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Winged migration
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by MALCOLM FRASER Transplanted Vancouverite Courtney Wing moved to our town six years ago, bringing with him a bucketful of wistful indie-pop songsmithery. Recently, a chance encounter with an overheard snippet of opera sung from a window set off a lightbulb flash, and Wing mined the fruitful resources of the Mile-End musical community, assembling a 16-piece band to perform his newly operatic creations. Fresh off a triumphant showcase at Toronto’s NXNE, Wing brings the symphonic supergroup to la Sala Rossa tonight, featuring percussionist Bruce Cawdron (Godspeed), drummer Stef Schneider (Bell Orchestre, the Luyas, Jorane), double bassist Sage Reynolds (Amon Tobin), ivory-tickler Jeff Louch (Royal Mountain Band, Spoon River) and violinist-about-town Josh Zubot, along with the 10-piece vocal ensemble Liederwolfe. “I don’t have any musical background—I don’t read music or anything,” says Wing when asked about the genesis of the ambitious new sound. “I love the harmonies in opera, and my folk-pop music with [Liederwolfe’s] operatic choir just seemed like a weird dynamic that I like, and that I thought would be challenging. I’m turned on by the challenge, basically, trying to add a new element of excitement to my music, which was lacking in the past year. I just got tired of hearing the same old sounds with a lot of bands. My interest is to try to create something unique, and soulful at the same time. “I’ve recorded two albums before—the third album is nearly done. I recorded them on my own using shitty digital 8-track and whatever mics I had.” For the new collaboration, he continues, “basically what I did is create all the instrumentation, using the software that I have, into rough MP3 mixes, and sent it to all 16 people so they could have an idea of what the hell was gonna happen, and what they could introduce to the songs prior to rehearsal.” Born and bred on the West Coast, Wing migrated to Montreal sight unseen after hearing rumours of the city’s cultural capital. “Vancouver, in my opinion, is a very dull place for music, very drab. I wanted some more colour in my life, culturally and artistically.” Before too long, he was integrated into the local musical community. Of course, playing with such a large ensemble of players, each with their own projects, can be daunting. “Probably the biggest challenge was trying to organize everybody to go to NXNE in Toronto,” Wing chuckles. “That was chaotic.” But enabled by a cover story in TO’s Now magazine, the caper paid off with a packed house and a rapturous audience reaction. Somewhat surprisingly given the size of his new band, Wing is still recording in living rooms and the occasional back porch. “I’m still on the lo-fi approach with recording, just because that’s what I’ve come to know,” he explains. But if his means are limited, his artistic ambitions are less so. He cites as influences “the great producers—Johnny Greenwood, or the guy who did the Feist album, Gonzales, [Beck and Radiohead producer] Nigel Goderich, Daniel Lanois.” While work continues on his third album, due either at “end of fall or early spring,” this is clearly a prime occasion to check out Wing’s ambitious project. Like all good supergroups, they should be caught when the stars and schedules align. With Ladies of the Canyon at |
