T he Mc G ill Tribune, T uesday, 17 O ctober 2000
E n t e r t a in m e n t Page 17
It's a bird, it's a plane, it's SR-71 Continued from Page 15 is a song entitled "Paul McCartney." "At the time that I wrote it I was having a lot of emotional prob lems, and the song really helped me come out of that, so it’s very dear to me in that way," he confid ed. SR-71’s songwriting process regards lyrics, music, and melody with equal importance. When writ ing a song, Allan tends to build melodies and then finds lyrics to fit. "Most of the time I write the music and the melody together. They’re pretty locked together...If you change certain things in the music, the melody can really come alive. And then lyrics are usually thoughts of mine that I already have written, maybe different ideas on a piece of paper, but when I find the idea that fits the melody, that’s when I develop the lyric for the song specifically," he explained. All of SR-71’ s lyrics are autobio graphical.
Don't forget my number One common misconception about SR-71 is that it’s just another trendy ‘number band,’ a quickly assembled entourage trying to capi talize off the success of such other name-and-number bands as Blink182, Matchbox Twenty, and Third Eye Blind, to name a few - and this idea is one that Allan regards with resentment. There are two reasons for his indignation: the primary reason is that SR-71 has been around for a long time and worked immensely to achieve its presentday level of success; additionally, the band’ s members chose the name SR-71 in spite of its incorpo ration of numbers, not because of them. "When we first thought of the name SR-71, we were totally bummed out that it had a number in it." said Allan. The band chose its name
because all the members’ parents Growing pains came from the U.S. Air Force (which manufactured the SR-71 Of course, the transition from plane) and the call name for the indie band to major-label hit group SR-71 is the "Blackbird," the name wasn’t without its little hitches. of a Beatles’ song off the White When asked about his most embarAlbum. "E v e r y th in g about [the name SR71] fit us like a glove, and then in the middle of all these number bands, here we come letters and numbers," Allan sighs. "And it makes us sound trendy when I actually think we don’t sound like anything else that’ s out on the radio right now. It’s a shame that people are gonna lump us in with bands sim ply because we have a number in our name." The members of SR-71 - Mitch Allan, Jeff Reid, Dan Garvin, and Mark Beauchemin - have endured five years ol hard work Yes, w e all g o to the sam e hairdresser. together to get to where they are now, a fact that vir rassing moment onstage, Allan tually eliminates any doubt con seems a bit taken aback. cerning the band’s credibility. "MOST embarrassing?" he "We put out our own indepen repeats, "I’ll go with the first show dent record in 1996 and sold over case I ever did for a major label seven thousand copies up and back in the early 90's. The band down the east coast, on our own before us had a squirtgun fight label, touring in our own van. My onstage, and the stage was covered favorite part of being in SR-71 is with rubber mats, so there was the fact that we built this from the water all over the mats. And I came ground up, and we weren’t manu out first song sliding across stage, factured by any means or slapped and my feet just flew up. I landed together and got lucky because we right on my ass and broke my gui wrote a hit song," Allan proudly tar actually. I just laid there in a remarks. puddle of water." The band finally signed with Yet, despite such trivial RCA in March of 1999 - before mishaps, SR-71 is optimistic about "Right Now" was even written. its future. "We were actually signed "I think we’re in a time right because of the potential of song now where music is about to writing in the band," Allan notes. change," Allan declares. "The record company thought, "Everyone’s ready for the next big ‘This is a band that’s gonna have a thing. Rock is coming back, and career. It’s nice to be in this posi it’s coming back very, very heavy. tion having done the work to get Because of that, there’s a whole here."
Down the drain Dogma-style director Von Triers brings us Bjork as a sink-factory worker in Dancer in the Dark machine at work, her friendly neighbour steals her life-savings, she is forced to commit a bloody D a n cer in the D ark is a musi cal of extremes—extreme melodra murder, and is arrested. This thor ma, extreme politics, and above all, oughly unbelievable turn of events culminates in a gut-wrenching gal extreme manipulation. The movie concerns single lows scene that redefines the con mother Selma (Bjork) and the mul cept of emotionally manipulative tiple tragedies that befall her. Blind film. It could be argued that it is due to a congenital illness, Selma exactly manipulation that director emigrates from Czechoslovakia to Eisenhower-era America so that Lars von Trier sought. The emo her son can receive an operation tional vulnerability provoked by that will save his eyesight. To the tragic nature of the film is rea finance the operation, Selma works sonably successful at advancing his double shifts at a sink factory while very passionate anti-American pol seeking reprieves from the monoto itics. The movie nearly screams in ny and poverty of her existence fury at the perceived selfishness through musicals (specifically, her and materialism of the American role as Mary in a pathetically ama who would sooner pay for new teurish production of ‘The Sound toys than health care for the poor and who looks for violent solutions of Music.’) Selma’s depressing situation to problems, as in the profoundly worsens when, the same day she is disconcerting and barbaric accep fired for inadvertently breaking a tance of the death penalty. But like By D
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the overly tragic plot, these mes sages are conveyed in a manner that is at times both garish and sim plistic and this ultimately detracts from their potency. The acting, however, is bril liant throughout the movie. Bjork shines, as does Catherine Deneuve (though she is pathetically mis cast). The musical numbers are effortlessly combined into the movie and though of dubious quali ty, enhance the movie thematically. I’ll be honest. I cried like a schoolgirl for the duration of the film and left sympathetic to its messages. But those sentiments, like my appreciation of the movie, were short-lived. Twenty minutes later I just felt pathetic. Pathetic for having let myself get caught up in the ridiculous melodrama, clichéd themes, and asinine plot that was D a n c e r in the Dark.
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now, I get these emails from people who were actually at that show, like T can’t believe we got to see you before anyone else, before the album was out. I’m so excited for you to come back,’ so I’ve got a really good feeling about Canada. We’re going to hopefully be very well received up there. Bands like the Tragically Hip, or the Barenaked Ladies for that matter, who have put out records forever and have toured and just worked. [It’s] kind of the same tradition that we come from in Baltimore, where it doesn’t matter if you’re huge or not: it’s what you do, it’s your pas sion, it’s your life. And you get out there, and you do everything you need to do to fill yourself as a musician, and eventually you break through and become a major force in modem music." SR-71 plans to tour Canada including Montreal - in spring of 2001. "We’re doing a whole lot of international next year, and Canada is first on the list," Allan assured. "When we get to Canada, watch N ow You S e e In sid e was released, Allan out, come see us. We’re bringing Press Shot found the enthusiasm back rock and roll." And won’t that be figuratively of the fans encouraging. "There [weren’t] a whole lot perfect - the SR-71, fastest plane in of people there because the album the world, leading the rock revolu wasn’t out yet," Allan said, "[but] tion.
new audience of kids that are get ting away from the R&B dance music and the boy bands, that are now listening to rock music, and they’ re torn between the two because the two are so opposite each other. What I think you’re going to see happen is that bands like us are going to emerge. Rock bands that also play music that has a pop sensibility. I think it’s gonna kind of go back to where it was in the 80s, where rock bands ruled the planet. Hip-hop and R&B have been on top for awhile. I think rock is about to go back on top." SR-71 is also very excited about Canada. Although the band has only played one show in Vancouver before
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I & 24-28 at 8:OOpm. Players' Theatre, Shatner University Centre 3480 McTavish. 3rd floor Reservations: 398-6813_________________ You a re in v ited to jo in us w ith L I V E M U S I C !!! A n d b r in g y o u r f r i e n d to a
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CONTRA DANCE <6* M ontreal, Q uebec October 2 2 , 2 0 0 0 Sunday l:3 0 -5 p m 1 :3 0 -2 Introduction for new dancers Pippa Hall from Ottawa calling, music by Shindigo, a band from Ottawa Location: Le Manoir (NDG Community Center) 5 3 1 9 Notre Dame de Grace Ave (cross street Decarie) Metro Villa Maria Admission $8 Information: 5 1 4 -4 8 4 -9 1 4 7 Lesley or Elliot FU T U R E DANCES Novem ber 2 5 Saturday 7 :3 0 - l l :3 0 p m Peter Stix calling, m usic by Dom ino February 2 4 Saturday 7 :3 0 - l l :3 0 p m Catherine Burns calling, M usic by Old Sod Band