BeatRoute Magazine [AB] print e-edition - [March 2018]

RAE SPOON
armed with a hydrophone, watch out!
Spoon’s new songs in the making — no holds barred.
JOEY CAPE
peeling back the veneer
With winter winding down, there’s comfort in spending intimate evenings indoors, especially if it
involves being treated to acoustic melodies from our favourite coffee-loving punk, Joey Cape.
Although Cape is most recognized for fronting the Californian punk band, Lagwagon, his solo
musical career is gaining momentum. The first of Cape’s four solo albums, Bridge, debuted in 2008
and more recently the simply named Covers, featuring unplugged Lagwagon and Bad Astronaut
renditions, appeared on his own One Week Record label.
“I’m always working on new material and I’m always writing,” says Cape.
“I’m just one of those people. I can’t stay idle. I’m recording a new album right now. It’s got a way
to go, but I’m really happy about it. I’ve been writing it for a couple years and I think it’s one of the
best things I’ve done solo. But you never know, it could suck! So, we’ll see.”
Cape’s solitary writing efforts usually result in songs of the somber variety, so it’s only fitting that
his new material is sincere, emotional and dark. Pulling heartfelt selections from his considerable
back-catalogue, he also diversifies his solo shows with a slowed down, bare bones take on some
original punk classics.
“I’ll be honest, I love sad songs, I like songs that are melancholy. It’s almost like that’s art to me,
when I hear somebody’s heartbreak and struggle. But, that’s what I want out of a painting and that’s
what I want out of a novel. It’s the same with music.”
True to his word, Cape has steadily refined his style and sound by introducing the unadorned
discipline of the acoustic guitar to his naturally restless lyrics. The latter of which is something that
the stalwart singer has been perfecting since his early skate-punk days.
“A lot of Lagwagon songs just sound really nice when I play them on acoustic, because they’re very
emotional. “I Must Be Hateful” is the best example of that. It never became a song that anyone ever
asked to hear, until I played it on acoustic. I think it’s because we [Lagwagon] missed the mark on the
vibe; it’s too rushed and doesn’t have the right flow.
While in the midst of working on writing a new record, Rae
Spoon likes to downscale to playing acoustic guitar in the
process of carving out fresh songs. For the upcoming performance
at NMC, Spoon promises to play some old tunes as well and few
ones still in development.
“It’s been awhile since I’ve been to Calgary and I’m excited to
play the National Music Centre, the King Eddy actually, which was
a cool place to go when I was a teenager to watch blues bands.”
Spoon, who has lived in Victoria for the past couple years (and
jokes about being there way ahead of the retirement curve), is
incorporating different aspects of that newish environment to be
on the upcoming record.
“The record is kind of based on an ocean presence. I live
right on James Bay in Victoria just two blocks from the ocean.
I’m gathering a lot of sounds, working on some electronics and
field recordings which I’m trying to integrate as a landscape
into the album.”
One aspect of incorporating natural elements into the new
songs is using a hydrophone, a device to record sound underwater.
“I have a hydrophone I’m playing with, although it’s giving me
some trouble. I’m planning on dropping it in some parts around
Victoria, but I’ll probably have to be on a boat. Or I might,” laughs
Spoon, “be singing backup vocals in my bathtub!”
“I kind of like experimenting with that, and bringing in the idea
of bodies and that the ocean as the original super connector. I
guess now it’s the internet! But bringing in body stuff, and, in general,
living as a non-binary person. I have a song that was supposed
to be full of the F-word, but I played it at folk festivals and changed
BY B. SIMM
it to ‘Do Whatever The Heck You Want.’ It’s about letting anyone
do what they want, as longs as they’re not hurting anyone.” Spoon
adds triumphantly, “And children have fallen in love with it!”
Then further explains how writing about the physical environment
leads directly into a political context.
“The places I’ve lived have always affected my work. I’ve written
a lot about the prairies, this time I’m trying to focused on the
ocean, its surroundings but also there’s a lot of political things
going right now with pipelines and oil tankers, spills and…”
Wine embargos!
“Yes!” laughs Spoon. “The NDP is throwing it down. And I’m
bringing in stuff like that too.”
Breaking it down into specifics, Spoon outlines a new song
called “You Don’t Do Anything”.
“It’s about politicians who say they’re onside and actually care,
but don’t do anything. I don’t know if any federal leader might
come to mind,” chuckles Spoon.
“I’ve been working a lot with Indigenous communities
and people with different background than me, and it’s been
hitting pretty hard lately how messed up all the policies are
towards the land and Indigenous folk. Right now the federal
political climate is definitely informing my writing about not
doing anything to equalize things like the child welfare system.
The federal government is saying whatever think is right, then
doing whatever they want.”
Rae Spoons performs at the NMC on Thursday, March 15 as part of
the Alberta Spotlight Series.
BY SARAH MAC
Don’t miss Joey Cape on his One Week Records Tour of Alberta. He performs March 9 at The
Palomino Smokehouse and Social Club [Calgary], March 10 at the Starlite Room [Edmonton] and
March 11 at Wild Bill’s [Banff].
Lagwagon frontman Joey Cape’s solo act trades Woodie for wooden.
22 22 | MARCH | MARCH 2018 2018 • • BEATROUTE
ROCKPILE