Duchess Says - drop your inhibitions at the door

Duchess Says Le Mode Juste

11 January 2018By Christine Leonard 

Noisey friends from Montreal, Duchess Says drop your inhibitions at the door.

Born in the winter of 2003 out of the fertile imaginations of Montreal Moog rockers, Duchess Says is an electrified new wave punk crossover band with a flair for the dramatic. Drawn from the ranks of the Church of Budgerigars, bandmates vocalist/guitarist Annie-Claude Deschênes, guitarist/bassist Philippe Clément, percussionist Simon “Simon Says” Besre and keyboardist/guitarist Ismael Tremblay decided to take their quest for spiritual satisfaction to the next level.

Their royal lineage began with an ecstatic burst of synth-rock, bass feedback, lo-fi pummel, and hyperbolic noise. Popping up in venues ranging from store window displays to abandoned buildings, the members began the process of recording and releasing their first tentative tracks in 2006. A full-length debut, Anthologie des 3 Perchoirs (Bonsound/Alien8 Recordings), which appeared in 2008, brought their energetic blitz to a dance floor climax only to leave fans dangling until they finally returned in 2011 with In A Fung Day T! (Bonsound/Alien8 Recordings). Making the leap to the Slovenly Recordings label, the punked-out philosophers reemerged in 2016 with their latest album, Science Nouvelles, an ambitious and line-blurring work that challenged the musicianship of the space-goth art-stars as never before.

“We realized it was, in fact, kind of hard to play the studio songs,” Deschênes acknowledges. “So, we chose half of the album to play live and it forced us to experiment and just to create new songs. We want to do an EP or an album, we don’t know yet. It depends on how many ideas we will have.”

This Dadaist thought-incubator has been a goldmine for Duchess Says, as each new album finds the group deconstructing their approach, adopting and adapting unique styles and intense inferences. 

“Whether it’s through jamming or playing shows, there’s always inspiration from things, like movies. Yesterday I went to see Suspiria, it’s a Dario Argento story, and the day after we saw it we created a song that was inspired by its atmosphere, because we were like, ‘My God! I want to continue to be in this vibe!’ So, it was inspired by cinema, just as we are constantly being inspired by life and art. I think we cannot just like be comfortable in our sound. And, I don’t think we’ve necessarily found our sound. We’re always looking forward to finding something like new effects and instruments. It’s like a laboratory and we’re just having fun and we’re not afraid to try really different directions or songs.”

Adept in exploring their own personal chemistry, the quartet has cultivated a knack for tapping into the emotional root of their creative urges. Addressing each doubt and conviction with artistic sensitivity and the desire to convey a meaning that goes beyond language. 

“This new EP, or album, will be more based on the urgency we’re feeling right now,” Deschênes intimates. “It’s just the realization that life passes really quickly and we don’t have the time to be in a full deduction mode and calculate everything. We’re aware of the time that’s passing really quick and we want to do something really nervous that’s about capturing the moment right now. Ultimately, I think it will be more straight to the point than usual. I think it’s just like a complete forward momentum; really nervous, really intense! I hope the new stuff will be innovative, create a lot of energy, and a lot of dancing and having fun.”

Baptized by fire on more than one occasion, Duchess Says has performed its textured cinematic rituals for live audiences at Eurockéennes, the Osheaga Festival, and the Festival of Emerging Music. They’ve opened for Yeah Yeah Yeahs on tour and have even contributed their sonic theatrics to the soundtrack of the film The Tracey Fragments. Still, Deschênes attributes their viability to the intangible aspects of performer and audience interplay. A choreographed and yet totally spontaneous pas de deux that elevates both halves of the greater whole.

“We recognize that we’re all similar and okay. Just like stop everything, and stop the superficial stuff and have fun together and build something together. Because the crowd is a big part of why our show is fun. When the crowd has no inhibitions, it just becomes crazy and makes it really creative and interesting. Because I can make something, but the people sculpt it in a way that I could never do it just by myself. So, it’s like a team work or something.”

Forced to confront the uncertainty of transitioning songs from studio to stage, Deschênes tries to make her music more accessible by incorporating multimedia elements that illuminate her more elusive concepts and imbue each event with energy and light.

“Art is really important in our performance,” she relates. “I think what’s difficult about the studio session is that when we do a live show there’s a third dimension. There’s an additional explanation of the vision we have because we have a direct connection with the public. For myself, I try to make the music visually palatable for the audience.”

Cultivating a sense of decorum amongst the chaos and subterfuge of a Duchess Says experience, Deschênes persists in her mission to deliver the mythological word of the band’s befeathered Church by transforming herself into a High Priestess of Precise Artistic Dialog. 

Duchess Says performs Jan. 18 at the Big Winter Classic (Calgary)

Red Fang: Bares All

Red Fang: Don’t Sweat The Petty, 

Pet The Sweaty 

10 January 2018By Christine Leonard 

Portland’s favorite shoegaze quartet honing their craft over the holidays

Sometimes the best thing about traveling abroad is when you finally get back home and can sleep in your own bed again. That couldn’t be truer for Portland’s Red Fang. Having just returned from a month-long run through Europe in support of their latest album, Only Ghosts (2016, Relapse), guitarist/vocalist Maurice Bryan Giles, bassist/vocalist Aaron Beam, guitarist David Sullivan and drummer John Sherman genuinely enjoy kicking back with family and friends over the holidays. But, true to the anthemic stoner rock band’s virile nature, just four days into their sojourn Giles is already thinking about mixing business with pleasure and getting the pack together to make fresh tracks in the studio.  

“I’m feeling reinvigorated and looking forward to digging back in, but it’s just a matter of discipline,” says Giles. “We try to take advantage of our downtimes and do things creatively and differently.  

Bulldozing their way through the songwriting and production process like a moose in a headshop, Red Fang has produced a quartet of thunderous LPs since its inception in 2005. Renowned for the heavy hooks and ominous overtones displayed on their self-titled debut on Sargent House in 2009 and subsequent releases, Murder the Mountains in 201.1 

Whales and Leeches in 2013 (both on Relapse Records), the vulpine outfit is actively reaping, and savouring, the fruits of their labours. 

“We’re all in our forties, and have been in this band going on thirteen years, and it’s still really mentally engaging for us because we share a lot of influences musically, but also our tastes extend in very different directions. There are certain traps and pitfalls that we tend to fall into, so whenever we can do something outside of our usual thought process I think that’s where the good stuff is coming from.” 

More than just a bunch of hard-partying, beer-quaffing hooligans, Red Fang have proven themselves as cunning songwriters and string-slingers. Still, their ears are always to the ground. Because, according to Giles, the next great riff might be lurking right around the corner! 

“The guys are always surprising me, and over the years, I’ve learned to trust them.  

For example, in the middle of “Wires” there’s a quiet sort of breakdown, and we called it the Spaghetti Western part. At first, I thought, ‘What in the hell is this? This is ridiculous!’ But at some point I was like, ‘Well, I’ll try it.’ And I learned it. And it grew on me like a fungus and now I just can’t see that song existing without it. So, the things that are outside of my comfort-level are the things that ultimately give me the most joy in the long run. To me, it’s fun when something’s like ‘Ick!’ initially. I kind of like that.” 

Pushing past the yuck-factor has yielded impressive results for Giles and company whose music videos have put their sludgy melodies on the map. The ultra-violent shorts built around “Prehistoric Dog”, “Blood Like Cream”, “Shadows” and other viral video ventures have singled Red Fang out as perpetrators of the most entertaining headbanger daydreams on the planet. We’re talking over ten million views here, dudes. 

“The credit for the majority of our videos lies with Whitey (McConnaughy), the director. He’s just a super motivated guy who’s really passionate and creative, so he’s always coming up with ideas and occasionally he’ll call us to see if we’re interested. We’ll just laugh our asses off and say, ‘Hell, yeah! We’ll do that!’ None of us consider ourselves actors, we’re more re-actors. He doesn’t really have to tell us what our motivation is beyond ‘Drink beer!’ We’re just lucky to have him. I’d say that his videos are a large part of the reason that people know we exist, which is nice.” 

Prepared to deliver a tidy cross-section of their piledriving library on their upcoming North American tour, Red Fang feels a stronger connection to their audience than ever. The scene-stealing foursome may have displayed (and destroyed) their living rooms for the camera, but the magnitude of that explosive exposure is secondary to the soulful unveiling that occurs when Red Fang opens up on the stage. 

“The videos are a great reflection of our sense of humour because we never wanted to be, and never could be, a band that walks out of the fog and flexes our muscles,” says Giles. “We’re just not those guys. And no one would believe it if we tried. But the music is very much from the heart with us. It’s still a riff-driven band, but when it comes down to the vibe I want it to mean something because we’ve got to go out on the road and play those songs hundreds and hundreds of times. That’s why I’m really excited about the new songs. It’s the most modern version of the musical headspace we’re in these days and we hope that the crowd is along for the ride.”  

Red Fang performs Jan. 16 at the Rickshaw Theatre (Vancouver) and Jan. 18 at the Big Winter Classic Festival (Calgary)

What is best in life? Conan doom, of course!

Conan: Heroes of the Hyborian Age 

02 January 2018By Christine Leonard 

What is best in life? Conan doom, of course.

Having sacked the Aquilonian outpost of Venarium and survived the sinking of Atlantis, the Cimmerian warlords collectively known as Conan has gone on to leave an indelible mark on British doom metal. Forged in 2006, the thunderous war cries emerging from the Merseyside act have been heard around the globe thanks to the vision of founding guitarist/vocalist Jon Davis. Joined by recording engineer Chris Fielding (who took over on bass in 2013), Davis has steadily honed the band’s bludgeoning sound. Vacillating between slogging wasteland ballads and rage-saturated bombardments, Conan has conquered all obstacles and is literally establishing their own kingdom of timber and stone.

We live in a “town called Childer Thornton and we’re basically between the old city of Chester and Liverpool. Sort of in the countryside, but only five minutes away from the motorway, it’s a cool location,” Davis begins.

“I live in a really large house on a bit of land with a few extra outbuildings, one of which is an old coach house. When we took possession of it in 2012, I thought, ‘Why not create something that I can earn money from, such as a recording studio?’ I gave it the heaviest name I could think of at the time and it stuck. Skyhammer Studios. It’s memorable and rolls off the tongue.” 

These master plans were unfurled with the aid of his longtime collaborator in Fielding. The musician and sound engineer has a huge resume; Napalm Death, Primordial, Electric Wizard, Hooded Menace, and numerous more have utilized his technical and musical skills. Therefore, the studio represents a dream that has been a decade in the making. An admirer of Fielding’s technical prowess and ear for heavy metal perfection, Davis is gratified that other groups are tapping into his impressive skillset via Conan’s burgeoning empire at Skyhammer Studios. 

“I was kind of obsessed with Chris early on, it seems,” confesses Davis.

“But in all seriousness, when Conan was starting out after we recorded our very first demo (Battle in the Swamp) back in January of 2007, we went to Chris’s studio and recorded what became our first album, Horseback Battle Hammer (2010). A lot of people you speak to will say that was just an EP and Monnos (2012) was our first album because it had a full build-up and a press campaign. But in my mind, we recorded our first album, Horseback Battle Hammer, with Chris in 2009 and he has produced literally everything we’ve done since.” 

That was back in the ‘Dark Age of MySpace,’ as Davis puts it. An unenlightened era when Conan was largely unknown, they had played only a handful of shows, and none of them outside of their hometown. Wielding their axes alongside fellow Liverpudlian heavy metal acts Iron Witch, Corrupt Moral Altar and Black Magician, Conan eventually broke through the ice and into widespread recognition with their signature “caveman battle doom” onslaught. 

“The thing I like about all of this is that we have a good story behind us, it’s not sensational, but we started out from nothing. We’ve never really had any help from anyone. We’re self-managed and we record and produce our own albums. When I think back to the beginning, I didn’t expect anything to come of the band. In fact, I had no plans at all.”

He continues, “When Conan hit the scene it came as a complete surprise to everyone and I think that helped us cement our position. It was like a cold-call and no one was expecting it and we took people by surprise. I guess we were a bit different from what was happening at the time and were able to capture people’s imaginations. And we haven’t looked back since; it’s been fun!” 

Currently, the act has been hard at work at Skyhammer Studios crafting mercurial new material, heeding the need for speed confirmed by the audience response to their heaviest and fastest offerings. Due to arrive in the spring of 2018, Conan’s forthcoming album will deliver a monstrous blast of momentum complete with fell vocals and deft string work.  

“We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel. We’re not a complex-sounding band, but our music has evolved into something more. Gradually, as we’ve gone along, we’ve injected a faster pace into albums. There’s a lot more going on Revengeance (2016) than there is on Blood Eagle (2014) or Monnos, and yet those albums stand up perfectly fine in their own right. Seeing the reaction of the crowd to this totally new faster approach was mind-blowing. It sowed the seed in me that we can sound really heavy, but not play everything at a snail’s pace.” 

Fortunately, the trails of time and trials of fame have been kind to Conan, who assert that their forty-something metabolisms are just kicking into barbarian gear.  

“As my body is slowing down, the riffs are speeding up somehow!” 

Black Mastiff: Another Trip Around the Sun

Harlo’s B-day: 

The Palomino’s pitmaster celebrates

02 January 2018By Christine Leonard 

Calgary’s heavy metal honky-tonk bar celebrates their favourite birthday bash with headliners, Black Mastiff.

Laps around the sun, zeros on the odometer, pints of lager downed, pounds of shredded pork consumed – there are innumerable ways to count the rings on the tree when it comes to calculating the duration of one’s existence. And in the case of The Palomino Smokehouse’s pitmaster, Arlen “Harlo” Smith, the annual bash thrown in honour of his birthday is the best way to mark the passage of time in a manner that’s sure to resonate over the course of the next year. 

“I was born in ‘73,” says Smith, doing the math. “I’ll be 45!”  

A fine vintage to have achieved, but it’s not his first rodeo by any stretch of the imagination. Like Harlo (Smith’s alter ego) himself, these annual whoop-ups have a bit of a track record around Calgary. 

“We did this back at the Drum (& Monkey Public House), although it was a little less exciting at the Drum. This will be the sixth one here at The Palomino. It’s never really on the day of my birthday unless my birthday happens to fall on a Saturday because nobody wants to go to a fuckin’ rock show on a Sunday. My birthday’s on a Monday this year,” he grumbles. “Truth be told, I don’t really give two shits about my birthday, I just like a good rock show! And in January it’s hard to get a good rock show.” 

Ironically, despite presenting incendiary and mind-blowing musical acts throughout the year at his showroom and eatery, the amber-bearded Smith rarely has the opportunity to stop and savour the sounds coming from the venue’s two stages. Thus, curating a wishlist of bands especially for his birthday is truly the best gift the dedicated owner/operator could receive, as it gives him a license to join the crowd on the other side of the bar. Not that he ever stands still for very long. 

“This party is essentially just an excuse for me to bring in bands that are probably too expensive to play this room normally. It’s like, fuck it, you work hard all year long and you deserve to do something totally self-serving once a year on your birthday. Out of all the shows we bring through I probably get to watch about four a year, this is one of them. Even at the birthday party, I’m still working. I’m so fuckin’ mild now. I’ve totally mellowed in my old age. Ah, that’s not true I’ve still got plenty of anger,” he says with a chuckle. “This is one of the four times over the year that I actually get to let it go and party!” 

2018’s festivities will likely prove to be no exception with a trio of groove-heavy bands slated to perform amidst the establishment’s heavenly garlic and brisket-scented atmosphere. Promising an equally drool-worthy menu of hard-rockin' entertainment, Smith has a meaty trio of bands lined-up to ensure the evening is packed with heavy hooks and gritty gusto. 

Rolled out in his customary whiskey-cured, business-casual fashion, Harlo’s B-Day bash is destined to set an auspicious tone for the year to come. And what better way to defrost your January blues than by cozying up to some dry ribs, sparkling suds and face-melting riffs with a few dozen of your closest Palo-pals? 

“This is just a roomful of people I enjoy,” confirms Smith. “It’s all my buds, and all the bands, and all the people who come to rock shows and the people in my van club. It’s just a party. That’s what I like about it.” 

 Don’t miss Harlo Davidson’s Birthday celebration with Black Mastiff, Woodhawk and Denim Machine Jan. 6 at The Palomino Smokehouse and Social Club (Calgary)