BeatRoute Magazine Alberta print e-edition - July 2017

EDMONTON EXTRA
MARLA MARIA
Southern hardcore with a groove
Hodge-podge hardcore band battle floods & Kijiji trolls to release first EP.
The guys in hardcore band Marla Maria credit their current line-up to a
series of bizarre Kijiji encounters, even if vocalist Chris Delamere and
drummer Andrew Creguer-Norgate grew up together. The duo cut their
teeth in pop-punk bands, eventually working their way up to “dad rock cover
bands who played in shitty bars.”
BRUNCH CLUB
easygoing pop pals hit the road
photo: Stephanie Rivet
Ellen Reade, a bassist with a passion for jangle pop, wanted nothing more
than to start her own band. After begging her friend with a penchant for
guitar to join and enlisting the help of a would-be drummer, Reade got
her wish. Thus Brunch Club was formed.
The band’s self-titled EP was released in March, and is chock full of tasty
bass and guitar licks written by Reade and supported by a peppy cymbal heavy
drumline care of Clay Francis. Patrick Earles adds a kick to Reade’s guitar parts,
making for an impressive first offering. The six-song debut is youthful: memorable
with lovely and assured vocals. It skirts between garage, surf, psychedelic and indie
sounds effortlessly, conjuring shared milkshakes on laminated countertops on
breezy summer days.
Since incorporating a new drummer in the form of Red Hot Gospel’s Owen
Lukawesky, the trio has planned tours both east and west for this summer. To learn
more, BeatRoute sat down with the band to get a sense of their fun-loving nature.
by Brittany Rudyck
“The whole band was basically formed using Kijiji,” says Delamere, laughing.
“Before Nolan joined the band, I met some guy for drinks and immediately
got a sketchy vibe. We went to pay for our beers and he didn’t have his wallet so I
had to pay for it. That was weird. Needless to say we didn’t invite him for a jam.”
He adds, “We had tried out a few guys, but then Nolan and [drummer]
Andrew just clicked.”
Guitarist Nolan LePage joined in 2015, in time to record a rough demo that
would eventually become the basis for the bands’ first self-titled EP on Pinebox
Records. Released in May, the EP sees the trio experimenting with groovy riffs
but maintaining cutting vocals and husky bass lines.
In the last two years, Delamere estimates the band went through about 15
potential bandmates before landing on the current line up. Rhythm guitarist
Steven J. Lagrange joined around a year ago; bassist Sean Hoff joined in the last
six months.
When it came time to record (much like their search for reliable band
mates), not everything went as smoothly as planned.
“We worked really hard on this EP; the songs have changed a lot since our
first demo. But, our jam space flooded and that was a whole thing,” explains
Delamere.
“It was in-between recording drums and guitar or something. So the jam
space flooded and everyone had to move out. We stayed and had all this time
to record without any other noise coming in.”
In their damp and dank recording conditions, Marla Maria have put together
songs with riffs reminiscent of Every Time I Die and Stray From the Path.
An edgy outer layer masks unassuming innards, deconstructing politics and
depression through vocals that shred…. And it’s all thanks to a thrifty website.
Delamere cracked up when asked about their imaginary rating on Kijiji,
hypothesizing about the website’s potential to do such a thing.
“There are a lot of people who would have given us one star!”
Marla Maria releases their debut EP on July 23 at the Mercury Room (Edmonton).
by Keeghan Rouleau
PE: We’re doing Sled Island, we have a weekend in Calgary/Lethbridge, a weekend
out in Saskatoon/Regina and Winnipeg, and then we’re doing a weeklong [British
Columbia] tour in August.
BR: Do you have anything you want to say to the audience of BeatRoute?
PE: Not that I can think of other than to come to our shows on our upcoming tour,
which you can find out more about on our Facebook page!
OL: And that I’m a generous lover.
Pal around with Brunch Club on July 6 at Mill Creek Cafe (Edmonton) and at the
Nite Owl on July 7 (Calgary).
BeatRoute: Can you define the genre ‘jangle pop?’
Patrick Earles: Jangly pop, dude. It’s pop that’s jangly!
BR: What is your writing process like?
Ellen Reade: They’re all my songs; I write a song on guitar, then I give it to Patrick
and he makes it spicy. Then I write bass and Owen does drums.
Owen Lukawesky: I’m usually the last one to come in; the songs are already done
when I get there.
ER: Patrick and I will meet up and work on a song together and then add Owen.
He’ll play through the song like twice and then have it perfectly.
BR: What were you guys listening to while you created this EP?
ER: I’m super inspired by bands like The Vaselines, The Pastels, Heavenly, Black
Tambourine and anything on [American indie label] Slumberland Records.
BR: What are your plans for the summer?
Jangle geeks spread joy to all with their youthful sounds.
photo: Jesse Ladd
26 | JULY 2017 • BEATROUTE ROCKPILE