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Schwa.

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  5. Mr. Something Something make cover of Echo Mag.

    in Soundboard

    Posted

    1493.gif

    A Little Something Something to Move You

    By Denise De La Franier

    With horn riffs as catchy as a fall cold, beats as primal as your

    pulse, and a message that speaks to the good in all of us, Mr.

    Something Something has caused quite a stir of late. And it’s time

    to put on your dancing pants, folks, ‘cause they’re coming to

    town.

    Mr. Something Something is Johan Ivar, Todd Porter, Liam

    Smith, John MacLean, Paul MacDougall, and Larry Graves. They’re

    playing tonight – yes, TONIGHT!–at Vinyl, with the very digable,

    highly groovable What The Thunder Said warming the floor.

    The Somethings have played over 200 shows, sharing the

    stage with celebrated artists including Sarah Harmer, Joel Plaskett,

    and The Trews. They’re racking up accolades like it’s goin’ out of

    style, and are on par with any other Afrobeat outfit on the scene

    today.

    Founding members and childhood friends Graves and

    MacLean were inspired by Fela Kuti, the visionary largely

    responsible for the Afrobeat sound, and felt that the dance

    rhythms of Nigeria, Mali, Senegal, and Ghana were “the most

    natural gathering place for elements that would ultimately make

    up the Mr. Something Something sound.â€

    “Obviously, Fela Kuti's Afrobeat stylings have had a large

    influence on our music,†says Graves, “but what many people

    don't realize is that before John or I had even really checked out

    Fela's greatness, we had been listening to all sorts of traditional

    West African music.â€

    After 20 years of playing and traveling, the two focused in

    on expanding the boundaries of the genre, adding western

    instruments and improvisation. The vocals also extend the music

    beyond the limits of Afrobeat, with the lyrics sung by the

    electrifying Ivar urging the message: “fight for change, fight for

    inclusiveness, fight for compassion, fight for self-empowerment,

    fight for intelligence and ecstatic release, but don’t forget the joy

    of the life you’re fighting for.â€

    While pushing the boundaries of the Afrobeat sound, the

    band is also gaining a reputation for pushing the boundaries of

    the live performance. They like to travel through the audience

    Pied-Piper style, getting the crowd worked up for the dynamic

    onstage shebang. And sometimes it’s the crowd, not the band,

    which blurs the boundaries.

    “At our first show in Vancouver,†Ivar recollects, “this little

    guy wearing a bicycle helmet climbed up on stage and pointed his

    finger at our bass player Liam. He just stood there for the longest

    time with a strange grin on his face, pointing and staring at Liam.

    One time, a woman in a Mexican wrestling mask jumped up on

    stage and tackled our bari sax player. She probably didn't know

    that this rarely makes a good impression on guys who have ten

    thousand dollar horns sitting on stage. “

    “A man in Winnipeg,†adds Graves, “who we thought was a

    sound tech–– by his attire and the fact that we had been having

    sound problems–– appeared on stage, managed to get in front of

    the lead vocal mic and began singing at the very point where the

    verse would usually begin for our song ‘The Powernarcotic’. He

    had never heard us before. He was asked to leave the stage. “

    “Then, of course, there are the injuries,†laughs Ivar, “like

    earlier this year when I tore a ligament in my knee while jumping

    around and singing…on the opening night of a two-week tour. I

    collapsed like a sack of potatoes in front of a packed house in

    Ottawa. I think people thought it was part of some crazy antics

    but I had to hobble around like an old man for the rest of the

    tour.â€

    While the band’s stage show leaves a lasting impression,

    their recordings expose their audience to an equally engaging

    musical experience. Mr. Something Something’s 2004 self-titled

    debut was a revelation for critics, listeners and dancers alike,

    delivering “a little something for the body and a little something for the mind.†The all-important follow-up, “The Edgeâ€, with its

    solid, seasoned sound, is shaping up to have a comparable

    impact. This album, says Graves, “has more of everything that was

    good about the first one.â€

    “It's more mature and more lyric-driven, and I think it offers

    more surprises and diversity in terms of the sonic goodness,â€

    elaborates Ivar. “The first album is a snapshot of us as a very

    young band. This is just another snapshot of us as individuals

    and as a band, but over a year and more than a hundred shows

    later.â€

    Released in early October, the production of “The Edgeâ€

    ventured outside the box, quite literally, as portions of it were

    recorded outdoors.

    “The neighbours must have thought we were crazy, setting

    up mics and banging on scrapmetal in the back yard,†laughs Ivar.

    “John almost worked himself to death recording and mixing the

    album under extreme pressure. I don't think he was horizontal for

    about a month but fortunately he has developed the skill to fall

    asleep shaving or waiting for the bus.â€

    Sleep-shaving aside, snapping the photos for the sleeve art

    also put the band members in a precarious situation. “We wore

    these boxes on our heads for the photo shoot and created quite a

    scene in downtown Toronto. It was dramatic at times; the six of

    us were standing on a crosswalk in Chinatown [unable] to see a

    thing when poor Toddy, who wouldn't hurt a fly, got punched

    right in the gut by a 4 foot tall old lady! And the craziest part is

    that our videographer caught the whole assault on film.â€

    “In our live performances,†continues Ivar, “it's our ambition

    to break down what in theatre is known as ‘the fourth wall’ and

    blur the line between performer and audience. The cover art is,

    among other things, an extension of that ambition and an

    interpretation of Mr. Something Something as ‘Mr. Anybody’. So, instead of doing our best to look good, we took a bunch

    of headshots, some of them pretty silly, blew them up to a natural

    size and made four-sided masks with four different ‘faces’.

    “The depth created in the cover art by photographs of

    photographs of poorly disguised men is meant to raise questions.

    Hopefully the album art reflects the mix of humour and sincerity

    which characterizes the live show.â€

    And in the end, it’s the live show–– the catharsis of allowing

    the body to move, the power of togetherness, and the hope that

    somehow, the world can be made better - that will make you a

    Something fan for life.

    “I've had people come up to me after shows all sweaty and

    glowing after hours of dancing, using the word 'healing' to

    describe what they've just been through,†says Ivar. “This kind of

    experience, this synergy is so powerful that it can change our

    values so that our priorities shift towards self-discovery, healing

    and creativity, and move away from the meaningless and wasteful

    consumption of goods that is slowly but surely making human life

    on this planet impossible.â€

    The band believes that by reaching out to their audience

    during performances––by fuelling a positive and invigorating

    experience––the good vibes and messages of social

    consciousness will “bleed into other aspects of their lives.â€

    According to Graves, “change through positivism and solutions

    instead of politics and condemnation†is what it’s all about.

    “Music is social change when we come together around

    music that inspires us to create a space where things are allowed

    to change, where we feel safe enough to explore and express

    ourselves.â€

  21. Some thoughts on Vegoose

    in Soundboard

    Posted · Edited by Guest

    I just got back and man what a time!

    Basher pretty much covered the trip for me aside from the ROCKIN Mule show on Friday night.

    WSP stole the friggin show, completely hands down the best of the weekend and I feel anyone you talk to will agree, such energy!

    Did some camping and hiking in Cali my first day there and saw two of my favourite chicks around.

    I am sooooo tired right now so off to bed and to the Lanc for some more music tonight (does this ride ever end?)

    IT'S A VEGOOSE MIRACLE!!!!

    **edit** when Trey came out with Panic I thought it was one of the best moments. They jammed for what seemed like forever with the old up down rollercoaster jam giving us a tiny little rest before we all had to wind it up to full blast again. Man oh man. And then the Col. came out for a tune too!

    OK, bed.

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