Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Shearing Pinx talk Night Danger & Weaponry



Vancouver's Shearing Pinx has long been one of my favorite bands in Canada. Over the last five years DIVORCE has been lucky enough to release three of their albums—Haruspex 7", Weaponry LP, and just recently, the Night Danger LP, which was co-released with the band's own Isolated Now Waves label. The two LPs comprise a double LP series that, in my opinion, represents an essential document of not only the band, but also of the wider avant-punk scene in Canada.

In my continued effort to expose more background on the DIVORCE catalogue, I recently interviewed Jeremy and Nic about the records. Enjoy. And check below for a special offer on the two LP set.

There is a certain low-fi aesthetic at work on many Shearing Pinx recordings, even on your most significant releases. Some critics have faulted you for it, but I think the common opinion is that this raw recording approach has a lot to do with the potency of your sound. I often think of your four track as an essential member of the band. Why is keeping things in the low-fi realm important?

We tend to gravitate more towards the scrappy lo-fi cassette crunch as we feel it's more representative to our true sound: Gnarly, unkempt, unpolished and closer to the live experience. A challenge to the listener, engaging their imagination to become part of the listening experience. Plus, we get to do it ourselves and retain complete control. In the beginning of SHPX we all really loved (+ still do!) bands like Harry Pussy, Sentridoh/Sebadoh, Dead C, Hair Police and of course Eric's Trip and what they could do w/a 4track/lo-fi sound machine, and that common appreciation manifested itself in the band, naturally. Out of the 6 albums we've done half of them were recorded digitally in a studio and the other half on a Tascam. Ultimately cassette 4tracks are our fave! But it's always fun to try something new.

Taken together, Night Danger and Weaponry comprise one of your most epic works (no small feat considering there are close to one hundred SP albums). The records cover a lot of ground, from some of your most experimental and noisy jams to the most memorable noise-pop sing-a-longs. Why does it all fit together so well? Was there a plan or concept going into the project?

There was definitely a plan. The albums were intended to be released as a double lp, so all the sequencing was thought out that way. In reality night danger is sides c and d of a single project. When we began working on a new album back then we realised we wanted to include more aspects of the bands sound that up until that point had remained on cassette and cdr releases. Working away on that idea all the while recording we quickly came to the conclusion to do a double lp. The rest is history

From the beginning, Rick White's name was on top of the list for jacket art. I think we all saw a connection between Rick's approach with Eric's Trip and Elevator and what you are doing with Shearing Pinx. Can you you talk about that connection and influence?

We have always been huge fans of Rick and his various projects , cannot be understated. I would say his approach is one of the major influences within shearing pinx sound, art , etc. Growing up in rural Canada and finding out about Eric's Trip in the early/mid '90's, it was naturally inspiring as budding ((!)) musicians. When Darcy asked us what we wanted to do with the cover art we sent a list of artists that really we didn't think would actually be taken seriously, like a wish list. Apparently some wishes come true!

What about Vancouver? Maybe I'm projecting too much, but I've always felt like the dirge and chaos of Shearing Pinx was somehow channelling the gritty urban scene in the Downtown Eastside. How does both the Vancouver music scene and the general vibe of the city affect your music?

Yes of course. You can't help but reflect the environment your in as an artist. If you scan the wide spectrum of music in Vancouver you can hear this feeling your talking about. There's always something to feel crazy about good OR bad and you'll see/hear/feel expressions through artistic consciousness. Anyone that thinks the riot last summer was about hockey is an idiot! There is an extreme amount of resentment in this community regarding the cost of living, the treatment of the poor, more bureaucratic red tape than you could imagine stopping you from doing anything remotely fun. When these things are in your mind , in your conversations with neighbors and friends, it becomes a part of you and every action you take.........

I'm really drawn to the Pinx for your take on the more aggressive side of free music. It sometimes reminds me of stuff like Peter Brotzmann (Machine Gun in particular), Weasel Walter, or even the Nihilist Spasm Band. Has this kind of music been an inspiration? Also, how do you make free music fit with punk music both in terms of sound and genre politics?

We do not care about having a certain sound or genre politics. We have a more free approach to music making and it's more on a song by song basis as opposed to the general sound of the band. Although we gravitate more towards heavy, loud and angular sonic freedom. Free music fits with punk music because we love both and more. Improv has always been a part of the band , a large part in fact. If you look at the bulk of our releases you'll find mostly improvisations. Playing with sound is one of the most exciting things you can do as a musician. We have never restricted the creative process by aesthetic lines , this we believe allows for more possibilities.

It sounds strange to say, but the Shearing Pinx is probably one of the earlier avant-punk bands of the new generation of such bands in Canada. Things have certainly gotten weirder in Canada since you started, or at least it's bubbling to the surface, with more tape labels and fringe bands. How have things changed in the last half a decade? What's exciting about Canada right now?

It's been way too long since we've toured across Canada and seen what's happening out there! Honestly, we're probably out of the loop a little bit. A couple years ago, there was a lot to be excited about. Weird Canada is such an important thing, thanks to Aaron Levin et al for doing such a great job!

Label LOVE - Divorce, Bruised Tongue, Midori, Wintage Records & Tapes, Mammoth Cave, Prairie Fire Tapes, Ramshakle Day Parade
Local Label Linx - Thankless, Soldier Pumps, Geographing, Broadway2Boundary, Panospria, Trashtronix/VIDKID all rule.
LOCAL LICKS - Terror Bird, Whip Of The UFO, Androgynous Mind, Heavy Chains, Ahna, Stamina Mantis, Phonecalls (R.I.P.).....,yellow thief, Cascadia, NOISY TITS, Screaming Queens, Velvet Fist,Holzkopf, Von Bingen, Student Teacher, Inherent Vices, Juvenile Hall, Monarch, The Passenger, Forced Laugh, Hole In My Head, Cloudface, Cathar, The Courtneys, Jesse Taylor (SHPX) just put out an amazing comp of local stuff he's been recording for the past couple years called NITE PRISON, named after his studio. Includes rare traxx from 18 different punx/weirdo bands from Vancouver he'd been recording since 2010. Great stuff from Nu Sensae, Modern Creatures, Random Cuts, Bleeder, White Lung, No L.A. Kill, Defektors, Golden Touch + more.

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Wednesday, February 1, 2012

How to make a record in Canada

So, I must get an email every couple weeks asking for instructions on how to get an LP or 7" manufactured. Instead of continuing to answer each request individually, I've decided to put together this blog post. Hopefully you will all find it helpful. I've made quite a few records over the years, and I've worked with a number of different plants. After much trial and error, this is what I've come up with. The manufacturing path outlined below is best suited for those of you making records in Canada. If you have any questions or advice to add, please feel free to comment. I'm always looking for ways to improve.

1. Acetates/Plating - Aardvark Mastering
This first step is getting your master made into stampers so that the pressing plant can manufacture the actual record. The process is quite involved, so look on the Aardvark site for specifics. Basically, Paul at Aardvark will make an acetate of your master tape/disc. This will be express shipped to his plater (Mastercraft, I believe) who will then make stampers for the pressing plant. You have a few options through Aardvark, including the choice of a one or two step process. The one step process will save you a few bucks, but the stampers are usually only good for one run (or up to 1000 records).

I have been using Aardvark for years. They are one of the most affordable mastering companies around, and the quality of their work is always fantastic. I've had problems occur in this process that were totally of my own doing. Aardvark have been great to deal with in these situations, usually offering to re-plate even for the smallest issue. Highly recommended. 3-5 weeks turn time.

2. Pressing (labels, test pressings, records) - SAMO

On the Aardvark order form you will have to specify where you want the plates sent to be pressed. There are a number of good plants in the USA and a few in Canada, many of which I have worked with over the years. However, there are a lot of things that can go wrong, so good customer service is essential. I've had many problems over the years. On one of the first records I pressed, the plant got grease all over the labels. It looked awful. They wouldn't return my emails or my calls. In the end I had to pack up a record and write a hand written letter. Not a timely way to deal with such a problem when you have distributors waiting on product.

Anyway, I just started using SAMO. They are a Canadian broker that get their orders manufactured at a plant in California. In the past I've shied away from middlemen, but once I did the math, I had to give them a try. One big cost for making vinyl in Canada is shipping and brokerage from the USA. On a 600 run of LPs it can cost around $600 or more to get them here, especially if you use a plant on the west coast. SAMO gets your order into the country and only charge for shipping from Toronto. All the other costs are comparable to most other plants. And the quality is great, with regular pressings being 145 grams or more (not the case with many plants). And of course, the big selling point with SAMO is customer service. Emails are answered right away. Last minute changes are no problem. I know I'm not the easiest person to deal with when making a record, but I've never had any issues when dealing with this company. Gord (aka Deranged Record boss) is my rep. Great guy. Highly recommended. 2-4 week turn time.

3. Jackets - Imprint

Obviously, there are lots of DIY options for jackets. For 7 inches, a trip to Staples will usually do the trick. You can screen print blank LP jackets, make homemade folder sleeves, glue a photocopy to some old Bee Gees' cover, whatever. But if you need 500+ LP jackets and you want them to be at the standard of most LPs in your collection, I'd recommend Imprint. Like Samo, they are also a broker, but they get their printing done in Montreal. You are are not charged any shipping fees and the turnover is fast. It costs about $1 a jacket. You can't beat that. I even tried to go direct with the plant they use in Montreal, but it was more expensive. Imprint also have great customer service, always letting you know where your order stands. 2 week turn time. Highly recommended.

There you go. Best of luck with your record! If you have questions, get in touch. Contact info here http://divorcerecords.ca/mainpages/info.html