The pause that refreshes
Hiatus searches for meaning Between the Lines
PREVIEW
HIATUS CD Release Party
Saturday, March 2
The Night Gallery
Hiatus is a homegrown hip-hop-metal-core band that has paid its dues in beer, sweat and tears over the last five years in Calgary. Now that the group's name has become familiar on the local scene, the band's members are preparing to enjoy wider success.
For bassist Tim Malcolm this can only mean one thing – taking their new album Between the Lines above and beyond anything they’ve achieved in the past. Malcolm conceptualizes this higher plain as one of professional management, increased promotional activities and, of course, soaring international record sales.
"Our plan is to promote the new album, and Hiatus itself, to get out on the road and sell this thing to as many people as possible.... With our Web site... we’ve had a lot of interest from Europe and other areas. We would like to build our distribution systems so we can get our product into people’s hands."
Malcolm and fellow founding member, guitarist Sean O’Grady, have worked to build Hiatus’ solid reputation and fan base through their endeavours here in Calgary, and by touring Western Canada. For a well-rehearsed band that gels together effectively onstage, the recording experience was a natural progression. Their efforts in the studio yielded their first four-song EP, #1202, followed in December of 1999 with their debut full-length CD, the aggressively provocative Instigator. But the band was not content to rest on its laurels. No sooner had they released Instigator than Hiatus began preparing for their next run at success with Between the Lines.
"Throughout the time period when we were pushing our album Instigator, we were evolving with new songs and new materials. And eventually the new stuff has to take priority regardless of what you’ve done before."
Open to exploring various musical offshoots of their heavy metal foundation, Hiatus has smoothly integrated elements of rap, rock, hip-hop and (heaven forbid) neu-metal into their multi-tiered thrash-core sound. The discovery of vocalist Greasy B (a.k.a. Grease), formerly of Upshot, in 1998, accelerated the band’s metamorphosis into their latest manifestation. Another new addition to the expanding Hiatus lineup is drummer Marc Lodi, who has stepped in for original skins man J.G. Towers. And perhaps most significantly they have joined forces with turntablist DJ Grassy Knoel, who furnishes all their scratching and sampling needs. Malcolm acknowledges that the addition of a DJ is bound to change their fan base, but he is quite satisfied that the quality and intensity of their performances is only enhanced by these contrasting collaborations.
"Everyone who plays with Hiatus shows up for one reason – to play as hard as they can. We put a lot of work into the stuff, and the presentation is the icing on the cake. When you see Hiatus live you can expect some versatility on the bill. You’ll never have a straight-out metal night, or a full-out punk night. We try to make it a well-rounded affair. Grassy Knoel has become a major attraction. The kids really seem to dig him – he’s under serious scrutiny when we perform."
Don't miss your chance to scrutinize Hiatus when they play their CD release party at the Gallery, with Upshot and Drool opening. |
