Christina Martin (photo by Mat Dunlap)

Halifax’s Christina Martin is set to release her new album I Can Too next week. The 11-track record is Martin’s third and her second she produced with fiancé Dale Murray (Cuff the Duke).

The album is set to be released on Come Undone Records and distributed across the country by EMI.

For nearly a decade, Martin has been on a musical journey. She recorded her debut album Pretty Things (2002) in Austin, Texas. After returning home to Halifax, she started playing the café/bar circuit and met Murray. On a whim they recorded Two Hearts (2008), an album that won her Pop Recording of the Year at the 2009 East Coast Music Awards, as well as two Nova Scotia Music Awards for Female Artist of the Year and Pop Recording of the Year in 2008.

I Can Too (which, I’ll add, is a killer record) features appearances by Blue Rodeo’s Greg Keelor and Cuff the Duke’s  Wayne Petti.

Martin will celebrate the release a week from today, Friday, Sept. 10, at The Seahorse in Halifax. The show features performances from Patrick Brealey, Acres & Acres, DJ Regalia. The show begins at 9 p.m. with Martin taking the stage at 10 p.m.

Tickets for the show are $14.99 in advance and $20.00 at the door. They are available at all Ticketpro outlets.

There’s a long list of dates across Canada that can be found on Martin’s website.

She joins us this week for a chat …

1. Tell me about the new album. What was the process like, and how did it differ from your previous two records?

Dale and I both came into this recording with more experience in the studio, and we had a better idea of what we wanted this album to sound like. We had been talking about it on countless tours while listening to Tom Petty and other artists we liked.  When Dale and I started recording Two Hearts, we really had no idea what would come of it, and we barely knew each other.  The process was relatively relaxed this time and smooth. We made a plan (I’m big on planning!!!) and we basically did exactly what we said we were going to do.

I wanted to make an album that had more of a pop/rock edge to some of the main songs like Daisy, Hello and I Can Too. I didn’t want to wash away the serious topics with bells and whistles, so we kept the instrumentation and number of people involved to a minimum.  With Two Hearts, we had many more people involved in the overdub process and were heavy on the strings with some songs (which worked out great!).  I feel this is a stronger album overall, as much as you hate to compare your past work with current work, I just know that both Dale and I were more confident going into this album, and we believe that comes across sonically.  You can never really tell what other people will like, all you can do is make something you are proud of and pour it out to whoever will listen.

2. What was on your mind or ‘inspiring you’ as you were writing for the record?

The songs were not written all at the same time. Some were written many years ago while I was living in Germany (Picture of a Sadman) or Austin (Daisy, They Say).  One song was written as we were recording it (Take).

I am typically inspired by things that happen in my life or to someone I know that just draw me to my pen and paper. For this album many of the topics or events that inspired me dealt with some heavy topics… death, anxiety, fear, and/or struggling with mental health, addictions, love, loss.  The song I’m Gonna Die has to do with panic attacks, what they feel like and how many people don’t know how to cope with them.  This particular song was inspired when a young girl I lived with (she was only 8 years old) repeated “I’m gonna die” while having a melt down over what snack to have before bed.  When she said those words I was able to finally identify that she was having panic attacks. I don’t know what took me so long to figure this out with her, since her symptoms were similar to panic attacks I had experienced in my life as an adult. It isn’t often that you hear a child say “I’m gonna die,” at least not in my traveling nanny experiences.

They Say is a song I wrote for my friend JoAnne in Austin after her best friend and husband dropped dead of a heart attack. I attended the wake and learned not only that he was a devoted father and friend, he also collected model trains and tarantula spiders, which I thought was very interesting.

There are individual stories behind every song on the album.  It’s no secret that loss and exit events are some of the most important in our lives. We often learn more from devastating life lessons than from love… although being in an enormously loving relationship now I know there are some wonderful things to learn from love. But perhaps I would not appreciate love as much had I not learned what losing big love felt like. I’ve heard from other people that they feel the same way, and I am often inspired to write about their struggles and perseverance.  I find it uplifting.

3. The album is days away from being released. How do you feel?

I’m excited to hit the road!  I’m tired from sitting at my computer planning and organizing details… I’m ready to play and get back to the work I really love to do.  I’m excited for people to hear the album and especially the songs live. There is always a bit of relief when this release time rolls around. There are some really exciting shows on the tour which I can’t wait for.  I’m super excited to share the stage with Cuff The Duke for a large portion of the tour dates.

4. Blue Rodeo’s Greg Keelor appears on this album. How did you guys first meet, and what was Greg like to work with?

I met Greg for the first time in Toronto at a Cuff The Duke Show at The Horseshoe Tavern.  He introduced himself backstage (I was too shy to speak to him).  We sat and talked for a long time back stage and I learned really quickly that Greg was really easy to talk to. He invited Dale and I to a private show he was performing with Jim Cuddy at The Carleton in Halifax in November 2009.

It was backstage at The Carleton show that Greg was asking me about my new album we were about to record. Greg jumped in when I was telling him about a song and said, “I’ll play on your album,” to which I responded “Greg, what if I suck? You have not even heard me play yet.”  He just blew that off and insisted that he would play on the album.  It was on his off day in January 2010 that we had Greg come into Dale’s studio in Dartmouth with Wayne Petti (Cuff The Duke) and he graciously played baritone guitar and sang on Subject To Change (written By Andrew Sisk) and both Wayne and Greg sang harmonies on Daisy.

5. You’ve worked with your fiancé Dale Murray on this record and your previous one, Two Hearts. What’s it like working together? Does it provide any challenges?

Dale and I work really well together.  In fact, we do everything well together. He is my best friend!  We both have certain strengths and weaknesses when it comes to song writing and ideas in the studio.

Dale is a genius at arrangements, playing parts on multiple instruments, and engineering/mixing.  I’m best at all the organizational details and the lyrics and melodies, we both know what we like when I hear it… so the combination in the studio seems to work well for us. I don’t really have any complaints or challenges to speak of, other than my own limitations as a musician. I continue to feel lucky to have someone like Dale to work on projects with. He completes me (can you believe I just said that!!??).

6. On your Twitter page a week or two ago, you wrote, “At Tom Petty in Toronto…. Holy shit!!!” First of all, I’m jealous. Secondly, how was the show? When you’re at a concert, do you ever draw inspiration for your own shows?

First of all, I rarely attend concerts. I’m really picky about how I like to spend my time, and if the artist is not one of my absolute favorites, I’d rather be home baking gluten-free bread for Dale.

Second, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers have been a big influence for me over the past few years.  Tom is possibly my favorite songwriter. The show was amazing! Crosby, Stills and Nash opened the show if you can believe it. They were great, but I was really there to hear Tom and The Heartbreakers. They put on a great live show and knocked out all the hits… they did it with simple classic rock style! No bells and whistles or pyrotechnics… just guitars, great singing and lyrics… great playing! It was a highlight for me.

So, at a concert like that, it definitely inspires me!  I watch everyone (especially Tom) and try to pick up on the subtle details that make a great show!  In Tom and The Heartbreakers’ case, it was just their ability to walk on stage and confidently play their hearts out, simply deliver GREAT SONGS and be gracious to your audience.  They looked so pro, but it was the great playing and songs that really stood out and make them look and sound great!

7. When did you first get into the music “business” and what was the first major lesson you learned?

The first major lesson I learned was that there was not going to be ANY room for people who were not supportive in my life. ZERO! I learned early on that it’s a long hard road, not always financially rewarding, you can get really down on yourself… so I sort of had to do a cleaning job with people around me. I had to tell my mom on the phone that if I called her upset or frustrated, that the LAST thing I wanted to hear from her was “Well, maybe you should do something other than music.”

8. What song, album or artist have you been listening to most lately?

Tom Petty – Mojo - GOOD ENOUGH

9. You have another cross-country tour planned over the next few months. What’s the road life like for you? Everyone seems to feel a little different about being on the road for an extended period of time.

I love being on the road. Before every tour I try to tie everything up at home so I don’t feel like I’m leaving anything behind. So I usually hit the road with an open mind and heart. I work from the road every day as well, so it feels like I take home on the road with me (because when I’m at home I’m working all the time on administrative stuff).  If I’m alone I get a lot of ideas and tend to write quite a bit.  If I’m around people, I try to enjoy it because most of my job feels pretty solitary and self-centered.  Overall, I feel like I’m always on a working holiday when I’m touring.  I really feel lucky to be able to do what I do.  I also get to see more friends and family now that I tour, and you make new great friends each time you go out.  It’s pretty cool!

10. What else do you have coming up in the coming months?

I have a new video coming out for I Can Too. That should be ready in September sometime.  We filmed it in the middle of the night in Montreal and I am wearing nothing but a giant pink rabbit costume.

In the coming months, we have tour dates booked across Canada until November.  We are announcing more EASTERN DATES after Sept. 11. These will be co-bills with Cuff The Duke and myself.  Other than that, my plans involve playing as many shows as possible and preparing for showcases and a Europe tour in 2011. Planning, planning and more planning… always planning!

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Pamela Pachal is about to embark on a national tour.

Saskatchewan native Pamela Pachal has been living in Fredericton, N.B. for about two years, trying to build her music career.

She had quite the journey along the way, however. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Music Technology at Northeastern University in Boston, Pachal moved to Toronto to train and try out for the Canadian National Women’s hockey team. After being cut in 2007 she decided to switch her focus back to music.

From Toronto, she moved to Grande Prairie, Alta. where she recorded her debut album Chapter 1. The album was released in 2008 and it was during her tour for that release that she stumbled upon Fredericton. She has scored music for film and theatre and been invited to New York City where she was nominated for a songwriting award.

Pachal is about to hit the road on her second cross-Canada tour, this time with drummer Sean Keenan. She fills us in …

1. I understand you moved to Fredericton from western Canada almost two years ago, and before that you graduated from Northeastern University in Boston with a Bachelor of Science in Music Technology. Where are you from originally, and how did you wind up on Canada’s east coast?

I am originally a prairie girl from Saltcoats, Saskatchewan … the home of…. beer, curling, hockey and cows..   But I haven’t lived back home since high school.

It’s kinda random how I ended up in Fredericton. I just finished up my solo cross-Canada tour in 2008 and came to Oromocto where I planned on staying with my mom for a couple weeks. Long story short, I fell in love with Fredericton and decided to stay… Fredericton has such a great arts community and it really is an amazing city with amazing people… who wouldn’t fall in love with it?!?!

2.  How would compare the music scene in Fredericton or on the east coast with what you’ve seen elsewhere?

Fredericton is incredibly saturated with not only musicians and artists but with fans of music and art. That’s a rarity… usually (from my own experience) when a city is filled with musicians, it’s lacking with music fans, and if there’s no fans there’s really no chance for a musician to grow.

3. Coming in from outside the region, did you find it difficult to entrench yourself in what was going on in these parts?

It’s always hard to be accepted into a new scene. It really does just take time … and you got to give the community that time. *The quickest way to be rejected is to push being accepted.*

That and you have to be alright with starting at the bottom. That can be hard for some people. To go from playing regular paid gigs to doing open mics again. Me, I’m OK with it, I love open mics. I still go to open mics to try new stuff out or to just relax and jam with other musicians.

4. When did you first get into the music “business” and what was the first major lesson you learned?

I first really got into the business when I moved to Grande Prairie in 2007. Up until then I was just writing and playing in my room.

I’ve learned A LOT since then… here’s just a few key things I’ve discovered:

First, getting your van broken into and laptop stolen while playing in Montreal is actually not that uncommon.

Second, don’t assume anything when playing at a new venue…  ask every detail you can think of … how many mic stands do you have? Is there a place to park? Do you have someone working the door? Am I playing at the sketchiest bar in downtown Vancouver, and should I bring mace?

And thirdly (more serious), be persistent….. you’ll never book a first-time show just by sending one e-mail. Keep phoning and e-mailing until you get a response, and if they tell you “No,” try again in a month or so… you wouldn’t believe how many venues have turned me down the first time and then booked me a month later.

5. Do you have any specific goals for your music?

Yes, I want to be very rich…. but I’ll settle for not being homeless.

Honestly, I would love to be a full time songwriter/composer. I really do enjoy performing but my utopia is when I’m writing. Whether it be my own (traditional) music or scoring for film…  I just love creating. That’s my long-term goal.

Short term, I want to kill it on this upcoming tour and after that hopefully find a producer, studio and financial backing to record my next album.

6. You have a brief cross-country tour planned over the next month or so … is this the band’s first? How do you feel as you get ready to embark?

This will be the band’s first, not mine though. I did a solo cross-Canada in 2008.

I’m so stressed. Putting together a tour is the hardest thing. Once the shows are all booked I’ll be really excited… but not until then. That said, anyone want to be a manager/booking agent??!?! haha

7. What song, album or artist have you been listening to most lately?

That is a very hard question… I like and listen to everything… and I mean everything. For instance, just the other day I was listening to an old recording of Phillip Glass’ Candyman Theme, followed by Miley Cyrus’ Party in the USA …  yes,  I have a Miley Cyrus song on my iPod, I’m not ashamed. haha

But I just recently was introduced to Jonny Lang… love his voice!

8. What does the immediate future hold for you and your music?

I really don’t know…..

Look at that, you asked a question I can’t even think of a smart-ass answer for.

Check out Pamela at the following dates:

Sept. 3 – The Red Herring, St. Andrews, N.B.
Sept. 4 – The Red Herring Pub, St. Andrews, N.B.
Sept. 25 – The Cellar Pub, Fredericton, N.B.
Oct. 9 – TBA, Montreal, Que.
Oct. 13 – The Apollo, Thunder Bay, Ont.
Oct. 15 – The Standard, Winnipeg, MB
Oct. 21 – Dicken’s Pub, Calgary, Alta.
Oct. 23 – Golden Taps Pub, Golden, B.C.

Check back to EastCoastNoise.com next Friday for a chat with: Christina Martin

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Great Balancing Act, from left, Sara Parks, 'Jeep' Morin and Nina Khosla

Formed in Montreal in 1994 by JP ‘Jeep’ Morin and Nina Khosla, The Great Balancing Act has made Moncton its home base for most of the group’s existence. GBA is currently comprised of Morin (guitar, vocals), Khosla (bass, vocals) and Sara Parks (drums, vocals).

I say “currently” because GBA has existed in a variety of states over the years, touring with as many as seven members at one point.

The band recently released its eighth record, Cherry Bomb, which was written around a single drum loop. All the tunes clock in at approximately the same length, in the quest for an album full of “perfectly catchy songs.”

We caught up with Jeep this week via e-mail …

1. For years, The Great Balancing Act has been a name that seems to pop up again and again and then disappear for a time around Moncton and the Maritimes … I understand you guys have been together in one form or another since 1994? Brief us on how you guys formed and the history of the band.

We formed in Montreal in 1994. Nina was a server at the legendary Phoenix Cafe in Montreal and I used to eat there. She seemed very interesting and beautiful and I knew I wanted to meet her. I eventually got up the nerve to introduce myself. We wrote songs together before we really had a conversation. It seemed to be how we related best. It was very natural. Our first song was called Spring, which became the title of our first CD. We played together as an acoustic duo that year, touring the States bohemian style. Nina played a clay Udu drum and I played acoustic guitar. We moved to Moncton in 1995 and formed an electric band with DanO LeBlanc on drums. Since then, Nina and I have been expanding upon our sound and vision with all sorts of different musicians.

2. Nina and yourself have been the nucleus of the band since its inception. What has kept the two of you working together so long while others have come and gone? What’s the working relationship like?

Well, Nina and I are a little like a solo act even though we are two people. We seem to be two sides of the same mind when we are writing together. I sing a song and Nina just knows exactly what to do. It was like that since the first song we wrote. I moved to Calgary for a couple of years, and we wrote songs separately in that time. Nina came to visit at one point and we shared songs. We found that we had both written a song called Beautiful Moon, and it was in the same key! We work with others like a solo artist would work with various musicians. It’s very open ended. We are always sad to see someone go, but it’s also a breath of fresh air to collaborate with other musicians. As Jim Blewett puts it, it keeps our hands growing.

3. How have the changing members over the years affected GBA’s music?

In minor and major ways. Sometimes we’ll work with a musician who is all about being in the background and that will just lending something subtle to the sound. Fred Hetu was like that. So was Rob Robichaud. Fred Weltall and DanO brought out the psychedellic, trip-hop element in our sound. We were listening to a lot of Motown at the time and these musicians were perfect for that as well. Kim Wilmot brought out the folk and bluegrass. Gilles Gaudet and Alex Madsen had a huge impact on our sound. Alex saw us as a funk band and brought that out even more. He brought in his own songs, which really forced us to relinquish control over the musical direction.  We pushed this idea to the extreme by working with Lullaby Baxter, a powerful singer who was a force unto herself. We let go of the reigns so much that we completely lost ourselves for a moment.

I think it’s important for  musicians to stretch themselves as far as they can, to test their limits and eventually find that perfect balance; the sweet spot. Now we have consciously taken back the reigns with a much better grasp of who we are and what we want to say. Our new drummer Sara Parks has brought back a refreshing simplicity to our sound. I think all these changes are what have kept us fresh and alive for 15 years. After all, the life expectancy of the average band is three years.

4. You have a brand new album in Cherry Bomb, and each song is written around the same drum loop. Was that a challenge for you when it came to writing the songs?

I would have thought so, but not really. It often meant slowing a song down or altering its basic rhythmic fingerprint, but I found that once I had done that the song often sounded better. A few of them sounded like crap, but they didn’t make it past the demo stage. It was actually very exciting to see how a different riff could make the same beat sound like a something completely different.

5. What songs or albums are you listening to lately?

I pretty much don’t listen to music. Not on purpose anyway. Does a pastry chef really want to eat pastries, unless he’s trying out his own work?

I’ve narrowed it right down. All I really listen to is DEVO. Particularly the new album Something For Everybody. Aside from that, it’s local music that I like to listen to; stuff friends give me. I love Owen Steele’s new CD, and Petunia’s I Live in the Past is a gorgeous record with great musicianship. John Jerome put out a great EP this year. Nina is big on Jane Siberry these days.

6. GBA is performing throughout the summer, even heading to Devotional in Cleveland. How did that come up and what does that particular festival mean for the group?

DEVOtional is the largest gathering of DEVO fans on planet Earth, so we are pretty excited. Except for Nina, who is not a DEVO fan and is wondering why we are doing this!

Founding member and singer Jerry Casale will be there and frontman Mark Mothersbaugh will be appearing via video chat. We are the first band in 10 years to play there that is not a DEVO cover band, so this an honour for us. We were asked to play due to our unabashed propagation of DEVO iconography and fashion. Some of our videos leaked into the DEVO fanworld through YouTube and the spuds (DEVO fans) really dug it. Also I did a little DEVO animation which was seen by the band and it ended up on their website to promote their Olympic performance this year. So that helped.

It should be surreal. I’m hoping to make a documentary on the event. Any film makers out there want to come along?

7. What does the rest of summer and the immediate future hold for the band?

Well, no one knows what the future holds but our intent is to be at a “whole other level” by the end of the summer and to have made one million dollars. We have some amazing new outfits and a really fun, exciting show, so look for us in your town.

GBA’s video for Pretty Good:

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The Divorcees are Denis 'Turtle' Arsenault, Danny Roy, Alex Madsen, Brock Gallant, Jason 'J-Byrd' Nicholson. (Photo by Chris Smith)

Moncton’s own country outlaw band The Divorcees started making a name for itself a few years back with its old school honky tonk country sound.

Fast forward a few years and a line-up change later, the five-piece has two albums, several tours and a few East Coast Music Awards under its belt (including the 2010 award for Country Album of the Year for Last of the Free Men).

The band is made up of Alex Madsen, Denis “Turtle” Arsenault, Brock Gallant, Jason “J-Byrd” Nicholson and Danny Roy. They perform this weekend at the Dieppe Kite International event and they have a gig slated for Aug. 21 at the Larlee Creek Hullabalo in Perth-Andover, N.B. as well.

Brock Gallant, drummer for the band, fill us in on what’s happening with the boys …

1. What are The Divorcees up to these days?

Alex and I are currently in a writing phase. This is the first time I have put any material forward and Alex and I have started co-writing a little as well. In the past we have put out two solid records, now we’re doing some soul searching to see how we can continue to be successful without copying what we’ve done before.

I think we’ll see some darker material, some material that draws more from our rock influences and experience, and some altogether new sounds that may not be as easily recognizable as “country” based on the rigid guidelines we imposed on ourselves when we first started. With the realization that we will not break down the Nashville establishment and restore order to the country music universe, comes the freedom to express ourselves in a genuine way without fear of being too uncountry.

2. After the release of the last album and the tour, apart from a few gigs here and there, you guys seemed to settle down a bit … kids, weddings, day jobs … how tough is it to juggle everything and still push your music career forward?

I think what you’re seeing is part of the balance that is required to sustain a long music career without any major hits or commercial success. Most of our accomplishments have been critical acclaim or peer recognition, which is vital to the growth of a group like ours, but it does not always translate into financial windfalls. I would say it would be MORE difficult to move our music careers forward if we did not have wives, kids, and places to earn an honest living. If the music becomes the way you earn your money then it is exposed to the potential for exploitation and greed. As I mentioned before, we are striving to remain as genuine as possible in our writing and in our music as a hole.

3. You’ve taken on bartending and booking bands at Plan B in Moncton, a bar that seems to have really taken off as a music venue in the last year. As a guy who has been on both sides of the fence, playing in bands and now booking bands, how do you like the role? How does your experience playing impact how you deal with bands?

I was on the road with the band when my wife called to tell me I was going to be a daddy. As soon as we got home, I walked into then “Five Points Lounge” and asked Tracy (Petukhov, owner) for a job. I had never bartended a day in my life. I simply needed work since it was clear the band was going to have to take a short period of time off if I was going to be around for my son.

Within a few months of working there, I asked if I could book some bands and I can tell you that I am the most shocked of anyone at how it all turned out. The bar has no ads, no website and yet we’ve been able to book the bar with live music five-seven nights a week solid for the last nine months, all based on incoming requests.

We booked one band, a group called $100 from Toronto. Ever since, we’ve been getting calls from bands, agents and managers all across Canada asking if they could play our little bar. By treating people with kindness, and respect we’ve developed a good reputation amongst artists and with that comes access to some of Canada’s best up and coming talent.

We’ve got our first Juno nominee coming in Broctober!! I have donated a lot of tips to bands (not advice, the money I make bartending) and we’ve even started putting them up for the night in the apartment upstairs. We do everything we can to help them reach their full potential. I do this because of great people like Sheila and Tina in Thunder Bay, Steve in Sault St. Marie, John Scoles in Winnipeg, Melvina in Merritt… and the list goes on and on. A lot of people came together to help my music career so I felt it my obligation to find a way to give back to the careers of others.

4. I think the Divorcees are in about year six or seven. The lineup changed a bit in that time, you’ve toured the country and performed on stages big and small. and the band has built a solid name for itself across the country. What are some of the most important lessons you’ve learned in that time?

We are not as old as we look… the band formed in 2005. I have learned many lessons but none more important than this; take care of your family. That means your loved ones, your band mates, the people who support you… take care of your family. Sometimes that means saying goodbye to band members because their needs have changed or their wishes and desires have changed… love them anyway. Let them go, and realize that the music can go on as long as your own fire does not go out.

And if there were to come a day that I decided to hang it all up, I know that my brothers would love me anyway and care about me enough to let me do what I need to do. We’ve done the hard part. Unless there is a dramatic change to country radio, we know where and when we can play our music in Canada. We don’t need to be on the road across Canada three-four times a year because what we do has a specialize and very niche audience. We’ll continue to make music for our fans all over the world and we hope to get to some new places like Texas and Europe, but it will all happen in a more controlled and calculated fashion from now on. We’re not old, but we are getting a little cautious about the perils of indie-life on the road.

5. What’s been the most gratifying part of the journey so far?

Achieving my own personal goals, no I’m not telling you what they are… but let’s just say there are only a couple left on my list.

6. Are there any goals the band has yet to reach that you guys are actively working on achieving?

Roots Traditional – Juno. I suppose it may be wrong of me to put it out there so plainly, but I’d like to write that kind of album. I’d be lying if I didn’t say that a Polaris Prize nomination isn’t on my wish list. It’s not that I want to feel like I’m better than someone else, rather I’d love to know that the fruits of my labour could be considered in a peer group like that. It would mean more than a #1 hit, or winning a song competition.

I respect the Polaris Prize as an institution so much, that it seems almost ironic to lust after an award that is normally bestowed upon art that is created blissfully absent of the desire for fame and recognition. At least I think that’s irony… or is it a spoon… when all you need is a knife?

7. Easy question – what albums or songs have you been listening to lately?

Artists…. Sean Booth, Haunted Hearts (can’t wait for the new record in Sept.) Oh Savanah, Marco Rocca, Hey Rosetta, Romi Mayes, Tim Hus, Ascot Royals, Jadea Kelly, Jerry Leger and the Situation… and more.

Bartending gives me time for new music.

8. If you weren’t in the music industry in some capacity today, what would you be doing?

Trying to figure out a way to get into the music industry… or reading the news.

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Petunia will perform all over the east the next few weeks.

(Yeah, it’s not Friday. Yes, I’m several days late … but hey, I warned you. But this is a treat. Some really great tunes can be found on Petunia’s website, and you can check him out over the next few weeks in these parts. Cheers – Eric.)

Sometimes based in the Fredericton area, Petunia has made a name for himself traveling around the globe spreading sounds of old that sound just as fresh today as they ever did.

The Peterborough Examiner said about Petunia,”…hillbilly-flavoured-swing inflected-ragtime-goodtime-thunderously rolling-one-of-a-kind-you-don’t-want-to-miss-this-sort-of-a-show.”

I don’t know how else to put it. An interesting guy performing timeless tunes, Petunia has a lot on the go – whether it’s recording an album or developing a music festival in California, or it’s performing dates here in the Atlantic Provinces (dates can be found below).

Read on …

1. I believe you’re originally from Quebec, but based out of Fredericton now and you’ve taken your music around the globe over the last decade. How would you describe the journey thus far?

Circuitous. I was raised in the backwoods of Laval in a small town called Ste.-Dorothee, a very French Quebecker kind of place right down to the tight, red Speedos. After that it was travel most of the time, mostly out of a bag.

… And music only much later. In other words, travel led me to music, not the other way around.

I traveled way more and at much greater ease before I started to formally play music and begin to “tour” and play scheduled venue bookings.

Now that this music thing has been going on, my traveling has been cut short and I’ve been forced to actually “settle down” in places. You know, pay rent. It took some getting used to. I’ve lived all over in places since then. Montreal, Toronto, Peterborough, St. Andrews, Fredericton, Saskatoon, southern cowboy country south of Calgary where they still rope and ride, Vancouver, some of the islands out there for bits and pieces of time, a few places in London (UK), Peru (South America)…other spots I’m forgetting should be included in the list.

2. I understand you keep your real name a secret … why is that important to you?

That’s a funny assumption that I keep it a secret. Or that it’s a big deal. It’s more like a trifling and a little boring to explain. A little mystery wins out over those things.

3. How does it impact what you’re doing musically?

I can’t say that it does. Call me Mike, Dan, Peter, Ray, Jay, Sam, John or Tunia or whatever you like and I don’t think it would change the songs or the music I write. I will never know though I suppose.

4. Your music clearly is rooted in older styles and sounds, but it’s a sound that never really seems outdated. Why do you think that is?

Pick your favorite musician. They learned from somewhere how to do what they do and that is the thing that turns you on. What is that “thing” though? When one is inspired to action, “things” happen. Musicians are born, revolutions begin, something new is born. In the book of Ecclesiastes it says that there is nothing “new” under the sun. There is a Muslim proverb that goes something like this – Everything that happens once will never happen again, but whatever happens twice will surely happen a third time.

I think, and I’ve been told before, that every action we make is new in the sense that we are here in a new moment every second and the circumstances are constantly changing in which the new action is born. Always a new equation. If you want to survive as an artist, remember that there is boldness and genius in your actions. Embrace them, for they’re your own. They are new under the sun.

They are like a signature that only one person can make.

On the other hand, it has also been said that the hardest thing to do is to do well what the ancients have done before you.

My sound is my sound inspired from the greats of the past like the greats of the past who were inspired by older greats who were inspired by older greats … etc. down to the beginning of things. I think what makes them great is their identity. No one sounds like John Coltrane although many try. No one makes movies like Herzog although many try. No one writes like the Minimalist Jugband but many will try.

5. Who would you say are your biggest influences musically?

Crazy question. You know, I’ve been spending a lot of time lately around young children. So much goes in to your soul at that age and I reckon it gets to go in without any security or border checks. Actually I think that’s part of the reason that so much can get in there so quickly.

William Burroughs says something like, “No one sees more clearly than the child who sees things uncensored and unfiltered.” Same can be said for all five senses I bet, hearing included.

My biggest musical influences? Sheila Gostick, whom most people will never really get to hear, see or know. Same can be said for Reg Hartt, almost the polar opposite of Sheila Gostick. Even though Reg is known for being a movie guy. These two people are living icons in Toronto. Reg’s place is within a few houses of Bathurst and College, look for the lapis lazuli blue and gold paint job. People from all over the world go there while so many people in Toronto are afraid to. Ray Condo is a Vancouver legend and recently passed away leaving behind his band whom I now play with. Lots of punk rock bands like S.C.U.M., the Subhumans, The Asexuals, My Dog Popper, mostly Montreal bands I guess cause that’s where I was or saw them. Classical giants like Wagner and Sibelius. The beebopper jazzer cats that blew crazy to all who could hear them at the time and say, “Crazy! Not music even.” Earlier David Bowie 1969 – 1980. Led Zepplin, Queen, K-Tel, Bony-M, early Genesis pre-Phil Collins flaky-ness that ruined the band. He should have stuck to drums only. Anyone who has ever made me a cool tape or music compilation has influenced me.

You know, if you want to run down the country-blues-rock-a-hillybilly-ragtime-street guys-jazz band-swing-to-jive to swing stuff, there’s just so many sources that you have to go there on your own. Start with Jimmy Rodgers (the 1920s one not the ‘50s one), The Carter Family and Louis Armstrong and keep running.

6. Tell me about the new album you’re working on. You worked at Sunset Studios in L.A.? How did that happen and what was the experience like?

Another “lucky” occurrence that happened to me.

I had a regular gig in Vancouver up until a few months ago. During that time a fellow named Phil came to see a few shows. He was a very enthusiastic fellow and bought all my albums that I had, he wanted the Petunia collection. He was such a nice, gentlemanly guy that he made an impression. After a few shows, he asked me a question that sort of ticked me off. I’m a musician operating independently, of my own wits and means. I have high standards that are getting higher. He asked, “When is your next CD coming out?” Boy, did I wish I had the money to do the recording I wanted to give this guy or anyone that was a fan. I knew it would take a few years and I told him so in not so many words and maybe a little abruptly. He ended up being the producer for the vinyl recording that we recently did in Los Angeles at the world famous Sunset Studios where Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones and Tom Waits have made records at.

If I were a grant applier for-er or signed to a record label, it could not have happened like it did, I would not have been in the right frame of mind.

Life IS ruled by coincidence, try it out, what you’ll discover is worth way more than what you’d get from a grant application.

The album is being mixed in Vancouver and due out this fall. From what I’ve been hearing in the rough mixes, I won’t ever have to re-record alot of the songs that are on there, that is, they are definitive versions of the songs in question.

7. Did the studio or LA in general influence the new recording, and if so, how?

Great gear. Vintage mics. Genuine plate reverb.

8. Who did you work with on the new album?

Petunia and the Vipers (out of Vancouver) are my current incarnation. Top notch veterans who are familiar with my roots.

9. You also mentioned putting together a festival in California. Can you share the details of the event?

Wow, you’re asking for another long-winded oddball tale.

Recently, our band toured through the Redwood forest in northern California on our way to L.A. We drove straight from Vancouver to Phillipsville, CA. We left at 8 a.m. and we arrived at 1 a.m., 17 hours later.

When we arrived at this out of the way bar – it’s a roadhouse in the middle of the Redwood forest, it’s freakin’ awesome! – there were three people waiting up for us. The bartender said, “What would you like to drink?”

The guy having a drink at the bar said, “I’d like to pay you guys $300 to play a few songs cause I won’t be here tomorrow night to see you.” The second guy at the bar handed out some special Redwood medicinal home grown vegetables and herbs.

We had arrived in the Redwood forest.

After the show the next night, I got to know the owner, a lovely individual. Built over 60 years ago, her bar was made for our sound, and we have never sounded better. She has hosted many now famous touring acts who deign her place no longer necessary to play at, and instead they play in nearby Arcata or Eureka. This broke my heart. If you knew this lady you’d understand. She salts the polished wood dance floor in between sets for heaven sakes! Her bar is way cool.

How could I somehow make up for some of this? What could I do?

There is another gal in this story.

She’s a risk taker and she likes to live in the fast lane. At the same time she’s a down to earth country fun lovin’ gal, she works hard and helps us. She makes great musical compilations and is a musical influence.

Foremost in her life – music and art.  She exists and I know her.

I talked to her and put her in touch with the bar owner, wonderful individual. As it turns out it has been her dream for years to have a music festival. Now we’re going to have a festival, partly in the bar, partly in the towns about, part indoors, part outdoors, very redweird Californian style … planning on 10+ bands for the first year plus all the fringe benefits of a redweird festival in the woods. Going to be high flying fun. Hope for the end of July 2011 or early August 2011.

This is a call out for a coast to coast hook up, a hobo party by the tracks maybe included. You’re all invited.

Check out Petunia at the following gigs:

July 29 – Woodstock – Farmer’s Market
Aug. 5 – Fredericton – Officer’s Square
Aug. 7 – Grand Manan – TBA
Aug. 15 – Alma – Bay of Loons Park
Aug. 17 – Portland, ME, USA – Venue Music Bar
Aug. 20 – Bellingham, WA – Green Frog Acoustic Tavern
Aug. 24 – The Grapevine – St. John’s, N.L.
Aug. 25 – The Ship Inn – St. John’s, N.L.
Aug. 27 – The Rose & Thistle – St. John’s, N.L.
Aug. 28 – CBTG’s – St. John’s, N.L.
Aug. 29 – CBTG’s – St. John’s, N.L.
Sept. 5 – Harvey Hall, Harvey. N.B.
Sept. 16-19 – Harvest Jazz & Blues Festival – Fredericton, N.B.

Come back tomorrow for some news and an interview with The Stanfields!

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A Widescreen Sunrise, from left: Jon Harquail, Chris Cowan, Sean Ryan.

Longtime school friends and musicians Sean Ryan (vocals/guitar), Chris Cowan (drums) and Jon Harquail (bass) of Riverview, N.B. have joined forces in recent months as a new trio, A Widescreen Sunrise.

A pop/rock band with a polished, radio-ready sound, the band has been rehearing non-stop and recording for an album they’re hoping to get out in the not-too-distant future.

The group sort of grew out of the ashes of Ryan’s previous band, Chapter Four, but the members of A Widescreen Sunrise have big plans, as they fill us in on today …

1. Tell me about the new band. How and when did you guys form?

Chris: The band started in the early months of 2010, right around the end of March. Sean and I had been talking about putting together a side project for months and we were very interested in having Jon be a part of the group as well. Right around this time Chapter Four, which was Sean’s last band, was going through a rough patch, they were heading for Cape Breton for the ECMAs, when two members (who will remain un-named) dropped out with only a few days remaining.

With that being said, this gave the three of us a large gap to start putting together this side project, which became A Widescreen Sunrise.

Jon: The band is a great fusion of an aggressive underground sound with a mainstream appeal. It was actually Chris’s idea to layer the rock sound with digital sampling and effects, similar to the likes of Lady Gaga or Kesha. All which will be performed live through electronic drum triggering and digital tracking.

2. What’s the status of Chapter Four these days?

Sean: Well to tell you the truth, this was a hard topic for me to touch on for awhile, with all the time and effort I had put into Chapter Four. To be frank about it, Chapter Four will always have a place in my heart, but it has been on the back burner for so long that it’s kind of lost its appeal and in reality, A Widescreen Sunrise blows my fucking mind! I love it.

3. As I understand it, the new band has been writing and rehearing. When are you guys hitting the stage?

Jon: We have been writing since day one, and rehearsing like mad men. We really haven’t stopped since the beginning. From day one the three of us had perfect chemistry and before we knew we were ready with a full roster of great tunes and immediately hit the studio. As for shows, we would like to hit Moncton hard sometime within the next month. Certainly no later than the end of August. We feel what we have is big … something unheard of, and with this new band we are focusing a lot on the entertainment aspect of things … we won’t hit the stage until we know we have a show that will tear the roof off of any venue in Moncton … or any city for that matter.

4. What are the plans for this band? Do you guys plan on sticking to the Moncton area or are you looking to tour outside the region as well? What about a record?

Sean: Obviously with any band, you have to start out in your home town… or nearby, to gather a fan base… it’s like any standing structure… it’s nothing without a strong foundation. We feel we have what it takes to build one, and quickly.

Jon: The one thing we have said from the start is that we cannot over expose ourselves, especially in our own city… by playing a lot we will just drown ourselves.

Chris: Yeah, we want to come into Moncton with a bang, and hit every other city in the Maritimes, and eventually work our way across Canada. Maybe even venture to the U.S. or Europe.

Sean: As for a record, we are currently fine tuning one right now. We are actually taking a break from mixing to do this interview. This album has become very hands on for all of us. We are doing a lot of it from the comfort of home. Chris especially is learning a lot from it.

5. What song(s) or album(s) have you been listening to most lately?

Sean: I think everyone in the band is extremely open-minded when it comes to music. Myself, when it comes to getting inspired for lyrics I will listen to anything from country to rap, R&B to screamo… right now in my truck I am listening to David Gray and Kings of Leon.

Chris: Right now I have been listening to a lot of pop/dance . Anything with big beats, synth, and crazy effects.

6. What are your thoughts on the music scene on the east coast?

Sean: I think I’ll take this one on. I know Jon and Chris have spoken their minds about the Moncton scene in the past and have stirred up a little shit with some people. But I think that’s the problem with a lot of people in the Moncton scene. No one is open-minded these days. Everyone is set in their ways and they will not step outside of the box. This is the exact opposite of what we are. We strongly believe in pushing boundaries. Being original. Taking things to the next level. We aren’t scared to just go with it and have fun. Don’t get us wrong. We have been playing in Moncton and the Maritimes for awhile now, and the cities are great, the people are great and we have always been accepted in one way or another. There is just always a few rotten apples that have to spoil it for everyone else.

7. Anything else you’d like to add about the new band or anything else?

Sean: We would just like to mention that we are actually launching our MYSPACE page today actually, and we encourage everyone to visit it, drop us a line, and let us know what you think. Let us know who you are. We would like to get to know our fans. We appreciate everything and anything they do to helps us make this happen. Our first single is called “Without Warning,” and is set to be on air sometime towards the end of summer. The song was actually strongly influenced by the unfortunate car crash the killed three young adults earlier this summer. We hope with this song you can take comfort knowing that our support is here for you in words whenever you need it!

Last week, we lied and said we’d have Petunia this week. Well, check back on EastCoastNoise.com for that very chat with Petunia!

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Glory Glory Man United are performing in Moncton tonight.

Glory Glory Man United finds itself in Moncton at Plan B tonight playing a CD release show for the Halifax band’s full-length debut, ZOMBIES!! Tomorrow night, they play The Capital bar in Fredericton and on July 16, they’re in Dartmouth at CD Heaven.

Comprised of music school friends Adam Warren (vocals, guitar), Gavin Maclean (bass, vocals) and Ryan Brown (drums, vocals), GGMU recorded and produced the album themselves, but leaned on friend and sometimes bandmate Andrew Watt (of The Heavy Blinkers fame). GGMU acted as Watt’s backing band for his solo debut, First Day Of Summer Life, recently.

This week, Adam Warren joins us to talk about the new album, working with Watt and more …

1. Tell me about Glory Glory Man United. You formed in 2006 … but how did it happen?

We formed after the three of us moved to Halifax. Ryan and I had played together in a semi-terrible but really fun punk band while we were in the music program at St. FX, so upon graduation had sort of tentative plans to continue playing together but couldn’t make it work for almost a year, as he lived on P.E.I. and long-distance is tough. We knew Gavin through the music department at St. FX as well, and we were working together so we started jamming and it just clicked. It’s the first band that I think any of us have been in where it seemed like from the beginning we all had the same sort of idea about how it should sound, or at least didn’t constantly argue about what things should sound like, and just had fun playing the tunes.

2. You guys recently worked with Andrew Watt on his solo project as Andrew Watt & The Glory Glory. Apparently he hired you as complete strangers? How did that happen and why did you decide to work with him?

Andrew’s studio was across from the Rock Garden, which is where we do most of our rehearsing, and the owner Rob is a good friend of ours (he actually put out our EP Friends of the Seen on his label, From Here to There). I believe he and Andrew became friends due to proximity and the fact they both worked in the same field, and I think Andrew must have heard of us that way. We hung out once or twice, and he asked us about playing on his album in exchange for mixing/studio time in Common Ground. For us, it was pretty much a no-brainer, as he’s worked with SO MANY people around that we like and respect, and besides that, it sounded like it would be a challenge musically as what he does is very different from what we do.

3. Watt went on to mix Zombies! so obviously the working relationship panned out. How has your relationship with Watt impacted the band?

Very positively! Andrew Watt is one of the best people we have ever met in the music industry — he basically started pushing our band on everyone he knew as soon as we started hanging out, and Andrew knows everybody, so that helped us get to know more people in town. Because none of us grew up here, or went to school here, it was tough at first to meet people and Andrew helped to change that.

4. It’s been two years since your last release. How has the band or band’s sound changed in that time?

I tend to think we sound like a very different band now — the music is more layered, more “pop,” more danceable (less weird rhythmically, at least) and more sonically ambitious. We rehearse a lot, so having played together for a few more years makes a difference as well as to the overall tightness of the band, the performance.

5. Now that Zombies! is in the can and out there for folks to hear, how do you feel about the record?

Pretty good! We’ve been getting really good responses, which is exciting. We’ve been sitting on it for months and months, as we tried to figure out how/when to release it etc., and I have to admit that I would throw it on every once in awhile and just freak out inwardly that people would think it was amateur, generally crappy and we would look foolish … but so far that hasn’t happened and we’re happy to finally have some people outside of our friends and family to hear it. We recorded it ourselves for almost no money, so I think what we ended up with is pretty cool — tone-wise it can stand up to recordings that cost well into the tens of thousands of dollars and we’re proud of that.

6. You’ve just completed a quick tour of Ontario. How did that go, and has it been difficult to take the band outside of the Maritimes?

This last tour was easily our best — got to see some old friends, and family, which is always nice, and played with some great bands (our Out of Sound friends, for example) to some of our largest and most enthusiastic audiences! It has been somewhat difficult to take the band outside of the Maritimes, financially, and otherwise. As an example, on this last tour we were on a rural highway in between Guelph and Hamilton when our muffler exploded because of a misfire in the engine of our minivan, and we had to bend the muffler back together using a jack and drive to the gig that way. The next day we had it fixed, but what we thought was something minor of course wasn’t and all of a sudden you’re out a thousand dollars.

There’s also the struggle of convincing people who’ve never heard of you to come out to a show, stay at a show when their friends are all leaving, book you for a show, etc… Our first tour outside of the Maritimes consisted of a show in Montreal and Toronto, and a stop in Fredericton on the way home. However, we have made a lot of new friends over the last year and a half, going to Ontario every few months or so and hitting Montreal if we can, and it is gradually getting easier and better.

7. Now that the album is out … what’s next for you guys?

Writing new songs! We’ve been playing a lot of the material on ZOMBIES!! for what feels like a while, so it will be good to be able to focus on being more creative again. Also, lots of touring — we plan on returning to Ontario and Quebec at the end of October.

8. What song(s) or album(s) have you been listening to most lately?

Wilco — Wilco. Blank, Blank, Blank — Contrived.

9. If you weren’t in the music industry in some capacity, what would you be doing today?

I often ask myself the same question when I’m frustrated with the various difficulties (lack of money being a big one, ha….) with being a musician, but can never think of anything I’d rather be doing, or could do instead. This has been what I’ve wanted to do for a long time.

Check back to EastCoastNoise.com next Friday for a chat with: Petunia

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Lovestorm will release its debut album next week.

Introducing … Lovestorm. The two-piece is a collaboration between acclaimed longtime Moncton-based musicians Nina Khosla (The Great Balancing Act) and Tim Isaac (Isaac & Blewett).

The duo recorded its debut album, Great Ocean, at home in recent months, and will unveil the album next Friday, July 9 at the Aberdeen Cultural Centre in Moncton. Another show the night before takes place at Harvey Hall deep in the beautiful land of Harvey, N.B. near Fundy Park. Other Maritime shows are scheduled throughout the summer and all dates are available on the band’s site.

Recently, Tim took time to share his thoughts on the new collaboration:

1. Tell me about Lovestorm. When did you guys form and how did you guys come together to make music?

We’ve bounced off each other for more than 10 years, been fans of one another’s bands as well. Being in the close-knit music community of N.B., we also had many opportunities to jam together and even had the two bands play shows together a few times. Five years ago Nina and I recorded an EP, ambient and experimental. I found she was creative and expressive in a way that really complemented my musical tastes. About a year ago we decided to re visit the possibilities of a musical collaboration with more focus and vision. This has resulted in the recording Great Ocean.

2. You both have extensive careers on the east coast with Isaac & Blewett and The Great Balancing Act. Based on those experiences, what do you think you each bring to Lovestorm?

I feel we both have an ease on stage that our experiences brings. This makes it easier to focus on the performance, the music, the presentation. I think that I provide a solid musical footing, allowing Nina to put more of her attention on the lyrics, singing, connecting with the audience as a front-woman. The music I conjure is cello-based. The orchestral sound brings a touch of class, a richness and depth with the loops that I feel complements Nina’s vocals.

3. What does Lovestorm allow you to do that is different from your other projects?

I enjoy the fresh sound that comes from mixing it up with Nina. Every combination of creative forces will result in different results, and this is a good one!  I like the role of accompanist, as opposed to being the main tormented singer/songwriter in I&B. While I have lots on my plate with the music in Lovestorm, I also find myself watching Nina, and admire her songs, performance, and the embellishments she flavours the music with on harmonium, flute, marimba and ukulele. I also like being able to delve into cello- based loops deeper in Lovestorm, which is possible because I’m creating the main sound track. For Nina, this band provides an opportunity to showcase her own original songs and express herself on a more personal level than GBA in which she provides a more supportive role.

4. Tell me about the new album. What can people expect?

It is lush and pulsing with life, it is both a personal and spiritual journey through themes of love, appreciation for nature’s beauty and bounty, and a statement of gratitude for the blessings in our lives. These sentiments are expressed in both the lyrics and the music. The lyrics ride on trancy beats, multi-layered cello tracks, some wild and distorted leads, and the rich and organic sounds of harmonium blending into the mix. It is a truly unique sound, filled with both nuance and energy.

5. Is it just the two of you on the album or are there other musicians performing with you?

Just the two of us….. We recorded this at home over time, and you can feel the comfortable organic vibe in the music. We had it mixed by our friend Howard England who really took it to another level and squeezed everything he could out of our recorded tracks.

6. How will you be presenting the songs live? As a duo or with guests?

As a duo. I loop the cello live, and sometimes build cello tracks on top of pre-recorded beats. The cello has a great range from bass to high harmonics, so there are all kinds of sonic possibilities to make some cool music. Nina is highly expressive as she lays her heart on the line, and provides some really nice parts on her instruments as well.

7. What are the long-term plans for the band? Plenty of touring, or are you sticking close to home?

Right now we are taking gigs in the Maritimes, but sending our CD everywhere, looking for attention, finding a niche for our unique sound. Nina has some great new songs as well that we will want to record before too long. She spends winters in Mexico, where she finds her main inspiration for songs. Some she composes on the Uke, others she lays on top of music and ideas I send her by e-mail from the frozen north.

8. What song(s) or album(s) have you been listening to most lately?

Gotan Project, Olympic Symphonium, Memphis

Big fan of CBC Laurie Brown’s “the Signal.” She plays all kinds of obscure and wonderfully creative music that is on the fringe…… I really feed on anything I haven’t already “heard.”

9. What’s the next thing you want to accomplish, musically or otherwise?

We know we have something special. We want to share it with as many people as we can. It can take a lot of effort and time for any new musical entity to find its audience. We want to find those people, share our music with them, and enrich their lives with something beautiful and provocative.

Check back to EastCoastNoise.com next Friday for a chat with: Glory Glory Man United

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The Light Brights will release its debut this fall. (Scott Blackburn photo)

Coming from the Halifax/Dartmouth area, The Light Brights are Bethany Fulde (vocals/guitar), Chad Harrington (bass) and Andrew Dahms (percussion). The trio met in music school and has since created its own funky, bluesy, dancey rock sound.

The Light Brights have made a name for themselves in recent months, releasing a self-titled EP last fall and playing shows non-stop in the Halifax area.

The band is taking a break for the summer while readying its full-length release, The World’s A Changin’, which Fulde says “shines with musical-growth, and sings of the frustrations and wonders of both love and the Earth.”

Fulde and Harrington join us this week …

1. Tell us about The Light Brights. When and how you did you guys form?

Bethany Fulde: We met through the NSCC Music Arts program.  After the first six months, and after playing in both rock and latin/R&B ensembles together, I asked Chad and Andrew if they wanted to play in a band with me. They were like YEAHHHH! They were more of a rhythm section to my old singer/songwriter stuff, but once school was finished we felt a little more free with our creativity.  We started to mesh together and write together and really bring some soul to our new stuff — we’re not the same band you may have heard when we first started.

Chad Harrington: It was a music school thing, we met playing music together at NSCC. Originally me and Andrew were just Bethany’s rhythm section for her more folky sounding music. Then we realized we wanted to be a BAND. The new music is so much different, you can hear everyone’s influences. Very groove-based stuff … but also improvisational elements are in there too. We actually wrote most of the music together at band rehearsals. Bethany writes the most of the lyrics, but Andrew, our drummer, wrote a lot of them for a song Shine a Little Light, and I wrote all the lyrics for The Worlds a Changin.’

2. How did you get into performing/recording your own music, and what was the first major lesson you learned once you got your feet wet in the ‘business’?

BF: We started performing and recording as The Light Brights about a year and a half ago, though we’ve all done both with other bands and projects in previous years. We recorded our first EP through school, though a lot of it was re-mixed and re-recorded at Sound Shelter Studio, which is Chad’s recording studio.  By the time we released it (Sept. ‘09), we were already writing new songs and knew that we were starting to go in a different direction… that’s about the time I switched to electric guitar. We spent a lot of long days in the studio in the past six months, hashing out songs and getting the forms and lyrics and layers and tones the way we wanted them.

I think one major lesson we’ve learned is that things always take longer than you expect. I think it’s because we get so excited to do things like perform and record and tour that we hope to get it all done at once… but with all the marketing/promotion/networking to be done too, plus unexpected bumps along the way, it’s impossible, and it’s not worth rushing it.  It’s all about working hard and prioritizing… which can also mean playing the waiting game.

CH: It’s a lot of work…. you can’t just play a few shows and expect people will notice you. You need to make sure you promote every show. No sense wasting a gig, you need to let as many people know about it as possible. Sometimes it’s hard to do it all, but we try and we’re getting better.

3. As I understand it, you guys are on a “show hiatus” for the summer so you can concentrate on preparing the new album. How is the recording and all that going?

BF: Well, our album is almost finished (it just has to be mastered!!), and we are really excited to share it with everyone! We want to really let people know about our new music, so we’re taking the summer to promote through album reviews, radio play, a music video (which we recorded in May) for our single, Do They Know, and a making-of documentary about the music video which includes interviews and behind-the-scenes footage.

CH: The recordings sound GREAT, Andew Watt did a wonderful job mixing them here at my home studio (where we recorded the entire album) and were just waiting on mastering! Very exciting.

4. The album release and tour is planned for September. Are you still on target for that?

BF: Yes!  We’ll be having a CD release party in Halifax in September, and a Maritime tour to follow shortly after.  Dates will be released mid-July!

5. How extensive will the tour be?

CH: For fall, every inch of the Maritimes we can get to… eventually spreading to more of central Canada.

6. If you weren’t in the music industry in some capacity, what would you be doing today?

BF: Working on a music therapy degree…I know that’s still music but I can’t imagine it not being directly related to my life — I’d be so sad! It’d be great to incorporate music therapy and working in a third world country like Ghana or Peru. I plan to go down there and volunteer in the next 10 years anyways… actually, if I wasn’t doing music at all I would already be doing that.

CH: Something creative… I used to get my creativity out by customizing old Volkswagens. I guess I still do… but not to the extent that I used to. I’m still always dabbling in anything I can. My cousin and I are planning on filming a short nine-minute thriller in August to be released in 2011 sometime.

7. What song or album have you been listening to most lately?

BF: Black Keys — Brothers, Rheostatics — Introducing Happiness, Bonnie Raitt – Live at The Rainbow Room. Oh, and I haven’t listened to it lately, but if you’re reading this and want some poetry and live jazzy jazz you should really listen to Tom Waits – Nighthawks at the Diner.

CH: I’ve been listening to ours. I’ve put so much time into recording and helping with mixing and such.   A little overdosed at the moment, but (I’m) still enjoying the songs, so that’s good! Other than that…  I’ve taken a liking to Zeus and Dan Mangan.

8. Other than the new album, what’s the next thing you want to accomplish, musically or otherwise?

BF: I can’t wait to really get touring! Maritimes in September, Quebec/Ontario soon to follow. More Maritimes in the late spring. There will definitely be a new album within the next two years, as we’ve already started working on a couple of songs together, and I’ve been writing a lot of bluesy stuff on my own lately (which I know the guys will funnnk up even more!). There’s so much we have planned, it’s just a matter of time!

CH: Albums, more. Record a few bands I’m not actually in. I’ve got some solo music I would like to spend some time on, folk /dance, sort of an organic electronic fusion possibly, that short film …  I want to build a custom electric bike. Too many ideas, not enough time.  So main focus is on The Light Brights.

Check back to EastCoastNoise.com next Friday for a chat with: Tim Isaac of Lovestorm and Isaac & Blewett

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I’m on vacation this week and next, hence the delay in getting the Fridays with … column up. So, as a bit of a weekend bonus, I’m throwing up two great interviews, with Kev Corbett and Kyle Cunjak.

I can’t promise I won’t be late again this coming week, but things should be back to normal the week after. We have a lot of great Fridays with … interviews planned, and the usual crop of news and notes.

As always, thanks for your continued support. Please spread the word, and sign up for our Facebook group here.

Cheers,

Eric

Fridays with … Kev Corbett

Kev Corbett recently toured Canada.

Kev Corbett recently completed a whirlwind tour of Canada promoting his latest album, Son of a Rudderless Train, which was released last year.

Mid-tour, he fired us off an interesting e-mail painting a picture of his two-month, eye-opening journey. The Nova Scotia singer-songwriter had “the task and trip of a lifetime,” as he put it.

We caught up with Corbett this week where he shed some light on his recent experiences:

1. What are you up to these days, musically or otherwise? (Feel free to plug whatever you’ve got coming up.)

I’m decompressing from three months on the road, and sorta gingerly planning my next move. I left Halifax on March 8th, toured to B.C. and back by train over the course of two months, drove again to Vancouver with my partner for Jill Barber’s wedding, then back to Toronto where I met up with Stephen Fearing for a week’s worth of dates around Ontario, then home. I just got home a week ago, so now I’m putting a lot of work into figuring out a routine, reconnecting with my partner, listening to a large archive of old vinyl records I inherited, catching up on sleep, writing the songs that came up while I was out there, re-imagining my sound, playing drums and doing manual work to clear my head and save up some money for new gear and producing the next record. Not working, ironically, is turning out to be a lot of work.

2. How did you get into performing/recording your own music, and what was the first major lesson you learned once you got your feet wet in the ‘business’?

It was really a continuum. I trained as a drummer and really only ever wanted to be a pro sideguy, like the guys in Dave Letterman’s band, just versatile and nailing it every night. I did the waterfront cover band scene long enough to learn Crosby-Stills-type harmonies and hate everything else about it, and quickly ditched cover band school for playing in bands that did their own stuff.

There was a latin/jazz/funk project called Knifey Moloko, spent a year in Amelia Curran’s band, then took a position with a Francophone band called Blou, which toured really hard. It was 200 days a year of airplanes, and they got two ECMAs over the four years or so I was working for them. At first I loved the pace and I was proud of the work we were doing together; but in time I was feeling isolated, frustrated, and unfulfilled in the larger picture. I’d been writing a bit, just for my own purposes, and when I played some of my tunes for someone I was dating, she told me that those songs deserve to be heard and if I never played them anywhere I was an idiot.

I never had much ambition for the tunes as such, but the studio environment was a fascinating sandbox to imagine playing in, so I set about it, made my first record which came out in late 2005/early 2006, and then got invited to a huge songwriting competition at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival in Colorado. That was my first hint that I might be onto something. The more I experimented, the more people responded. I think songwriting is one way I process the world, and I think it plays into my pathological aversion to being misunderstood. Since then, for me, it’s been about finding my voice, finding my little tribe of colleagues and fans, and doing the work that I like.

Big lessons: I’d say they all come around to being true to oneself. There’s a lot of pressure to jump through stupid hoops, make focus-group music, be trendy, talk like a press release. The great thing about art is that you can choose your own boundaries, and let the chips fall. It’s empowering.

3. You recently completed a two-month cross-country tour by train and car. You sent an interesting e-mail our way that shed a little bit of light on your journey through Canada, but tell us what the trip was like for you.

It was the greatest adventure, like living in the movie One Week. I felt really lucky to be able to do it in the first place, and just tried to attend to all the tasks at hand — being easy to work with, doing a good show, advancing my places to stay and so on — while being as in the moment and openhearted as possible. I was couchsurfing a lot, and dealing with no downtime, even when I was alone on a highway. Some real highs and some real lows, constant wonder and through it all, I just had a huge job to do and I needed to keep on game. The mantra was: Enjoy this. This is just how it is and you’re the luckiest guy anywhere.

4. What was the most interesting thing you saw or experienced during the trip?

I was invested in the trip as kind of a beginning-middle-end process, but nonetheless I’d always wanted to deeply visit B.C., and I lapped that up with great gusto. I met a great friend in Vancouver, who had my back when I needed it most. I loved everything about Vancouver Island — my hosts in Victoria, old friends in Courtenay, the surfer culture and perfect tacos in Tofino, seven bald eagles circling at once in Ucluelet, the repeated wonders of Cathedral Grove. Wow. I’d long wanted to visit Nelson, and had it built up into a potential highlight, but it was ironically one of the screwiest, most painful gigs of my life. The rest of the lower mainland was stunning. I did a theatre show in Vancouver that was a lot of fun, capped it off with one on Salt Spring Island, and was simultaneously played on Valdy’s radio show there, which felt amazing. I went back to Vancouver, got a phone message that an uncle had died, and then had six days on the train to inculcate that before getting home for a week before leaving again to go back. At least on the second trip there, I could show my partner some of the things I’d seen. A large chunk of my soul lives there, I think.

5. What did you learn about Canada as you were criss-crossing it?

How really huge and diverse it is. The geographical fact is really cool: the way the rolling hills and mixed forest of the Maritimes gives way to the St. Lawrence river valley, gives way to the Great Lakes Basin, gives way to the Canadian Shield, gives way to the Great Plains, gives way to the Rockies. You really feel like you’re traveling. The people-diversity is amazing. Local food cultures are a lens through which I experience a sense of place, so things like Mennonite cream sauce on an Easter roast, or homemade elk sausages for breakfast, or a pemmican burger, or Okanagan wine, or borscht — all the things we don’t have much of here — these are gifts, ways that people say this is who we are. And especially when you’re staying at their house, you can only be grateful for the sharing. It engenders a larger sense of wonder and gratitude for the learning experience, a deep desire to make sense of it somehow.

6. On Son of a Rudderless Boat, you have a who’s who of guest musicians playing with you. What kind of an atmosphere does it bring to the recording process when you’ve got friends coming and going all the time adding to your project?

Again, gratitude. These are peers, many of whom I’ve known and worked with in various contexts over the years, so I’d ask each to come in for a part here or there, and it’d take two takes of the chorus or whatever and they’re gone. Some needed to be paid, most didn’t, and I’d move mountains for any of them regardless. It enriched the process for me, because whereas I’d performed 99 per cent of the first record myself, I can’t sing soprano, play trumpet, etc., and to hear those sounds is still exciting. Some people were game, but we couldn’t schedule anything that worked for them. Other people offered, but I couldn’t hear a part for them that made sense, in which case, I just listened to what they thought. Some people didn’t show up until the third try. It was a bit stressful, because I was on a real time crunch to realize all that I heard in my head, but in the end, it was going to be as it should. I felt like my community had my back, so you just try to pay it forward.

7. If you weren’t in the music industry in some capacity, what would you be doing today?

Tough to say, as I don’t have any other skill. Maybe food culture and/or some kind of trade. I’m a hopeless foodie and I worked in restaurant kitchens before it came down to a decision point. I like doing manual stuff, like farm work, and building things. I’m doing some work now with some friends of mine who own a food business that’s expanded ridiculously in the last year, so it gives me something to do while the tour songs come out, a pay cheque to start recording them when they do, and a nice feeling of helping my friends build their future up.

8. What song or album have you been listening to most lately?

Strict Joy, by the Swell Season. It just hits me where I live.

9. What’s the next thing you want to accomplish, musically or otherwise?

I think I just want to continue to grow. I think the rest’ll take care of itself.

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Fridays with … Kyle Cunjak

The Olympic Symphonium, with Kyle Cunjak at left.

Fredericton’s Kyle Cunjak is one of the busiest guys in the New Brunswick music scene. If I recall correctly, I first knew him as a photographer. Then I saw him play bass for David Myles and Jill Barber at a fantastic, low-key concert at a small gallery in Sackville. Later, we’d chat about his own bands, such as Olympic Symphonium or Force Fields (formerly Fussy Part).

Today, he fires press releases my way and drops me a line about not only his bands, but the many he helps promote and manage.

As you’ll see, Cunjak has a ton on the go. But I’ll let him fill you in …

1. What are you up to these days, musically or otherwise?

Presently I am working on:

- slowly mixing the new Olympic Symphonium album
- printing a photography show for exhibit in fall 2010
- slowly working on a Force Fields album
- bookings for Snailhouse, Sleepless Nights and Petunia
- trying to find funding for a few albums that need finishing
- gearing up for the release shows for David Myles’ new record
- helping run a label/management team out of New Brunswick
- learning how to cook Thai food

2. How did you get into the music business and what was the first major lesson you learned once you got your feet wet?

I got into the music business by necessity because there was little to no labels, managers, publicists, booking agents, etc. … in English New Brunswick and we had albums/artists that needed help.

3. What song or album have you been listening to most lately?

I’ve been listening to a lot of old country, folk and bluegrass: Bob Wills, Harry McClintock, Bluegrass Album Band. Have you ever heard the Louvin Brothers – Satan Is Real?  It’s amazing.  Also can’t stop listening to the few rough mixes from Mike O’Neill’s new album, which is going to be better than most things.

4. What’s your favourite way to waste time or relax?

Swimming.  Pretty much my favourite thing in the world.

5. The Internet and social media are allowing artists to get closer to their fans than they ever were in some respects. What are your thoughts on this?

Totally fine, breaks down the barriers that once let rock stars get away with so much crap.  Everything has been done by bands in the ‘70s and ‘80s, so when I see macho jerks in a rock band trying to act cool and do something “bad” it’s just depressing.

6. If you weren’t in the music industry in some capacity, what would you be doing today?

I’d likely be pursuing photography more actively.  I’m not complaining though, having photography be strictly an artistic practice has given me a lot more freedom and peace of mind within the medium.  I’m a huge advocate for film and every time I take on a commercial job and shoot digitally it gets me down.

7. What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learned recently?

The fact that Roger Miller did all the music for Disney’s Robin Hood gives me even more respect for the man.

8. If you could hit the “delete” button on anything related to music (a song, artist, trend, whatever), what would you delete?

I love this question and have thought about this often. I’ve tried to think of who I could erase to get rid of the manufactured music movement in the ‘80s and ‘90s and EVERYTHING that followed but that’s likely just an evolution of a pretty face singing someone else’s music that has been around forever and you can’t get rid of someone without then losing an important part of musical history.

After much deliberation it’s come down to either Smash Mouth or Insane Clown Posse.

9. What’s your favourite thing to drink (alcoholic or otherwise)?

Picaroons beer, V8 (the original, in the can), and fresh-squeezed grapefruit/orange/lemon juice (called Grarorange Juice). Not at the same time.

10. Finish the sentence below and please elaborate on what you mean:

The east coast music scene … difficult but rewarding.

Because we are so isolated from most of the Canadian music industry, we have to work harder than the rest of Canada to get respect and support. It sometimes gets me down because I see so much talent that is given up on because it’s too much work and people lose their steam and break down. However, then I go watch a show or listen to a new record and realize that the best music comes from this region and if the rest of the world doesn’t know about it, it’s their loss.

11. What’s the next thing you want to accomplish, musically or otherwise?

If I could get Forward Music Group to a point where we’d be guaranteed at least 3,000 units sold of any pressing if would give us so much more freedom to take risks and put out more experimental music or side projects and spend more time on actually doing the thing we’re working towards … MAKING MUSIC. I can’t tell you how frustrating it is to spend 1/2 of my day on the computer when my instruments are what I should be concentrating on.

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