Preview
THE CAPE MAY
Saturday, November 20
Night Gallery
Local music is a funny thing. Typically, the bands that boast the loudest, go out and buy the "pro" gear and employ a stylist are also the bands that inevitably fail, crushed under their collective ego and lofty expectations. The bands that tend to succeed are the ones who do so quietly, who are workmanlike and self contained. And when they do appear, even scene watchers are left shaking their heads wondering where the hell that band came from, and how they managed to stay under the radar.
The Cape May will likely prove to be one of those bands. They’ve already quietly made a name for themselves through off-night shows and late-night sets, but with the release of Central City May Rise Again, the band are poised to turn the whisper they have already generated into some pretty loud voices. Given the tragicomic path the band have gone down to reach this point (see sidebar), it might be a bit surprising that singer-guitarist Clinton St. John doesn’t seem so much relieved at the prospect of the CD finally hitting the streets as excited about finally reaching this first step.
"It really is to me a record," St. John says enthusiastically, emphasizing the sum of the songs rather than the product. "In previous projects it has been kind of like ‘We can’t afford (to spend a lot) on a record,’ and with this one, it was more ‘We can’t afford not to.’"
That confidence St. John exudes talking about the band is both obvious and contagious. Chalk it up to some travelling and experience. St. John may be familiar from a couple of previous projects in town, including The Trikl Act and Court Recorder, but when those ended, he moved on to the Maritimes, where he had a go with a group of musicians that didn’t work out, then took some time before returning home to Calgary to learn how to build guitars in an isolated town in Saskatchewan. He came back with the intention of starting a guitar-repair shop, but quickly changed his mind.
"As soon as I started playing with (bassist Landon Gianque and drummer-guitarist Jeff MacLeod) it was really clear," says St. John. "We were ready to play our first show in a month-and-a-half after we first got together and it was amazing. We just kept getting tighter. Jeff put so many hours into the guitar parts for the songs. Hours a day, that was all he did. This wasn’t just thrown together."
The resulting songs are unhurried, intimate and dark. Capital City May Rise Again is "a record" through and through, walking a fine line between drama and introspection that is reflected in both the music and the lyrics. Each song benefits from the care the band takes in striking this balance and the restraint they show in the sparse arrangements. And while dynamics play a big part in The Cape May, it’s not in the quiet-loud manner so often associated with that word. Instead, the music ebbs with St. John’s voice, the band only letting themselves go when it seems absolutely impossible not to, and even then they are clearly unwilling to let a song turn into something it’s not.
Despite the lyrical weight and moody arrangements, all is not dark and dour with The Cape May. Many tracks are infused with a sense of hope and occasionally even light touches and St. John’s good-natured magnetism is evident throughout. Hell, a recent show evolved into a late-night dance party – not the kind of thing you’d associate with a band of pouters. And St. John reveals that, as the band has grown more collaborative, things have changed. At least, a little.
"I’ve noticed lately that the songs are more…" he says, pausing for the right word, before finishing with "more chipper," and breaks into a grin. "Not a lot more," he says. "But a little bit more… chipper."
The rising of Central City
The Cape May are releasing their debut album Central City May Rise Again on Flemish Eye Records. The band is hoping that people show their fat faces (my words, not theirs) at their CD release party, because they had an "F" of a time getting this thing finished. There's no room for my pie graphs and charts so here in a chronological point form is a description of The Cape May's recording experiences:
FEBRUARY 2004
· Four days before recording commences, while loading equipment, bass player Landon Giauque shatters his hand, requiring plastic surgery and three months of recuperation.
· One day before recording commences, The Cape May part ways with lead guitarist Scott Burman.
· Singer-songwriter Clinton St. John and drummer Jeff MacLeod fly to Vancouver to record at the world-famous Mushroom Studios.
· MacLeod plays the lead guitar parts (hey, some drummers are multi-talented!)
JUNE 2004
· They return to Vancouver with Giauque to track the bass parts.
· Their scheduled studio time gets bumped by big-time producer Rick Rubin, who is recording Shakira.
· The engineer’s computer "blows up," deleting everything.
· The Cape May start over.
JULY 2004
· MacLeod tears all of the ligaments in his "drumming foot."
AUGUST 2004
· They do some mixing back in Calgary at the Night Deposit, where they experience "artistic differences."
SEPTEMBER 2004
· The Cape May remix the whole album with The Summerlad's Arran Fisher.
OCTOBER 2004
· CD gets sent to the manufacturers.
Recapping The Cape May's year:
Giauque’s house got broken into and all his musical gear was stolen. MacLeod got hit by a drunk driver after a show, requiring three months of physiotherapy. The Cape May lost two members to injuries directly affecting their ability to play their instruments. They spent a buncha money on recording at Mushroom, Canada's fanciest studio (Loverboy, Barney Bentall, Heart, Marcy Playground). They lost money at blackjack and developed a short-lived gambling problem. They dropped more money for airfare (10 tickets altogether). A safe almost fell on St. John while he was walking under a ladder.
Now, the least you fatheads can do is buy the frickin' CD.
CELEB TOP FIVE
The Top Five albums that Clinton St. John of The Cape May would let producer Rick Rubin "bump him" for.
1. American Recordings #4 by Johnny Cash
2. American Recordings #3 by Johnny Cash
3. American Recordings #2 by Johnny Cash
4. American Recordings #1 by Johnny Cash
5. Blood Sugar Sex Magic by Red Hot Chilli Peppers |
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