|
Slaves don hope Slaves On Dope try to free themselves from their own hype by CHRIS YURKIW
Indeed, Slaves On Dope return with a much more distinctive sound, less Our Lady Peace and more Tool, helped in no small part by the new rhythm section of Salvaggio and his former Drip bandmate Robert Urbani on drums, who make the low end pop. Meanwhile, founders Jason Rockman (voice) and Kevin Jardine (guit) have realized the value of that other kind of pop, and a song like "Light On Your Feet" is true to both its title and the band's new direction by melding bone crunch with the
"I'm learning from what Jason and Kevin have done," says Frank, "and I think their idea of success has changed. Now we're concentrating on being solid, as opposed to being an outspoken band... Before, there was some younger attitudes, you know? Very flagrant talking and stuff like that. That's gone--out the door. Now we're just going to concentrate on kicking ass, being a good live rock band and being really pro about it. Because our music has to speak for itself, as opposed to us speaking for the music." Slaves On Dope are planning a Montreal show for August. One Good Turn Deserves Another available on Just A Minute! now |
When Slaves On Dope hit the local rock circuit in early 1994 they hit it with a furore, pushing their mini-album Sober with tons of club dates, frequent all-ages shows and even more phone calls to talk up their product. But being everywhere can leave you nowhere--especially when the product you're pushing is amorphous hard rock and your live show is even more free-wheeling. Yeah, there was a lot talk about this "next" band, maybe too much talk (especially if you were counting Rant Line appearances). But it was the Slaves themselves who decided that nowhere was a good place to head for a while before resurfacing with their full-length debut, One Good Turn Deserves Another.
"We just stepped out," says bassist Frank Salvaggio, on the phone from Winnipeg where the band has quickly begun a Western Canadian tour--part of a tacit strategy to not overexpose themselves in Montreal this time around. "We were a band who didn't concentrate on songs--it was always the live show that came first. But then we took a year to completely explore ourselves and just concentrate on songwriting. And it's been the hardest task, especially after taking all the shots from people and media. But we've made it over the hill, and this is pretty much a rebirth."
right melodic hunch. And the group has now got national support as well, with One Good Turn... being the debut release for Justin Time's new pop and rock label, Just A Minute! New label, new sound--new goals?