BeatRoute Magazine BC Edition December 2018

RICH HOPE
ROCK ‘N’ ROLL TROUBADOUR GOES ALL IN
CONOR FINLAY
DID YOU DIE
RIDING THE ROYAL UNICORN
MADDY CRISTALL
MUSIC
SMALL TOWN ARTILLERY
KEEPING THE MAGIC CLOSE TO HOME
MADDY CRISTALL
Photo by Christopher Edmonstone
Rich Hope is all yours if you want him.
Plenty of heart and soul to go around, Small Town Artillery put it all on the line.
Vancouver’s own Small Town Artillery recently
released their third album, Don’t Talk Away
the Magic, and it’s arguably their best yet. The
album was recorded at Bluelight Studios, it is
an poignant body of work made of “pure heart
and soil” as lead singer Tom eloquently puts it.
The band is compiled of band leader Tom Van
Deursen, a man with a powerful presence and
a soft soul. He ends most of his performances
topless, dripping with sweat with his eyes closed
thanking the audience who are all completely
melted from what they just witnessed. His
dear friend and brother Derek is the band’s
talented drummer often seen who essentially
For more than 20 years, Vancouver based Rich
Hope has been a faithful ambassador to a genre
that sounds best when kept raw. A celebrated
fixture in the live scene, I’m All Yours is his
Hope’s first release since 2009’s Is Gonna Whip
It On Ya, and the time between records allowed
the songs ample time to gestate.
“We took our time with the recording, I
wanted it to sound visceral,” Hope says of the
evolution. He is joined by longtime members,
bassist Erik Nielsen and drummer Adrian Mack,
and new addition, Matt Kelly on keyboards. The
band shared a collaborative spirit in the studio
during late night sessions with producer Felix
Fung, as several new song ideas were fleshed out
on the fly and quickly captured.
“It was a more collaborative piece than I’ve
ever done,” Hope says. “The other guys in the
band definitely contributed to the songs and
we wanted to write things when we were most
excited about them, because that’s when they’re
the most fun to play.”
That enthusiasm is evident throughout the
album, with dynamic twists and turns that
play out like an encyclopedic lesson plan in
what made guitar driven music from past eras
so exciting. Opener, “It Come Alive,” starts
the album with blazing guitar and vocals that
Photo by Kayla Mcinnis
drips with passion and talent. Their bassist is
the highly skilled Carson Webber who also
plays in Year of the Wolf and The Long War, the
three bands often tour together which is highly
convenient and likely tiring for Webber. They
always tour with their high octane horn section
which consists of the gifted Nathan Barrett
and Mike Kayser. Lastly, Ashley Robyn provides
harmonious back up vocals with her distinctive
and roaring voice.
Small Town Artillery have received some
notable accolades since they formed in 2014
including being named top 100 bands in CBC’s
Searchlight (2018). They are now signed with
perfectly sets the stage for the kind of mood
to follow. For the rest of the album, Hope and
co. know their terrain well, playfully tearing up
the floorboards of many iconic styles, delving
into the sonic worlds of RnB, country, garage
and all shades in between. The bluesy and dark
“La Iguana” features a dusty guitar tone with
bursts of horns, weaving a hypnotic groove
for Hope to croon over. “Golden Clouds” pays
a catchy homage to the original track by the
Flamin’ Groovies with a healthy dose of twang.
“Creepstone” marries a driving bass and drum
beat with reverb soaked bursts of guitar and
sultry vocals. A notable highlight and personal
favourite for Hope is “Heartbreaker.”
“I sat on it and one day I thought I might give
up on it, but I’m really happy with how it turned
out,” he says. Featuring pedal steel guitar by
Scott Smith and a long sustained outro jam that
pulls all the right stops, “Heartbreaker” is a pitchperfect
ending to an album that stays in a solid
gear from beginning to end, and a consistent
showcase of Hope’s versatility and mastery
of the genre. I’m All Yours is a not so gentle
reminder that rock ‘n’ roll is alive and well.
Rich Hope performs on Dec. 15 at the Rickshaw
Theatre.
JumpAttack! Records and just came back from
an extensive tour through small town B.C
including Kaslo, where the Van Deursens are
originally from. Their final show of the tour was
at the jam packed Imperial, it was brimming
with a blown away audience.
Tom describes Don’t Talk Away the Magic
as the ‘most emotional album I have ever
made.’ This is apparent in the autobiographical
lyrics that are rich with depth and honesty.
Tom further explains ‘I was going through
heartbreak at the time and put my entire soul
into this record.’ The fervent lyrical content
of the record is beautifully paired with its rich
sonic landscape. The musicality of the band is
refined, they have all played music the majority
of their lives which is apparent in their music.
Their performances are sweaty and boisterous
examples of how much fun music is and should
be. Tom explains ‘ I want our shows to have
layers, or less layers (in terms of clothing). Small
Town Artillery certainly does have layers, they
are a dense lasagne of skilled musicality and
emotional generosity. Don’t Talk Away the
Magic is available now; it is one of those turn off
your phone, shut the blinds and close your eyes
kind of records.
Small Town Artillery perform on December 14 at
The Rio Theatre.
Royal Unicorn is the highly anticipated fourth album
from Victoria’s Did You Die. The album is a compelling
body of work that showcases the band’s relentless talent.
The vocals of both frontman Richie Alexander and longtime
singer/songwriter Katherine Kovna are reminiscent
of shoegaze heavyweights such as My Bloody Valentine,
Slowdive and Ride. The vast scope of the music coupled
with the pop-sensibilities of Dinosaur Jr make for an
album that is familiar but fresh at the same time time.
Did You Die are more at home with the Philly bands
of today (Nothing, Spirit of the Beehive) than their
Canadian west coast contemporaries, and that can be
boiled down to one thing: dynamics. It is to this end
that the influence of Vancouver producer Felix Fung’s
production can not go unnoticed. He is completely in
his wheelhouse here. Alexander’s songwriting is brought
to life with Fung’s production from every vocal layer
to the perpetual guitar ambience to every bass drone
that devolves into rhythmic chaos. Royal Unicorn took
two years and came with a vast array of unforeseen
circumstances.
“The process was epic,” Alexander says. “We tracked
everything with Jordan Koop at his studio in Gabriola,
BC. Some of us lost our jobs and I broke my arm during
the sessions. We enlisted Felix Fung who came to our
house to re-track guitars and drums, and then re-mix
the whole album at his studio in New West.”
As Bruce Cockburn says, “Nothing worth having
comes without some kind of fight.” This record bleeds
with complexity and emotional endurance. The pace
of the album brings about a sense of urgency to the
listener, but ultimately makes you understand the
uneasiness, like when you realise something is wrong but
you’ve been oblivious the whole time.
Alexander explained he named the album this
because “Royal Unicorn was the name of the old
Fortune Sound Club in Vancouver. One of my favourite
places to see or play shows back in the day.”
The album artwork was created by Victoria artist
Lyle Shutlz. You can almost hear the album cover, it’s a
dark and dreamy painting which pairs perfectly with the
nature of the band. Did You Die just returned from an
album release tour out east. Alexander describes their
touring experience positively.
“What makes it work is that everyone is very adult
and respectful of each other’s space. We also love the
same music, making it really easy in the van for what to
put on.”
Royal Unicorn is a lived in album that was well worth
the struggle of making it.
Did You Die perform Dec. 7 at Static Jupiter (Vancouver).
Royal Unicorn is now available through all streaming
platforms.
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