3/31/2019 0 Comments Painting The BackgroundI had a very unusual upbringing with music, having never listened to any contemporary pop hits at all as a kid. I was raised on predominantly 80's music, and was introduced to acts like Duran Duran, A Flock Of Seagulls, and Thomas Dolby very early on. My dad was the main guide to these early musical tastes, and often took me to see these bands when they were around. My first real concert was Duran Duran, in 2005. Around the same time, he also introduced me to more current alternative music like The Killers, The Bravery, and The Cinematics. And that's where my pursuit of music really began was when I discovered this explosion of alternative. Music could be anything.
I always say that based on my upbringing it's a wonder I never played keyboards, but something about the guitar caught my interest very early on. Above all else, there are ultimately two people that influenced my journey into playing, in very different ways. The first is Gord Depp, of a band called The Spoons. The group formed in my hometown of Burlington, Ontario in 1979, and I think that this is what instilled the idea of truly 'local music' in me. Having that personal connection to something can really help to strengthen the bond you have with it, and that might be why I latched on to them so heavily in my youth. I saw them play repeatedly because they were always in the area. But the music was also a huge factor; even though the band is known as an 80's synth band, Gord's playing has always been formidable. My dad pointed out and constantly reinforced how the melody of his guitar can sit beautifully within a song, even when it's not the main focus. Even though the band is known for their synth work, their biggest album Arias & Symphonies is a beautiful balance of keys and guitar. The band has also stood the test of time, and being able to meet a childhood hero multiple times is something I got the chance to experience because of their longevity. The other is Brian Aubert, of Silversun Pickups. Brian Aubert was the guy who made me realize the true extent of possibilities on the guitar through pedals. Silversun's first album Swoon was one of the first albums I bought on vinyl at the age of 14, and I would play along to it endlessly in my bedroom. It's also the first time I really took a look into the kinds of gear any artist was using, purely because of the variety of sounds on the album. He made a guitar into something way more than it was, with a huge board of effects; massive amounts of fuzz, delay, distortion, and octavers. This led me to purchase my first pedals of my own, two Boss digital delays, much like the ones featured on his board. From there my collection grew to what it is today, where I have a gigging pedalboard of around 13 stompboxes, in a collection of close to 30 effects units. My playing, and overall sound wouldn't be what it is today without his influence. I've seen them three times to date, and they never disappoint. ~Fonfur
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3/26/2019 0 Comments Wallows - Nothing HappensIf you're going to listen to an album that's been released so far this year, make it this one. It proves the album isn't dead. It starts with Only Friend, and the transition into Treacherous Doctor is absolutely seamless. The tracks exist to blend together in one moment of wild realization of what's happening. The album themes are relatable and the melodic content is so smoothly digestible. Nothing Happens bounces back and forth from energy to melody in brilliant fashion. It's like if COIN took inspiration from Surf Rock. The same anthemic indie pop, but more drowning in soft reverb. The frantic, romantic antics of Remember When are stellar. The brooding mood in Are You Bored Yet? screams the sentiments felt by a generation of reluctant lovers. Do Not Wait is a world all of its own; it's the band exhibiting full creative freedom in a six and a half minute poem depicting reluctance and struggle, and they draw the listener into every second of the story. Wallows is a band that has been destined for stardom since day one. It's the dreamy nature of soft 50's music, launching into the reverb-laden surf of the 60's, cascading into 70's punk, melting into soft 80's keys, and capping it all off with modern themes and production. It's the best of all worlds. ~Fonfur 3/24/2019 0 Comments ***First off, ignore this post. Don't read it, just move on. It's too vague.
I've been considering songwriting; thinking about how and why I write lyrics, and I've realized that half the time it's barely a conscious effort. It's like reading a horoscope you didn't write, and finding yourself thinking 'hey this applies to me in so many ways.' But I can't decide what I put on paper. It just happens, and I interpret the aftermath. I feel like I'm a conduit for something bigger than myself, something I don't fully understand. I just have to keep writing things down as they come. ~Fonfur Our crazy fall season of 2018 began when our friends in Big Lonely offered us the strangest show we've ever played: The Bad Magic School Bus. The premise was brilliant; A listening party for their forthcoming album Bad Magic, on a school bus, as it drove down to Port Colborne where they had assembled a long list of friends to play in a barn. Yep, a barn. We released our first ever single to streaming platforms through Distrokid, to coincide with the show. It was nuts, but it was a good day. We settled on October 19th as our official released date, a week after Big Lonely's album Bad Magic was set to come out. A few days after we set the date, a music promoter company called A Minor reached out to us about booking a show with them. It was really cool because they gave us the opportunity to play Hard Luck Bar, a venue where I've seen some of my favourite acts like An Horse and Surfer Blood. Since then we've played Sneaky Dee's with them several times, and they've been really easy to work with. That more than anything has kept us with a steady string of shows in Toronto. The reception to the EP has been really great. This is the first music I'd ever released into the world, and it's amazing to have it out there. I'm a big perfectionist, and I'm rarely happy with anything so the fact that I'm happy with the EP astounds me. We're currently working on a physical copy for later this year, along with beginning work on whatever comes next. We played what were probably our most and least successful shows in the last month and a half of the year. Our most successful was with our friends in Honesty, for their EP release. We were the first band, the show was at The Bovine Sex Club which is a wild name for a venue, and based on all the scrap metal protruding from the walls, it's a lawsuit waiting to happen. But it was a really fun night nonetheless. Less than two weeks later, we played Mill's Hardware with a band called Look Vibrant from Montreal. Now, according to the 8 people we brought out, we played a great show. But at the same time, there were only 8 people in attendance besides the bands themselves. There were a couple reasons for this; first, we were filling in for another cancelled opener and had only been asked to play about two weeks beforehand, which didn't give us a lot of time to promote. Additionally, the usual people I would invite out were A) at the sold out Dirty Nil show in Toronto that night, and B) playing a show of their own. But even more than that, we assumed that the headliner, being the headliner, would have at least some draw in the area. Unfortunately we were wrong, but we didn't let it dissuade us and took it as a lesson for future shows. When all was said and done, we rounded out 2018 with 10 gigs, which doubled the amount we'd played in the 2 years prior. It's progress for us, for sure. The band feels more complete than ever, and 2019 is sure to hold even more. We'll keep you updated. ~Fonfur There's something that sets The National apart from any other band in existence; a 'je ne sais quoi' factor about them that puts them in a world of their own, and it's the summation of many things. Matt Berninger's anomalous lyrics and smooth baritone voice. The production strengths of Aaron Dessner. The compositional talents of Bryce Dessner. They're a force like no other, and their albums from 2010 onwards are downright groundbreaking to me. Now, that's not to say that their catalogue before that isn't great too, but it's definitely more streamlined as guitar based indie rock music. This past decade has shown a side of them that is extremely experimental and new. Their last album, Sleep Well Beast was only released a year and a half ago and they're already back with a new single. In this day and age that's sort of a rarity, with albums being spaced out at a 3-5 year rate. But the quick turnaround time definitely shows the creative well is flowing for the New York quintet, and this first single is a good indication that they're keeping things extremely fresh. You Had You Soul With You is vibrant and energetic. It's uptempo; it's airy; it's cathartic. It's a three and a half minute realization of everything you hope you can be in life. It's impossible not to find it inspirational, in spite of the macabre theme of the lyrics. The song cries out, 'I had only one thing left, and I couldn't see it yet,' but the music says, 'I see it now and I want to be better.' It's a beautiful dichotomy. The track is rounded out by Gail Ann Dorsey's vocal feature on the bridge. A long time collaborator with David Bowie, touring member of Tears For Fears, and a contributor to many other acts, her status among session musicians is among the utmost legends. While 2017's Sleep Well Beast featured a dark cover, and almost broodingly ominous sounding song titles, this new album I Am Easy To Find seems like it's going to be the complete flipside. The cover is light, and the song titles are soft and moving. Quiet Light, Roman Holiday, and Dust Swirls In Strange Light, all capture my attention as light and comforting. I have no way of confirming this until the album is released on May 17th, but my instincts tell me it will be something along those lines. ~Fonfur See that guy to the left? That's Camille. Camille is a multi instrumentalist, studio engineer, and all around fun dude, and in 2018 he became a permanent fixture in Fonfur. Camille grew up in Trinidad & Tobago, and spent years playing violin in a wedding band before moving to Mississauga to attend Metalworks. He has since graduated, and now works there. After recording the EP, we took a break from live shows because we had no bassist to play shows with. There was one attempt, a Hamilton show with Oh Geronimo, but it ended up being cancelled last minute due to Oh Geronimo's singer Ciaran losing his voice. Recently, I built up a spreadsheet of every show we've played together, and there's a big gap from August 2017 up to February 2018 that perfectly illustrates this post-studio dry spell. That doesn't mean we were being lazy, though. In the fall I reached out to Chrisy Hurn of Basement Revolver to ask about artwork. She's done all of the cover art for her own band and I love the style of it, and she's someone I have the utmost respect for in the Hamilton musical community. What you see on the cover of the New Rules For Classic Games EP is all her doing; I sent her the title and a rough mix of Denim Dogs, along with a few examples of art we like, and left it very open ended. I loved it at first sight, and as a band we really couldn't be happier with how it turned out. More and more pieces of the puzzle were falling into place, and around this time is when Camille came into the picture as well. Around the beginning of November, Mike presented the idea of his housemate Camille playing bass for us, so we brought him in to see how it went. After a few practices we all agreed that Camille clicked with us really smoothly, and added a whole new realm of possibilities with his variety of instruments, so we took him on as a permanent member. His inaugural show with us was at the Rockpile on February 25th, followed closely by his second: the finally rescheduled show with Oh Geronimo on March 23. Both of them were really successful shows for us, and playing with Oh Geronimo was a huge step for me. I know most of the band from high school; they were a few years older and I've always considered them musical inspirations. I walked away from that show feeling that I'd really become a peer in the music community, and they continue to be absolutely wonderful friends of mine. The spring sort of lulled as we waited for mixes, but we toyed with new ideas and worked on re-learning the songs to incorporate Donny's production. We delved into the world of booking gigs ourselves that June, by doing a fairly successful show at the Piston. That was with Blue Mantra and Milhouse, and it was an interesting experience because we were running the show. I think if I could go back and do it differently, I would have added a 4th band to the bill to fill out the night more, but other than that I'm happy with how it went as a first attempt. By the beginning of July, we received all the final mixes for the EP, and had everything mastered by the end of the month, and we sat on it for a bit as we decided on a release date. This is when things really began to pick up. More on that next time. ~Fonfur So, a few different events have happened recently that have really made me think about the means by which people discover new music. This could mean music that's just coming out, or even finding old gems for the first time. Before September when I started at Metalworks, I never fully understood the sheer number of places music could even be discovered, and before those few events from the past week I don't think I'd ever considered just how many places I discovered music. I'd like to take the opportunity to discuss the matter a bit. As of 2017, Radio was still an extremely prominent method of discovering new music. That may have changed more recently with the boom in streaming numbers, but it's still an extremely prominent source of people's daily music intake. For myself growing up radio was what introduced me to a world of sound, across many decades. Listening to stations in the car with my parents showed me everything from The Cars to Sublime to Avril Lavigne, and even more recently my own listening has shown me things like The Zolas and Atlas Genius. It's a great source for people to digest popular music on a daily basis, including some artists coming up in their careers. To me, the problem with radio (mostly Canadian commercial radio) is that its content is extremely limited in range. It takes a lot to reach radio, and the day to day content isn't extremely diverse, so most people will never get to the platform. There's so much talent that will never grace the airwaves of the FM. So what are the alternatives? Well, that's a long answer. Movies, of course. Consider how Guardians of The Galaxy launched a whole set of classic songs into an entirely new generation, or how the soundtrack was a timeless staple to any classic John Hughes movie. There's TV, in both shows and commercials. How I Met Your Mother was the show that introduced me to Bad Books, when their song Forest Whitaker was featured on a season finale, and the Maynards rollercoaster commercial is what showed me and thousands of others a small Toronto band called Major Maker. They also did that 'Talk To You' Telus Commercial. There's videogames; I first heard the likes of Motörhead on a Tony Hawk Game, and I can't even tell you the span of artists I learned from Guitar Hero. Another massive one to this day is YouTube, where you can scour every corner of the internet for music both live and recorded. I owe my love of Tokyo Police Club to a random YouTube discovery. Reading music publications is another method of course, then word of mouth, live music, and the streaming playlists that dominate the modern day, and on and on. The list is near endless in possibilities. But the personal experiences I want to talk about didn't happen by me looking, and I think that's the point that I want to get across. In order to find and really connect new music, you have to keep listening. So there I was, sitting in El Furniture in Toronto having a nice dinner & conversation, music playing in the background,when the song shifted to something, let's say, a bit more familiar than usual. It was Denim Dogs, and it was a very surreal feeling to hear a song that I wrote being played as background music to people in a public space. After the initial "oh shit what is going on" moment, I started to consider what other people were thinking upon hearing the song for the first time, and it struck me that they probably didn't even notice because they weren't really listening. Well, besides the one waitress who started singing along to the 'woahs.' That was pretty cool. But overall, that experience of hearing our song played in a completely different setting made me wonder about things I hadn't heavily considered before. What do people process when they hear new music? The following day I went to Toronto's Black Market, and after some memorable songs from bands like The Cure, Echo & The Bunnymen, and Pulp, I heard a song that was completely unfamiliar. This was strange to me, because I'm pretty familiar with the 80's new wave, goth, britpop, & surrounding genres. At least, all the classic hits you'd expect to come up in a retail store. Upon consulting Shazam, I found out the song was Valerie Loves Me by Material Issue, and it was a very welcome feeling to be able to discover music I probably would never have found otherwise. Lately I've struggled to find new songs that I really enjoy from those eras. I've been listening to the song on repeat since Friday, and it's led me down a whole new wormhole of discovery. Upon reflection, this isn't the first time it's happened to me either. West49 was the store where I first heard The Futureheads. The First time I heard Tame Impala was in Kops Records, back in 2013, and I bought both the albums they had out at that time on the spot. Retail stores and public places have forever joined my list of places to discover new music. This is something I'd like feedback on. I want your thoughts on music discovery, both for my personal interest and for the benefit of expanding our musical reach to new people. How and where do you discover your music? What do you process when hearing it? How does an unfamiliar song captivate you? Drop us an email at [email protected], we'd love to hear about your favourite musical discoveries. (I should probably mention, the reason Denim Dogs played in El Furniture is because our good ol' buddy Ben happened to be working that day. He passed by as the song was playing, finger guns ablaze, and said "gotcha!" with a big smile. Ben's fun, we like Ben.) ~Fonfur In the summer of 2017, when we began to pursue the EP in a more physical form, we didn't fully know what we were getting into. We booked time with Taylor Lucas (Who will be henceforth referred to as Donny) at his home studio, Il Ponte Di Grasso, in mid-September. But Donny couldn't record drums in his apartment, and we grossly underestimated the time we'd need to book a studio. After phoning around to multiple studios and only getting October dates available, we were in a bit of a pinch. I relayed the problem to Rob, who told us to reach out to his bandmate, Alex Dimauro. Luckily he was more than happy to help, and we worked out a day to record with Alex in Valley's basement studio. That was a fun day. It was sort of my first day of having a hand in producing. It was also nice because I mostly got to sit back and observe. The pressure wasn't on me now; my pressure had been setting the day up by reaching out to contacts, collecting microphones to use, and other administrative tasks. And the drum sounds we achieved were great. A few days later Alex helped us compile the best takes into a usable set to take to Donny, and the full EP process truly began. For those of you not well versed in recording, the most standard way to record and build a song is from the bottom up. Therefore, bass comes first out of the melodic instruments. Now, we had all of our songs written and structured out, but not having a permanent bassist meant that we didn't have bass parts arranged for the song, and wasted a good amount of time on the first day just shuffling around people and ideas. At this point I don't fully remember who played bass on what song, besides New Rules. Rob did the first take, Donny wrote the killer bass part in the 2nd verse, and I played the run after the 2nd chorus. Personally I think it's my favourite from the album, simply because of those bass riffs. We slammed out Mike's guitar parts and my guitar parts for the remainder of the weekend, as well as some preliminary vocal tracks, and came back the following weekend to track the main vocals, which ran late into the night both nights and resulted in us singing down a stairwell at 2AM to get a natural reverb. It was exhausting, but it all came together somehow. Donny mixed the sessions over the following months. We originally wanted to release it in March, but due to revisions and mastering (which finally got around to in late July) the EP was pushed to a fall date. And thus, the New Rules For Classic Games EP came to be. ~Fonfur |
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