Creature Republic have that kind of sound that just feels
right, we've got Alicia Hoogveld as vox and guitar, Jarrett Sullivan on
bass and Michael Holbrook behind the kit. The vocals are what catch you,
(stop, download that mp3 ^), but each element brings something to the
sound that allows all the other elements to shine, so they all do. Creature
Republic hooked up with Cyclone Records last year and have been featured
on the On the Verge comp disc, released their disc Watch Your Aim, and
they're now gearing up to put out a full length. Mike and I did an email
interview in mid-April.
|
Mike
|
It seems a lot of the time bands with a female lead singer
tend to be lumped together, in the hot chick with a backup band category,
and even though they have a hot chick fronting the band, they're talented
enough to be seen as a band that works hard and pumps out great music.
In March of this year, Creature Republic, hailing from
Calgary, went from a four piece to a three piece when their lead guitarist
separated from the band. Shortly after the split, the band started the
hunt for a new lead guitarist. 'For a while after', says Mike on what happened
next, 'we didn't jam unless we were auditioning someone. After a while,
the three of us were getting anxious to jam, write and just have fun again.
So we decided to start rehearsing again on a regular basis and continue
to audition at the same time. We worked on some new stuff, as well as playing
our songs, but we decided to play them not as if there was a 'missing instrument'.
So we each started to play one-third stronger and more responsible for
the overall sound which led us to a new sound that blew us away.'
|
|
Mike on becoming a three piece...
|
'I think there was one point when after we had finished a jam, we all just looked at each other and just decided right then and there, that we were going to stop the auditions, and remain a trio.'
|
|
'I think there was one point when after we had finished a jam, we all just looked at each other and just decided right then and there, that we were going to stop the auditions, and remain a trio.' Songwriting on this disc, notes Mike, 'was a bit strange.'
'Originally I had started the band with another singer, we had jammed a few times (drums and vocals), where we put together a couple of tunes that we used to audition guitar and bass players.' From there, they added their former lead guitarist and bassist Jarrett, chosen for their music fit and chemistry with the band. 'From that point on,' explains Mike, 'all the songs were written by the newly formed band, just by all four of us jamming at rehearsals together.' A few months later it wasn't working out with the singer, he left and the remaining three started on the arduous task of finding a new lead singer. A new plan was made, to make an audition tape to find their new singer without any vocals or lyrical suggestions, adds Mike, 'We had decided to have the new singer, whoever it may be, put their own lyrics and vocal melody to the instrumental tracks we gave them [the seven tracks on 'Watch Your Aim']. After Alicia blew all the competition away, we all went back into the studio to complete the album with Alicia on vocals and also second guitarist.'
On the recording process, Mike explains it 'was done in three different studios in Calgary, Alberta, Canada - Sundae Sound Studios with Dave Alcock and Alan Irving engineering, SilverEdge Studios with Patrick Schultz engineering, and GEErage Studios with Tony Gare engineering, mixing and co-producing the album with me.' Though Mike acknowledges that 'It was interesting and fun to be able to work in different environments and with different people each time', they'll be taking a different approach next time around.
|
Alicia
|
|
Mike on recording in three studios...
|
'It was interesting and fun to be able to work in different environments and with different people each time.'
|
|
Jarrett
|
Always with the wheels turning, Mike's take on the next release, 'we'll be firing off the tracks, live off the floor; just the three of us and an engineer in one studio, then have the final mixing and mastering done at a second different studio. The reason being, that we want to get back that 'live' feel that's missing on most studio recordings over the last few years, everything seems to sound overly produced and too clean and we want to 'dirty' it up.'
Recording for the next disc is set to start soon, with Cyclone Records. Mike on the process 'We'll be recording it in 3 segments over the next 6 months. After each segment is completed, we'll be releasing 3 - 4 songs at a time for online distribution such as iTunes, Napster and Cyclone Records, once the entire album is complete, we'll release it on CD of course.' A tour headed West in Canada and down to the States this summer in the works with Cyclone labelmates, Inner Surge.
Hooking up with Cyclone Records got Creature Republic's track Road to Nowhere on Cyclone's On the Verge comp disc, and Cyclone have been a large part of spreading the word about last year's Watch Your Aim, and now they're working on the next release together. The hookup happened through Patrick Schultz, and if you're paying attention you'll remember the name from SilverEdge Studios in Calgary.
And the word is spreading, Creature Republic have been used as intro music on The Little Show and at the moment, the photo on the main page reflects the posted Creature Republic lyric. Check it out. So how did this happen? Mike's reply, 'I guess Scott St. John, the host of The Little Show Podcast liked our sound and he asked us to be a part of a new intro he was putting together for the show, we happily agreed! He has a great show, and plays a lot of good indie music.'
|
|
The Playlist
|
Mike's Playlist
1. Queens of the Stone Age - Regular John
2. Queens of the Stone Age - I Think I Lost My Headache
3. Queens of the Stone Age - Leg of Lamb
4. Queens of the Stone Age - Song for the Dead
5. Queens of the Stone Age - Mexicola
|
|
|
