Gloryhound fine tunes its rock sound
(Gloryhound, left-right, Shaun Hanlon, Evan Meisner, Jeremy MacPherson and David Casey.)
Recording its sophomore album Leave It Alone was a learning experience for the members of Halifax-based Gloryhound.
A year in the making, Leave It Alone was produced by former Matt Mays & El Torpedo member Robbie Crowell, who guided the band as it changed its sound from a roots-rock sound to more of a straight ahead, “four-on-the-floor” rock sound, as singer/guitarist Evan Meisner describes it.
Meisner spoke with EastCoastNoise recently around the same time the band was launching the album with a show at The Seahorse in Halifax.
“It was a huge learning experience, more so than the (the band’s debut album),” he explains. “The other one we actually learned about recording and stuff, but this one was just about actually making a product that we really believed in, that we weren’t going to look back on and want to change anything.
“We actually learned to play a lot better, we learned to play together a lot better and we learned what kind of music we can make as a group a lot better.”
It was a year in the making, and while Meisner is happy to have it off the band’s shoulders, he describes the making of Leave It Alone as the best experience he’s ever had.
Gloryhound, also featuring David Casey on guitar and vocals, Shaun Hanton on drums and Jeremy MacPherson on bass, formed when the members were still in high school. Initially named Gloryhound & The Skyhawks, the band also featured Adam Baldwin (now a member of El Torpedo).
Once Baldwin left the group, they dropped the second half of the band’s name and set out to tweak their sound.
Meisner says they wanted to develop a more focused rock sound.
“I think for us it was more finding where we had to be,” he explains. “I think we were always a rock band, it just took a while for us to all work out in the band all our different parts. We all listen to rock music, and it kind of coincided with what we were listening to at the time. It’s the funnest kind of music to play, really.”
Crowell, producer of Leave It Alone, had a big hand in helping Gloryhound fine tune its music.
“He brought a very similar viewpoint, he just knew how to put everything into action,” Meisner says. “His ears are incredible. And his experience in music is far beyond ours. He was kind of like a mentor, really.”
The album was recorded in The Sonic Temple and Echo Chamber, both in Halifax, and it was engineered by Charles Austin, Dave Ewenson and Darren Van Niekerk and mixed by Lil Thomas.
The album was released late last month and track Best I Can is the single currently at radio.
The band is planning a Maritime tour in January, before it heads back to Toronto in spring.
MNB holds membership drive Thursday
Music New Brunswick will hold its first ever membership drive this week. In the spirit of this campaign, MNB will present a night of local music with the goal of educating New Brunswick-based musicians about the role the organization plays, as well as its 2010 educational component line-up.
Since May, the association, under the leadership of executive director Jean Surette, has developed an educational component that offers free seminars on music industry related topics. For the past year, MNB has also helped artists showcase at the 2009’s East Coast Music Awards & Festival, as well as Contact East and Francofête.
MNB is a non-profit association that works to foster and support the New Brunswick music industry and relies on the support of its membership to run these programs and events.
The membership drive and concert featuring Escola de Samba Acadia, Fayo, Phil Flowers, Morse Code Alphabet and Les Païens takes place this Thursday at The Manhattan Bar & Grill, 125 Westmorland St., Moncton.
People interested in the association will have the opportunity to sign up as members or simply receive information regarding its events and activities. Admission to the event is $8.
My buddy Ken Kelley recently spoke with Surette regarding this event and more for his own website, so check that out here.