Part One: Start.
I suppose a brief introduction is in order… My name is Justine. I play in a noisy band called The Love and Terror Cult. We have been playing shows since 2005, so I have seen a fair share of local bands doing their thing.
I want to be as objective as possible. Music is so taste driven and personal. Just because I like chicken doesn’t mean it’s good. Maybe you prefer beef. Point being, I would rather be objective, leaving out slanted adjectives such as “yummy” or “crap”. I will be revealing to you the meat and veggie selection of each meal; you can have a taste later and see if you like it. Obviously my opinion will somewhat saturate my coverage, but I will try and be mild spice! I will leave the most room for the artists themselves to describe their music in however much detail they choose to offer.
Here are my words describing one night spent at two shows in two cities.
Part Two: Toronto, The 460, The Hormoans
I can’t help but comment on the signage that marks the 460 on Spadina. It is a true DIY job; a string of lights twisted and barely legible into four, six, zero. This only adds to the dim and dirty atmosphere of the venue’s interior where we watch the Hormoans tonight. ‘Surf punk meets swamp sludge’ is how I might attempt to describe this grimy bunch. The Hormoans are gritty, they are raw, and lead singer “Izzy Dangerous” is reckless. Their live performance captures that old flailing we’ve seen from the destructive era of grunge, but the music they create can’t really be pegged down to any one particular genre. They are on the edge of something new, and I get the feeling they will always be there because they seem to be busy carving out their own space.
Justine
I am wondering if you could say a few words about your music… Something about how you feel about being on the edge of a genre you are creating… I say this because I don’t know how to categorize you guys… you seem to be a mash up that makes something original. You could describe this… or whatever you feel like.
The Hormoans:
“Our music is a fraid hybrid of underground, spastic punk and melodic fantastical surf. We channel inspiration directly from the ghosts of dead magicians and artists, while maintaining a safe distance from pop-culture at all times. As for being on the edge of a genre we are creating…that seems to happen whenever something honest and willing stands up for itself in spite of everything, so I guess we can attribute our current position on the food chain of independent bands to being evolutionary. By constantly adapting to our shifting musical tastes, we manage to stay current in the confused and overflooded market, all while remaining faithful to our blood-sucking public.”
Part Three: Brampton, Allstars: BinjeNinja, MyFlea Circus, The Good Times
There is no time to linger at the 460. With us is Shane Burrow original “Bramptonite” and solo member of BingeNinja. We all cram into the The Hormoans gear carting van to witness his impromptu a cappella performance. Allstars suburban pub is known for its assorted sprinkle audience, always a mixer of seasoned bar stool regulars and scene savvy youth. Accompanying Burrow are fellow local acts Dubcore, MyFlea Circus and The Good Times.
My Flea circus is reminiscent of a time when simplicity was used thoughtfully… or at least naturally and effectively. There are so many mainstream bands currently creating mindless minimalist hooky riffs- for this I have a definite opinion which I will resist venting. Like The Hormoans, My Flea Circus captures the vibe of the 90′s. Bands such as Hole, Veruca Salt and Bikini Kill come to mind. It is abrasive and in your face, yet still runs on a slow groove progression. The band’s front woman Nee Trauma whines into the mic and sounds like a bored Kathleen Hannah. That is not at all to say boring. There is quirkiness to her voice and presence that somehow alludes to an eerie dark space where you get kicked repeatedly in the shins for a young girl’s amusement. This I can’t explain, it’s just the feeling I get from Trauma’s little girl voice. My Flea Circus is not to be underestimated- simplicity is one of the most difficult mediums to work in, and they are working it. The band had no comment to add.
Unfortunately tonight BingeNinja is met with the fate of so many artists, and his off the cuff a cappella performance is completely misunderstood. The promoter quickly shuts down his act, expecting a backing band, or at least a CD of tracks he normally performs with. Those tracks consist of a huge variety of electro vs. heavy dark doom metal vs. sensitive acoustic ballads. The guy plays every instrument himself and sings every song solo; BingeNinja is quite the assorted dish. In the past I have seen that Burrow is a magnetic performer who throws all of himself into every song. His neck veins burst to the lyrics that he pushes forward with his loud… ah hem… powerful voice. I want him to have the chance to explain why he chose to god forbid, do something different.
Justine
“I wanted to ask why you chose to play an acapella set at your last Brampton performance? What are the challenges that you face as a solo artist who plays all of the instruments in the writing and recording process when trying to play live? How do you normally overcome these challenges? How much of yourself do you put into your live performance? And finally what are you trying to achieve with your music?
Shane Burrow
“I chose to play an a cappella set for a number of reasons. First of all, I have been playing shows for an extremely long time now, and when you play in a band, or perform as a solo artist it can be very easy to become comfortable with doing generally the same things that you did each show before and to be honest, I am sick to death of seeing or performing sets that are noticeably contrived, emotionless and boring to the soul. Furthermore, at the risk of sounding egotistical, I feel as though I have a very good singing voice and ontop of being extremely challenging and to make it fun for myself, I had the idea that singing acapella would give me a chance to convey the songs in a very different, raw, and powerfull way that would put a lot of the focus on the lyrics as well as the emotional intensity of my delivery which I have found changes drastically when I am left to “fend for myself” vocally. Plus, I like it when people look at me.
In terms of the challenges of writing and recording by myself I would have to say that yes, it can be a daunting task to have to walk into a studio, have the producer flip the switch and play drums without any accompanyment, and try to deliver a drum performance as though you were hearing the song as a band, all the while attempting to express the raw emotion needed for a heavy performance. However, that being said, having nobody try to change or manipulate any idea/sound/structure I am aiming for is a delight that I find few artists who are in bands truly dare to indulge themselves in which I find a shame beacuse so many times I have said things like ” I Like the drummer” or “That guitarist is good, but I don’t really care for the singing”. Wheras for me, no matter what live arrangement I am perfoming in, it will always essentially be me you are hearing. For better or for worse of course.
As I said, I have been performing for a long time, and have been lucky enough to have played and recorded with a wide array of amazing and talented perfomers/players who have been gracious enough to have helped me out, in one way shape or form from time to time, whenever they were truly needed, friends. That being said, i have been in the midst of finishing my record for a while now, and I do hope that when the record is finished I will be able to create a set lineup that can take an equal stake in trying to get the songs across as intensly emotional as possible. I guess that kind of answers the “How much of yourself do you put into your live performance” question. The answer is EVERYTHING. I have always thought of myself as a performer first. I love to write, I love to create, I love to record, but my true lust lies in perfoming onstage. When you ask “What are you trying to acheive with your music?” I think of the audience. People. Yes, it is very cathartic to express myself through music. Yes, I have been able to deal with a lot of personal demons/issues/emotions by performing my music live, but when it comes to my true motivation I have to say that I remember how much I was, and still am touched by musical performances. I have seen shows, acts, singers, performers who have touched me so deeply that I literally burst into tears. Think about how powerfull that is. I want to do that to people who hear my music or see me perform. I don’t necessarily want to make people cry, but I want to make them realize that they can be moved by another human being, even if they don’t know them on a personal level. I want people to see me for who I am, not just another cold body on the street but a real living, breathing, FEELING person. I have never been in this for money because if I had I would have given up years ago. I want to make people FEEL because I honestly think this time in our existence is the hardest, most openly supressed emotional wasteland in our history on this planet. I want people to know that it’s ok to be themselves, because that’s all I ever give anybody, especially in my music and onstage.”
The Good Times is not only a band name; it’s a general description of the the groups’ live performance. Their tracks are loaded with many high energy moments that sway onlookers’ on their feet. They have thrown together a variety of beats from heavy to groovy, and tossed it with vocals ranging from aggressive metal style to hip hop rhymes. There has been a large space of time since I’ve last seen or played with The Good Times, and I’ve noticed a definite evolution. Matthew Almeida explains…
Justine
I have actually seen you in the past and am noticing a change in your new songs. I wonder- how would you describe this transition and the way your band has evolved in the past couple of years? Also- from what I remember- you have added a new second vocalist. How do you feel this adds to your music?
Matthew Almeida
“Well I think we’ve evolved musically as we’ve grown and explored other music communities. Two years ago, because of our involvement with Cutting Edge Music Festival we scored free tickets to the World Electronic Music Festival…the rave world, and electronic based music and The Good times really took off there. It was just so fresh to the sounds and parties we were used to. We’ve always sort of been of this philosphy of not being part of the “genre-blasted generation” so now more than ever, we’re trying to just keep the concept as open as possible, the new cd that we are working on has everything from Folk to 90′s Alt Pop to Electro house, drum and bass, to metal and hardcore punk, trying to make dynamic….it’s harder to get involved with labels, as they want to hear a distinct direction for music bands, but I think we’ve done ok for ourselves doing what were doing.
The 2nd vocalist who appears to only be a vocalist onstage, is actually a great song writer, beat maker, and scratch hiphop dj, and has added an incredible hip-hop element to our band, which will be more evident on our upcoming CD. Our drummer is also an electro house DJ and has written alot of synth parts for our electro stuff. Our new bassist Russel actually started playing bass 5 days ago, but has been the drummer in a heavy metal band Silent Earth for 6 years. On-stage it really looks like we all have very defined roles, but it’s not even close to that in the studio…we’re hoping to evolve our stage show into a more theatrical performance, sharing vocals, trading insturments on stage, and showing our full musical range.
When we had two members quit the band after our summer on the Warped Tour, it finally opened us up to evolve musically, and we’re brewing up some new sounds in the studio.”
-END