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

SHEER MAG
the politics of being hip
Few bands have as much buzz around their
debut album as Philadelphia’s Sheer Mag did
last summer when Need To Feel Your Love was
dropped. According to lead singer Tina Halladay,
the constant pressure to be the ‘it’ band can be
overwhelming at times.
“It’s just the fact that we have all these
logistical things that most bands of our size don’t
bother with,” she explains. “But it is at the cost of
other things, it’s a give and take on both ends of
it. We’re just figuring out how to deal with it in a
way that isn’t compromising our ideals.”
In between the constant touring, rehearsing,
and promoting, Halladay still has to find time to
do the mundane tasks that drag the best of us
down.
“Right now, I’m just trying to get some stuff
done,” she concedes. “Like, shitty stuff, like taxes.”
On the plus side, Need to Feel Your Love has
garnered nothing but praise since it was released.
Outlets like Spin, Rolling Stone and Paste have
layered on the acclaim, with the record making
numerous year-end “best of 2017” lists.
“I’m so proud of that record. I just love that
record and I want to play those songs,” beams
Halladay.
“I love “Turn It Up.” I laughed every time the
band did the backup vocals for the first 50 times
we played it. I love “Pure Desire,”” too. They’re
kind of the two different spectrums of that
THE WONDER YEARS
how to leave town
Philadelphia’s The Wonder Years have yearned for ages to
leave their hometown. Following an extensive itinerary
of tour dates in support of 2015’s No Closer to Heaven, the
band took to the studio to reflect upon their time on the
road, culminating in Sister Cities, released at the beginning
of April.
Working with producers Joe Chiccarelli and Carlos de la
Garza, the alt-rock band pulled inspiration from landmarks
and those contemplative moments spent observing the
human condition.
To the Twitterverse, the band described the album as“the
sum total of 2 years of travel across 5 continents documented
in songs, photos, journals, poems, paintings & artifacts, 2
years witnessing the ways humanity towers above all else.”
An accurate summary as Sister Cities sees the band straying
further from their pop punk roots in favour of a darker,
more mature style. This is evident on “Raining in Kyoto,” the
album’s exhilarating opening track. Lyrically, the song is as
introspective and wistful as fans have come to expect, but
instrumentally, The Wonder Years has never sounded more
cathartic.
“We try to take a step forward every time we write a
record,” explains bassist Josh Martin. Guitarists Casey
Cavaliere, Matt Brasch and Nick Steinborn, drummer Mike
Kennedy and vocalist Dan “Soupy” Campbell join him.
“We want to challenge ourselves as songwriters and
22 | MAY 2018 • BEATROUTE
album. It’s hard to pick, but I think those two are
my favorite.”
Rounding out the Sheer Mag spectrum are
Kyle Seely (guitar), his brother Hart Seely (bass)
and Matt Palmer (drums). Fueled by a DIY-ethos
and a unique sound that recalls the best of ‘80s
disco-rock, the quartet has been playing everywhere
from Coachella to Late Night with Seth
Myers since forming in 2014.
“I think that the songs I feel like I love, everyone
else does. A lot more people knew all those
songs than we even thought,” remarks Halladay.
“I guess that’s the miracle of the Internet that
everyone’s listening to your record as soon as it’s
done. They don’t have to wait to go get it.”
As tough as it is, Halladay says the band tries
not to get sucked into the hype machine, because
the web can distort your reality quite easily.
“It’s also weird, because there’s so many
platforms, so it’s kind of like driving yourself crazy
like, ‘How many Spotify steams do you have?’
It just kind of drives you insane and it’s hard to
grasp what it even means, so I try not to go too
crazy with that.”
Politics can also be a tricky line to walk, but
one positive about being in the public eye is that
it has given Sheer Mag a platform to encourage
people to speak up.
players… While writing this record, we were focusing on
restraint.”
Since their inception, The Wonders Years has banked
heavily on the talents of Campbell, who uses his emotional
palate to paint pictures through song. Small-town diners
thousands of miles away feel like home and lines about the
despair of growing older feel intimate and relatable. Campbell
is older now, and on Sister Cities, sings of helplessness,
regret, and distance, thus projecting a more refined sense of
introspection.
The track “Flowers Where Your Face Should Be” is
photo: Marie Lin
BY TREVOR MORELLI
“Even if you’re not saying anything in your
music, I think that standing up for what you
believe is important. Not choosing a side is
choosing the side with the oppressors. I just
think that at this point, it’s pretty imperative to
stand for something.”
It’s clear that Halladay doesn’t care for the
current administration and hopes that changes
are coming soon.
“It’s hard to know. This form of government
is going to do whatever it wants, no matter
what people say and do. I hope that there is a
revolution of some kind that takes power back
for people and kind of gives power back to the
working class. Capitalism is out of control and
there are no checks.”
Back on the front lines, Sheer Mag is currently
on tour with Dallas thrash band Power Trip,
California hardcore group Fury, and Washington
punks Red Death.
“It’s going to be crazy. We’ve never really done
a tour this long with any one band, let alone
three other bands that are going to share the entire
bill with us. It’ll be a crazy, cool experience.”
Sheer Mag play May 21 at Park Theatre (Winnipeg),
May 23 at Louis’ Pub (Saskatoon), May 24
at the Starlite Room (Edmonton), and May 25 at
Dickens (Calgary)
BY GARETH JONES
ostensibly a love song, but Campbell recollects watching
a sobbing man’s wife remain stoic to console him, drawing
a parallel with a situation shortly after his grandfather had
passed. Campbell observes that, despite different culture
and lived experience, this couple experiences love and sadness
in the same way he does.
“At the core it’s a record about connectivity and shared
experience. In a time where many leaders and people push
a divisive world view, it is important to remember that no
matter where you were born or where you live, you suffer
loss like others that suffer loss and experience love like
others experience love,” explains Martin.
Sometimes, Campbell sings of moments in time; nuances,
where he realizes that human beings are interconnected in
more ways than not. Now, The Wonder Years have toured
the globe and with that wisdom comes a new worldview.
“I think this record really tells the story about how the
world isn’t as big as a lot of people think. Or, for that matter
how big they want you to think it is. We speak different languages
and cook different foods but we can connect over
our common experiences,” says Martin.
“It’s been a privilege getting to travel the world to share
our music with other people.”
The Wonder Years play May 28 at the MacEwan Ballroom (Calgary)
and May 26 at the Vogue Theatre (Vancouver)
ROCKPILE