Formed in Sydney, N.S., Thought Machine released its debut record, appropriately titled Maiden Voyage, earlier this year.
The progressive rock band, made up of Brett Waye (vocals/bass/keyboards), Scott MacLean (guitar), Marc Langille (guitar, synth-guitar) and Adam Wedgewood (drums), worked with East Coast Music Award-winning (more…)
The Modern Men, from left, Jonah, Seth and Fionn.
So it’s not Friday, but there’s not much we can do about that now. We’re way late.
The good news is, we’ve got a cool interview here from Seth Bernstein from Halifax pop band The Modern Men.
The band, made up of Seth, Jonah Bernstein and Fionn Chin-Yee, recently released its debut CD ‘The Sensual Sounds of…’ (available on iTunes Canada). (more…)
Fredericton's Andy Brown is currently touring through N.B.
Andy Brown has received a ton of recognition in recent weeks. He won three awards at the inaugural Music New Brunswick Awards (Male Recording Artist of the Year, Emerging Artist of the Year and Pop Recording of the Year for False Alarm), plus he won (more…)
Kim Wempe is touring in support of her new album.
As we reported a couple weeks ago, Halifax-based musician Kim Wempe recently released her new full-length record, Painting With Tides (Groundswell/Warner).
The album was recorded at Echo Chamber Studio in Halifax with Charles Austin (Buck 65, David Myles, Jenn Grant, Tanya Davis) and features performances (more…)
Keith Mullins is set to tour the Maritimes.
Cape Breton’s Keith Mullins has been touring the world for years as a percussionist with everyone from Lennie Gallant to Sarah Slean to Paula Cole to Dave Carroll.
At the end of last month, Mullins released his debut solo effort, Localmotive Farm. A mix of folk and rock that touches on sounds from Cuba and Africa, the seven-song effort shows the musical chameleon that Mullins is.
His roots are in Cape Breton Island, and at the age of 14, he started entertaining bar crowds with bandmate, Steven MacDougall (Slowcoaster). After completing a music degree and studies in Cuba and Africa, Mullins turned his passion into his profession.
In addition to touring, Mullins developed and facilitated some drumming workshops, a salsa workshop (with an eight-piece Latin band partly from Cuba) and a songwriting workshop with good friend Steven Bowers. He has delivered these workshops to groups of all ages; in schools, at special events, and at festivals across the country. He was recently nominated in Music Nova Scotia’s 2010 Educator of the Year category.
In April of this year, while performing at Dollywood in Tennessee with a Peruvian Cajon troupe and a Trinidad Steel Drum group, Mullins made a trip to Nashville to record Localmotive Farm with the assistance of long-time friend, cousin and acclaimed songwriter Gordie Sampson.
Mullins sings and plays drums, bass, guitar, congas, bongos, maracas, clave, chimes, wood blocks, tambourine and jingle bells on Localmotive Farm. Special guests include beat-boxer Jay Andrews, Anna Ludlow (fiddler), Tim Isaac (cello), Gordie Sampson (guitar, bass) and many, many more.
A finalist in the 2010 David Suzuki song competition and 2010 Music Nova Scotia nominee for Musician of the Year, Mullins is touring the Maritimes over the next few months.
All that said, Mullins took time out of his schedule as he prepares to hit the road to chat with us this week:
1. Your music resume is lengthy and impressive to say the least. How did your musical journey begin and what do you consider your first “break”?
I’ve played with lots of different bands and different styles too. I don’t remember a time when I didn’t play music. I’m from a musical family. Pretty much everyone in my family plays something. They also like to party. As I’m sure you know, music and parties go hand in hand. My grandfather was a fiddler, he was involved with a TV show in Cape Breton called the “Barn Dance”. He also played on the Don Messer show a few times as well. My aunt Flo Sampson played with him from the time she was about 10 and then when I came along, I would always sit to the left of her and just watch her hands all night long. The family would play anything from Ragtime, Blues, Jazz, Latin, Rock n’ Roll, to Cape Breton traditional songs and the fiddle tunes as well.
I don’t think I ever really got any breaks. I’ve just been doing what I do best and that’s playing music. I’ve always played music for a living and that’s what I’ll always be doing. I’ve been supporting so many musicians over the years that when it was my CD all the musicians went out of their way big time to help me. A good portion of this record was made just on bartered services.
2. Performing with such a wide variety of musicians must have been a huge learning experience. What were some of the most important things you learned over the years?
For sure. I love so many different styles of music. It definitely shows on my record. The absolute most important thing is to show up prepared. Know your stuff. Do your homework. It separates the pros from the con-artists. LOL
3. Why a solo record now? And I should ask, what took so long? 
I’ve always been writing music. I have maybe 50 or so songs that I’d like to record. I had to pick seven for this record, not an easy task. But I think a lot of songwriters are forced into doing their own thing out of necessity. Music has always paid my bills, so I’ve been comfortable. And I’m good at supporting people. Yet I’ve always felt the need to play my songs for other people, and it’s only been the past two or so years that I feel ready, in myself, to do it. I think it’s obvious that I’m putting myself out there, and it’s kind of like walking around naked. I guess it’s the right time, I finally feel ready to do it.
4. Did you have a vision for this record? Did you know exactly what you wanted it to be?
Yes. I knew that I wanted it to sound “pro” and I picked the musicians based on how their playing would fit into my music. I had a vision for this record for a few years and had been denied a few grants trying to make it happen. Then Gordie offered me his studio in Nashville after playing him a few of my songs one night. I knew I wanted to include so many of the people that I’ve played with for years and I feel I have a deep musical bond with. One thing that worried me was that I could see that my songs were all totally different. At first it worried me that I wouldn’t be able to “brand” myself but came to the conclusion that this is me. This is the way I am and this is the way I write so I’m putting it out there.
I knew I wanted to start with the cohesiveness of a young, indie band. I feel hugely connected musically to the band Caledonia and they were the first piece of the puzzle. Actually, I feel extremely connected to all of the musicians on this record. In my opinion that’s the greatest thing about the record.
5. How did working in Nashville and working with Gordie Sampson affect the project?
Gordie is a long time mentor, friend and cousin of mine. We’ve lived at each other’s houses growing up at different points (he’s six years older than me). His sister Amy, an exceptional musician in her own right, I’ve been singing with her for my whole life and she’s all over the record as well. To me, Gordie is like a sponge. I see all the best musical traits of our other friends in Gordie. He has the ability to take anything and run with it. He’s a brilliant musician, and so supportive. He’s always in the moment, and free from judgment. He has had a remarkable affect on me in my whole life and on this record.
7. Tell us about the Rhythms of the World project. Is that still going on?
Yes. I have done workshops for the past eight years in schools/festivals across Canada and parts of the U.S. Basically I go into a school with a ton of drums, show the 100-1,500 students how they’re made/played and then teach them rhythms that I learned while studying in Ghana and Cuba on the spot. I have a lot of fun with it. Over the years I’ve learned to adapt it to any level, primary to university. I love playing for young people. They get so excited about the show. I’ve done shows from an alternative school where the police had to take a student out for his last strike of misbehaving to 1,000 Asian kids in Edmonton where you could’ve heard a pin drop.
8. What song, album or artist have you been listening to most lately?
Most records I listen to are of the artists I play with to stay prepared. Lennie Gallant, Caledonia, Havanafax, Salsa Picante, but I’m also loving Thom Swift’s Into the Dirt lately.
Artists that I love are Daniel Lanois, Willie Nelson, Paul McCartney, Tom Waits, Paul Simon. I also have a huge obsession with Cuban music … Isac Delgado is my favourite lately.
9. I understand you operate a farm in Cape Breton? How do you find time to tour the globe and run a farm?
The farm is at the end of a dirt road in Coldstream, N.S. which is close to Stewiacke. My wife Jody Nelson heads the farm side of things and I’m mostly a lackey. hehe I help out when I can. Things for me really pick up on a daily basis in the fall and through the winter with touring shows and workshops. Summers are less busy so I have more time to help with the veggies and animals. It actually works really well. I love the balance that farm life creates for me, it keeps me sane and grounded. I really like the idea of working towards self-sustenance. The product is so much better for you in taste and nutrition as well. We also just had our second child in June, so it’s been a hectic summer. We wouldn’t have it any other way though. hehe.
10. You’re touring the Maritimes into December. What are your plans after that? Long-term plans?
I will always be playing music. I hope that it can evolve into me playing more of my own music as time goes by. I also am working toward it growing into a team of people who can help me in my journey. Music is what I know best and I’m very passionate about it. I don’t really have a choice in the matter, it’s just something that is inside of me. The location and amount of people may get smaller or bigger but I’ll always just be playing.
11. Anything else you’d like to add?
The idea of this record is that anything created on localmotive farm is a product of localmotive farm. Be it children, dreams, veggies, or music. I hope you enjoy it and thanks for the opportunity to let me share what I have to offer.
Check out Keith at the following dates:
Oct. 14 – Halifax, NS – Company House (Full band CD release concert) w/Steven Bowers
Oct. 20 – Rawdon, NS – Rawdon District School
Oct. 21 – Stewiacke, NS – Winding River Consolidated
Nov. 2 – Truro, NS – Marigold Theatre w/Havanafax
Nov. 4 – Annapolis Royal, NS – King’s Theatre w/Havanafax
Nov. 4-7 – Yarmouth, NS – Nova Scotia Music Week
Nov. 10 – Sydney, NS – Harbourside Elementary
Nov. 10 – Howie Centre, NS – House Concert
Nov. 17 – St. Stephen, NB – St. Stephen Middle School
Nov. 18 – St. Andrews, NB – Vincent Massey Elementary
Nov. 19-20 – St. Andrews, NB – Kennedy House
Nov. 27 – Halifax, NS – The Carleton (matinee)
Dec. 1 – Halifax, NS – Company House, opening for Lovestorm
Check back to EastCoastNoise.com next Friday for a chat with: Kim Wempe
Dave Gunning (Photo by Mat Dunlap)
When we last spoke with Nova Scotia folk singer Dave Gunning a year ago, he was touring in support of his latest release, We’re All Leaving, and was gearing up for a tribute album to Atlantic Canadian music legend John Allan Cameron.
A year later, he’s hit the road again (tour dates are below), this time in support of that very tribute to Cameron.
Gunning joins us this week to talk about the new album and the influence Cameron had on his own career …
1. Tell me about the new album. What kind of an influence was John Allan Cameron on your music?
The first live concert that I ever saw was a John Allan Cameron show and Stan Rogers opened that night. I was only eight but I was left with a fairly deep impression and folk/Celtic music would always remain warm and fuzzy to me. Every time that John Allan came to Pictou County me and my family always went to see him. I’ve had many influences over the years but John Allan was my first.
2. Paying tribute to your heroes must be nerve-wracking. Did you feel pressure to emulate his sound or make it your own?
It was about half and half between keeping close to the original John Allan recordings and making some of them my own. For the ones that remained close to the originals I used a 12-string guitar and thumb pick. Using the thumb pick was difficult at first but definitely gave a more ‘John Allan’ sound and feel to the 12-string tracks. There is no one who could ever really sing like John Allan so I didn’t attempt that. It was nerve-racking at points for sure but I grew up on the material, and I certainly know it inside out.
3. On your website, you wrote, “I became quite obsessed with the project …” What were you obsessing over?
I think at the time I was obsessing over the 12-string guitar parts. This question also ties in to the above question in that John Allan is one of my heroes.
There is a certain feel to John Allan’s rhythm guitar playing that I felt was important to capture. I would spend time with headphones on and almost dissect the songs and tunes to try to figure out how I could have that ingredient present on this tribute.
4. Did you struggle at all with song selection or did it come naturally to you?
I could have done three tribute CDs and as it stands I ended up with 17 tracks on this recording. Certain song choices were obvious. I wanted to pick songs that represented a good cross-section of material that he’d recorded and performed live over the years.
5. Has any of Cameron’s family heard the album? Have you received any feedback?
His sister, Jessie, came out to see the Port Hawkesbury show and she was extremely proud, supportive and complimentary. I just received an e-mail this morning from John Allan’s wife Angela and she is excited to see me play in Ontario because she’s heard about the show and the album from Jessie.
Because the release is so new, Angela and Stuart (John Allan’s son) haven’t yet received their copy in the mail but I’m certainly hoping that they’ll appreciate it the final version. Stuart played on the record so he’s already heard most of the material. He said that it gave him chills and he loved it.
Before I got into the project I wanted to make sure that I had Angela and Stuart’s blessings. I’m extremely grateful to the family for letting me into their very personal space.
6. You’re on the road again now. Are you performing mostly Cameron material or are you mixing it up a lot?
The current tour of the Maritimes is a John Allan Tribute concert. I am doing some of my own material as well. It’s funny because I get to be my own special guest on these dates. The tour of Ontario will be mostly my own original material but from now on there will always be a John Allan song played here and there at a Dave show. I think that it’s important to keep these songs going.
7. What song, album or artist have you been listening to most lately?
My good friend Matt Andersen’s Christmas CD that has not yet been released. I’ve had a couple of days off here and there and Matt asked me to help produce his Christmas record so I’ve been working on and listening to that lately. I did go on a Lyle Lovett binge last week though.
8. Tour dates between now and mid-November take you through the Maritimes and Ontario. What’s the plan after that?
I find that if I look too far down the road that I get stressed thinking about all the things that I have to do. There are dates booked as far ahead as this time next year and I’m always picking away at writing here and there. I am looking forward to being home for Christmas and doing some shows locally and spending time with Sara and the boys.
9. And the last time we spoke, you mentioned that your wife was due with child No. 3. I’d be remiss if I didn’t ask how it feels to be a dad three times over …
The little fella’s doing great. His name is Aengus Alexander but we call him Gus. There’s a certain bit of weight knowing that there are three little guys to look after. I’m certainly torn between the road and home.
10. Anything else you’d like to mention?
For a couple of years between 2000 and 2001 I had the pleasure of working with John Allan. He hired me as his bass and guitar player. Every night that I played with him he always featured me half-way though his show getting me to sing a couple of my songs. He was just a great guy and an extremely supportive artist and role model for many others who now follow in his footsteps.
Dave Gunning tour dates:
Oct. 1 Sydney, NS Membertou Trade & Convention Centre
Oct. 2 Antigonish, NS Bauer Theatre
Oct. 3 Amherst, NS Tantramar Theatre
Oct. 5 Liverpool, NS Astor Theatre
Oct. 6 Saint John, NB Blue Olive
Oct. 7 Fredericton, NB Charlotte St. Arts Centre
Oct. 8 Truro, NS Marigold Cultural Centre
Oct. 9 Pictou, NS deCoste Entertainment Centre
Nov. 18 Halifax, NS Casino NS Compass Room
Ian Sherwood is about to release his third album. (Pam Samson photo)
Award winning singer-songwriter Ian Sherwood is about to release his latest album And Now The Fun Begins at the Company House in Halifax next Saturday, Oct. 2.
From there, things get pretty busy. He’s heading to Ontario for a six-date tour, then back home to Nova Scotia for shows in Antigonish and Wolfville for the end of the month. After that? Off to Nova Scotia Music Week in Yarmouth where he’s nominated for Musician of the Year, an award he took home in 2008.
Sherwood’s 2007 sophomore album Art Of Conversation was nominated for two 2008 East Coast Music Association Awards (Pop Album of the Year, CBC Galaxie Rising Star Album of the Year). His debut self-titled record earned nominations for Music Nova Scotia’s Pop/Rock Recording of the Year, Toronto Independent Music Awards Best out of Area Act, and was named Featured Album of the Week by CBC’s Radio One’s Freestyle.
This week, Ian joins us for a chat …
1. Your third album is a week from being released. Tell us about it.
The name of the album is a line in song and I think it sums up the whole theme of the disc rather than a track title. Rob Szabo produced this album in Toronto for me and the vision we had was to create something that would reflect my live performance. I’ve been writing these songs for a while and when I sent them to Rob to start the process he was drawn to the ones that had been getting the most response by my audiences, not necessarily the ones that I considered to be the deepest or had spent the most time on. This really cemented Rob’s value as far as I was concerned. He has a great ear and was able to have a qualified unbiased opinion on my music.
2. What was inspiring you as you were writing and recording it?
The writing for the album has been taking place over the last few years. I never sit down and imagine a song I want on a project and then write it. I just write the song. Often they end up being tunes that I would never record or even show people for that matter, but after a while you can pick out a common theme and say, “Hey, I guess that’s where my style is these days.” And if I stick with it eventually have enough tunes that I’m happy with and all fit together on a disc.
3. How do you feel prior to an album’s release? Apprehension? Excitement? Do you ever feel like a record is truly done or are you always running back to it wondering if it’s exactly what you want?
I’ve gotten pretty good at letting go. The stress of holding on tends to be far more than the anxiety of not having “finished” a project. Because we’re always growing as artists a project can be changed and modified indefinitely to keep up with our own growth. And, there’s always something else to work on and focus your attention to that might get neglected if you’re obsessing over one thing. When you realize that it’s much easier to move on.
4. Looking back on your previous two records, how do you feel about them now?
I love them. They’re different and from different stages in my career and life. I had an idea of who I wanted to be as an artist and chose songs and a style that thought would fit that mold. But, time goes on and I now have a different understanding of who I am as an artist and where my music is going. A lot of that has to do with the folks that come to my shows. We’ve developed a relationship over the years that’s helped guide my growth as an artist. I feel the new album is a better representation of what that relationship is.
5. You’ve received awards and accolades for your song writing … when someone listens to your music, what do you hope they take away from it?
Fun. And maybe a bit of an escape and an emotional connection.
6. You’re playing throughout the Maritimes and Ontario over the next few weeks. Do you look forward to performing live or are you mostly a writing/recording guy?
I am definitely a live guy. I love playing live. That being said, the studio is it’s own thing. When I’m there, there’s almost nothing else. That’s true, I think, because relative to the rest of my career I work in the studio very little. I do an album every couple of years but I play all the time. That keeps it exciting for me. Also, if I was only playing in the studio without touring the project afterwards I probably wouldn’t have as much fun. I need to know that what I’m doing in there is going hand-in-hand with the rest of my music life.
7. What song, album or artist have you been listening to most lately?
Tough to say. Shuffle has been my friend for a while now. I never get tired of listening to Tom Waits, though. I sometimes play the first track to Blue Valentine over and over. Somewhere from West Side Story. I like what Hawksley Workman’s doing, but I tend to listen to older music rather than what’s new. I’m a Bruce Hornsby and Springsteen fan and I throw on a little Lester Young and Miles Davis every now and then too.
8. What’s next for you and your music?
More of the same but hopefully at a higher level every day. I try to keep things moving forward. I’ll be touring this album for the next year before I start thinking about the next project. I have a few side projects as well that take time. I’ve been getting into writing for film, television and theatre. Those are always amazing and rewarding but extremely time consuming.
Here are Sherwood’s upcoming tour dates:
Saturday, Sept. 25 – Contact East – Antigonish, N.S.
Sunday, Sept. 26 – Contact East – Antigonish, N.S.
Saturday, Oct. 2 – The Company House – Halifax
Wednesday, Oct. 13 – Maxwell’s Music House – Waterloo, ON
Thursday, Oct. 14 – The London Music Club – London, ON
Friday, Oct. 15 – Isabella’s Chocolate Cafe – Oshawa, ON
Monday, Oct. 18 – Hugh’s Room – Toronto, ON
Friday, Oct. 29 – The Al Whittle Theatre – Wolfville, N.S.
Saturday, Oct. 30 – Dragonfly Cafe – Antigonish, N.S.
Check back to EastCoastNoise.com next Friday for a chat with: Dave Gunning
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!
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
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:
