>>PREVIEW
ELLIOTT BROOD
Friday, December 2
Broken City
Inscribed on either end of the Ambassador Bridge – the physical connection between Detroit, Michigan and Windsor, Ontario – is a brief quotation that summarizes the spirit of the structure. It says the bridge is "The visible expression of friendship in the hearts of two peoples with like ideas and ideals."
It’s an idealistic idea, especially since the Ambassador was built as a business venture, not as a great gesture of communion between the United States and Canada. Although Toronto’s Elliott Brood did not set out to write a musical tribute to the structure, it became a touchstone for the band as the record that would become Ambassador took shape.
Like a good book or film, Ambassador reveals itself as its audience spends time with it. The packaging shows as much attention to detail as its predecessor, Tin Type. Where one would expect liner notes, a hole-punched train ticket and a work order form are paper-clipped together inside a little pocket. Taking the time to research the name on the ticket reveals an interesting – and probably not widely known – historical anecdote. And while the music played by songwriters Mark Sasso and Casey Laforet, along with drummer Steve Pitkin, is catchy from the outset, every listener peels away another layer, allowing lyrics to be heard and subtleties to shine.
And for a band like Elliott Brood, which mixes past and present sounds with articulate lyrics that don’t fall into the "moon, spoon, June" pattern, it’s not all about surfaces. They’re proof that some things are worth working for, especially since they’re working, too.
"Without (knowing) history, you’re not getting the whole story," says singer, guitar and banjo player Mark Sasso over tea in a noisy restaurant. "Everything affects you; your parents, your upbringing, your friends, music that you’ve heard, all these little things. Then it evolves into the music you put out. Then people say, ‘where did you get that?’ and want you to break it down. You can break certain things down, but you don’t always know where it comes from.
"We came up with the title, Ambassador, and everyone agreed to call it that, and the rest of it just evolved from there. It was an evolution and not a grandiose idea. I wish I could say that it all came to me in a flash, but it didn’t."
While Sasso, who is also responsible for Ambassador’s artwork, enthuses over his enjoyment of album art and recording, he agrees that Elliott Brood is very much a live band. Our interview took place two days before the band left for their first tour of Europe, which led into a cross-Canada tour. They’re due to play throughout the U.S. in January.
"It’s tough leaving home for so long, but we love playing live. Eventually I’d like it if we could all bring our wives and girlfriends with us and just make it a family thing. That would be ideal: making music with my friends and having the people we love around us." |
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