Hex appeal

The Witchies boil and bubble up

MYSTERIOUS AND EXCITING: The Witchies

by JOHNSON CUMMINS

Barely out of the gate, the Witchies have already done a short tour with Wolf Parade, whose drummer, Arlen Thompson, recorded their eponymous debut EP, and for their first show, the Witchies scored a high-profile opening slot for the Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra La La Band, as well as being offered the opening slot for the Handsome Furs’ U.S. dates.

“They’re my homies,” admits guitarist/singer Chad Jones. “I guess we should’ve been more worried about playing to such big audiences while we were still working out our kinks, because some of those shows were train wrecks, but at the same time, they were pretty fun.” With their EP only recently released, the band—which also includes Nadia Moss (keys, bass) and Jonah Fortune (drums) has already secured a U.S. booking agent (whom they share with Wolf Parade, natch) and, surprise, are already fielding label offers. Hotcha!

Under his previous solo pseudonym Frankie Sparo, Jones perfected the bummer melancholy, but this time out, even when the band get downright dirge-y at its darkest moments, there remains a sliver of light squeezing in. “Frankie Sparo was really coming from a specific voice, with the writing filling a certain mode. Through the time between Frankie Sparo and the Witchies, I was able to break habits. I also wanted to play in a band again and that is obviously a huge influence on the sound. The songs will really explode once the rest of the band get hold of them.”

With all of the hoopla swinging their way, the Witchies truly have the talent to back it up, if the four pop songs on their debut are any indication. While steering clear of being a mere retro act, their unabashedly clever pop music doesn’t mind making hairpin turns through the ’80s while miraculously leaving the irony behind. “I guess being of a certain vintage, when I reach for ideas, I look to a time when pop was mysterious and exciting for me. When I started writing songs for this band, these two girls from my high school sprung to mind. They had big hair and were kind of gothy, arty people. I think they might’ve liked us but probably not now because they’re probably lawyers or something.”

WITH GISELLE NUMBA ONE,
RANDOM RECIPE, MFFFQ AND
DJ KHIASMA AT CLUB LAMBI ON
SATURDAY, JAN. 10, 9 P.M., PWYC