the gestation period is almost up and if these projects arent aborted in the foreseeable future then expect a new generation of awesome diy recordings coming to life!
the kids from the 90's babies art collective are scrambling about their lives, in the jam room and out on the streets, practicing, collecting gear, and getting set to put out some new music for us all.
i wanted to ask some of the bands some questions about what they are working on, and some of these questions, and the interesting answers these folks came up with will come up on this blog as articles, tiny insights on what we might expect.
to start,
Stagnant Stars!
bio:
Jawsh "ff" Carson - guitars, vocals, weird jittery noises
Tay - drum boom bang, vocals, guitar
Friends since grade 9 in Camrose, Alberta (near edmonton)
Band kicking around since January 2010.
"you called me up from an edmonton bus and said all the dreams we made together, they're still gonna happen.."
- "i could hear it in your voice", stagnant stars
josh tells me its cathartic to write these songs, to belt them out and play them with his friend. he's looking through the frame of the past year and all its troubles and difficulties, holding these experiences out, lifting them up, reflecting on them and polishing up a couple silver linings and putting them down in a tiny north end bedroom. him and taylor are singing it out back to us, with melodic melodies, impassioned beats and some pretty nifty guitar work. ive only heard a couple of their practices so far but it's been awesome and moving. i walked into the house, suddenly feeling a little more posi, with this assertive upbeat twinkling coming from the other room, and then Boom! the roaring of the drums like a comet come crashing through the stratosphere. the cymbals roll like a tail of dust and ice, lingering behind, burning up on approach.
shortly after a sweaty thirsty taylor walked out red in the face and nearly hopping through the house. he seemed to radiate the feel of the music he was helping make with josh.
"when we finish playing the vibrations of the music are still coursing through me", lingering and
keeping taylor warm.
i was talking to him about the album, and the band. he was stoked. it was "pure ecstasy" he said, twice. with songs about life and "having it kick you in the scrotum at every turn", he was plenty excited, and it was nice to hear someone go on and on about how this new project is working, its clicking, everything just seems to fall in place. we talked about the recordings and how they are coming along, and he mentioned the challenges of trying to maintain the real and humble feeling behind the tracks, yet put together a good representation of their music. not hifi, or lofi.. maybe soulfi, truefi. music full of technical wizardry a thick epic sound, im already amazed at what they've been able to set down without losing any of that feel.
as we were talking travis walked through the room and exclaimed "it's badass!" and i wholly agree. not in the macho domineering badass kinda way, but in the way that it moves you, and you definitely sway with the tumbling staccato guitar riffs, wild and reckless. the drums echo the melodies and rhythms of the lyrics, then switch suddenly to following the guitar, then shoot off into space somewhere out on their own, lost through the thick of the sound, then coming back down to earth, matching and running alongside the river of distorted guitar. damn, its good.
this is what i want right now. i want to hear music which literally moves me, leaves me quivering like a first kiss, reminded of the movement, the roar of soul that can come from a couple of friends playing, working, creating together. it is the picture i want to hold in my heart for a while, reminding me of cohesion that emerges sometimes, in the right light, at just the best point. as rare as a shooting star. not every band can sound like this, but its something to strive for.
"i'll write you a letter in bold cursive letters, that says anything anyone's ever told you in about this life was, is, always will be."
- mumble like you mean it, stagnant stars
http://www.myspace.com/stagnantstars
-byron.
Stagnant Stars!!! <3
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