BeatRoute Magazine [AB] print e-edition - [November 2017]

CURRENT SWELL
riding high on the next wave
Current Swell is a band with a
style that is easily recognizable
with its upbeat, pulsing pop-folk
melodies, but also notably diverse and
distinct. Lead singer Scott Stanton’s
searing vocals and his heartfelt stories
easily set the band apart from their contemporaries.
Closing in on 13 years they
just released their sixth studio album last
spring, When to Talk and When to Listen,
produced by Grammy award-winning
Jacquire King (Kings of Leon, Buddy Guy,
Tom Waits.) Willing to take risks, the
record has critics polarized: some are adamant
it’s the band’s best work to date,
and others saying the complete opposite.
Addressing the record’s split reception,
Stanton explains the band’s aspiration
to try and always reach new audiences.
“Every record is different. Dave (Lang,
vocals/guitar) and I wrote this record together,
where in the past we have mostly
written separately. We want to reach as
many people as we can and travel the
world doing it.”
One thing that is never in dispute is
the band’s live show. Whether playing to
a crowd of 45,000 on Canada Day in Victoria,
BC or in a small rural pub, Current
Swell has an energy and dedication to
the music that gets people moving and
singing along.
Touring with new material, looking
to build their fan base also comes the
need for balance, especially when a loyal
audience has the overwhelming desire to
hear the band dig deep into their catalog.
Stanton knows that response all too well:
“Shut up and play the hits! The funniest
thing about performing is when the crowd
is having a blast. That’s what we love to
do and that’s our job. We will definitely be
playing a collection of our work.”
With recent changes in the band
breathing new life into the project,
Current Swell is in a good space right now.
Reflecting on the upswing Stanton effused,
“That’s all we talk about, how great
things are moving, going forward and
how fortunate we are to get to play music.
We just came off the best European and
Eastern Canadian tour we have done.
People singing along to all the songs, new
and old. We are just really happy.”
Current Swell performs Saturday, Nov. 18 at
Marquee (Calgary), Sunday, Nov. 19 at Wild
Bill’s (Banff), Tuesday, Nov. 21 at Bo’s Bar &
Grill (Red Deer), Wednesday, Nov. 22 at The
Exchange (Regina), Thursday, Nov. 23 at
The Park Theatre (Winnipeg), Friday, Nov.
24 at the Broadway Theatre (Saskatoon),
and Saturday, Nov. 25 at the Needle Vinyl
Tavern (Edmonton).
by Andrew R. Mott
photo: Shane Deringer
BOOGIE PATROL
rott’n in the free world
‘Rott’n’ Dan Shinnan likens himself to a monkey among silverback gorillas.
There is so much energy and excitement bottled up in Alberta
blues band Boogie Patrol that within the first few seconds on
the phone with BeatRoute, lead singer ‘Rott’n’ Dan Shinnan
had already excitedly recounted his recent purchase of a new harmonica
(check out Rott’n Dan’s intensity getting down on the harp
ROOTS
with “Mainstay Woman”).
Boogie Patrol is a funk/rock & soul quintet that, along with Rott’n
Dan on vocals, features Yuji Ihara and Chad Holtzman on guitar, Nigel
Gale on bass, and Emmet VanEtten on drums and backing vocals. Their
brand of the blues features lots of lead guitars, heavy on the rhythm that
by Dan Tyler
kick into restless leg syndrome with their relentless live performances.
Their most recent recording, Man on Fire, was released in April
and contains a mix of energetic rock & soul with more downtempo,
blues-adjacent outings. Tracks like “Shaker Down Below” and “Just Wanna”
are strong divergent moments that do well to illustrate the band’s
tonal range.
While still a young band, especially in the prestige-oriented blues
scene, they have already accumulated tremendous accolades. The group
has traveled to Memphis for the International Blues Challenge three
times already, finishing in the semi-finals the last two trips down.
The live energy of Boogie Patrol is “definitely not a façade,” says
Shinnan. ” We really do enjoy playing together. Playing live on stage is
something that adds to that, and the style of music we play is all about
getting down… For me as a front guy, I’m totally inspired by what other
front guys do. What does a front guy do but study other front guys? He
adds it was “just a natural thing to get up on stage and go hard. You can’t
help but get into it.”
In their ten years playing and travelling all across North America, Boogie
Patrol deliberately embrace the spirit of blues and soul legends. “I am
hugely influenced by Joe Cocker, Mick Jagger, Otis Redding, powerhouses
like that,” reveals Shinnan. “Those guys are the silverback gorillas, those
are the kings. Joe Cocker inspired me vocally, but I’m not saying I emulate
him. You definitely don’t see me doing the splits like James Brown either.”
In addition to his artistic style, Shinnan is a well-rounded professional
who understands giving people what they paid for. “I actually used to
have a business card that used to say ‘Head Monkey Man.’ It’s a monkey
see, money do kind of world.”
Boogie Patrol performs Saturday, Nov. 4 at the Edmonton Blues Society
Memphis Payback, Friday, Nov. 10 at the Blues Can (Calgary), and Tuesday,
Nov. 14 at Blues on Whyte (Edmonton).
BEATROUTE • NOVEMBER 2017 | 45