Organically Grown
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It's not available at Whole Foods, but The Ness Creek Sessions is about as organic as an album can g...It's not available at Whole Foods, but The Ness Creek Sessions is about as organic as an album can get.
The debut EP by Matty Powell and The Resonance was a back-to-nature experience from start to finish. (For proof see www.youtube.com/mattymusic).
The band wasn't even officially a band yet when the recording session took place. Powell simply had a good feeling about the musicians he brought together, even though some were meeting for the first time. They rented a generator and a bunch of gear and headed for the trees on the May long weekend. The Ness Creek Society's barn-like cabin -- no furnace, no power -- was their home and studio for the next three days. Ten rootsy songs emerged, six of which are on the EP.
"I couldn't ask for anything better. It just worked out beautifully," said Powell, still thrilled about the instant chemistry of the band.
"Everyone meshed. It was just like magic."
No wide-eyed innocent, Powell has recorded before. His last album was done in a Toronto studio with guest musician Bob Egan of Blue Rodeo. But the cuts and layering took away from the honest music he seeks to craft. The new recording is just more down-to-earth.
"In lots of the tracks you can hear the fire crackling in the background."
Powell keeps re-writing the rules and enjoying success. For instance, bands usually form first, then record -- not the other way around.
"We were laughing about that the whole time," says Powell, who was born in Saskatoon and grew up in Winnipeg before setting out for Toronto where he worked as an actor and musician.
After becoming parents, he and his wife Shona "decided that the big city wasn't the place to be."
They returned to Saskatoon a year ago with baby girl Freya, now 17 months. They have another on the way.
"We wanted to give it a try," says Powell. "The music scene was something that I'd always admired. It has a homegrown feel to it. Everyone kind of looks out for each other."
Now really a band, The Resonators feature Ryan Spracklin, Teegan Jeffers, Sean Gallop, Brian Di Giuiseppe and Joey Lorer. The members are variously linked with bands like Sexually Attracted to Fire, The Lighthouse Penguins, Old Joe and the Truth Hurts and Maybe Smith.
Powell's wide circle of musical friends includes members of The Heartstrings, featuring Melissa Mygren and Eliza Doyle of The Cracker Cats, Lucas Goetz of Deep Dark Woods, the busy Joey Lorer (who also recorded) and Evan Dunlop. When he got the idea for a CD release party, and heard that The Heartstrings were looking to release their debut album, the fit was perfect.
It's a big leap to release the albums at the Broadway Theatre, but Powell wanted a concert setting rather than a bar. He's pretty well known on Broadway, having worked at Calories and The Yard, and is encouraged by early ticket sales.
"This is going to be great. There's no way that it's not going to be great," says Powell.
