Wordfest general director Shelley Youngblut shares the good words

Wordfest 2016 illuminates the modern manuscript

by Christine Leonard
6 October 2016

It wouldn’t be autumn in Calgary without a little leafing through, and Wordfest 2016 is the perfect occasion to pick up a new tome or two. An inspiring and informative whirlwind that whips the city’s literary circles into a frenzy of activity this annual gathering of readers and writers has exceeded its original scope and now extends to events staged throughout the year. The locus of Wordfest’s focus, their 10-day “main event” festival in October, has become both a valued proving-ground and a hallowed institution of cultural exchange for audiences. According to general director Shelley Youngblut, this year’s festival will be one of the enlightening encounters with some 70 writers who are actively plotting-out the shape of Canadian literature to come.

“We’re now in the 21st year of Wordfest and it’s my second year and first full year of programming,” says Youngblut. “I’m really emphasizing the idea that we’re connecting Calgarians with life-changing ideas. We have brought in this second-tier of Canadian writers; people who are writing with such brazen originality. There’s one writer named Andrew Sullivan his book is as if the Coen Brothers had given up on the lightness. He’s got a book called Waste where his main characters are Skinheads. There’s another author Jay Hosking ‘Three Years with a Rat’ that’s deeply original. And Affinity Konar ‘Mischling,’ so watch out for those.”

Building showcases around the festival’s roster of award-winning and emergent authors, who are considered “Ones to Watch,” Youngblut hopes to draw eyes and attention to the works of cutting-edge writers from across North America and beyond. Designed to dive between the lines and dig beneath the surface, Wordfest manipulates the template of literary workshopping by facilitating provocative and interactive presentations that illustrate the written word by engaging audiences with potent doses of live performance and, more often than not, contagious laughter.

“We’ve also got fantastic late-night events at the Big Secret Theatre. The first one is Literary Death Match, anybody who’s been to Wordfest in the last four years knows that you have to go to it. We’ve got this guy Adrian Zuniga from Los Angeles who does them all over the world, it’s a must-see thing. Friday night it’s The Naughty Bits Read-a-Thon, in which our Festival writers are going to read aloud not-safe-for-work passages from either their books or other people’s books, from a bed on the stage. And then on Saturday it’s the Adult Spelling Bee! We staged it last year for 50 people and there were no pictures allowed because of a certain amount of nudity. People loved it. So, we’re bringing it to the Big Secret Theatre where we can have the potential for full-nudity and, of course, the bar. It’s not your Mother’s literary festival and that’s part of what makes Wordfest in Calgary so special!”

Food for thought will not be in short supply as Wordfest strives to shed light on the inspirational storytelling of novelists such as Madeleine Thien, who will be conversing on her trade during a private Breakfast Talk at Sidewalk Citizen Bakery in the Simmons Building. Likewise, author Mark Leiren-Young will be anchoring the Curiosity Showcase, providing insight into his humourous approach to history and the penning his CBC Ideas documentary “Moby Doll: The Whale that Changed the World.” The celebration of creativity claims its space with a retinue of envelope-pushing artists such as Karen Hines, a two-time nominee for the General Governor’s Award for her avant-garde dramatic works, and a powerhouse line-up of female authors who translate their experiences to text without trepidation.

“I hope everybody checks out Karen Hines,” says Youngblut. “Her alter-ego, Pochsy, is really big on the alternative theatre scene. Anybody who’s been to Fringe plays, or has seen her collaborations with Canadian clowns of horror Mump & Smoot, will recognize her. We’ve got her for five nights in the Arts Commons’ Motel Theatre, performing a staged-reading called ‘Crawlspace’ for 30 people, where Karen starts talking to you about her experience with a real estate horror story. We also have a panel called the Bionic Women Writers,” she continues. “I’m really big on the idea of women with strong voices, the Festival is filled with them. I think for anybody who’s a part of Femme Wave, this is your literary version of Femme Wave. I think it’s going to be a real talker.”

An articulate answer to Calgary’s increasing demand for reliance and sustenance, Wordfest’s decision to engineer life-changing opportunities for readers is to be applauded. There’s no denying that a timely exploration of non-fictional topics that address an array of practical concerns and concepts, without setting foot in a waiting-room, is just what the doctor ordered.

“Canada’s leading psychiatrist, Dr. David Goldbloom M.D., is coming on Saturday, October 8th. He’s written a book called ‘How Can I Help?’ I think all of us have some mental health concerns right now, and so for 15 bucks, you can come and actually listen to someone who knows what he’s talking about. We also have a couple of panels coming up in the area life-changing ideas; the first one specifically deals with inclusivity, it’s a really diverse panel. And then the following week we have a provocateur’s Uncivic Politics panel that is perfect in terms of Calgary’s upcoming civic election (when nobody seems to be able to listen), which features James Hoggan, the author of ‘I’m right and you’re an idiot’ and Board Chair of the David Suzuki Foundation.”

Add to this reckoning a massive Wordfest Youth Program that attracts some 11,000 student-attendees and you have the makings of a literary happening capable of rivaling the most prestigious writers’ festivals in the world. As an annual occasion that has bloomed into a perennial platform for the exchange of ideas, Wordfest has come to represent the consumer’s thirst for knowledge as much as the creator’s impetus to share their innermost thoughts.

“It’s absolutely necessary to stress that the most important person in all of this is the reader,” Youngblut asserts. “This year in particular, if you come to any of the showcases you’re going to be hearing from, and getting a sense of, the writers who are going to be setting the agenda nationally and internationally. These are the authors people are going to be talking about and you will have heard of them first. So, it’s also a festival of discovery. It’s really diverse and really electric and kind of like the equivalent of having the New Yorker Magazine come alive but in Calgary.”

Wordfest 2016 runs Oct. 7-16 at various locations in Calgary. For a detailed schedule of events and complete list of artists appearing go to wordfest.com.

Slow Down Molasses bottle lightning in a jar

Slow Down Molasses crystallizes their melancholy jam with ‘100% Sunshine’

by Christine Leonard
3 October 2016

Celebrating a decade of rolling the haze and rocking watering holes across the Great Plains, Saskatoon’s Slow Down Molasses is slightly bemused by their own longevity. Long dark winters and hot dusty summers have left their mark on the melodious and moody ensemble, prompting pragmatic lead guitarist/vocalist Tyson McShane to take stock of all that has been accomplished and that is still left to be done.

“It has been a long while and I’m actually somewhat amazed that we’re still doing stuff,” says McShane, the band’s principal songwriter.

With a barrel-full of enduring releases to their credit, including; I’m An Old Believer (2008), Walk Into the Sea (2011), Bodies of Water: Remixes (2012), and Burnt Black Cars (2015) McShane and company are now poised to step into the sunlight, and maybe even show off their rumoured farmer-tans, with the release of their latest LP, 100% Sunshine (2016).

“This album is the first time we’ve recorded with the same lineup that we toured the previous album with,” reports McShane, who pioneered Slow Down Molasses’ last two albums with bandmates keyboardist/guitarist Aaron Scholz, guitarist Levi Soulodre, bassist Chris Morin, and drummer Jordan Kurtz. “Previously, it was always a very solid group of people, but there were a lot more that we’d bring in for recording sessions and we definitely weren’t playing the same arrangements all the time. Now it’s the same five people playing all the time and it has definitely made things a lot more concise and a lot more exciting in ways. It was very wonderful to be very collaborative in the past and get to play with a lot of local people I was a fan of, but it’s kind of amazing to have a good idea of what everybody else is going to do when we’re writing and performing live.”

Just because they’ve reigned in the guest list doesn’t mean Slow Down Molasses has turned off the tap when it comes to creating multifaceted pieces of recording studio pop-art. On the contrary, the quintet’s fantastically communal compositions have blossomed and grown in ways that are equally unexpected and consistent with their reputation for generating melodious melancholia.

“I think its quite funny how this new album is similar to how we used to indulge a lot of layers, except this time we were much more deliberate with what we were doing. That laid the foundation and now it’s a really exciting album to play live, because we can improvise around those more focused dimensions.”

As deceptively loose sounding as the cold-plagued McShane’s stogy sinuses, the album’s first single, “Moon Queen,” embodies the super smooth fulsomeness and echoing vibrancy that we’ve come to expect from this post-punk synth and sawdust ensemble. Intertwining the esprit of modern electronica within a traditional wire and wood framework, Slow Down Molasses crystalizes the momentum and portent of a civilization teetering on the edge of tomorrow. Toeing that barbed line between a fleeting fad and a steady fade.

“It’s really a key thing in what we do,” McShane acknowledges. “A least of couple of us are into drone and free-noise type stuff, while half the band came-up through playing in punk rock bands. So, there’s always a bit of desire, especially in a live situation, to tend to be more energetic. My songs are relatively simple and I tend to nail them, so we decided to be fairly chaotic onstage.”

Wise enough to know when a semblance of order is merited, Slow Down Molasses recorded 100% Sunshine’s eleven lugubrious tracks with Barrett Ross and Chad Munson at Ghetto Box Studios in their hometown before entrusting to Glasgow-based producer Tony Doogan (Belle & Sebastian, Mogwai, Teenage Fanclub) with putting a platinum-polish on the final mixes. According to McShane working alongside Doogan, at his infamous Castle of Doom Studios, was an invigorating experience. One which provided him with a valuable new perspective on something he’s been so close to for so many years.

“We were so incredibly excited to get to work with Mr. Tony Doogan on this album. He definitely challenged our preconceived notions of ourselves,” McShane recalls. “All of the records he’s done sound like big rock albums, but with a lot of chaotic stuff going on around them. He’s known for being able to balance those moments and he definitely delivered. It was above and beyond anything we expected. It was a fantastic experience and nice way to wrap up this album.”

A concerted attempt at preserving the dynamism of a live jam for future consumption, 100% Sunshine essentially bottles the emotional weight of McShane’s dreamy yet desolate narratives. But the vitriol and gloom of Slow Down Molasses’ humming-and-thrumming heartbeat cannot be constrained. Like the fount of his nostrils, it flows forth with an irrepressible force and a desire to spread free-wheelin’ and truth-dealin’ tunes like a virus.

“100% Sunshine is definitely a very sardonic title,” he confesses. “We tend to write ‘depresser’ songs and this album for me is probably the bleakest album we’ve done. Initially, I just wanted to call it ‘Disorientation’ because a lot of the lyrical themes deal with dissociative and obsessive behavior and that idea of presenting a façade that doesn’t necessarily reflect what’s underneath.”

Slow Down Molasses perform October 7th as part of UP+DT Music Festival in Edmonton, October 9th at Nite Owl in Calgary, and October 14th at O’Hanlon’s in Regina. They then head out to Reykjavik for Iceland Airwaves next month.

Chokeslam pairs wrestling and romance : Movie Preview

No-holds-barred comedy ‘Chokeslam’ drags romance all over the canvas

by Christine Leonard
13 September 2016

“A pro wrestler’s coup de grâce, the so-called ‘chokeslam,’ is an impressive looking power-manoeuvre that involves grabbing your opponent by their throat and lifting them into the air before driving their body into the mat in a single-handed display of artistic violence.”

From turnstile to turnbuckle, Calgarian screenwriter/director Robert Cuffley is no stranger to the choreographed spectacle that is the film festival circuit. Over the course of the past decade and a half, the CIFF veteran and Alum of Canadian Film Centre has debuted his independent works at Toronto International Film Festival, The Palm Springs International Film Festival and the SXSW Film Festival, amongst others.

“All my films have played at CIFF,” says Cuffley, who is already forecasting red carpet fisticuffs at his upcoming world premiere. “There’s something strange about the editing process,” he explains. “I’ve probably seen the film 50 times, but the first time you see it with an audience you’re feeling the eyeballs to the left and right of you looking at it and you’re looking at how they react. It is a weird experience, but a good one.”

Produced in Regina in the fall of 2015, prior to being polished off in Alberta, the ambitious co-production of CHAOS A Film Company Inc. and Karma Film received additional support from Creative Sask., the Alberta Media Fund and the Telefilm Canada Feature Comedy Exchange initiative in association with Just for Laughs. Although slightly daunted by the inherent challenges of bringing a sport/romance/comedy feature to life on the silver screen with Chokeslam, Cuffley is gratified to finally be able to share his timeless yet uniquely Canadian narrative. Perhaps chief amongst Cuffley’s manifold talents is his knack for carving out compellingly meaty roles for actresses to sink their teeth into. This skill set has been showcased in his previous films; Turning Paige (2001), Walk All Over Me (2007) and, Ferocious (2013). The latter, starring Kim Coates, was filmed in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Thus it was only fitting that the award-winning filmmaker returned to that rough-and-tumble prairie province next door to realize his latest vision, the romantic-comedy Chokeslam.

“I would never call it a wrestling film; it’s more in the spirit of a perverted rom-com with wrestling,” says Cuffley. “You don’t have to be a fan of professional wrestling to enjoy it. The theatrics of wrestling is a performance that is hard to take your eyes off of. Even more so you’ve got a personal connection with one of the characters. It makes the experience a little more visceral psychologically.”

Throwing over a life of endless cold cuts for a surreal hot pursuit, Chokeslam’s everyman-protagonist, Corey Swanson (Chris Marquette – Bad Country, Broken Horses), is an underachieving deli clerk who seizes upon his ten-year high school reunion as a second chance to win the affections of his high school crush Sheena Halliday (Amanda Crew – Silicon Valley, Charlie St. Cloud). A pro wrestler and all-around ass-kicker with the reputation of being the Lindsay Lohan of the sports entertainment world, “Smasheena” is a prime example of the non-traditional female archetypes and resultant perspectives that Cuffley excels at exploring.

“It honestly never occurs to me to say, ‘Okay, what’s my next movie with a female character?’ it just ends up that way. Someone pointed out to me that one thing that I do unwittingly with them (the female characters) is that in one way or another they’re performing in the film. You get to see the character they inhabit and then you get to see who they really are. In Walk All Over Me it was a woman trying to become a dominatrix, in Ferocious it was the life of a semi-famous television star. And that fascination is the key here with Sheena; in front of and behind the camera.”

Tag-teaming with co-writer Jason Long and producer Carolyn McMaster, Cuffley, who studied film at SAIT and the National Screen Institute, capitalized on the proximity of Regina’s local High Impact Wrestling Canada promotion. The professional wrestling phenomenon contributed some true grit and their signature impactful “Saskatchewan Style” to the director’s fourth outing. Authenticity definitely didn’t take a backseat to humour, as Cuffley enlisted real-life wrestler Chelsea Green (Queens of Combat, WWE Tough Enough) to portray Angel, an up-and-coming fighter with Smasheena in her sights. Likewise the expertise of former WWE wrestlers Lance Storm (Green’s trainer) and Harry Smith, son of the late British Bulldog, Davey Boy Smith, not to mention three-time WWE champion and WWE Hall of Famer Mick “Mankind” Foley, brought some serious cage-cred and a flare for the dramatic to the project.

“I had to come up to speed with my co-writer Jason Long,” Cuffley explains. “I grew up with Stampede Wrestling as well, but he kept with it and to this day really enjoys it. I was lucky enough to have a crew of real wrestlers, with the exception of Amanda Crew. And she was the type, thank goodness, that got a trainer and started seven-days a week and came pretty ripped. We also had Chelsea Green come in a week early and she just gave me tonnes of insights, like always playing to the 20th row,” he continues. “Mick Foley was such a pleasure. He’s such a kind guy, but not only that he’s now a stand-up comic. He’d riff a little bit off of some of the lines and his improv was so good that I could not cut it out!”

Only time will tell if WWE fans and general audiences respond favourably to the battle-scarred charm of Cuffley’s wrestling-centric romp (please, don’t bring your homemade crowd-signs to the movie theatre). But, I ask you, who could resist the allure of an uplifting depiction of the resiliency of the human heart when pitted against the threat of ignominious defeat, or deny the glory of small-town dreams painted in sweat and neon body-paint and projected into the stratosphere like a Roman candle on steroids?

“I fully embraced the ridiculousness of it. And it is ridiculous. People falling through tables and getting hit 42 times in the face and not bleeding. Jason and I are both John Hughes fans, so the romance aspect is definitely inspired by Some Kind of Wonderful and Breakfast Club, amongst others. Which means taking those moments and squeezing every drop from them, but in a way that’s endearing, not cheesy.”

See Chokeslam as part of the Calgary International Film Festival at the Closing Gala Oct. 2 at Theatre Junction GRAND.

Mandible Klaw : Hey, Mikey! He likes it!

There’s no escaping the long arm of Mandible Klaw

by Christine Leonard
10 September 2016

A mighty amalgam of Calgary bands that claims some serious reach when it comes to connecting with their local scene, Mandible Klaw is a partnership with an impressive musical lineage.

All told, the list of artistic affiliations shared amongst drummer Mikey, vocalist Steve, bassist Niall, and guitarists Dave and Justin reads like a veritable “OMG, it’s that guy!?” of YYC rock ‘n’ roll history. “Niall and I were in Spastic Panthers, Justin and I were in Gudenpist and The Bloody Hells, and Steve and I were in the Nrbs,” explains Mikey.

According to vocalist Steve, the concept of forming Mandible Klaw had been brewing for a while when he and Mikey set about recruiting co-conspirators.

“We decided to try and pick out the best parts of our favourite local bands and see if they would be into it,” says Steve. “And they were! Everyone brought some songs and ideas to our first jam and we played out four songs in a couple hours. Then that was it!”

Courting infamy with their well-seasoned debut LP, Mandible Klaw has stumbled upon a rich hunting ground for making original discoveries within familiar territory on their emergent sonic creation.

“I love it. Definitely, my favourite release I have been on. The music is really tight and everyone’s input gels really nicely,” Steve continues. “No title and no real theme either. The songs just kind of came out of how we were feeling when we wrote them.”

Capturing the volatile style of the off-the-cuff Mandible Klaw, in-studio and in the heat of the moment, presents a daunting technological challenge. Thankfully, the intuitive skills of producer/engineer Graham Riddle, of Calgary’s Wayfarer Sound, contributed a measure of mix-master control to their audio innovations. Added to that, the steady steam-presses of Canada Boy Vinyl, who stamped out the final product in all of its glossy 12-inch glory.

“Graham was awesome to record with,” confirms Niall. “The recording sessions were really relaxed and, I think, that environment coupled with Graham’s relentless enthusiasm brought out the best in all of us. One of my favourite things about punk music is it’s not indulgent. I love playing shorter songs because you’re not beating an idea to death. Short, explosive bursts are the way to go.”

Fourteen pummeling 90-second-long tunes that create and destroy worlds in the time it takes to fry an egg: now that’s a bargain, and a thrill, at any price.

Mandible Klaw’s album release party is September 10th with 2/3 of Nothing, Norwegian Icebreaker and DSO at The Palomino Smokehouse and Social Club.

The Electric Revival buries the needle on ‘Magnetic North’

Ian Dillon of The Electric Revival recorded their latest LP analog-style

by Christine Leonard
22 August 2016

There’s nothing like an honest day’s work, especially when the fruit of your labours arrives in the form of glorious vinyl LPs. It’s the kind of worthwhile pursuit that gets Calgary-based “sonic architect” Ian Dillon out of bed, and into his tidy ponytail and lab coat, in the morning.

“I was being an opportunist,” explains Dillon, who was recently featured in his role at Canada Boy Vinyl during a recent episode of The Amazing Race Canada. “I had gotten the gig at Canada Boy Vinyl as their mastering engineer back in September of 2015, and quickly realized that they had everything at the studio set up to be able to do an analog recording. They had built this amazing studio and had all this equipment that would allow you to record an album without ever touching a computer and walk out with a vinyl. I had been there for about six months, but had yet to see anyone attempt it. So, I was like, ‘Guys, I’m doing it!’”

As fortune would have it, Dillon also happens to be the guitarist/vocalist for the local rock and roll juggernaut The Electric Revival. A blues-infused power trio formed in 2009, The Electric Revival had coincidentally amassed a new haul of hardcore gems that were just begging to be laid down in the studio.

“I’ve been making records since I was 10 years old and it’s the first time I’ve been in a recording studio that didn’t have a computer screen in it,” Dillon says. “As a recording engineer, who makes records full-time, it was like taking something you know everything about and flipping it upside-down and doing it completely differently. For me, it was revitalizing. Like, ‘Wow!’ It’s no longer about sitting in front of a computer screen. Click, click…click. It’s about working with people in a room with a vibe. It definitely changed the process.”

Working closely with drummer Dallas Lobb and bassist Daniel Toews, Dillon chose to extend their grassroots approach to all of the instrumental and vocal tracks used in creating their forthcoming LP, Magnetic North (House of Pleasant Thoughts), which is named for the recording studio located above the Canada Boy Vinyl factory. A polarized follow-up to The Electric Revival’s previous full-length releases, Pirate Radio (2013) and Freaks (2015), Magnetic North showcases a dozen of the vitriolic band’s heavy yet heartfelt anthems.

“Limitations spark creativity. Necessity is the mother of invention. When you have Pro Tools you have limitless options, so you’re almost restricted by that,” Dillon surmises. “The whole idea of analog is that you have to perform and your editing is very minimal. You’re really in the moment and what’s happening on the spot is what’s being captured.”

Bottling The Electric Revival’s musical lightning presents a technical challenge in itself, but one that was facilitated by Magnetic North’s analog recording studio’s location directly above CBV, Canada’s only record pressing plant. Realizing this retro-fitted vision is an impressive accomplishment, and one that Dillon hopes will encourage other artists to take advantage of a purely analog recording experience in the future.

“It was fun watching all the moving parts,” Dillon confirms. “I actually cut all of the quarter-inch tape and spliced it back together; there were all of these tapes hanging down. It was like Abbey Road! Being able to do the whole album under one roof was incredible. Plus, the plant was sponsored by Big Rock, so they filled our fridge with beer every week.”

Magnetic North is available now.

Winnipeg quartet Dead Ranch trots out the roadkill rock show

Dead Ranch is the sonic equivalent of “sprawling stoner rock vistas and pummeling prairie thunderstorms.”

by Christine Leonard
8 August 2016

Summer is the perfect time of year to relax around Winnipeg’s Dead Ranch. Prized for their sprawling stoner rock vistas and pummeling prairie thunderstorms, the gritty quartet has been beating up the tour circuit since the release of their stunning 2013 LP, Antler Royal. A visceral onslaught of rib-cracking riffs ensnared by sludgy inflections, Dead Ranch’s ominous skillset reads like the menu at a Roadkill Cafe. Breaking away from the fray to record their first new album in three years, guitarist/vocalist Chad Alsop and company enlisted gun-for-hire producer Jesse Gander (White Lung, Japandroids) to breathe life to their latest creation.

“We were always considering using our buddy Jesse again,” Alsop says. “We decided to fly him out to Winnipeg this time and recorded at Exchange District Studios. The album’s called Brumation, hopefully, it will be out in October, but we’ll see. We’re also going into the studio in September to do a split with a great noise-rock band from Halifax called Botfly. The split going to be released through Dwyer Records, and then, once the artwork by Kate Francis is done, we’re looking for a different label to support our new full-length.”

In addition to seeking fresh label representation, Alsop, along with drummer Ryley Divine and guitarist/vocalist Andre Cornejo, are adjusting to the addition of a new band member following the departure of bassist Steve Henderson. Despite being a recent addition to the rough-riding foursome, Dead Ranch’s incoming bassist/vocalist Alana Mercer (Chica Boom Boom, The Quiffs, The Blowholes, The Gunness) has a long history of kicking ass and taking names.

“I first encountered Alana when I was 16 or 17 and used to sneak into shows in Winnipeg, I saw her in this band called The Quiffs; just four girls playing the grossest most awesome punk ever and I was all ‘Holy shit!’ A few years down the line, I get to meet her and she turns out to be one of the coolest people and best musicians that I’ve met. Things weren’t really working out with our other bass player, that’s kind of the way it goes sometimes, and she asked if she could learn some of the riffs. She picked up on it so fast and now she’s a contributing writer. We were hoping to get someone to go on tour and she was like ‘Yeah, this is what I want to do and I really dig your music!’”

Picking up Dead Ranch’s trail where the staggering majesty of Antler Royal left off, the cacophonous tension of Brumation offers a glimpse inside the inner churnings of a band that has never shied away from the waking nightmare of existence.

“I think Brumation is an uglier, meaner album than Antler Royal, which has more eloquent, technical-sounding parts,” says Alsop. “The shit Andre and I were going through at the time is reflected in the music. It’s definitely a cathartic release. Dirtier and more distorted with lots of anti-chords that convey the sense that something ain’t quite right. The way Andre and I accent each other guitars, and Riley’s drumming too, just produces an uneasy mood. We recorded the songs a while ago, but couldn’t wait to play them live. It was eating us up inside!

“Continuing the animal themes: our first EP, Birds of Pray, referenced birds, Antler Royal [referenced] mammals, and so Brumation describes hibernation for reptiles — where they’re in a state of suspended animation, and then they thaw out, and they’re back. Kind of like how we’ve been inactive for a while, but look — we’re still here! We’ve got new stuff! We’re not dead!”

See Dead Ranch on their Western Canadian tour in August. They perform August 6th in Saskatoon at Amigo’s, August 8th in Edmonton at Filthy McNasty’s, August 13th in Vancouver at the Waldorf during Burger Fest, on August 17th in Siksika First Nation, on August 18th in Lethbridge at an “ask a punk” (secret) location, and on August 19th in Calgary at Distortion.

Frankie McQueen - Interviewed by Christine Leonard-Cripps

The most lovable douche bags around

Frankie McQueen grabs attention & doesn’t let go

Frankie McQueen's brand of psychedelia isn't contained by generic titles or, as it turns out, set lists, either.

Primed to celebrate its fourth anniversary as a band, the local rockers behind Frankie McQueen represent the latest wave of Calgary musicians to take up the torch of reverb and rebellion. Its status as an up-and-comer to watch was cemented in 2009, when Frankie captured the “Rockstar” crown at a radio-sponsored battle of the bands and walked away $200,000 richer. There was a catch, however — these grand prize winnings are earmarked for recording studio expenses. But still, it’s a hell of an allocated shot in the arm for a group of greenhorns that cut their teeth on the Wednesday wing-night pub scene.

“Connor (Muth, drummer) and Kelly (O’Keefe, bassist) started the band back in high school,” reports vocalist-guitarist Scotty Charles. “They had been jamming and trying out singers for a while and knew about my singing and playing abilities from seeing me perform in various talent shows and with my band Fang. They were heavily influenced by the old Calgary indie and garage bands (such as) Telly; at the time, and Rob Eight from Telly was a youth pastor who got all those boys playing together.”

“We all loved Telly’s song ‘Frankie McQueen,’” he continues. “And we asked if we could use it as our name. They gave us the thumbs-up and by the end of our first gig together the crowd, at the Nova music showcase, was chanting ‘Frankie! Frankie!’ In that moment, we knew we had something worth pursuing.”

Continuing to build Frankie McQueen’s momentum and character along with founding members O’Keefe and Muth, Charles helped to bring guitarist Scott Giffin to the fold during the recording of its debut EP. A late-night brainstorming session that precipitated music lessons and a fast friendship, the addition of Giffin strengthened the band’s sound as well as its sense of purpose.

“Scott and I hit it off right from the get-go,” explains Charles. “We just started jamming and the hard rockin’ ideas haven’t stopped coming since. Even though we have rather different musical tastes and backgrounds, we all mesh together very well onstage. As guitarists, Scott and I tend to go back and forth a lot, whether we’re working on a sexy ballad, a big bluesy number or a ripping-fast metal song, eventually one of us will ignite out of a jam and create something that becomes a song. There’s really no designated driver in Frankie McQueen — too many assholes trying to backseat drive. I’ve found the best thing you can do in that situation is get them to drink more beer and then let ’em steer the ship for a while.”

With a second EP in the works, it appears Frankie McQueen’s ship is indeed due to come in again. Parlaying their new take on an old sound into indie gold, the organic psych-rock foursome is eager to immortalize the evolution of the Frankie McQueen sound — now with the aid of esteemed producer Graham Sharkey.

Prone to performing with his eyes shut — only to open them and find himself halfway through a set — Charles relishes the otherworldly experience of sharing his audio art in a live setting. In fact, the group is known to perform without a formal “set list,” opting to go with the flow, sometimes recording the order of songs after the fact to be presented in their “natural” order the next time. This talent may well be Frankie McQueen’s greatest asset, as it allows the intuitive quartet to present a moment while remaining present in the moment.

“When we’re onstage we know that it’s our time to shine,” Charles explains of his band’s alter ego. “Frankie McQueen is the kinda guy who rolls into a joint and immediately captures everyone’s attention and completely takes over. He’s a leader, not a follower. He’s a total badass. When I’m talking about Frankie McQueen the man, I’m talking about the most lovable douche bag on the planet.”

by Christine Leonard

Originally published December 16, 2010 in Fast Forward Magazine.