>>PREVIEW
SLED ISLAND FESTIVAL
Twin Fangs
Saturday, June 30
The Warehouse
There comes a time in an independent musician’s career when he or she must decide whether living just above the poverty line is really worth it. It’s a position that Twin Fangs front man Paul Coutts has recently found himself in.
While he has enjoyed local notoriety as a songwriter and lead yelper in such innovative bands as The Primrods, The New 1-2 and XL Birdsuit, Coutts admits he is at a stage where he either needs to make music his career or go out and find the dreaded "real" job.
"I think it’s important for me to figure out whether I need to quit music faster or get together a more pro situation," says Coutts, who recently returned from a three-week sabbatical in Germany. "I have expectations of myself, and I’m trying to answer those expectations these days."
These high expectations aren’t surprising given the amount of attention Coutts and drummer Penny Tentiary have received since forming Twin Fangs in Edmonton in 2002. The duo’s debut CD, Quelque Chose, was the first release by fledgling indie label Rectangle Records (now home to Calgary "it" kids Jane Vain and the Dark Matter and Woodpigeon), and they’ve been featured on CBC Radio and MuchMusic.
Last year, the band stormed Toronto’s annual NXNE music festival, resulting in much glowing national press for its crunchy, intense and angular garage rock.
"After NXNE we had a lot of opportunities," recalls Coutts. "Rectangle Records was getting more professional and more full-time. It’s pretty exciting It’s a matter of finding more worthwhile opportunities and applying ourselves by doing more promotion, going on tour and releasing music. I just want to make sure it’s worthwhile and maybe more professional now."
It’s been five years since Coutts moved up the road to Edmonton to be closer to Tentiary. Though he was one of the local music scene’s most recognizable and charismatic singers, his relocation to the provincial capital has proven to be a creative progression for him. A recent walk around Calgary’s downtown core was more than enough to convince him he had made the right choice.
"I saw some of my favourite buildings being torn down," he says. "I saw them taking down Penny Lane. When I saw that, I threw up a little in my brain. It was really sad. I know that every building has its time and every rose has its thorn, but it was totally thornbush. There wasn’t a rose on it. If I moved back here it would be because of my peeps." |
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