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Reinforced steel
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While most bands think of their second release, the proverbial “sophomore slump,” as a tough nut to crack, their third release can prove to be the real bitch. Often the band goes bankrupt on the songwriting front, left breathless by the thankless toil. Third albums have historically sounded the death knell for many bands’ careers. Local alt-country outfit United Steel Workers of Montreal rose to that challenge and have come out the other side further galvanized with their signature sound intact and more resilient from the long haul. USWM’s third release, the aptly titled Three on the Tree, finds the band at a creative zenith and with their original vision fully restored. The Mirror spoke to guitarist/vocalist Gern F. over the phone while he was en route to a show in Peterborough, Ontario. Mirror: For your third record, did you find that you had to change things up a bit to keep things fresh? Gern F.: We always used to record at my place, with the luxury of spending months on a record, but this time we knew we had to get out of our regular routine and just lock ourselves up and get it done, so we went to London, Ontario and squeezed the record out in three and a half days. It was the first time we did about 85 per cent right off of the floor, and we’re really proud of it, but it was really like a blur. I think the only reason it worked was because we had the confidence after playing live for so long. It was like being put into a press and see what squeezed out. It thankfully worked, but I don’t think it’s something we would want to do again. M: USWM have always had a strong work ethic. Do you think that the DIY ethic is more important for bands than ever before? GF: It’s definitely important, but we’re also at the point of learning the right balance between doing business and just being a musician. You can e-mail all you want and try and get people to check out your MySpace page or whatever, but you have to know when to turn the switch off. If you’re a musician, you can’t spend all of your time in front of a computer. M: Do you think there have been some benefits of being part of the roots music scene in Montreal, which could be described as a scene within a scene? GF: We’ve definitely had some benefits from starting off in the downtown bars before hitting the venues on the Plateau. It took us longer, but we’ve been able to benefit from the best of both worlds. I think a lot of people are starting to look beyond the obvious and really see the depth of the Montreal music scene, be it rap, singer/songwriters or whatever. M: Are you finding it more difficult for the band with the current state of the music industry, battling the economic crisis— GF: Actually, that’s always been a misnomer. Whenever there is an economic recession, bands like us find ourselves perfectly in place. Historically, the only people who ever do well when the economy is in the dumps are bars, music and films. People need that escapism more than ever, so from where we’re standing, I say bring on the recession. CD LAUNCH WITH LADIES OF THE |
