Andrew Wedderburn ponders the potential of his new band, Night Committee

DETAILS

Night Committee with Jeff Stuart & the Hearts
Marquee Room
Saturday, November 14 - Saturday, November 14

More in: Rock / Pop

From the nightclubs of Calgary to the coffee houses of Constantinople, local alt-rock poster boy Andrew Wedderburn is a mighty strong contender for the title of most interesting man in the city. Enjoying brief respite from the whirlwind of activity that saw him tying up loose ends with the now defunct Hot Little Rocket, Wedderburn paused to answer a few questions his new band, Night Committee, and life after Hot Little Rocket.

“Well, you've got the night, see, and we're the ones in charge,” the singer says. Along with Hot Little Rocket alum Joel Nye on drums, Brooker Buckingham on guitar, Laurie Fuhr on bass and Calgary mainstay Lorrie Matheson on keyboards, Wedderburn is looking forward to expanding his musical boundaries. “It's fresh in that it doesn't sound like music that I've written or performed in the past, but it's definitely something that I've been chewing on in my mind for a long time. I've had the songs and the sounds kicking around in my head, and it’s really exciting to get them out into the room and alive. I've been through a lot after 11 years in the same band. We had a long go at it and I learned what to expect out there — how to keep your head, what's worth caring about, what's worth doing and trying, and what you just have to ignore and stay the hell away from.”

When he’s not exorcising his audio demons, Wedderburn satisfies his wanderlust with work. Currently he’s busy on assignment with a Calgary stock photography website, soaking in the sights and sounds of Istanbul. Immersed in foreign surroundings, the introspective singer-songwriter takes solace in the beauty that resides there.

“I have some out-of-focus shots of the Aya Sofia and the Blue Mosque and some stray cats,” he says of his adventures in sightseeing. “I've definitely seen some cool stuff, though. I've been down a lot of steep alleys and eaten a lot of pickled mackerel. Watched the men fishing off the Galata Bridge. It's the first time I've ever heard a muezzin. The bar at the top of the hotel looks over the Bosporus. It's really something.”

Distance may make the heart grow fonder, but it also provides the mental elbow room to straighten out one’s thoughts and priorities. Stepping off the musical carousel to catch his breath, Wedderburn once again feels ready to approach his craft with confidence and enthusiasm. Though it’s uncertain whether they were elected or acclaimed, Night Committee faces its prescribed nocturnal canvas armed with a multi-genre palate and a fistful of tools to entertain you.

“For years I've been writing songs and music with older R & B and country & western rhythms and chords,” the singer says. “It never really had a place in what we did in Hot Little Rocket, but it's been something that I've really wanted to dig into — a different sound, a different mood and style. I think we've put it all together in a way that's new, though, and I feel that makes it really current. It's definitely guided by a feeling — a downstairs, backroom, late-night kind of thing; [David Lynch composer] Angelo Badalamenti doing [L.A. punk band] The Gun Club.”