Ooh that groove. Calgary modern groovers KODAE released “Fractals,” combining the efforts of five intergenerational talents into one smooth beachside cocktail. I was thinking the mix might need a minor tweak until I learned that “Fractals” was recorded live on the floor. Annie Da Silva’s voice is delicate and lush with spacey undertone. This is mellow Sunday afternoon R&B for when you’re sharing laughs and sparkling drinks with friends.
KODAE are Fractals are da Silva’s vox and lyrics, Owen Mcpherson’s gospel roots on the deep five, Seyoung Lee’s lush jazz textures on the keys, Curtis Sauer’s ambitious groove on the drums and Eric Osborne’s fluid harmonies on the guitar.
During my annual May/June burnout I ended up sleeping on some incoming tunes that needed to be heard, but I knew I had to go back to through the inbox for May release “Sour in the Sun” by Scarlett Flynn. Woozy bass and keys paint a downtempo portrait behind Flynn’s enigmatic voice. It sounds a little like Kate Bush fertilized Portishead’s egg sac. It’s another song ruminating on lockdown ennui, a common theme these days, but Scarlett Flynn presents it through a “horror of choices” that color the illustration vividly: “I haven’t decided yet/celery or cigarette/to sour in the sun or split the water/to reach for the gun or the stars.”
The track comes off Scarlett Flynn’s upcoming solo album Living is Hell. This is her debut after fifteen years of co-lead vocals with pop/folk outfit Running Red Lights. Check out the video below, too.
Ben Sefton is a fresh singer-songwriter from Saskatchewan. Stepping off the success of alienation diary entry “Humans,” Sefton has released his third tune and attached short film, Harrison. The sound is theatrical and layered, bringing up flavors of Queen or even Jellyfish in its evolving structure as it travels though different channels of pop and rock. Harrison’s narrative is an archetype of the isolated high school geek, with lyrical hints towards suicidal ideation (that I prefer to ignore). Though awkward teen narratives are often cliche, it’s important to see a story of an isolated kid that doesn’t put on a trench coat and blow away the lunch room. It’s a reminder that some kids just need to be heard. Keep an eye out for the guitar-shredding bear.
Les Cooper a Toronto’ based producer, mixer, multi-instrumentalist, JUNO award winner, and very cool name haver, has released his debut single, “Stranger.” It starts with buzzy tones before Les’s haunting vocal slides into consciousness. Layers upon layers of swirling instrumentation weave through Cooper’s mellow voice. The speaker of the song seems to carry a very intense and public hurt as it tells the pain of feeling left behind after someone else’s success: Everyone will say that you’re the one that shook them up/the one that tore them down. There is a sense of the speaker struggling through this rawness as they encounter this person’s exploits in other places: Everyone may write about the things you did, the lies you told, the hearts you broke. I get the sense that the hurt may be public, but the speaker feels quite invisible, like they’re the one becoming a stranger. It’s a good atmospheric mellow. I wonder what he’ll come up with next.
Altameda, the nom de tune of Edmonton (Alberta) duo Troy Snaterse and Erik Grice, are launching a new album in April entitled Born Losers. From this album comes this driving Springsteen-ey track “Nightmare Town.” This upbeat ditty tells the irrational dreams of an angsty youth that thinks he would do almost anything to get out and start his adulthood. He recounts fantasies and memories that ring of youthful freedom. It’s got that kind of foot-stomping beat that is classically North American rock. For me, it calls up imagery of warm spring nights in the suburbs, corner-store sodas, and dusklight games of hide-and-seek. It’s got a really solid blend of piano and vocal that feels wistful but not quite desperate. Compared to the similar story in Tracy Chapman’s classic “Fast Car,” “Nightmare Town” is less of a plan and more of a wish. I get the sense that the young protagonist does more dreaming than doing, a recipe for unfulfilled wanderlust that feels more like cruising down the highway on a road trip than running away. It has some vague hope underneath, even though it is a reminder of how I used to look at my hometown through brown-colored glasses, as I now shop for houses in that same town. Oh, life. A good listen, check ’em out.
This song makes me woozy and a little tense, in all the ways a really engaging piece of experimental music should. “God Complex,” is the newest release by chamber pop trio Gentle Party. The song starts off with breathy vocal notes that posit a tonal wondering. The song becomes lush and delicate like an edible flower, and it stays in the back of your mind, strumming its inquisition. Then the lyrics come in and ask the most frustrating question every fan of everything has had to ask themselves in the last few years – can you separate art from artist? But it’s no matter – God Complex is less about answering the question and more about pointing a finger at every fake and fraud that begs forgiveness because they got caught. And in that, they may be a “gentle” party, but “please forgive me while you pray at my feet” is a statement wrapped in barbed wire scraping the bleeding arms of the patriarchy. “I hope you diligently pray” is a beautifully veiled threat.
The video expresses the concept in a gorgeously surreal narrative as the “god” and his black hands play paper doll with the otherwise powerless protagonist. She’s caught in the narrative of a figure that admires her beauty but controls her every move when he’s not swallowing her whole in his palm. He adorns her life with symbols of control like crucifixes, instruments of torture, and chess pieces. A couple of moments make me wonder if he thinks himself Zeus, and his doll an amalgamation of his many wives represented by many legs. Either way, it’s gorgeous, start to finish.
Time to rant: Does an artist deserve to be separated from their art? This question has been bugging the funk out of all of feminists for eternity and everyone else since #MeToo. I struggle with this as someone who LOVES a lot of art from men. I’ve been let down by so many artists, ones that I really connected with and whose art has illustrated pivotal moments of my life. I’ve navigated that with all of the same dissonance. I can never forgive some performers, but I can forgive others once I weigh my discomfort with their crimes. I try to forget some songs and consider others guilty pleasures. There are performers who go unscathed despite multiple reports of violence, and I watch them and seethe. And then there are performers now that would deeply hurt me if they ended up #MeToo-ing someone. I force myself to keep remembering to “kill my idols” but it is so hard when the voices that often speak to me belong to to the same half of humanity that commits 97% of sexual violence.
“God Complex” is the second single from the upcoming album God Complex, hitting the ground on February 17th. Check them out!
I. AM. SO. EXCITED to share this with all of you. The brilliant and underrated Andy Eichhorn recently resurfaced with a new EP and some social media outlets. So, naturally I took a deep breath and sent him a message, and…here we are! I am always honored when the folks who made and make the music I love will give me the time to pick their brains a bit. Andy has been nothing but super sweet since then and even sent me some goodies from his old band ZUCKERBABY! :::drool::: So, holey moley, let’s go!
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MSG – Greetings Andy! Thank you for taking the time to do this Q&A/Interview for M-S-G. I am so psyched to have this opportunity with you. For anyone about to take this adventure with us…Andy Eichhorn is a bit of a “cult” music figure once fronting Canadian Pop/Rock darlings Zuckerbaby in the mid 90’s to the early 00’s. If you don’t mind, I’d like to start somewhere around there. Can you tell us a bit about what it was like trying to get something like Zuckerbaby off the ground in Calgary Alberta, Canada in the mid 90’s?
AE – Thanks, Soda! I’m thankful for the opportunity, you’ve interviewed a lot of great artists and I’m happy to make the cut. Well, I won’t say it was easy because nothing worth doing ever is… but it did happen very naturally. Reed & I were really coming into our own songwriting as a team, finding our own way of doing things, listening to and getting excited about the same music we loved from the past and present. We hit a stride together creatively and could just FEEL it. Whether or not anything else was going to happen, WE were happening. And to anyone who writes or creates – that’s a one of a kind feeling! Getting the music industry to take notice of what we were doing was another story. We hammered away at any lead we could find. Cold called record companies, managers, booking agents –you name it! It seemed that something pretty magical was brewing, and people were coming to shows to see us more and more. Music industry types started calling us back and wanting to see the band. It was all very exciting!
MSG – And even before Zuckerbaby, you fronted Calliope, which, at its core, was you and Reed (Shimozawa). That project was a touch darker and a bit on the Alt/Grunge side. What made you guys kinda make the change and streamline your focus/sound?
AE – I always say there wouldn’t have been a Zuckerbaby without Calliope. It was our “getting to know you” project, a stepping stone to what would become Zuckerbaby. That was around 1994 and the musical landscape was changing yet again. When Reed and I met we shared a love for so much music from all over the musical map and it all kind of spilled out on that record. As we kept going, we turned each other on to the bands and artists that each of us loved. When Calliope came to an end, we were thinking about what was next. Both of us brought a song to the other guy to see if there was anything worth pursuing. Those songs were “Bellybutton Queen” and “Heavy”. A new band was born!
MSG – Now, for me, Zuckerbaby was love at first sight (and sound of course). I immediately caught a heavy Jellyfish influence, which was major for me and after getting the first ZB album it only further solidified that wonderful comparison. I personally think you guys came the closest to that sound with not an ounce of it being contrived. It seemed and sounded so natural, you guys just nailed that style so effortlessly. The self-titled Zuckerbaby album is an absolute classic. AND, to top it off Jack Joseph Puig, who worked on both Jellyfish albums, worked on your 1997 debut. Can you dish some history here?
AE – No question, we loved Jellyfish so much! Hearing Roger Joseph Manning Jr. speak recently about some of the other music he and Andy Sturmer were influenced by made sense to me. He mentioned Elvis Costello, Crowded House, Cheap Trick…all the bands I was soaking up at the time or had been into when we were writing and recording the first album. I got to spend some time in San Francisco (where Jellyfish began) and went to places like Russian Hill (a song on the Jellyfish record Split Milk) and got to try to feel the vibe. We convinced the guys who managed them to also manage us. Working with Jack Joseph Puig was a feather in our cap for sure. He worked on the Jellyfish records as well as The Black Crowes, Tonic, The Grays (super underrated band featuring Jason Falkner, Jon Brion, Buddy Judge and Dan McCarroll.) If you can find it – get it! Yeah, it was very cool to walk into a studio like Ocean Way in Los Angeles and mix your songs with a legend like Jack. One night he sent us away and said he would call us when he had something for us to listen to. We decided to go to The Viper Room (a club owned by Johnny Depp at that time). We were in the lineup outside, waiting to get in and over my shoulder I hear a familiar voice saying something like “here’s some leftovers, I think It’s still warm”. It was Johnny Depp bringing food to one of the doormen at the club. Then we got to see Tommy Stinson’s (The Replacements) band called, Perfect. Great night in LA! I went back to the hotel and called my friend Lorrie Matheson back home to tell him about the show because he is a huge Replacements fan. Lorrie ended up producing my new EP all these years later.
MSG – Coming down off that self-titled you guys followed up with Platinum Again which was a gorgeous, more mature sounding record which left behind the bubblegum for more polished rock gems. The album also seemed a bit caliginous. I remember interviewing Reed a few years back and he said that was a real tough one to make. Care to elaborate? You guys also lost your original rhythm section around that time? What can you tell us?
AE – We were in trouble. Career, relationships – life. But we still kept going. It WAS dark, it was different from the first record but I think it showed another side to the band that I will always be proud of. There’s a song on that record called “Sleepwalking Sister” that should have been a single. The lyrics were inspired by Susanna Hoffs of The Bangles who had a solo album in 1997. She had a song called “Enormous Wings” that she said was inspired by the author Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I listened to her record then read the collection of short stories that inspired her song and wrote the lyrics to “Sleepwalking Sister”. There are a lot of beautiful songs on that record. We collaborated with some other writers for the first time and that yielded some varying results as well. We were trying to do something other than what we had done on the first record and I think it turned out really well. The two albums are very different but both great in their own way. And, yes, we parted ways with Brian our bass player before we recorded Platinum Again and Wayne left after the recording so he got to play on the second album. It can be a brutal business as far as relationships go. You’re forced to make decisions quickly and sometimes it’s right and sometimes it’s not.
MSG – How long did you guys work on promoting ‘Platinum’? And what was the next move or had things pretty much come to an end? Were there talks of a third record?
AE – We released Platinum Again in the Fall of 2000. It was another new era. Things were changing in the music industry that would be game changing. We toured Canada with Collective Soul and after that it looked like our relationship with Universal Music was coming to an end. Things kind of slowed down for the band and there weren’t many touring opportunities at that point. We did think about doing something further but not if it didn’t feel right. Nothing really definitive or dramatic happened but I was getting tired of everything. We fought really hard to make Platinum Again. The time in between the first record and writing and recording the second one was very tough. It took a toll.
MSG – Now, it seems like you went a bit underground after Zuckerbaby, from what I may or may not know. What was life after the band like? Were there more bands? More gigs?…Or did you decide that was it at that time?
AE – I took a step back but it wasn’t too long before we started working on new stuff. Reed and I did a lot of writing and recording between 2004 and 2006. I briefly played in a friend’s band here in Calgary. Zuckerbaby played a couple of shows locally around then as well.
MSG – It has been really, about 2 decades since you graced us with your gifts. You just released a new solo (debut) EP entitled Satellites and Secrets, which is beautiful. I want to get into that but don’t want to leave out the fact that you did poke your head out in 2015 to do a one off reunion gig with Zuckerbaby opening for The Age Of Electric who had been celebrating “X” amount of time and did a few shows, re-released some music and what not and you guys opened up the show in Calgary. What was that like? You also issued a new single called, “Do The Crime” soon after that. Is there more ZBaby where that came from?
AE – Thanks! The EP was something I have always wanted to do. It probably would never have happened without reconnecting with Lorrie Matheson. He has a studio called Arch Audio and invited me over one day to hang out. Next thing you know we were planning and plotting how to make a record! All of the guys in Age of Electric are loved by me. It was so cool to open a couple of shows for them when they did a reunion. We toured Canada in 1997 with them which was absolutely classic! I’ve been inspired by their songs and talent since before Reed and I met. And he was friends with them before that! So, there’s a great history there. We recorded an album’s worth of Zuckerbaby material between around 2004 and 2007. That’s where “Do The Crime” came from. So there is a collection of songs from that era that we haven’t really done anything with.
MSG – I wanted so badly to get to that gig. I absolutely LOVE AOE, mega influence! Anyways, so, here we are, 2020 a year of utter chaos and you drop your solo debut after all that time, a sophisticated collection of songs indeed, almost adult contemporary. How long did it take to write, record, etc? How long did you have this planned for?
AE – Timing has never been my strong suit. I could have just shelved it when all this happened but I finally got the EP finished and didn’t want to wait any longer. Glad I didn’t because it feels really great to connect with people who seem to like what I do! I hadn’t written anything complete in a very long time but always had little ideas. I got more focused a couple of years ago as far as songwriting goes. The recording process was a few days here, a day there as time and money would allow.
MSG – So aside from this, have you and are you still involved in music in other ways? You don’t have to get too personal, but what might an average day be like for you now if you don’t mind me asking?
AE – This is it musically right now. It was a big deal for me to get back at it and my hope is to keep something going. An average day for me involves work and family mostly. I have to carve out time for myself to do my thing and stay creative. My family is very supportive! I find that if I go too long without singing and playing or working on some new idea I start to get bummed out.
MSG – What are the plans for the EP? I know, given the state of the world, there isn’t too much planning going on anywhere. Will there be another recording? Will there be any shows? You know… the door is open at my place if you ever get here and want to do a house show!
AE – You never know! If the pandemic gets under control, I might take you up on that. I had hoped to play a show in Calgary with the band who played on the recording. I also wanted to do some shows in different cities with other musicians I have known over the years, that was the plan. Maybe one day! I did a couple of acoustic shows, just me and a guitar, before the lockdown and I was starting to really like doing that, too. Everything’s gone online now so I’ll keep posting songs, covers and stuff like that. Hopefully I can get playing somewhere soon!
MSG – I feel like we covered a lot here and filled in a few historic holes. I’m sure people will really enjoy a peek inside after all this time. What did we leave out?
AE – There’s always something left out but I think this is a good wrap up of past and present. Thank you so much for doing this!
MSG – And where can people get the new EP?
AE –Satellites and Secrets is available on all the streaming platforms and CDs are available through bandcamp. And both Zuckerbaby albums are on itunes as well!
MSG – Well, I think that about covers it. Thanks a lot Andy, this was rad, an absolute pleasure. Another one of my nerdy music-related dreams come true. Stay safe and groovy Andy and let’s give this to the people!
Canadian band, THE SMILE CASE has sent M-S-G a brand new single to debut from their forthcoming album, Bipolar Bear Wildlife Park on Blacktop Records. A great description straight from the horses mouth is below:
“We are releasing a new album called ‘Bipolar Bear Wildlife Park’ on
March 6th which is more than likely one of the most painful ‘love’ records ever written. The band is an acquired taste and for fans of Elvis
Depressedly, American Pleasure Club & Craig Finn. This song and the new
album is an anxiety fueled rollercoaster that sounds better with a pair of headphones and 5mg of Diazepam.”
So, how could you NOT want to check that out? Be brave, here ya go:
Toronto based Singer/Songwriter Rum Fit Mosey puts forth a very honest and solid effort on debut EP Singles & Filters which was just released via indie label Uglycub Records. First, let’s address the name, (pulled this direct from the artist) – “The rum fits: an old coin of phrase used by sailors to describe the effects of heavy booze withdrawal. A Rum Fit Mosey is one’s ability to sing and dance their way out of it.” Now, onto the music…
At times, songwriters create their own place in which they can find a spot to hide from the world while still being able to contribute to it. This is the case with “Mosey”. It’s a great example of a genuine offering that wants to exorcise some old ghosts while being relatable. These here are the type of songs you want to hear from an old jukebox in a lonely bar. Booze, drugs, heartache…it’s all there. It’s delivered from the heart and without pretense. Although these songs aren’t reinventing the wheel it’s still refreshing because we live in a world overburdened by unbearable and overproduced soulless sounds from fake and airbrushed faces.
If you really like to dig deep for music, then here, you’ve struck a gold nugget. Better yet, there is a cool little concept that goes along with this EP. Apparently, this is a collection of songs that will remain unfinished after its release. Singles & Filters will continue to be recorded and added to. Give this thing a listen and be a part of the journey as it grows. It’s well worth the time, this could easily become your next shoulder to cry on. Again, a real solid effort.
Great for fans of Angie Aparo, Clem Snide and Pedro The Lion
Canadian Pop/Rock favorites, Zuckerbaby returned last week with a new ass shaking single called “Do The Crime”. By the sounds of it you wouldn’t think the band took 16 years between their stellar sophomore release Platinum Again and this new instant ZB classic which flaunts all the vigor and youth of their eponymous debut coupled with the panache and primo songwriting the band has been known for.
Zuckerbaby – Do The Crime (Single Cover)
They recently came out of hiding a few months back to support the freshly reunited Age Of Electric, another 90’s Canadian Alt-Rock phenom at a show in their home land of Calgary. Hell, I guess they all liked it so much they did it again about a week ago. Dynamic duo Andy Eichhorn (Vocals/Sometimes Guitar) and Reed Shimozawa (Guitar/BG Vocals) have never sounded fresher. Seems the break did them all some good. New this time around is rhythm section Jamie Warren (Bass) and Ian Grant (Drums)…well, new to us anyway as Reed had informed me earlier this year in an interview that these guys had been with the band not too long after Platinum Again had been released and, if given a choice, this would be the two guys he’d ultimately choose had the band continued. Which brings us to the present…
“Do The Crime” is reminiscent of early Zuckerbaby in the fact that it’s got a bit of bubblegum to it and a pleasant dose of those Jellyfish style harmonies they are keen on. But, let’s not take anything away from the sophistication of the track either. Ever present are the sharp lyrics delivered by an unaged sounding Eichhorn. “You can do the crime, change your mind don’t waste my time if you could press rewind, leave it all behind, make up your mind.” And I did press rewind, multiple times, because I can’t get enough. Punchy guitars and bouncy bass and drums lay the infrastructure for the always sugary sweet singer to convince you to indeed do the crime, and whatever it may be please sign me up. If it’ll get the universe another full length Zuckerbaby record then yes, I’m ready for my mugshot!
Get the single now on iTunes. Take the risk if you aren’t familiar with the band. It’s only 99cents. Have a fit, let’s go!
Music-Survival-Guide 