andPOP » Canadian Music

Silver Starling Dedicate 2010 to the Road

Emma Renda — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 01:03:19 +0000

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Forming a band in Canada is kind of like raising a barn. You send word to the neighbourhood, calling for all the essential tools, and on production day, whoever wants to lend a hand can get in on the project.

It happened with Broken Social Scene, as Toronto’s indie scene amalgamated into a pre-emptive supergroup of some of the country’s best songwriters. And just when fans began getting comfortable with the lineup, BSS parted ways to take on this century’s music industry from all angles. Emily Haines became Metric, Feist went solo, a large contingent became Stars, and the rest split their separate ways forming Do Make Say Think, Apostle of Hustle, The Weakerthans, Land of Talk and so forth.

Silver Starling made their public debut in 2009, yet another offspring of the ever-expanding aftermath. Founded in Montreal by Marcus Pacquin (who helped in the studios of both Stars and Arcade Fire) and Liam O’Neil (originally of Young Galaxy), Silver Starling was only supposed to be a two-man affair at first. But then Pacquin’s wife, Marika Anthony-Shaw, got in on the deal adding a unique touch of strings (viola, specifically) during breaks from touring with Arcade Fire herself. As the songs began calling for a rhythm section, more musicians were called upon, and soon Gab Lambert (of Marathon) and Peter X (of We are Star 69) gained permanent standing.

It’s something of an inevitability that musicians will find one another when traveling in the same packs – it’s hardly even a surprise that Pacquin and Anthony-Shaw got married. Montreal’s scene, in particular, is known for its incestuous habits. Unicorns becoming Islands becoming Clues, or Wolf Parade spawning Sunset Rubdown and Handsome Furs.

While the result usually lives up to the expectations, the challenge remains to break the word association.

Silver Starling’s self-titled debut is yet another nod to Canada’s knack for sprawling, lush rock music in the vein of some of the country’s legends (Neil Young, The Band, and, it must be said, Arcade Fire). Sometimes prog, sometimes pop, Silver Starling have all the fixings for a long, luscious career but in a somewhat saturated scene, the struggle will be standing out.

The first step, according to Pacquin, is touring. The band hit the road this summer and plan to spend the better part of a year playing gigs in support of Silver Starling.

“The future is bright – I think we’re just getting started,” said O’Neil, following a gig at Babylon night club in Ottawa in support of Ohbijou. “All kinds of doors are just starting to open. 2010 is going to be a big year for us so we’re really excited for that. Extensive touring, a lot of stuff is kind of in the works right now. A bunch of new tunes are just taking shape right now for the next record.”

From the outset, Silver Starling was a vague affair – not directionless, but as O’Neil says, “without agenda.” He goes on to describe the formation as a “musical pick-up,” in which Pacquin approached him from across a crowded bar in Montreal. Initially it was just an opportunity to jam as the two – a guitarist and drummer – found a groove with one another. When the issue of recording came up, however, two began sounding like an awfully small number.

“We kind of built the band in the studio,” muses O’Neil, scrutinizing his fellow bandmates surrounding him on the sidewalk.

When it comes to touring, however, five can definitely take up a lot of space (particularly if one of those five actually counts for two whole people, according to O’Neil who stands roughly a foot and a half shorter than Pacquin).

But thanks to the members’ collective experience on the road, even a year-long venture without an auxiliary outlet for an iPod in the van looks optimistic.

“I think we’ve all toured quite a bit so we know when to bring up the energy and we know when to pull it back,” says Peter X. “There’s no secrets when you go on tour so you can’t hide too much and you can’t give too much either. You’re going to see each other naked sooner than you want…not just physically,” he laughs.

“You get to know each other quickly and you divulge a lot of information quickly with your bandmates and you just form a bond quickly and then you sustain it.”

Silver Starling were lucky enough to land a spot opening for Last Gang labelmates Ohbijou, a septet from Montreal who necessitate a big enough stage for all seven members. Before this tour, Silver Starling did a headlining run and found themselves playing before discouragingly sparse audiences. Thanks to their opening slots, however, they are beginning to get the kind of exposure necessary to turn any debut album into a listenable hit. It’s becoming more about Silver Starling than “those people who toured with Arcade Fire” or “isn’t that the drummer from Young Galaxy?”

The debut is indeed much more than a spin-off. A heavier take on ambient rock than many Canadian bands venture, Silver Starling aren’t necessarily loud but the dense layers – all pregnant pauses and swelling strings – imply an intense live presence. On stage, without the padded walls of the studio and all five musicians playing at once, that volume makes itself known.

“Live and in the studio is always different,” says Pacquin. “I really think that the energy of five musicians on stage with a room full of people who are really giving you a lot of energy, you want to give that back. I think in a lot of ways that changes the music a little bit.”

Admittedly a gloomier affair than the sweet tinkling orchestral pop of Ohbijou, songs like “Something over Nothing” and “Closer” are dense and yearning, much like the billowing sounds of their headliners. They even managed to ominously title their first single, “Ghosts,” despite its undeniably poppy nature. (The song of is full of handclaps and a riff that would sound quite at home as a whistle.)

“Headlining is a tough sell,” says O’Neil. “For us, it’s actually probably better to be opening for other bands. It’s just a different time in the night when we play.”

Either way, the crowd was thick for the band’s 11 p.m. set. It could have been the posters plastering telephone poles across Ottawa, or the Arcade Fire badge that follows them wherever they go, or the late set. But standing on the sidewalk after their show, giggling at inside jokes about Coronas and welcoming an interview crasher ready to take on Lady Gaga, the band seem to be enjoying themselves. And as they rushed back inside to catch the start of Ohbijou’s set, for what was probably the fourth night in a row, it became clear a year on the road is what they’ve been looking forward to all this time.

“One of the things we’re finding as a band is that we love to be on the road,” says O’Neil. “It’s great camaraderie, it’s great to play all these different venues, it’s great to be playing for people rather than being inthe studio. Which was also fun, but it’s time for us to be on the stage and playing for people.

“We’ve had enough insular time together. We need our music to be heard now.”

Polaris Music Prize On Side B – Want $20 Grand?

Dan Busheikin — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 03:57:16 +0000

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Canadians: Want a quick 20 grand? Make an amazing album.

The Polaris Prize awards $20,000 to the Canadian artist or group that creates the best album of the year, based solely on artistic merit. Sales don’t count, marketing doesn’t count. The ten nominees – Elliot Brood, Fucked Up, Great Lake Swimmers, Hey Rosetta!, K’Naan, Metric, Joel Plaskett, Malajube, Patrick Watson, and Chad Vangaalen – all attended and performed at the Polaris Prize Gala, so I made sure to snag a few interviews before the award was given out.

The winner of the $20,000 prize? Well, check out the video and I’ll tell you.

Aux TV Launch

Stephen Baldwin — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 19:33:02 +0000

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Aux Music television is making their official television debut on October 1st with the Canadian premiere of Radiohead: From the Basement. The debut will preview what to look forward to in Aux programming: a celebration of domestic and international talent. Aux was launched in November 2008, and is the self-proclaimed, “Face of thriving music culture.” It contains a diverse, progressive selection of musical content. Radiohead: From The Basement focuses on the work of legendary musical act Radiohead as they perform live in the intimate studio basement of music producer and sound engineer, Nigel Godrich. The special performance includes music from the band’s final breakthrough album, In Rainbows, along with several other popular songs.

At 9: 30 p.m. EST, Aux will screen a preview of the new original series, AUX live, which will feature live performances from talented Canadian artists like The Stills and K’naan.
Raja Khanna, Founder & President of AUX, said that viewers tuning into to AUX will get their fix of tested musical acts like Radiohead and Billy Talent, along with new and upcoming artists like Grand Analog, Ohbijou, and Still Life Still. “Our roster of launch weekend programming sets the tone for everything to come,” says Khanna. Aux will also feature the film Dead Man Walking on Saturday, October 3 at 9 p.m. The 1995 cult classic directed by Jim Jarmusch, features Johnny Depp and Iggy Pop in the story summarized in the Aux press release as, “An accountant who embarks on a bloody journey through a twisted version of the American Old West.”

To finish off the weekend, Aux’s TV launch will include the two hour documentary Kurt Cobain About a Son. Based on the interviews between Cobain and acclaimed music journalist Michael Azerrad, the doc also includes footage of the houses the Nirvana frontman grew up. Aux Music television will be the most innovative Canadian station ever to enter onto the national TV screen. They will air recordings of previous programming on aux.tv, but until then, if you have a serious passion for the Canadian music industry…tune in.

Experimental Toronto Band Takes Coveted Polaris Prize

Sara Harowitz — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 20:49:48 +0000

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Move aside indie-rock. This year’s Polaris Music Prize winners are a little different from the average Canadian alternative style. Toronto hardcore band Fucked Up took this year’s $20,000 award for the best Canadian album of the year on Monday, according to The Globe and Mail.

The band’s album, “The Chemistry of Common Life,” beat out nine other finalists including Metric, K’Naan, Joel Plaskett, and Great Lake Swimmers.

The Polaris Prize is an award decided by a jury made up of Canadian journalists, bloggers, broadcasters and programmers. The jury is determined by the Polaris Board of Directors and is made up of 185 members from both the local and national media.

The way it works is, each jury member submits a ballot with their top 5 albums of the year on it. The results from this determines the Polaris Prize Long List and after a second voting round, the Polaris Prize Short List. An 11-member jury is then selected to attend the Polaris Awards gala, where the winner is determined. There is no submission process to be considered for the Polaris Prize – every Canadian artist with an album of at least eight songs or 30 minutes of music is automatically eligible to win the prize.

As shown on their MySpage, Fucked Up describes their music as “experimental hardcore.” This usually involves songs with screamo singing, in this case done by 300-pound and often shirtless Damian Abraham, overtop of detailed instrumental melodies. Many thought their album was too extreme to win the prize, especially considering hardcore music is not a genre that usually sprouts a lot of attention.

But Fucked Up is anything but conventional.

For starters, each band member has at least one very unique nickname. Lead guitarist Mike Haliechuck has been named “10,000 Marbles”; lead singer Damian Abraham is known as “Father Damian” or “Pink Eyes”; bass guitar player Sandy Miranda can also be called “Slumpy”, Laundry, or “Mustard Gas”; rhythm guitar player Josh Zucker is nicknamed “Concentration Camp” and “Gulag”; drummer Jonah Falco is known as “Guinea Beat” and “Mr. Jo”; and third guitarist Ben Cook can be called “Young Governor”, “Bad Kid”, and “Lil’ Bitey”.

The band formed in 2001 and has been performing and recording ever since. Their hardcore screamo music starkly contrasts with last year’s mellow electro Polaris winner Caribou, and 2007′s indie-alternative winner Patrick Watson.

The Polaris Prize prides itself on judging solely based on musical merit and ignoring all commercial aspects of an artist, such as record sales. Fucked Up’s win is a testament to that belief, particularly in contrast with the 2009 Juno Awards that saw Nickelback and their international success get far more praise than any other Canadian musician.

Polaris jury member Lisa Ladouceur told The Globe and Mail that Fucked Up’s “The Chemistry of Common Life” is “not only the best Canadian album of the year, but the best album of the year in the world – period.” Not bad praise for an underground Toronto band who started out by shunning full-length CD’s and releasing their songs two-at-a-time. And as a photo on the Polaris Prize website shows, the band is ecstatic to have won the award.

To learn more about Fucked Up and hear some of their songs go to their myspace at www.myspace.com/epicsinminutes.