Published in UR. (May-June issue)
Artist Profile: Plants and Animals
It might seem like Montreal's Plants and Animals - the city's latest buzz band - just sprung up overnight, but that's far from the case. Frontman Warren C. Spicer and drummer Matthew Woodley have been playing together since they were 12, running around Halifax and playing in bands with unfortunate names.
"I had a band called Phart for awhile," says Spicer over lunch at Toronto's CBC building. "That band sucked really bad."
"Well it didn't really make it out of my basement," adds Woodley.
Spicer and Woodley's days in Phart and Friendly Neighbourhood Trio ("our free jazz band") is long behind them - now, along with bassist/guitarist Nic Basque, they're in one of Canada's most promising indie acts. However, their newfound success, which includes countless positive reviews and even talk of netting a Polaris Prize, was something the trio didn't plan.
"We played instrumental music for a couple of years until we started recording Parc Avenue," explains Woodley. "That too started out as instrumental and gradually evolved into more rock song structures with singing."
Plants and Animals' sound has been described as post-classic rock, with a little Radiohead thrown in. Its experimental sheen is found amongst the layers and layers of horns, violins, a makeshift choire, and even a seven-year old, which made his way onto the album because, as Woodley explains, "we just aren't that innocent anymore and we needed some innocence."
But compared to other world-travelling Quebec acts such as the Arcade Fire, Wolf Parade or last year's Polaris Prize winner and label mate Patrick Watson, these guys are Montreal scene newbies. Still, they're not fresh enough that they don't remember the days before their city was an indie rock hotbed.
"Montreal was a disco town for forever really," explains Spicer. "It still is but it's more of a rock town now which is pretty amazing because when we moved there in 1996, it was all after hours clubs that none of us could relate to."
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Tall Poppy Interview: Wes "Maestro" Williams
Posted on Torontoist
In the Canadian rap canon, Wes "Maestro" Williams stands alone. Coming out in 1989 as Maestro Fresh Wes, he topped the charts with infectious tracks like Drop the Needle, Conductin' Thangs, and especially his debut hit, Let Your Backbone Slide. His debut album, Symphony in Effect remains the top selling Canadian hip hop album of all time. Spending more time as an actor, I managed to catch up with Williams while he was in town presenting at the Canadian Aboriginal Achievement Awards.
Check out the full story here.
In the Canadian rap canon, Wes "Maestro" Williams stands alone. Coming out in 1989 as Maestro Fresh Wes, he topped the charts with infectious tracks like Drop the Needle, Conductin' Thangs, and especially his debut hit, Let Your Backbone Slide. His debut album, Symphony in Effect remains the top selling Canadian hip hop album of all time. Spending more time as an actor, I managed to catch up with Williams while he was in town presenting at the Canadian Aboriginal Achievement Awards.
Check out the full story here.
Friday, December 14, 2007
Column: The Rump Shaker
Posted weekly on Torontoist, [December 2007 to June 2008.]
The Rump Shaker
December 2007 to June 2008
The Rump Shaker was a weekly dance column that highlighted three things that were happening in the city and was followed by listings. I soon realized that listings take a very long time to do when you're interlinking, but there are some really cool posts from this like ones on M.I.A., Jay-Z, Kid Sister and The Chameleon Project. Also, click on those links in there: they typically go to cool videos.
Check out The Rump Shaker on Torontoist here.
The Rump Shaker
December 2007 to June 2008
The Rump Shaker was a weekly dance column that highlighted three things that were happening in the city and was followed by listings. I soon realized that listings take a very long time to do when you're interlinking, but there are some really cool posts from this like ones on M.I.A., Jay-Z, Kid Sister and The Chameleon Project. Also, click on those links in there: they typically go to cool videos.
Check out The Rump Shaker on Torontoist here.
Friday, June 1, 2007
Graduates: Suba Sankaran
Published in North York Post. [June 2007]
A fusion reaction
Sounds of the world unite
Report Card:
Student: Suba Sankaran
Graduated: Earl Haig Secondary School, 1993
Best Subjects: Music, Dance, Drama
Worst Subject: Math
Current Job: Vocalist for autorickshaw
It takes some people nearly a lifetime to find their calling. Suba Sankaran found hers at the age of four.
While at the Nava Ratri Festival in Connecticut, she got her first taste of life as a performer. She sang God Save the Queen in Sanskrit lyrics.
"That was my first time thinking that I can see myself doing this," she says.
Today, as the vocalist for the acclaimed Toronto-based world music ensemble autorickshaw, Sankaran has been making a name for herself throughout the city recording tunes that fuse Indian music with modern sounds for radio, theatre and film.
Sankaran grew up in a musical family. Her family is Trichy Sankaran, a man who is widely considered to be among the top players of the Indian percussion instrument the mrdangam.
Once at Earl Haig, Sankaran found like-minded musicians who were into similar kinds of experimentation.
"I had a rock band. It was a Queen cover band. We were named Racial Harmony, and we did the whole battle of the bands thing," she says. "I remember that we worked hard to do the whole orchestra thing for Bohemian Rhapsody."
After leavin Earl Haig,she's branched out with as many musical projects as possible. Though her main focus, autorickshaw, is what she's best known for in the city.
Now on their third album, autorickshaw has a comfortable repertoire: which is either "steeped in Indian music and taken to a modern place or rooted in more contemporary music, like jazz or pop or funk," Sankaran says.
In addition to autorickshaw, you can find Sankaran on stage with a number of different projects.
She works with her father's band, Trichy's Trio, which has a more traditional South Indian classical repertoire. As well as a group called Nathaniel Dett Chorale.
"It's an Afro-centric gospel chamber choir based out of Toronto led by Brainerd Blyden-Taylor," she says. "We sang for Nelson Mandella, Bishop Desmond Tutu and for Peter Gabriel."
Sankaran is full of fun stories but admits that the life of a self-sufficient musician can be difficult. "As an artist, you want to be creating," she says. "But I spend more of my time doing e-mails and corresponding with people, working out rehearsal schedules and things like that as opposed to just sitting down and playing."
Of course, considering all of the happy and unique experiences she has had as a musician, she is still optimistic.
"Never give up. You never know which person or what contact is going to lead you to the next person," she says. "Keep trying and keep asking questions. Don't be shy because there's no harm in asking somebody who may know the answer or may lead you to a person who knows the true answer."
A fusion reaction
Sounds of the world unite
Report Card:
Student: Suba Sankaran
Graduated: Earl Haig Secondary School, 1993
Best Subjects: Music, Dance, Drama
Worst Subject: Math
Current Job: Vocalist for autorickshaw
It takes some people nearly a lifetime to find their calling. Suba Sankaran found hers at the age of four.
While at the Nava Ratri Festival in Connecticut, she got her first taste of life as a performer. She sang God Save the Queen in Sanskrit lyrics.
"That was my first time thinking that I can see myself doing this," she says.
Today, as the vocalist for the acclaimed Toronto-based world music ensemble autorickshaw, Sankaran has been making a name for herself throughout the city recording tunes that fuse Indian music with modern sounds for radio, theatre and film.
Sankaran grew up in a musical family. Her family is Trichy Sankaran, a man who is widely considered to be among the top players of the Indian percussion instrument the mrdangam.
Once at Earl Haig, Sankaran found like-minded musicians who were into similar kinds of experimentation.
"I had a rock band. It was a Queen cover band. We were named Racial Harmony, and we did the whole battle of the bands thing," she says. "I remember that we worked hard to do the whole orchestra thing for Bohemian Rhapsody."
After leavin Earl Haig,she's branched out with as many musical projects as possible. Though her main focus, autorickshaw, is what she's best known for in the city.
Now on their third album, autorickshaw has a comfortable repertoire: which is either "steeped in Indian music and taken to a modern place or rooted in more contemporary music, like jazz or pop or funk," Sankaran says.
In addition to autorickshaw, you can find Sankaran on stage with a number of different projects.
She works with her father's band, Trichy's Trio, which has a more traditional South Indian classical repertoire. As well as a group called Nathaniel Dett Chorale.
"It's an Afro-centric gospel chamber choir based out of Toronto led by Brainerd Blyden-Taylor," she says. "We sang for Nelson Mandella, Bishop Desmond Tutu and for Peter Gabriel."
Sankaran is full of fun stories but admits that the life of a self-sufficient musician can be difficult. "As an artist, you want to be creating," she says. "But I spend more of my time doing e-mails and corresponding with people, working out rehearsal schedules and things like that as opposed to just sitting down and playing."
Of course, considering all of the happy and unique experiences she has had as a musician, she is still optimistic.
"Never give up. You never know which person or what contact is going to lead you to the next person," she says. "Keep trying and keep asking questions. Don't be shy because there's no harm in asking somebody who may know the answer or may lead you to a person who knows the true answer."
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