New label brought new life to Constantines

The indie rockers will be on stage at Fanshawe on Tuesday

They've been hailed as one of Canada's premiere indie-rock groups, touring clubs with the likes of Attack In Black, performing overseas in Europe and even doing strings of arena gigs supporting the Foo Fighters.

Now, playing Fanshawe's 2008 Frosh concert on September 9 are the one and only Constantines.

A five-piece from all across Southern Ontario, Constantines are composed of Dallas Wehrle, Will Kidman, Doug MacGregor, Steve Lambke and Bryan Webb. Together, they've formed a rock group whose style somehow seems to evade definition. Without a doubt, it's rock music; the influence of Neil Young, Fugazi and even Broken Social Scene are quite evident, but they are combined in a way that portray the Cons not as a copycat, but of something entirely different.

It was this unique style that helped them build a fanbase in the Tri-city area (Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo), scoring the band a record deal with Canadian independent label, Three Gut Records. Two albums later (both met with international praise from critics), they were on the forefront of the Canadian indie scene.


But just as the momentum was growing the strongest, Three Gut came under financial strain, and soon after the Constantines' second release, Tournament of Hearts in 2005, the record label folded.

“I was kinda bummed,” Steve Lambke told me over the phone. “But we saw it coming in a way... We decided to see it through the end, so it was a pretty special thing for us to have been a part of.”

To make matters worse, their relationship with Sub Pop, the Cons' American record label, was growing stale. And with a gruelling touring schedule, the band was in dire need for a change.

That came when Arts and Crafts, Toronto's biggest indie label (home to the likes of Broken Social Scene and Feist) took them on, releasing the band's 2008 record, Kensington Heights. It couldn't have come at a better time, and Lambke was quick to express his satisfaction with their new home.

“This is our country and this is where things are happening... We enjoyed working with [Sub Pop], but we wanted something closer to home,” he explained.

Being part of the Toronto collective has also provided them with opportunities beyond their expectation, including a duet with none other than Feist herself. Earlier this year they recorded and released a cover of “Islands in the Stream” (as made famous by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton), which has only lent the Cons some of Feist's popularity as a powerhouse singer/songwriter.

But aside from their recordings, Constantines have also gained a reputation for being an incredible live band. In fact, many of their recordings are directly from live performance.

“We get excited... when we write songs where parts work out, or write songs that play well live,” said Lambke. “The studio is kind of a place to capture a live performance.”

And the band is no stranger to performing to London crowds either. After all, two of the members are Forest City natives.

“When we first started, we were practicing above Call the Office. We played there about eighteen thousand times,” laughed Lambke.

Though London is very much like home to them, the band are now split between Toronto and Montreal. As one might expect, this does pose problems (“We don't have weekly jams on Wednesday nights or whatever”), but in spite of them, Constantines remain tight as ever. After, all, they've kept up a long-distance bandship for the majority of their decade long career.

So buy a ticket, and come check out Constantines on Tuesday, a band who, even after 10 years, are well on their way to making a mark on the Canadian music scene.