is Montreal's "Land of Talk"......and many parallels can be drawn to Helium. 3 piece band, strong female guitar player, killer rhythm section. I though for this blog post I would simply post videos for each band and let you see for yourselves. 2 great bands from 2 decades apart....both underrated IMHO. Enjoy