Preview
GREG MACPHERSON BAND
Friday, April 15
Brew Brothers
Concerned about his punctuality, Greg MacPherson calls from a payphone one minute past the scheduled interview time. Since this is the Winnipeg artist’s first interview for his newest record, Night Flares, and he’s on the cusp of a cross-country tour with his band, MacPherson is as enthusiastic as he is conscientious. "I’ve always been a little below the radar screen, but I’m in a really good spot right now," he confides. For the past five years or so, Macpherson’s been juggling a singer-songwriter approach with a proletarian work ethic that’s second to none and a less-is-more, punk-rock sensibility. What does punk rock mean to him?
"I probably come from a more American tradition of (punk), the early ’80s do-it-yourself kind of counter-culture. It’s about non-conformity and taking a chance and doing things yourself and trying to do something alternative to the norm.
"There’s been a lot of exciting precedents set in the punk world. The modern, mainstream version of it, it’s like they’ve co-opted the style and the angst and anger behind it, but it’s not directed properly at all, I don’t think. It misses the boat. I do appreciate seeing these kids around with purple hair and rings through their noses – they do look striking and different – and I’m sure that’s an interesting lesson that they’re learning about trying something new."
On record and onstage MacPherson is happy to ply his punk-rock trade solo or with collaborators. "Actually, it’s really fun to do it either way, but for totally different reasons. As a solo act there’s a lot of freedom. I can do what I want, I can get up whatever hour I like and leave, I can drive right after a show, whatever I want to do. Onstage as well, I can play whatever songs come to mind at the time – I don’t have to have a set list to stick to. The downside is I do all the driving on my own – that can be quite exhausting. I don’t ever have a chance to rest, really. It’s quite an intense way to travel and play music."
This time out, though, he’s bringing the full four-piece Greg Macpherson Band to share the working and playing, as well as the driving. Mike Germain and Macpherson, who trade off bass and rhythm guitar posts are joined by lead guitarist Steve Bates, who has worked with Macpherson for about five years. "He’s a phenomenal talent. Not a day goes by playing music that I don’t thank my lucky stars for hooking up with him. He’s got an amazing esthetic. He’s such an intelligent man and he’s into the widest range of music imaginable. He’s a bit older than me, too, so he’s been a real big brother to me." Filling in for their usual drummer, Derek Hogue, is Propagandhi pounder Jord Samoleski. "He’s a phenomenal talent, too. It’s interesting being a solo act because I’ve had the opportunity to play with a lot of different musicians and everyone brings a different flavour to the mix."
Whereas last year’s Maintenance EP featured only MacPherson and his acoustic guitar, Night Flares is the work of this seasoned, tightly knit rock band with additional contributions from luminaries of Winnipeg’s incestuous, hotbed music scene (Nathan’s Keri McTighe, Weakerthan’s Jason Tait).
Four songs in, Macpherson grabs you firmly by the ears and pulls hard. His unique voice stretches taut and urgent over a simple, two-chord electric rhythm guitar. "Instead of pulling over she looked up at the sky, for 47 minutes she taught them how to drive," he sings. Just when you’ve stopped waiting for the band to kick in, a loud crunchy lead leaps out for a quick solo and then disappears again. For the final 30 seconds the band chimes in for a glorious jump-up-and-down-on-the-furniture finale. This near perfect personification of the punk-rock, less-is-more principle is called "The Show is in the Basement."
"I’m a songwriter, I’m not a title writer," Macpherson explains. "I’m not always the best at naming my songs. I find that often you throw a title on something and it defines the song. I like the idea of just leaving a song to define itself." The track grew up nameless until the time came for final mixdown. "We got real excited when we got to that song – it was sounding so good – and Mike yelled: ‘This sounds like a show – like a basement show….’ It’s an inside joke for us."
After balancing optimism and pessimism, light and dark for 10 tracks, Night Flares finishes up with "The Sun Beats Down." Macpherson plays all the parts himself – guitar, piano, drums and keyboards – for a slow, deliberate, almost fatalistic ending. Does this paint an accurate picture of where Greg Macpherson is at right now? "I’ve got 14 other songs, actually, I’m ready to go for a new record, to tell you the honest truth."
I believe him, every word. |
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