Library Voices

Library Voices

Proud to be pop

by Karla Paragg

December 9, 2009

Library Voices are Pop as F*ck.

This slogan of sorts is something that Michael Dawson, the lyricist who plays synthesizers, keyboards and the drum machine came up with in the early days of the band. "We set out from day one with the very clear intention to try and write thoughtful pop music," he says. "It's something that we all love."

Carl Johnson, the lead singer and guitarist, agrees. "Pop music, traditionally, is not aggressive at all. It's benign. For us, growing up, pop music was the norm, it was the status quo."

A lot of musicians, Michael notes, especially among the band's friends, think of the word 'pop' as having negative connotations. "I wanted to turn the word into a bit of a celebration. So many punk and metal bands market themselves with statements like 'Metal Up Your A*s' and 'Punk As F*ck', and they do so with absolutely no sense of irony. I always look at that stuff and think to myself, 'Are you serious? You're singing about orcs and dragons and you take yourself that seriously?' I think there's a fine line between making music you're proud of and not taking yourself too seriously."

The eight-piece band formed in Regina in the spring of 2008 and has been busy ever since. Their EP, "Hunting Ghosts and Other Collected Shorts" was released in the fall of 2008, with the single Step Off The Map & Float. This spring, they opened for K-os in Calgary and Edmonton - their first time opening for a big act. They showcased at the Western Canadian Music Awards this September, in addition to playing with the Trio Accord at the awards show. Currently, they are on a six-week tour across Canada, along with In-Flight Safety and Julie Fader (who is also a member of the Great Lake Swimmers.) Although they have toured both Eastern and Western Canada before, this is their longest tour to date. Their latest single and video, "Drinking Games," will appear on their first full-length album, Denim on Denim, to be released at the beginning of 2010.

Playing and touring with such a large band brings some unexpected challenges, as well as benefits. Despite there being eight members, on the road "it's the easiest formation of any band I've ever traveled with," says Michael. "There are so many different personalities...sometimes if you only have three or four people, it's really easy to tire of them quickly. It just happens when you spend so much time with any person. But with so many people, it's easy to branch off and do whatever."

Carl agrees. "If you get sick of someone, there are seven other people to talk to. It's a lot easier to be close and to get along with this many people than it is, in my experience, with smaller bands. Which is a surprise."

However, it can get quite crowded on stage. "I have to tape my cords every show," says Eoin Hickey-Cameron, who plays bass.

"Logistically, it's a little hazardous," says Carl. "We've had guitars in the face. Gear gets wrecked and trashed. But that's half the fun of our shows."

"It adds to the celebration of our band," says Michael. "Onstage, it feels like throwing a party. Aside from the practical aspect, the more people on stage, the more fun it can be."
That party atmosphere extends to the live shows. If it looks like Library Voices are having fun, it's because they are.

"It's not an act," Carl says. "It is fun. In general, when professional musicians say to each other, 'Oh, it looks like you're having fun up there,' it's considered a put down. But Library Voices is the exception, because we really are having fun.

"To do it now, we're very appreciative," he continues. "We're figuring out ways to break down barriers between us and the audience. We want to share our exuberance with the audience."
The songwriting process is collaborative, despite, or perhaps because of, the sheer number of people involved.

"Most of the time Carl will start out with the basic melody," says Michael. "He arranges the layout of the chords. When he's written a song, we get together in smaller groups and work it out."

"Mike and I have been collaborating for a long time," says Carl, "so I'll have the essential parts of the music, and vocal melodies and other melodies, and Mike will have lyrics and music ideas about the song. So it's a collaboration between us with significant input from Brennan Ross (singer and guitarist) and other people in the band. So it starts there, but everyone has input."

And any one of the band members can make the song unique. "More often than not, one instrument will come up with a really unique melody that stretches the song and takes it in a new direction," says Michael. "That's the biggest blessing - you never know who's going to be
the one that comes up with the part that makes that song."

The band's SOCAN rights are split evenly, so they try to make it as big a collaboration as possible. "There's a lot of talking," says Carl.

"We all do more talking than actual playing!" adds Michael.

Carl and Michael have a long history of collaboration - they've written and played together, on and off, for nearly a decade. Their previous bands include Filmmaker and National Frost. On the subject of their on again/off again working relationship, Michael says, "We're both very passionate and opinionated about what we create - which for a long time meant that a lot of choice words were exchanged. It wasn't until recently that we were both able to set that teen angst aside and create consistently in a positive environment." This isn't to say that they never have conflicts, but "it feels a lot more brotherly these days. The new record we just finished recording is far and away the best thing we've ever done together, although obviously having such a great bunch of other musicians involved plays an immeasurable role in that." [Song] 'Denim on Denim' has a McCartney/Lennon feel to it, in that there's a lot of Carl moments and a lot of Mike moments, but more importantly, a lot of it just came together where we met in the middle and were both equally satisfied with the outcome."

Being a band from Saskatchewan has both benefits and drawbacks. "As far as Canada goes, it's in a great geographical location," says Michael. "It makes it a lot easier to head to Vancouver or Toronto in a relatively short amount of time, than it does to live in Vancouver and have to commit a few weeks to getting to Toronto and back. The downside is that the vast majority of the music industry operates out of those two cities. Sometimes you come across as a bit of a novelty when people find out you are from Saskatchewan. Sadly, the only way to overcome those challenges is to spend a lot of time on the road."

"You have to earn respect when touring," says Carl. "When you say you're from Saskatchewan, people don't take you as seriously. It's extra hard to impress Toronto, because they're on the cusp of so many things culturally."

And the upside? "Far and away the greatest benefit of being from Saskatchewan is that its arts communities and funders are incredibly supportive of local artists," says Michael. "SaskMusic and the Arts Board have done a lot to make our lives much easier."

"There's a support network here," says Carl. "Other bands help each other. There's much more camaraderie."

That support network came in handy earlier this year, when the band was robbed while on tour in Vancouver. Their van was broken into, and more than $10,000 worth of gear taken. "Usually someone sleeps in the van, but we were in a safe neighbourhood," says Carl. Or so they thought. The van was padlocked, but someone physically cut through the actual trailer. "They only took about one-third of what was in there. They took the most impressive stuff, but not the most valuable stuff. Either they were kids who didn't know what they were doing, or they were interrupted." Despite this ordeal, the band only missed one show. "We were able to rent and borrow gear. It was great to see the community of fans come together for us. There were all these people who legitimately wanted to help," says Carl.

Long live the cooperative spirit.

For more on Library Voices, check out www.libraryvoices.com.

Who's Who:

Michael Dawson - synthesizer/keyboards, drum machine
Paul Gutheil - saxophone, percussion, vocals
Eoin Hickey-Cameron - bass
Carl Johnson - lead vocals, guitar
Karla Miller - synthesizer, vocals
Brennan Ross - guitar, vocals
Amanda Scandrett - synthesizer, glockenspiel, melodeon, vocals
Michael Thievin - drums & percussion

Library Gear: How Do They Get That Sound?

Michael D - Typically live setting I've been running a MicroKorg, a circuit bent Casio SK-1, a Moog/Realistic MG-1, and a few other gadgets including a Theremin B3 and an old Yamaha drum machine. For pedals I primarily use a Line 6 DL 4 for loops, a Space Echo, and an MXR analog delay, as well as some of the on-board effects on a crappy little mixer I bought off eBay. On the first record I also used a Korg PS900 and a Hohner suitcase air organ, but touring has taken its toll on both of them. I also used a Theremin on those songs, built in a little wooden tea box. On the new album I also used a few circuit bent children's toys, a Bontempi organ, a prepared music box, and anything else I could get my hands on, from wind chimes to a metal box full of kids' tambourines and maracas.
Eoin - Ernie Ball Musicman Bass, Ampeg SVT Classic Head, and Gallien Krueger 4 x10 cabinet.
Carl - Epiphone DOT hollow body, a Mexican Fender Telecaster, and a Fender Blues Jr. Amp that I ripped the tolex off of. For this reason, people usually think the amp is old, when really, I've had it for six months. The result is a harsher, rawer, dirty garage sound. Also, the reverb is busted on the amp.
Karla - MicroKorg synth.
Brennan - Gibson Nighthawk, Big Muff Pi and Dan Echo Delay pedals, and a Fender Deluxe Reverb.
Amanda - Moog Little Phatty synth, plus glockenspiel and melodeon.

Side Dish

Michael Dawson is also the founder of Young Soul Records. He started the record company a few years ago with the intention of helping local bands.

"I've watched so many amazing bands live and die in Regina in the past couple decades. Some of my favourite bands have come out of Regina, like Built In Shellbrook, Fight The Monster and Goldenmile, but they just never really got the credit or breaks they deserved."

His intention was to pool several bands together and put in the work needed to provide them with distribution, so they would be eligible for grants and funding.

"I had hoped that releasing a relatively large body of work by Saskatchewan artists would help media outlets and radio across Canada start to pay more attention to our little province."

He thinks that to a certain degree, it's been successful.

"Over the past couple of years I've put out ten releases, and a number of them have gone on to success on Canadian campus radio, and have received very favourable reviews from magazines and websites."

He expects 2010 to be a year of substantial growth for Young Soul.

"I'm in the midst of some negotiations that would see it move from a little collective endeavour to a full-blown independent record label by the spring. I've also been talking with a few musicians and it looks like we will be increasing the roster fairly significantly."
 

By Karla Paragg for SaskMusic. Photos courtesy Library Voices / Chris Graham Photography. Originally published Autumn 2009.

This article is posted as initially published. For reprint/usage permission or any other questions, please contact SaskMusic.

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