Here's the thing about classic indie rock...the people that pushed the
early buttons were making rock music on their own terms. In the 80's,
a big band could be a clone of glossier rock bands like Aerosmith, or just be gritty and honest like early REM. In the 90's, you had
the big time cheese of Stone Temple Pilots, running right alongside
something nerdy and true like Sebadoh. In Canada, we had our gloss vs
grit thing going on. Anybody remember Zuckerbaby? The one band that
every band knows, even if they never completely understood them, was
the Rheostatics. Definitely Canadian icons and definitely weird,
wonderful and complex. The band took musical inspiration from varied
influences such as The Band, David Bowie, They Might Be Giants and The
Ramones.
Their story started in the 80's, barrelled through the 90's and ended just last year. They had various lineup changes through the years, but the core of Dave Bidini, Martin Tielli and Tim Vesely always stood strong. Bidini was the bouncing brawler, the sports writer, the boombastic street fighter. Martin was the alien, the dreamer, nature lover and guitar virtuoso. Tim was the quiet popster, subtle joker, and clean cut bass technician. To this day, the Rheostatics are still big and small at the same time. Everyone knows them, but not that many people understand them. Musician's musicians. A testament to their legacy was defined by the reaction we got from various Canadian artists last year when we did the Rheostatics tribute album. The band helped out so many people over the years that everyone jumped right on board. You can bet that if they ever carve a Mount Rushmore of indie rock on the side of the Canadian Shield, it will have their three faces.
Fast forward to 2008, and we reflect on the fact that some of the biggest songs from the band were penned by Tim Vesely. Always coming across as the straight-laced guy in the band, it was no surprise that the 2005 album from his new band The Violet Archers was steeped in the sounds of Neil Young and Gordon Lightfoot. The End of Part One laid the foundation for Tim's post-Rheostatics musical path.
The brand new album called Sunshine At Night takes the band further down the road to rock. It has two feet firmly planted on the ground, but it's head is in the clouds. A stellar album from one of the true founders of Canadian indie rock.
MP3 Download - Rheostatics_- Music_Inspired_By_The_Group_Of_7_- Northern_Wish.mp3
MP3 Download - The Violet Archers - The End of Part One - Coordinates.mp3
MP3 Download - The_Violet_Archers_- Sunshine_At_Night_- Sunshine_At_Night.mp3
- Dave Ullrich
Comments