HUNGER
CITY
By
Leah Scheitel
Want
to see a young Vancouver band that has lots of guitars and a hardcore singer?
Then you might want to check out Hunger City. The band started two years ago as
the brain child of Jonty Davies and Curtis Luckhart, and has grown in to a
six-piece band, featuring two guitars, a bass, drums, piano, and a strong
female lead.
“Me
and Jonty used to live together,” explains Curtis Luckhart, who learned how to
play the bass just so he could start the band. “And we called our apartment ‘Hunger
City’. When we were putting the band together and looking for a name, our
friend suggested that we call it Hunger City.”
The
name has double meaning to the band, as it also references a David Bowie song: “I
think that is has some connotations to it, like a political or sexual
something,” says guitarist Jonty Davies. Hunger City is in the midst of
releasing their first EP, called Boono Goozie, which is a complication of
four original songs.
“Everyone
contributes to writing the songs,” says Davies. Credit for the songs is given to
Hunger City instead of individual members, and is being mixed by Mick Dalla
Vee, who plays for Bachman Turner Overdrive. They are also preparing songs to
submit to the Peak Performance Project, a local “battle of the bands” type
competition put on by the Peak FM.
Hunger
City has a strong Capilano connection. Davies and Luckhart both attended Cap,
along with lead guitarist Ryan Brown, and drummer Max Ley is currently
auditioning for the jazz program for next year.
Syd
Gibson is the lone female and had a strong musical upbringing. “I wrote and
performed songs all through elementary school and performed them,” she
explains. “I even got asked for an autograph in elementary school from my
classmates.”
The
pianist, Spencer Moreau, is the younger brother of Davies’ and Luckhart’s
teenage friend. “We used to hang out at their house, and eventually we just
realized that we liked him more,” jokes Davies.
Various
artists are cited as their sources of inspiration, from Cream to White Stripes,
Mother Mother, and even Lana Del Ray. Their sound is very raw and heavy, but
with a sort of fineness that causes involuntary booty shaking. The band aren’t
immune to this either; Hunger City really gets in to their music, dancing while
they play. It’s pretty easy to enjoy yourself watching them, when the band
looks like they’re having an even better time than you are.
Hunger
City’s next show is on Apr. 12 at the Media Club. Doors are at 8pm, and it’s $8
at the door.
//Photograph by JJ Brewis
//Photograph by JJ Brewis
MEDINA
By
Jonty Davies
With
a powerfully affected, sampler-based sound, Medina is a group that sits in the
echelons of what you could call a sort of modern, progressive pop. The tunes
aren’t conventionally delivered, as they play with textural and structural
variation, yet there’s an undeniable accessibility to them – partially due to
by their penchant for obscure funk.
There’s
a great deal of colour to this music, as vibrant textures come with rapid-fire
tremble. Frontman Sam Rushton’s study of English at Capilano is evident, as he
presents fascinating lyrical explorations that put greater emphasis on poetry
than defined themes (“I’ve got a brand new shirt/earthquakes are singing
out/you’re so artistic, yeah/let’s wear our feelings out”). He also uses consistent
vocal modulation effects – a touch that plays a larger hand in contributing to
the shape of the band’s sound than most frontmen are capable of.
Drummer
Duncan Maunders offers a distinctly old-style jazz feel behind the kit, replete
with fills from the school of Buddy Rich. It’s a flare that comes unexpectedly,
given the immediate impression of the music, but ultimately adds impressive
stylistic depth. This is not surprising, given his time in the Cap Jazz
Program, although that was, interestingly enough, for saxophone, not drums.
Trevor
Moreau’s guitar work is intricate, yet never invasive, and it recalls the
bouncy twang of Talking Heads. Most vividly, though, it is Eric White’s
resonant soundscape experiments that define Medina’s intrigue. Drawing from
sources both popular and strange, he activates a dynamic repertoire of sampled
loops that come across as wholly original. Though the music can lean toward
slow and brooding at times, there’s never an emptiness of appeal, and when they
build to the throbbing jump of German language-spewing “Friend In A Fruit
Bowl”, the group captivates with the lure of music from the future.
Jonty: What's your favourite
historical empire?
Medina: I think our appreciation
for all things Byzantine is reflected in our music. It's just so obvious.
J: What's your most shameful
musical/stylistic influence?
M: A combination of The
Tragically Hip and The Doors.
J: Simpsons, Seinfeld,
Family Guy, or
South Park?
M: South Park, although it doesn't have
the timeless qualities of Seinfeld or the Simpsons.
J: What's the best bar in
Vancouver?
M: SAILOR HAGAR'S!!!
J: Who do you find to be the
most obnoxious celebrity?
M: Donald Trump. The man eats
pizza with a fork and knife.
J: If your music was to be the
soundtrack to a film, who would direct it/what would it be called?
M: Michael Bay. Bed Raptors
2: Return of the Son of Theropod.
J: What's the sexiest
instrument?
M: Definitely the cello.
Anyone who has watched a performance by YoYo Ma knows what I'm talking about.
(I'm talking about the way he straddles that thing.)
J: Dinner with Obama or beers
with Bush?
M: Tough one. I'd have to say
beers with Bush, because afterwards we'd probably go rustlin' armadilla at his
ranch. Barry's cool, but I don't think they have armadilla at the White House.
Or armadillos for that matter.
J: What's your favourite of
the ten Commandments?
M: Remember the Sabbath day. I
always forget which day the Sabbath is.
J: What was the coolest decade
of the 20th century?
M: The '80s. Best eight months
of my life. And Eric wasn't even alive. Those were the days.
J: Terran, Protoss, or Zerg?
M: Gotta go with the 'toss.
Heavy costs are made up for with strong attacks, good speed, and great macro.
Plus they are kind of like Klingons.
J: How do you hope to die?
M: Being chased off a cliff by
hundreds of naked women and having regretted everything.
J: Who's your favourite
Beatle?
M: George Martin.
J: Explain your group's name.
M: Medina is the place where
the prophet Mohammed died. It has great significance to us because we're, ummm
… devout Muslims …
You
can catch Medina at The Media Club (695 Cambie St) on Thursday, Apr. 12th.
//Photograph by JJ Brewis
//Photograph by JJ Brewis
|
