You shared the first single – “No Hot Cargo” – from forthcoming album, Tributaries last week. What can folks expect from the rest of the album?
I do not exactly know how to answer that, but it has been referred to as ‘psych rock’. The songs almost stand on their own or something. It was all an exploratory exercise. Looking back, I do not think we could have done anything else. We are just learning.
“No Hot Cargo” does not sound like anything you have released before. What (or who) do you credit for the new sonic elements you have added?
No Hot Cargo came together I think slowly over a couple months in early 2019. I kept bringing new parts to the band to flush out together live in the room. We certainly do not want to make the same song twice. I will usually do some arrangements and add production elements as I write because I write and record at home a lot for fun. I was doing that for years before ever playing a show. I love arpeggiators and synths and screwing with sounds and these days it is super easy to do that. Between everyone in the band we essentially have two recording studios.
Is there a theme that ties together all the different songs on Tributaries? How did you arrive at that title?
Absolutely. You will probably find one. The title is kind of a double entendre.
What are your favorite Saint John haunts? How would you describe your hometown to someone who wanted to visit?
We play at Callie’s Pub uptown under normal circumstances. I would recommend seeing the City Market, but you cannot go wrong. In Saint John people hustle, and it still has an enduring spirit. The landscape, rivers, and ocean almost sustain us here but the city itself is completely falling apart as you would expect one to as all its wealth is siphoned out by a few billionaires. The people and the municipality itself are left in increasingly precarious situations. The New Brunswick government essentially does whatever they say almost as if for some twisted sense of economic stability or protection in return— no matter how harmful these demands are for the population or land itself. There really are no words for this. It is shocking.
What is the Saint John Music community like? Is there a consistent “sound” that runs through most of the acts?
Good question. There is not one consistent sound but there is a common thread. Everyone plays the music they love and offers something a little different to the city. The only issue we have is we lack a central venue. The scene is a bit splintered. It was before COVID-19
What are you most looking forward to this year?
If we are lucky, live music – safely.
