MUSIC PREVUE // EXPERIMENTAL
Death By Robot
Exterminate! Exterminate!
L
ocal music collective Death By but the band will still receive the Robot is feeling the effects of its odd message when a fan hears the newfound notosong on air. "I had riety since being Fri, Nov 29 (9 pm) people calling me named Band of With Sister Grey, the Fronts, going, 'Oh my God, the Month by lo- the Unfortunates I heard you on the cal radio station Starlite Room radio. Is this really SONiC 102.9. Inhappening?'" terviews have been stacking up and Death By Robot has been around the band's single "Blue Skies" has since 2010, when multi-instrumenbeen receiving steady radio play. talist and graphic artist Jeremy Pud"The first day when they announced lowski sought an outlet to combine it, it was just crazy," recalls lead gui- his interests in music and digital tarist Colton Pudlowski, noting the design. He eventually added Colton texts have slowed down a little bit, and Greg Tkach to the roster, and
the trio released three recordings before officially adopting the moniker Death By Robot prior to releasing Silently They Came in November 2011. The album marked the beginning of the band's direction towards sci-fi subject matter and style as it worked to defy genre constraints, creating music it felt relied more on feeling and narrative than sonic style. The Life Machine, an EP released in April, is Death By Robot's first professionally recorded disc and is an observation of the excess, loneliness and frustration present in Western society. It is also the first recording to include bassist Nathan Woodward, and trumpet player and vocalist Raine Radke recently joined the group as well. "I'm not going to lie, in the beginning I didn't think it would work out as well as it has. The style of music was totally foreign to me," Woodward says, adding the band had originally been more folk based than its current experimental rock form. "I was always in punk bands and stuff like that, but it worked out really well because the whole point of Death By Robot, especially with Jeremy, is just making songs that sound good, so it doesn't really matter if I'm folky or not. As
long as I can make something that sounds good, that's kind of like the modus operandi of our band." Death By Robot has plans in the works to release a new full-length album in 2014. For now, fans have a video game to keep them entertained. Jeremy teaches at Guru Digital Arts college and designed the classic Super Mario-esque project during his involvement with the video game course offered there. "Each of the five levels is supposed to tie into the five tracks on The Life Machine EP, so as you go through the levels you can see the theme changes a little bit," Colton explains, noting it's incredibly difficult—he's only mastered the first two levels. A project such as this is also a reflection of Death By Robot's drive to bring another element to listeners, whether it be through recorded music or live performances. "We really try, especially live, to bring in a little more theatrical elements, " he adds. "We never play a show and just think we'll play the music and that'll be good enough. We always try to take it to another level."
MEAGHAN BAXTER MEAGHAN@VUEWEEKLY.COM
Om Unit / Thu, Nov 28 (7:30 pm) Electronic artist Jim Coles has produced under numerous aliases throughout the years: Phillip D Kick, 2tall, the Dream Continuum and now Om Unit, a reflection of the spiritual symbol attached to ambient compositions. (Twist Ultra Lounge)
Bardic Form / Fri, Nov 29 (7:30 pm) An acoustic duo mixing classical, flamenco, traditional western and European folk and metal—you know you’re intrigued. (Shell Theatre, $31 – $34)
MEAGHAN BAXTER
MEAGHAN@VUEWEEKLY.COM
Barney Bentall / Fri, Nov 29 (8 pm) A night of good old roots music from Barney Bentall & The Grand Cariboo Opry, plus a chance to help out the Edmonton Food Bank. (Avenue Theatre, $20 advance, $25 at the door)
Display of Decay / Fri, Nov 29 (9 pm) The local metalheads are releasing a new album, Outbreak of Destruction—and really want you to hear it. (Rendezvous Pub, $10)
10425 Whyte Ave.
40 MUSIC
VUEWEEKLY NOV 28 – DEC 4, 2013
David Myles / Fri, Nov 29 (8 pm) He lands somewhere on the stylistic spectrum between James Taylor and Justin Timberlake, which means a night of vintage pop meets modern beats. (St Basil’s Cultural Centre, $18 advance, $22 at the door)