ALBUM REVIEWS: LADY BRETT ASHLEY Fault Lines • FAIRGALE Own The Light • TERRA Temples
ISSUE NO. 1, APRIL 2016
HOT X PROXY
EVERGLOW EVERYWHERE
From NL to LA, we catch up with Newfoundland’s No. 1 Pop Rock Band
The true meaning of rock & other things that are HxP
JERRY STAMP Q&A with local legend.
Rogue Doubt is nominated for ECMA Rock Album of the Year
Cabbages & Kings NEW ALBUM, LIFE IN CENTRAL & SALMON FESTIVAL
If Rogue Doubt ends up being Jerry Stamp’s final album, he can be sure he went out with a bang. He picked up MusicNL’s Male Artist of the Year award in October and recently was nominated for Rock Album of the Year at the East Coast Music Awards. We caught up with him to ask him how he feels about the nominations and what’s to come in his career.
am waiting to get the details from the ECMAs. They don’t give all the awards out at a final night event like they used to so I want to make sure I book my travel arrangements and make sure I am actually there when the award is given out.
Rock Island: Being nominated for Rock Album of the year at the ECMAs, how does that feel? Jerry Stamp: Being nominated feels pretty good. I really didn’t expect anything. You can never tell how these things are gonna go. But especially where I haven’t been very active since the album came out I thought a nomination was a long shot at best. Turns out somebody out there likes me.
RI: What are you up to these days after the hiatus? JS: The hiatus is still going on. For those that don’t know I have an auto-immune disease called Psoriatic Arthritis. It is a degenerative and debilitating condition and affects my throat and joints (among other things) so I was forced to stop performing live a few months ago. I decided to go back to school. I am currently studying Graphic Design at CNA. The hope being that if things improve with my health then I can get back to performing and use my newly acquired design skills to work.
RI: Will you be attending the conference in Cape Breton? JS: I’m hoping to attend the conference. I haven’t booked any travel or anything yet as I
RI: Thoughts on Rogue Doubt after being released a year and four months ago? JS: Rogue Doubt was bittersweet. The process of writing and recording was
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RI: What are your plans/hopes for the future musically? JS: I would love to say I will fully regain my health and abilities and get back on the road and in the studio as often as possible. Who knows what the future holds. I am trying to be hopeful but I am cautious too. I believe the term is ‘cautiously optimistic’. @jerrystamp jerry-stamp
extremely personal. I was forced to confront my biggest fears head on. I had to address the fact that I was losing my ability to play and sing. Music was all I ever wanted to do. I had devoted my life to it. Then my body started fighting me. So I don’t listen to it much because it is kind of painful right now. I guess it is still raw where I only had to stop performing recently. But I think about it a lot. And knowing I got to get that (potentially final) album and all that emotion out there before I lost the ability is a slight comfort. RI: Will you be returning to the studio? JS: Unfortunately I don’t really know the answer to that yet. I like to think I’ll get to do some work again someday down the road. But for now I am trying to focus on my health and school. I’ll always be writing so I’m sure eventually I’ll get some stuff down I just don’t know if it will be my focus or not. RI: Is there any chance for a Jerry Stamp show in 2016? JS: I also don’t know the answer to that. Haha this isn’t sounding very positive. I’m focusing on my health but if things improve that will be an option. But I will have to be very certain that I am improving and not just temporarily improving. 3 | ROCK ISLAND
Touring Canada’s Eastern provinces is something that has become pretty common for a lot of Newfoundland musicians lately, but touring the whole country? Not every band gets that chance. For the last six months, alt-pop duo Everglow have been taking in the opportunity they’ve been given to bring their music from their home in St. John’s all the way across the country to Victoria, British Columbia. Jon Pike and Gordon Huxter have been travelling with Live Different, a Canadian charity that is dedicated to making a difference in the lives of young people across the country. The group, along with five Live Different interns, go to schools daily and give an hour long presentation which includes fun videos, three speakers who ROCK ISLAND | 4
talk about their life stories, and the band plays three songs. After the presentation, they meet with all the students and then pack up all the gear and get ready to do it all again the next day. After a steady four months and over 50 shows into touring the Western provinces with the charity in Fall 2015, Everglow were offered to continue the tour into the Eastern provinces for the Spring 2016 session which includes another 74 shows. When asked if there was any hesitation on signing on for the second half of the tour, Pike knew straight away they wanted to do it. “It was just a matter of making sure all the timing and other commitments worked out. Luckily we don’t have a lease on a house or anything so we didn’t have much keeping us tied
down, so we signed on for another four months and while it is crazy draining, it’s very worth it. The people on our team are amazing and we’re meeting so many incredible people while playing music.” said Pike. With their short holiday break in December, Everglow didn’t slow down. They played a packed show at The Ship in St. John’s before heading down to Los Angeles, California for two weeks to work on new music. “Chad Richardson, the manager of the SOCAN office in LA, saw our video for “Feel Your Heart” in August and invited us down to write. Chad helped us line up a bunch of sessions with super talented writers. We did 8 songs and are super stoked on them.” said Pike. While there is no date set for a release, the duo are working on a full length album with the help of MusicNL which they hope is going to be “completely worth the wait”. In October, Everglow were nominated for six MusicNL awards and most recently, they have been nominated for Fan’s Choice Video of the Year at the 2016 East Coast Music Awards. Due to schedule conflicts they couldn’t attend MusicNL Week but they will be in Cape Breton for
East Coast Music Week and will be showcasing at the Rising Star Stage. Pike mentioned that they were quite excited when first hearing of their nomination and for their chance to show how they’ve grown since last years conference and festival. “Showcasing last year was awesome, but I really feel this year we can make some serious connections and really build our momentum with a nomination behind us. Not to mention we just have so much more experience and know so many more people now, so it’ll be a lot of fun to feel more like part of the crowd.” said Pike. Just when you think they might slowing down, they aren’t. Nothing is final but they are “working on a couple things with a couple really cool people” for when the Live Different tour finishes at the end of May. They then hope to spend most of July and August polishing up the album. @everglowmusic_ everglowmusic
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“Strength in Numbers” Temples by Terra by Ryan Tobin
Three songs in, and it’s very clear that any musician on this album could completely take it over at any given time and make it about them, but they don’t, and that’s what I love most about Terra and Temples. Temples starts off with a very melodic guitar riff over smooth vocals and great percussion work, which, quite honesty, foreshadows the rest of the album…. And that’s a good thing. Richard Sepka’s opening line “I need a minute to shake things up” in Blood Orange not only sets up the tone of the album but it seems like this is how he feels about the direction and growth of the band. For those unaware, the band changed its name from Temples to Terra, hence the album name, and that line not only resonates as a lyric fitting for this particular song but how Sepka equally feels about Terra’s direction. However, it’s not only Sepyka that drives this album as each member takes parts of songs and owns them; it’s great to hear that they’re not a one trick pony. They are all great musicians and it shows throughout this whole album. For example: Nathan Day’s chugging drum riff in “Make it Happen” really carries the song and shows off his range in the backend; and if you’ve ROCK ISLAND | 6
already made it this far in the album then it should come as no surprise what he can do back there. Chad Murphy’s dirty guitar towards the end of “Temples” is a lot of fun and adds another layer to an already deep and well-crafted song. Tony McNeil’s bass work is prevalent in Interlude 1 where he essentially drives the bus. Not only does Terra perform well together but they write well together. “Make it Happen” has some very positive vibes and messages: “you’re going to be the one to make it happen”. “Temples” has a very Alice in Chains vocal feeling to the opening before it quickly changes to a Half Moon Run meets Local Natives feel, especially on drums and guitar, while still maintaining an original sound that makes this album easily listenable over and over again. “Temples” also is a great tribute song to their former name and feel. It’s like they’re shedding their skin and starting fresh. “Oil” has a very nice start to the song and, to me, most represents Terra as a band – Melodic, catchy guitars, great vocal work (especially when Sepyka rhymes over two measures without stopping); and of course, very creative percussion work. Terra realizes that working together and strength in numbers is better than any single artist trying to showcase just themselves and they nailed this concept. These guys are all players, from Murphy’s scintillating guitar work, Day’s subservient percussive work, and Sepyka’s ranging melodies and thought provoking lyrics. Terra embody what Aristotle said when he coined the phrase “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts”. Tracklisting: 1) Blood Orange 2) Measurements in Days 3) Interlude 1 4) Temples 5) Make it Happen 6) My Sun 7) Sundays 8) Interlude 2 9) Skybright 10) Oil 11) It’s All My Fault
Some people say rock is dead. I think the situation with the rock genre is similar to how Alexisonfire puts it in the song Get Fighted: “Maybe music isn’t dead…Maybe we just forgot what it fucking sounds like”. Cabbages & Kings have definitely not forgotten what rock music sounds like. I would argue that they are even helping to redefine what modern r o c k sounds like. They are living Rock and Roll, in the small town of Norris Arm no less. Mike Kirby, Josh Noble and Brandon Hopkins are pursuing their love of music in defiance of what some would suggest is the “right” way to make it in music. They are
pioneering their own path and the results are nothing short of spectacular. Their sophomore release Vale instantly up’s the ante for everyone else making modern day rock in Newfoundland. They’ve made adjustments in all the right places and have simplified instrumentation to serve the music. Their first self-titled release was a statement to the music scene, dirty, and straight up in your face Rock and Roll which proved all who listened that the guys know how to bring it. This new album is matured, but also unique in the sense that the trio shows vulnerability in their writing.
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The album was written during a period of major change for the band. Since the release of Vale, the band have been covered by nearly every respected media outlet on the island. There is a theme that continues throughout these interviews and that theme is the Big House, where the band now writes and records out of. Most of us know the story well enough. Mike’s grandmother put the house up for sale and that was catalyst that kick started the next chapter in the Cabbages & Kings saga. I’ve been lucky enough to have visited the Big House in person and I can say that there is something mystical about the place. I had a chance to ask Mike a few questions about the Big House and Cabbages & Kings: Rock Island: Was the song Big House about the new place in Norris Arm and to a greater extend, did it have an impact on the album itself? Mike Kirby: We definitely feel the house came through on the album… in a huge way. We seriously put ourselves in a different position by uprooting our lives and making this move. We feel that it created and edge, or loss of safety net that certainly gave the album it’s feel. Looking back we realize we had to make this move to make this album. It was the way it had to be. RI: How has the new environment helped shape your writing and the band’s identity in general? MK: Well, writing is always fueled by uncertainty. It helps the creative process, a bit of light when everything goes dark. We feel the new environment changed the shape of our writing as a band in every way possible. As for our identity, who knows, we are just being ourselves and people can perceive us how they wish. We are just 3 guys who wanna make music. Other than that identity is something everyone will see differently. RI: Are there any underlying themes in Vale? The last album, for example, had some reference to Alice in Wonderland, is ROCK ISLAND | 8
there anything similar happening in the new album? MK: It’s no secret that the band name comes from the writing of Lewis Carroll so we feel there will probably always be references to Alice and the counter culture in our works. This album is no different. Cabbages will always be about shedding light on thinking outside the box. It’s about recognizing current standards in society and then offering a different way of thinking, sometimes against the grain. RI: How did Cabbages & Kings form? MK: Cabbages and Kings formed as a result of a song writing process that started back in 2013. I had been making demos in the studio for what would become the debut album. Brandon and I met one day by chance at a music store where they exchanged contact info. Perfect timing. We began jamming off and on for a few months, and to be honest, it wasn’t going anywhere. In the last few months of 2013 was when it all came together. Brandon and I had a listening session one evening for Brandon to hear the completed demo tunes. He was sold, and signed on to complete the project. It was in that exact time that Josh was making a move
@cabkings CabbagesandKingsBand
RI: Who are your biggest influences? MK: We could sit here and name bands that have influenced us personally all night, but truth is we are influenced by anything that is real. We strive to find projects where you can feel the passion…where you know that there is nothing fake in it. That’s what it’s all about for us. RI: I read in a previous article that you guys are big outdoors enthusiast. What do you guys enjoy doing when you are not writing or playing music? MK: Well, we’re not full on lumber jacks or anything, but ya for the most part we like to do some outdoorsy stuff. We find fishing to be insanely relaxing. Especially where no one talks to you for hours at a time! It does wonders for mental attitude! Basically we love anything that gets us out of the studio for a bit. Go for a skate, go have a fire. Whatever, it’s all good!
RI: What is one thing your fans probably don’t know about you? MK: We are all fans of Sia’s music! There was a lot of pressure for Cabbages & Kings to prove to themselves and others that making the move to the Big House was a necessary step in the evolution of the band. It turns out the guys work well under pressure and that determination to make a great album really shines through with raw emotion on Vale. A lot of popular music today consists of teams of writers and hired guns building a product that they think will appeal to the masses. There is something flawed in that approach and it becomes almost mechanical. Cabbages & Kings are three guys who are writing and playing music that they truly enjoy because it feels right. That simple approach is what makes music authentic. That realism is something that is hard to come by these and it takes a certain level of bravado to put yourself out there like Mike, Josh and Brandon of Cabbages & Kings. Cabbages and Kings are nominated for Heavy Recording of the Year at the 2016 East Coast Music Awards where they will also be showcasing. You can catch Cabbages & Kings on the main stage at the 2016 Salmon Festival in Grand Falls -Windsor.
Photo credit: Sean Jessome
back to St John’s from Labrador and had been in communication with me (being an old friend) to possibly get involved with a music project. Once again, perfect timing. When Josh returned to the city the band started jam sessions and it was quickly realized that this was the obvious band line up. It all sort of snowballed from there.
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Odds are, you are a university/college student who has lived his/her/their life thinking you know what rock music is. Fact is? You do not know rock music until you have experienced Hot X Proxy. Hot X Proxy (pronounced Hawt B’y Proxee) are a four-piece rock group hailing from The Rock. They consist of Lucas “Codeman” Coady (lead vocals, guitar), Chris “Hollywood Hot Jupiter” Hynes (guitar, backing vocals), Paul “Brace of Bass” Brace (bass guitar), and Jamie “Jimmy Noise” Noseworthy (drums). Hynes is a Philosophy and Psychology graduate, while Coady and Noseworthy completed Engineering degrees all at Memorial. Coady says that the band will leave a certain taste in your mouth. “Hot X Proxy is the feeling that you get when the dentist cleans your teeth, and you run your tongue across the front of them. At the root of it all, however, it is a band of a bunch of buddies that get along great. We write some ROCK ISLAND | 10
pretty sweet tunes, and have a fun time doing it,” said Coady. Brace adds that the band tries to add the element of fun into their showmanship. “[We] definitely [do] not take ourselves too seriously. It’s all about having fun, it’s about bringing rock’n’roll back to St. John’s. The band is all about showing attitude, theatrics and showcasing good songs. We try to put on a performance. We [consider] ourselves a lot like Spinal Tap or a new age of the Wonderful Grand Band,” said Brace. A Hot X Proxy show has something for everyone, as Hynes points out. “We introduce a flavour of rock and roll that lines up with the everyday, hardworking rahrah 9-5 weekend warrior. We’re not afraid to dive into that crowd. Everyone is welcome to a Hot X Proxy show. Hopefully people have fun while watching us, because that’s a big goal of ours: entertainment. People work hard, and want to spend their money to be entertained. That’s
where we come in,” said Hynes. On October 1, 2015, the band debuted their very first album, “That’s Hot X Proxy” to much praise. The six track release cemented Hot X Proxy into the St. John’s scene. “It’s been a great piece for us, as far as getting our name out there. Obviously having a hard product, really helps you be an entity in the scene,” said Coady. Hynes adds that the album is in the past and that the band can move forward with plans for a new release. “It’s over now, we’re proud of it. We are really stoked and looking forward to the next [release]. A lot of the songs we wrote for that record have grown since [Brace] has come into the mix, and that’s awesome for us. We’re not sick of playing it, but it is time for a new one,” said Hynes. The band is keeping up with the common trend in today’s music by recording an album on their own. Brace says that they are on the hunt
Photo Credit: Sean Jessome
for a producer. “We plan on tracking and engineering the album ourselves. We’re looking for a producer; someone who can channel all of our huge personalities and make it so we don’t take each other’s heads off in the recording process. The recording process can be very stressful, but most of it is very fun,” said Brace. What it means to be Hot X Proxy: - You’re in touch with how it is, and how it’s supposed to be. - Showing love to a band you’re playing with - Keep the fun side of playing music in St. John’s alive. - Coming at the world with open arms, that’s what it means to be Hot X Proxy Previously published in The Muse
@hotxproxy hotxproxymusic
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between do I like this because I know the band or do I like it because it’s actually good. Then I found myself singing their songs on my own time and couldn’t wait to play it again. I would play them as soon as I got home and around my girlfriend and friends. Everyone were quickly asking question about the band and downloading their album. It’s no surprise they cracked the top 20, for the world wide alternative rock iTunes Charts.
Own The Light by Fairgale by Colin Hollet What better way to kick off a rock magazine from Newfoundland than reviewing one of the hottest rock bands currently coming out of Newfoundland. This month I listened to Fairgale’s first album. I may be a tad bias because I know a couple of the guys from the band, but I can feel completely clean and happy saying that their first album is a great album. I’ll be honest. The first time I listened to the album - I was somewhat on the fence (because of personal preference)
Fairgale, shares the main vocals between Stephen Green & Andrew Rogers, which helps keep each song that much more unique & original. They’re a bit more on the softer rock side, and they’re great to throw on when having company over our out for a drive. Track Listing: 1) On and On and On 2) Own the Light 3) Sleepwalking 4) Renegades 5) I Don’t Know 6) In the Sun 7) She 8) Stone 9) Rhythm 10) Breath Away
Photo Credit: Chris LeDrew Photography
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THAT’S THE GEAR: BEHIND THE KIT OF ANOTHER NORTH’S BRAD WELLS 1. Roland SPD-SX 2. Vic-Firth Terry Bozzio Signature Sticks with Ahead Grips 3. 10” Rack Tom DW Collectors Series (Black Velvet) 4. 14” Rack Tom DW Collectors Series (Black Velvet) 5. 22” Rack Tom DW Collectors Series (Black Velvet) 6. 14” Snare Drum Pearl Reference Series (Amber Fade) 7. 13” Sabian HH Fusion Hi-Hats 8. 17” Sabian AAX V-Crash 9. 21” Sabian Signature Tri-Top Ride 10. 19” Sabian Vault V-Crash 11. 16” Sabian HH Chinese 12. Pearl Eliminator Kick Pedal 13 | ROCK ISLAND
since. Movies and music have always been the ultimate coolest things in the world to me!
written by Jeremy House
Cats Eye Cinema is a video production comany in St. John’s, NL. In this interview, we talk with film director and owner of Cats Eye Cinema, Cody Westman, about a broad range of topics from cats to music videos to what the future holds. Rock Island: Tell us a bit about your background. What made you really want to get into filmmaking? Cody Westman: I’ve been involved with music my whole life, went to music school and took it seriously for many years. Got into film making while living in Montreal in 1999 and did it as a part time job there and in Vancouver. Mostly extra work and PA work. Finally bought my own camera and started shooting, producing and editing in 2013. Been doing it full time ever ROCK ISLAND | 14
RI: Could you tell us a little about Cats Eye Cinema? Where the name came from, projects you’ve done, how long the company has been around. CW: Everything I’ve ever produced has come with the name Cats Eye since 2006. At the time, I had a very unique cat named Cleo. I could have 25 people in our house for a party and I could wear her as a scarf, holding her front and hind legs. She was unlike any cat I’ve ever seen and she meant a lot to me. I would take pictures of her, and one day I got a great picture of her eye. The name stuck and now I see it as a symbol of my attention to detail. When cats are hunting in the grass, they can see everything that moves, and I try and think like that when I am planning and shooting videos. I’ve done a 22 min documentary about Erin’s Pub, I have a short film in the works for April 2016 called ‘It Could Be You!’ with Andy Jones and Justin Nurse, a documentary/web series in the works with Alan Doyle, finished a music video for Waterfront Fire last month and have 2 more in the works, and have done a ton of corporate and commercial work in the last few years. RI: Tell us specifically about some of the music videos you’ve worked on. What were the shoots like? What music artists were they for? Any funny anecdotes or stories to go along with any of them?
CW: The first music video I did was for my band Man The Animal, which was through the First Time Film Maker’s program at NIFCO and we recorded the whole video on one roll of 16mm film! It was an 11 min roll of film, so we really only had one take of everything. That was fun. I did a promo for Another North’s CD last year, and a full concept video for Waterfront Fire this year for their song ‘First Light’. That one was a bunch of work with 3 locations, extras and a small crew. I’m currently working on a music video for The Town Heroes out of Halifax, and a couple secret ones that I won’t mention until they are set in stone! RI: How much input do you usually get from the musical artists when you are making the music video? Do they usually come to you with an idea or is it more along the lines of they want to make one but don’t know how? CW: Well, it starts with me listening to the song and seeing if I’m into it, writing down the lyrics and seeing if any ideas come to mind. If the artist is totally set on an idea, then I will try and find some way to make it my own, and we can meet in the middle. Film making, and the whole business of entertainment, is not something you can do by yourself, so I love when people have ideas. I like building on them until we have something solid that I think will look cool and people will want to watch. RI: What projects do you have lined up for the near future? CW: Right now I’m putting a ton of energy into this short film ‘It Could Be You!’ and hoping that it will make it’s rounds at festivals in 2017. A couple big corporate things just came up, I have The Town Heroes and a couple more music videos that I hope to see the light of day, and I would love to see my show with Alan Doyle get finished called ‘Something In The Water’ That one is a bigger project with a lot of people behind it, but it can take a while to get these big ones finished. I’ve stuck by this saying for years: ‘You can do anything with will and money!’ 15 | ROCK ISLAND
and you’ll see that there’s more to her (and the entire band) than a Florence and the Machine substitute. They stand out as an original band able to craft dark themes with beautiful melodies. The ready-for-radio track ‘Animals’ throws off the mood just a bit and feels like it should have been kept for a future album. But regardless, this is an outstanding effort from a band I look forward to hearing more of in the future. Fault Lines shows the early signs of talented musicians improving on their craft and solidifying their sound. Lady Brett Ashley has created a sound that has piqued my interest and has made me look forward to what they’ll make next.
Fault Lines by Lady Brett Ashley by Devin O’Gorman I’ll admit, before being asked to write a review for the album, Fault Lines, I never heard of the band, Lady Brett Ashley. But I’m sure as hell glad that I took some time away from Kanye and Kendrick’s new albums to check them out. From my minimal research on their earlier work, they have a few EP’s under their belt but this is their first full-length album. And goddamn did this album make a great first impression on me. And, I’m confident they’re gonna make a great impression on you too. To paraphrase Kanye himself; God Dammit they’re killin’ this shit!
Now... back to Kanye... Standout Tracks: ‘Belly of a Wolf’, ‘To the Trees’, ‘Brad’s Waltz’ Tracklisting: 1) Belly of a Wolf 2) Hunter 3) Old Hill 4) To The Trees 5) Mirrors 6) Killing Time 7) Monet Love Story 8) Animals 9) The Reckoning 10) Brad’s Waltz
What a beast of a first song on this album. For me, an album is all about that first song. It’s the mission statement of the entire album and is supposed to guide the listener into what they should expect to hear for the next 40 minutes of their life. And with ‘Belly of a Wolf’, their statement couldn’t be clearer: a unique indie sound from a band driven to stand equally amongst the elite in the Canadian music scene. There’s no denying the similarities: Heather Nolan’s vocals are going to get comparisons to Florence Welch. But listen closer Photo Credit: Chris Ledrew Photography
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