>>PREVIEW
SHOUT OUT OUT OUT OUT
August 8 and 9
Hifi Club
It might go against many rock purist’s convictions, but trading your guitar for a synth might be a perfectly logical step in forging an exciting new musical direction. If that step is taken in the form of a leg-shaking dance move, then all the better.
At least, those are the sentiments shared by Nik Kozub, member and co-founder of Edmonton-based Shout Out Out Out Out (yes, that’s four "outs"). If Corb Lund is responsible for grooming a new generation of country-roots enthusiasts , then Shout Out Out Out Out (SOOOO) is well on its way to becoming a pioneer of a new age of rock-meets-electronica – a genre also taking root right here in Alberta.
"We’ve all been playing in rock bands for a long time," says Kozub from his home in Edmonton. "At the same time, we’ve been getting seriously into electro and house music."
What began as an experimental side-project with Whitey Houston members Lyle Bell and Rob Hoffart along with Will Zimmerman, Clint Frazier, and Jason Troock, quickly gained momentum.
"The people (in the band) could get along together in any context, regardless of the style of music. And because of this, the band has now grown to be our main project," says Kozub.
The eclectic seven-player outfit boasts a myriad of instruments including two drum sets, four bass guitars, numerous synthesizers, samplers, octapads, cowbells, and, yes, the Stephen-Hawking-rock hum of the vocoder.
The overall sound effervesces with the spirit of a younger, grittier cousin to Kraftwerk, Aphex Twin, or M.I.A.. Layers of synth lines reverberate on a bed of propulsive rhythms and exuberant sonic clatter, all of which translates into a collage of highly infectious dance music.
"At the core, it’s all about the bass line and drum," Kozub says. "We just had a certain number of people who wanted to push that combination that much further."
Amassing such a variety (and quantity) of instruments is enough to make anyone’s head spin, so the band’s players and the pieces have to be both versatile and mobile.
"The band is definitely a logistical nightmare," chuckles Kozub. "When we go out on the road we need to have two vans and a trailer to carry everybody and the gear."
Despite the organizational obstacles, Kozub emphasizes the importance of the band staying true to its unique collective.
"We don’t want to compromise what the band is. We want to have the gear and we want to have the seven guys."
The band’s sound technician is its crucial seventh member of the band. On tour Shout Out Out Out Out maintains a consistent approach to SOOOO live shows, regardless of what stage awaits.
"If we roll into a club that we’ve never played at before with two drummers and fours bass amps, most sound guys will just shut down. They won’t even know how to deal with it."
Initial excursions to Toronto, New York and even Texas have tested the group’s mettle. Inspired by the success of these outings and a continued "insatiable drive for creative progression," the band is plotting a full-scale national tour in the fall.
In the meantime, the band is amassing legions of cavorting fans at CD release shows right here in Alberta.
Not Saying/Just Saying is the band’s first full-length collation released on Kozub and Troock’s Normals Welcome Records. With several personalities from Canada’s music community making their own creative contributions (including artwork by Calgary’s own Chad Van Gaalen and mixing by the Michael Phillip Wojewoda), the album showcases the band in all its body- bumping, fist-pumping glory. The inspiration-not-competition approach translates into the live spectacle that is the band’s forte. All the listener has to do is lace up the dancing shoes and follow the ethereal beats.
"Hell yes," says Kozub, "let us do the electro-rock and dance the night away." |
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