They may owe it all to Beyonce
In 2004, The Waking Eyes took to the airwaves with Video Sound, their major label debut which fused garage rock and indie-pop, creating catchy, yet invariably distinctive songs. Stations like FM96 and Edge 102 picked up the singles, and it wasn't long before the band was touring Canada, the US and even Europe. They were even placed alongside The Weakerthans as the best new rock group to come out of Manitoba.
Then they dropped off the map. Burnt out from touring and in need of a creative break, The Waking Eyes settled back into their hometowns of Winnipeg and Steinbach, a Mennonite town of 11,000 on the outskirts of Winnipeg, where “exceptional people come from” according to lead singer and guitarist Matt Peters. He doesn't put himself in that category, by the way.
There, the band got back to their roots while collecting material for a third album. They wanted it to sound different than the second, which Peters describes as “more focused,” with 1l songs that “all suited each other.” So, The Waking Eyes cracked out some horns, synthesizers and vocoders, which make vocals sound robotic to put something together that was totally different.
The result of their efforts is called Holding On To Whatever It Is, and it represents the band's progression over the last few years. From garage rock to songs with Queen-like harmonies, disco beats and even some screams, The Waking Eyes have almost transformed their sound altogether.
But they aren't worried about alienating fans with the new material.
“We had a record out three years ago, maybe four,” Peters laughed. “It's been so long that it's almost like we're a new band!”
Clearer influences show as well, and in some cases The Waking Eyes pay tribute to other bands and artists they admire. The title track, for instance, breaks into a line from “You''ve got the eyes of a stranger” by the Payola$, a Canadian new-wave band which featured now-famous producer Bob Rock.
More noticeably, though, their new song “Masters of Deceptions” finishes one verse by quoting Destiny's Child's ‘Bootylicious'.
“We all love that fucking song,” Peters unabashedly admitted. “I don't know what it is, it's one of those guilt pleasures.”
But are they expecting a law suit any time soon?
“If they do, that'd be great for us! ... Beyonce can have 50 per cent of nothing if she wants,” Peters said.
And such is the life of a Canadian rock band, where budgets are a little tighter. Still, The Waking Eyes' album has been attracting a fair amount of attention, partially due to it's unique distribution.
Currently, Holding On To Whatever It Is is available on nearly every medium except for CD. The iTunes release was in July, but when The Waking Eyes needed something to sell at concerts, they decided on vinyl.
“Our label promised us they'd give us [records]... and now we've got it!” Peters said excitedly. “It's a little more impressive than just a little CD that has a case which is going to crack and you'll chuck it in the passenger side of the car and you'll find it six years later.”
The CD version will be out on November 4, and the band are busy touring to promote the album before its release. Still, that didn't stop them from taking a day off for charity. Earlier this month, The Waking Eyes could be seen around downtown Toronto, busking for War Child, an organization which works to help youth affected by war. Even poor, Canadian rock bands can give a little bit.
But now The Waking Eyes will be hitting the road with fellow Canadians Finger Eleven. They'll even be dropping by The Wave, a bar on Western's campus for a free show this Sunday, and it's definitely worth checking out.
After all, any band happy enough to say this deserves some support.
“We realized there was no money in [rock and roll], and you live on Kraft Dinner for the rest of your life, but ... we're playing music and travelling with it. How lucky are we?”
Then they dropped off the map. Burnt out from touring and in need of a creative break, The Waking Eyes settled back into their hometowns of Winnipeg and Steinbach, a Mennonite town of 11,000 on the outskirts of Winnipeg, where “exceptional people come from” according to lead singer and guitarist Matt Peters. He doesn't put himself in that category, by the way.
There, the band got back to their roots while collecting material for a third album. They wanted it to sound different than the second, which Peters describes as “more focused,” with 1l songs that “all suited each other.” So, The Waking Eyes cracked out some horns, synthesizers and vocoders, which make vocals sound robotic to put something together that was totally different.
The result of their efforts is called Holding On To Whatever It Is, and it represents the band's progression over the last few years. From garage rock to songs with Queen-like harmonies, disco beats and even some screams, The Waking Eyes have almost transformed their sound altogether.
But they aren't worried about alienating fans with the new material.
“We had a record out three years ago, maybe four,” Peters laughed. “It's been so long that it's almost like we're a new band!”
Clearer influences show as well, and in some cases The Waking Eyes pay tribute to other bands and artists they admire. The title track, for instance, breaks into a line from “You''ve got the eyes of a stranger” by the Payola$, a Canadian new-wave band which featured now-famous producer Bob Rock.
More noticeably, though, their new song “Masters of Deceptions” finishes one verse by quoting Destiny's Child's ‘Bootylicious'.
“We all love that fucking song,” Peters unabashedly admitted. “I don't know what it is, it's one of those guilt pleasures.”
But are they expecting a law suit any time soon?
“If they do, that'd be great for us! ... Beyonce can have 50 per cent of nothing if she wants,” Peters said.
And such is the life of a Canadian rock band, where budgets are a little tighter. Still, The Waking Eyes' album has been attracting a fair amount of attention, partially due to it's unique distribution.
Currently, Holding On To Whatever It Is is available on nearly every medium except for CD. The iTunes release was in July, but when The Waking Eyes needed something to sell at concerts, they decided on vinyl.
“Our label promised us they'd give us [records]... and now we've got it!” Peters said excitedly. “It's a little more impressive than just a little CD that has a case which is going to crack and you'll chuck it in the passenger side of the car and you'll find it six years later.”
The CD version will be out on November 4, and the band are busy touring to promote the album before its release. Still, that didn't stop them from taking a day off for charity. Earlier this month, The Waking Eyes could be seen around downtown Toronto, busking for War Child, an organization which works to help youth affected by war. Even poor, Canadian rock bands can give a little bit.
But now The Waking Eyes will be hitting the road with fellow Canadians Finger Eleven. They'll even be dropping by The Wave, a bar on Western's campus for a free show this Sunday, and it's definitely worth checking out.
After all, any band happy enough to say this deserves some support.
“We realized there was no money in [rock and roll], and you live on Kraft Dinner for the rest of your life, but ... we're playing music and travelling with it. How lucky are we?”
