Preview
THE LONG KNIVES
Wednesday, December 15
The Ship and Anchor
Thursday, December 16
Broken City
The Long Knives bassist and lead vocalist Christian Patrick believes that in order to get where you need to go, it’s best to start at the beginning.
Not that long ago, Patrick had become frustrated with the Toronto music scene. He’d packed away his electric guitar and had completely stopped listening to music. Then, on one cold February day in 2003, he bought a one-way ticket to Rome, gave up his apartment and disappeared without telling family or friends.
"Music seemed like something I never wanted to be involved with again," he says. "I didn’t know anybody in Europe, so I flew to Rome in the dead of winter. Looking back, I was too self-absorbed to really think about the consequences or what the weather would be like. I was sleeping on the street, not knowing the language, but eventually got on my feet."
Being alone in a foreign country isn’t as romantic as it may seem. In Italy, Patrick started playing some acoustic shows at cafés to make extra money, but he spent most of his time holed up in his apartment, bored out of his skull. One night, for lack of something better to do, he decided to check out one of the local rock clubs.
The band playing that night was The Ark, Swedish punks known for their outlandish live performances and outrageous costumes. As it turned out, they were the muse Patrick needed to regenerate his love of music.
"It was strange because I sort of got a movie feeling (watching them onstage) like, this is it – this is where music can go," he recalls. "Nobody was doing that at all (in Toronto). Not since the days of Bowie or early Genesis would people dress up in costumes onstage and have the music to back it up – not just theatrical moves."
Fully recharged and inspired, Patrick spent the next six months in Italy writing songs on his acoustic guitar. He planned on returning to Canada and getting into the studio right away to record a low-key, melodic album. The only thing he needed now was to find a band.
His first night back in Toronto, Patrick met guitarist Peter Gunn, an ex-medical student from Edmonton. Gunn had recently moved to the city to escape the pressures of an intense university program. Patrick remembers their auspicious first meeting.
"I just saw (Gunn) in a club and noticed him right away because he looked identical to one of my heroes, Richey Edwards from the Manic Street Preachers," he says, laughing. "You look at a guy who looks like your hero and you’re like, ‘Who does this guy think he is?’ But then we became really good friends and he was the best thing that could have happened to me. He had the exact same vision that I had when I was in Italy (for a band). We’re almost musical soulmates in a way."
Patrick later met Calgary drummer Daz Longknife through friends, and in late 2003 rehearsals for The Long Knives began. With the addition of the two Alberta musicians, Patrick’s goal for a stripped-down record soon changed. When the three-piece got into the studio and saw the amps and recording equipment, they decided to scrap the acoustic guitars in favour of a big-rock sound.
For Patrick, taking the road less travelled seems to have paid off.
"I think everyone should be totally spontaneous once in their life," he says, remembering his time in Italy. "It’s definitely changed the way I think about things – I don’t worry about anything anymore." |
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