RISE CARMINE U
nder a new name and new direction, Toronto’s Rise Carmine releases their first taste of modernized classic rock:
“Rise Carmine is a marriage of 70s hard rock and contemporary synth/ psych-rock. Bands like Thin Lizzy, Led Zeppelin, earlyAerosmith, Queens of the Stone Age, Tame Impala and Unknown Mortal Orchestra”
Prior to the release of his latest single, multi-instrumentalist Liam Colbert performed under the moniker Patiohawk. Colbert says the renaming and rebranding represents a new chapter in his musical journey:
“Patiohawk to me represented a certain time and place in my life. The pandemic really turned the world upside down, especially for musicians. I wanted to take that time to create something new. Rise Carmine represents a new direction.” Colbert recently released his first taste of what’s to come from Rise Carmine with the debut single release and music video of “Down.” The single was recorded with Grammy award-winning producer Dave Schiffman (Adele, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Weezer, Charli XCX) and mastered by Harry Hess (Muse, Simple Plan, Billy Talent, Three Days Grace). Relevant to the pandemic, the sentiment behind the song reflects a heightened struggle for genuine communication and human connection. The tape-emulated synth sounds achieve a swirling, wavy whirlpool effect, which are enhanced by Chicago-based glitch-artist Dave Koblesky’s accompanying music video. Both the audio and visuals help to create a balanced feeling of urgency and wonder, safety and danger. With the seal of approval from the legendary producer Bob Ezrin (Pink Floyd’s The Wall), Rise Carmine’s latest and upcoming tracks are bound to make waves. Q: How would you describe Rise Carmine’s sound and who are your musical influences? Rise Carmine is a marriage of 70s hard rock and contemporary synth/ psych-rock. Bands like Thin Lizzy, Led Zeppelin, early-Aerosmith, Queens of the Stone Age, Tame Impala and Unknown Mortal Orchestra. But, I’m a pretty eclectic songwriter. As long as it grooves and the bass is fat and upfront, I’m sold. So hints of R&B and hip-hop make their way into my writing sometimes.
Q: What was the reasoning behind the transformation from Patiohawk into Rise Carmine? Patiohawk to me represented a certain time and place in my life. The pandemic really turned the world upside down, especially for musicians. I wanted to take that time to create something new. Rise Carmine represents a new direction. I’m big on word association and what comes to my mind when I think of a song title or an album title or a band name, so the names of things are super important to me. I just really like those two words together. It makes me think of a cool 70s glam-rock band and leather pants.
Q: What can you tell us about your single “Down”? “Down” is a song about getting to know someone on a deep level. It’s an exploration of the vulnerability that is necessary for a relationship to flourish. Often the only way to truly get to know someone is to plunge deep below their surface to see what really makes them tick. It’s very much an act of trusting one another, trusting that the only way out is to go through, to go deeper and deeper until that person starts to make a little more sense to you. “Down” is a psychedelic trip into someone else’s mind. We put all the synths through a tape-emulator to give them a warbly, wavy feeling that I think perfectly matches that theme. Q: How was it working with Grammy award-winning producer Dave Schiffman? It was really great! He’s worked with PUP on all of their stuff and I’m a big fan, so I was excited to meet and work with him. Dave told me right off the bat that he wanted to elevate my work, rather than change the songs just for the sake of putting his stamp on them. He had some great production ideas that I hadn’t thought of. We were wearing masks the whole time, so it definitely wasn’t your average studio session. Luckily, we have a similar sense of humour. Q: The new track is endorsed by legendary producer Bob Ezrin, how did this come about? Bob Ezrin produced The Wall, so he’s basically music royalty. I was incredibly fortunate to be able to get my music into his hands a couple years ago and he gave me some great feedback on it. He knew that Dave and I were heading into the studio to record “Down” and some other singles, and said he was eager to hear the results. Lucky for me he liked it! Q: Your music video for “Down” is a stunning animation by Chicago-based glitch-artist Dave Koblesky. What feelings were you trying to convey with the visuals? I found Dave on instagram. He makes these short glitch videos that really drew me in. I loved the monumental size of the objects he used and the slow, glacial pacing. I thought that kind of imagery worked perfectly with the feelings I was trying to elicit with the song. Together we tried to create an abstract video that conveyed that feeling of falling through space, deeper and deeper down. We wanted the images to slowly reveal the unknown and sometimes strange world that was being revealed. I think Dave did an amazing job interpreting the mood and the inherent substance of the song.
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