DESPITADO
Sunday, November 30
Castle Pub
"Despistar" [des-pis-tar], va. Spanish / Portuguese. Meaning: To turn from the right trail. To throw off the scent.
Emerging from the frozen wasteland that is winter in Saskatchewan, Despistado is one band that’s determined to thaw out the permafrost between your ears. Scoffing at the prospect of being locked in the cold and dark for a good six months, these electrified kittens have most certainly found more than their mittens. To the frozen-to-the-bone members of this grasslands band, Despistado translates as: "He who pisses anti-freeze." A talent their guitarist-singer Dagan Harding attributes directly to his ensemble’s exhaustive work within Regina’s red-hot music scene.
"I’m really into the Regina music," he says "There are just so many super, wicked, awesome groups of bands in the city. I’m hoping to gain more exposure for all of them, along with promoting my own band."
Drawing on their ever-expanding local fan base, and the musical repertoire they have been refining since October of 2001. Sharing the stage with bands such as Chore, Honeysuckle, Black Rice, Mico, and The Constantines (to name drop a few), has certainly helped to spread Harding’s good word and was just the thing to ensure Despistado’s place among Canada’s flourishing independents.
"We like to write music a lot," says Harding. "Most of us work in the service industry by day. We’ve all gone through university, studying everything from engineering to political science, but we’ve always returned to our musical roots. I just love the passion of playing music with my friends. That may sound cheesy to some, but we’re going to continue. I think we’re wicked! I’d be super impressed if I came to see us play!"
Firming up this impressive prairie quartet, bassist Joel Passmore, drummer Brenan Schwartz and guitarist Leif Thorseth have all been buddying around with the laconic Harding since high school. It only makes sense then, that they would venture out into the big bad world of the modern music industry arm in arm. In June of 2003, the intrepid companions ventured into the studio and recorded their debut EP (with the assistance of the Does Everyone Stare? record label). The product, a six-song first-aid kit entitled: The Emergency Response, features straight-shooting punk rock numbers.
"We take things as they come. Our style is really off the cuff. I’m amazed by the amount we’ve progressed since our EP came out. When it’s cold and snowy outside we’re not usually doing anything tour-wise, so we write songs instead," explains Harding. "We pretty much have a whole new set, beyond what we put on the EP."
For the present, Despistado is quite content to take a hands-on approach to marketing their material. This principle is based, according to Harding, on their instinct for self-preservation, and authenticity in their labours.
Definitively, Despistado is all about making their own choices. And their own mistakes. For better, or for worse. Take their name for example: unpronounceable, indecipherable; can it be anything but forgettable?
Harding doesn’t seem to think so. In fact, he’s all about spreading that confounding moniker all over the countryside, and beyond. But he’s not holding his breath for success, just his guitar.
"For me, my music is a way to share my experiences, messages, and personal thoughts, political and social observations," he says. "For whatever reasons – I have to do it!" |
Copyright ©2003 FFWD. All rights reserved.