Preview
THE LONG RUN
Saturday, October 18
Night Gallery
From the way the bulk of rock ’n’ roll poster kids drone on about lost love and teen angst you would think that making music isn’t any fun.
Don’t get me wrong – it’s hard work. If you’re actually lucky enough to find people you get along with and who share your musical tastes, you still have to play a ton of shows in dingy clubs for little or no cash in the hopes of making enough money to record an album. Then it gets tough.
You would never know it, however, from listening to All Afternoon, the debut full-length from Calgary’s The Long Run. Brimming with beautiful pop melodies and solid vocal harmonies, the album has a contagious happiness so surprisingly authentic that it sounds effortless.
"We play the songs that make us feel good, and it feels good to play them," says guitarist-vocalist Scott Bennie.
It’s a deceptively simple motivation but few bands have the pop smarts or the chops to pull it off. Even fewer would have the ability to write a tribute song to their favourite comedian and have it stand beside an unabashed, lovestruck pop-punk anthem.
If you listen to the radio, it’s obvious that it’s easier to write a sad song than it is to write something that is truly happy, but The Long Run’s optimism is mercilessly contagious. It proves difficult to keep a smile from creeping across your lips when you hear a song like " Beside You," which may be one of the most honest love songs ever written.
The Long Run got its start in February 2001 when Bennie (Nine Miles to Morgan) and guitarist Sarah Nordean (The Trousers) decided to join musical forces after a longtime friendship. Enlisting the help of drummer Daniella Booth (Nine Miles to Morgan) and bassist Silvana Campus (The Del Montes), the early stage of the band’s evolution is captured on a three-song EP recorded at Calgary's Echo Base with Casey Lewis. When Booth left the band in 2002, Jay Woolley (Agnostic Mountain Gospel Choir) stepped up to fill the gap behind the kit.
For fans of The Long Run, the brilliance of All Afternoon will come as no surprise. Loaded with favourites from their live show, the album has been slowly sneaking out on campus radio and at all-ages shows for the past few months. Recorded with Dave Alcock at Sundae Sound, All Afternoon takes all the elements that make The Long Run the finest guitar pop band in Calgary and cleans them up in a way that usually can’t be achieved in a live setting.
"We wanted our songs to be much more polished," says Nordean. "I think our last recording we did in one take, and we had to be satisfied with that. (This time) we were happy about being able to do ‘do-overs.’"
"At the same time," says Bennie, "we didn’t go overboard. We didn’t really polish them – mostly because we couldn’t afford to. I think it’s a pretty good blend of a polished record mixed with the sounds of a rock band in the basement."
All Afternoon offers the full-bodied simplicity of The Long Run’s songwriting. The verse-chorus-verse structure is elegantly updated by the band, which takes the basics and make them fresh again. On the drums, Woolley’s laidback style has brought an element of restraint that The Long Run may not have had prior. "I like how Jay being in the band has slowed us down," says Nordean, noting that the band’s sound changed quite a bit when Woolley arrived. "He’s really straight-forward and deceptively simple." This translates into audiences being able to revel in the music. Bennie’s crunchy chord progressions are perfectly accented by Nordean’s catchy stripped down riffs. The space in-between is filled with Campus’s bubbling bass and Woolley’s predilection for the shaker.
"Scott and I don’t really do guitar solos. Comparatively, Jay doesn’t do the crazy fills. He’s no Neal Peart."
With that remark Nordean has summed up everything that makes The Long Run so successful. They have found a way to balance their musical talent with a good natured playfulness. |
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