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CONTENTS
Moneen Mo Problems
By Derek Bolen
“The first week we were there, we were miserable and I was questioning everything”
Kenny’s biggest problem was the hamster in his ass
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n a perfect world, Moneen would outsell the Barenaked Ladies, Bryan Adams and Nickelback combined. The Brampton, Ont. natives have been putting out evocative, passionate math-rock-punk-pop spanning eight years and three albums (2000’s Smaller Chairs for the Early 1900s, 2001’s The Theory of Harmonial Value, and 2003’s Are We Really Happy With Who We Are Right Now?). This looks to be their busiest year to date, with a brand new album (Red Tree, being released on Vagrant Worldwide on April 11th), a Canadian tour with Smallman labelmates Choke and Our Mercury – landing in Vancouver on March 6 - a U.S. tour with Vagrant labelmates Saves The Day and Circa Survive, and a documentary following the early stages of the recording process (The Start to This May Be
The End to Another, release date TBA). Despite this, engaging frontman Kenny Bridges took the time to speak to The Nerve about the new record and the struggles Moneen faces, while he was driving to purchase drumsticks (“It never stops with us. When we’re not recording records and things, we’re buying drumsticks.”) “We managed to find the one spot in Baltimore that you don’t need to fear for your life”, says Bridges, when asked about the strange locale Moneen chose to record the album. “It was just really cool being in a different spot, because we were holed up in Brampton in our basements for so long writing the record, when we got to Baltimore, it was a breath of fresh air, just being able to get away from it all and lock ourselves up in a new environment. That’s what we needed.
We couldn’t have recorded this album in Toronto or back home. We just needed no distractions.” As great as he makes it sound, Bridges is the first to admit that recording Red Tree did have it s share of problems. “When you get to that level, all of a sudden everyone has an opinion,” he says. “Which is great, because we really have a good family environment with everyone we work with. But when you first start getting it, it’s really hard to deal with. It wasn’t that people were telling us that the songs weren’t good enough, but we were overthinking it a little. The first week we were there, we were miserable and I was questioning everything, but it turned out really good.” The documentary, shot by longtime friend Alex Liu, is a very vivid portrait of the band as it struggles to find a balance between who they
are and who everyone else wants them to be. “It’s hard for me to give my opinion because I don’t really like watching myself in uncomfortable times, but the documentary captures when we were just starting to let Brian (McTiernan legendary producer) into our world, and we had never worked with the producer in that capacity before, having them be almost a member of the band. So it was really hard for us.” Despite the difficulties the band endured, Bridges is optimistic about the new album. “Now that the record is finished, I can say that by far these are the best songs we’ve ever written,” he declares. “I can’t be more happy about this record, and if we didn’t take the time that we did, the album would have been really crappy.” Canadian music fans finally have a reason to rejoice. n
AGlobal Threat
But Nothing on the Level of the Projected Iranian Oil Bourse
By Jen Clement
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f you’re Adrian Mack, paranoid music editor of The Nerve Magazine, searching the internet for “a global threat” probably means you’re in a panic about chemtrails and holy wars in the Middle East. But chances are you’re not Adrian Mack, in which case the words A Global Threat should make you think of the Boston punk band,
and not a (man-made) bird flu pandemic. Indeed, even if their music does hit you like an undetected missile from China – hard and fast - the only threat these boys pose is a hostile takeover over of punk scenes around the world. Having just released its new full length, Where the Sun Never Sets, and with plans to embark
on a North American tour with Strike Anywhere release schedule since its inception in 1997, and With Honor, the three-piece is set to make releasing three full lengths, two EPs, three seven tsunami-sized waves with its music. inches, and three spilt seven inches in that time. Bryan (vocals, guitar), John (Bass), and The new album - a cathartic mix of old school punk Mike (drums) – they apparently don’t have last and hardcore - is a continuation of everything it’s names - just finished up playing six shows in a been doing for the past nine years, but with a row in Los Angeles, in celebration of the release big difference: the band has signed on with BYO of the new album. The new material went over records, home to such luminaries as the Unseen, swimmingly, reports John, on the phone from LA. Throw Rag, and Youth Brigade. But the song “All the kids came out, and remains the same. “People it was a lot of fun,” he says. think there’s a formula,” “The beat to you “They seem to be [enjoying says John, “But there’s no it]. There were a bunch of intended direction that we’re might seem off cue, them singing along, so it was trying to grow in or anything.” but it’s from the cool to see that.” As the first song on Where Being from Boston - a heart.” It’s punk rock. the Sun Never Sets, “AGT city with deep punk rock Crew,” so aptly says: “The It’s unplanned, it’s roots - has no doubt helped beat to you might seem off AGT get to where it is now. cue, but it’s from the heart.” fast, and it’s heavy. “We’re definitely lucky to It’s punk rock. It’s unplanned, So deal with it. be in the area where a lot it’s fast, and it’s heavy. So of punk bands are coming deal with it. A Global Threat out,” says John “We’re fortunate enough to have is set to play Vancouver on March 26th at The other bands around here for getting shows, and Asbalt. “We’ve never been to Canada before,” helping the scene get as big as it is.” John tells us. “We hope everybody comes out to The band has established an exhausting the shows and makes it a good time.” n
The Nerve March 2006 Page 13
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