Barton Fink

Hailing from various sub-genres of the eclectic Montreal music spectrum, 'Sonic Weirdos' Barton Fink bring together some synthy-pop-rock goodness for your enjoyment. Retaining the band mentality and sound but adding a little punked up electronic madness and having an ass load of fun, these kids have the mash-up 'trash pop' set down. - Kate, from SNAP!

Barton Fink’s abrasively melodic rapture hits you over the head before you know it’s there. Their presence inspires comparisons with the rock and punk greats, but their music and aura scream unique. With an uncanny ability to capture even God’s attention, Barton Fink grabs the room, levitates it and drops it on its back. The term “Up-and-coming” can hardly do them justice: they are already there -people just don’t know it yet. - Jon Weisz, Indie Montreal

Avec Barton Fink, tout est possible et l'ensemble a quelque chose qui tient du surnaturel. Que ce soit du soul jazz, de la trash pop, du hard rock ou du bon gros groovy funk, you name it, they do it ! Et parfois dans une seule et même pièce musicale ! Cinq musiciens aguerris ayant chacun leur couleur qui, une fois mélangés ne donnent jamais du brun mais un arc-en-ciel en décibels ! Ils ont ce son, sensuel, charnel et lourd, à la manière du danseur contemporain en bottes d'armée qui exécute un déplié pour ensuite frapper le sol lourdement et avec fracas. Charismatiques, il faut les voir live pour en prendre la pleine mesure ! Mon coup de coeur musical 2008, rien de moins. - Marc Beaudet aka Monsieur Beaudet, Animateur/producteur 89,1 CKRL MF et DG fondateur Les Productions

Sick and tired of the same old stuff? Barton Fink will arouse your senses and make you break up with your spouse. You'll find new love with Barton Fink. - Mikey Rishwain Bernard, M for Montreal, Call S!ck on Friday

Finally, Montreal has produced a band that is here to deliver explosive, fun music. Moscow-born brothers Vagan and Charly Aden are the driving force behind the five-member band. Lead singer Vagan Aden looks and acts every bit the part of a rock star, with the I-donít-give-a-damn attitude, and the electric red Mohawk to back it up. The only way to describe Vagan Aden is larger than life-he has an insatiable appetite for life. Vagan frees himself of artistic constraints and expresses a disdain for formal musical training, allowing his unique vision to shine through in their new album, Gears.

"We got signed, we got an album in a month, people liked us, we opened for Beast, and I didn't need your stupid fucking school to do that. So there you go," says Vagan.

Vagan's brother Charly has also been instrumental in the development of Barton Fink. Charly, the soft-spoken youngest member of the group, has similar visions to his brother Vagan. Unlike Vagan, Charly studied music in CEGEP, yet he emphasizes a similar dislike for rigid musical training as Vagan. "You have to rebel on a constant level when you're in school and always question things," says Charly.

Barton Fink takes an organic approach to the recording process. "Press, record, play, and that's what comes out, because that's what you feel. There's no bullshit," says Vagan. Charly adds, "Whatever comes out naturally you realize is the best."

The Aden brothers reiterate that Barton Fink is music that they felt and subsequently recorded, nothing more. This seems to be a winning formula, since in just three months, the band was signed, recorded an album, and opened for Beast to a sold-out crowd of 850 at Club Soda.

Although the band's success seems to have come overnight, they've struggled for a while to find their own sound. Vagan explains that in an effort to emulate the bands that inspired them, such as Radiohead, they lost their own creative point of view. The band then started anew.

Vagan stresses the role his producer played in influencing Barton Fink's sound. "Cristo, the producer, was really really important. He was the only one who could challenge us," says Aden. As wild and impulsive as he is, Vagan needed someone who would push his music to the limit, and that's just what Cristo did.

Cristo layered many electric sounds over the traditional instruments such as guitar, keyboard, and drums. While there were times when Barton Fink questioned Cristo's use of effects, "It turns out, our visions weren't really different," says Charly.

Their final product was the edgy and addictive album Gears. "[We thought] let's make a really explosive album, every song has to sound like a single-really special. Let's write every song a crowd pleaser, a hit single, number one," says Vagan.

Barton Fink is all about having fun and living in the moment. "This new generation that we belong to, Generation Y, we're more outgoing, we don't get hung up, we're not depressed. We work our way through shit that bothers us but in a positive way. It's kind of like that's where we belong, that's where the music comes from," says Aden. - Arielle Frank, The McGill Tribune

“It’s like watching a train wreck,” muse brothers Charly and Vagan Aden on their band’s live show. “You just want to see what happens next.”

True as this may be, Barton Fink’s train has only just begun to leave the station and yes, they take their moniker from the 1991 Coen brothers film, of the same title. “We’re big Coen brothers fans,” says Vagan.

The Aden brothers have been making music together for a long time, though the current line-up is a recent development. “A lot of bands get together and get lucky and they find the right line-up right away […] but it took us a long time to get this together,” he says. “It’s all about the people. I’m not as much into musicianship as I’m into personality.”

Charly continues, “When you’re playing with a person, it’s like communicating with them, and if you’re on good terms, it’s going to sound better.”

“You make the kind of music you listen to […] so that kind of started our musical journey,” which could explain their early influences in gangster rap. “We grew up with hiphop back where we come from, Moscow, and as kids, hiphop was really big, really happening. We didn’t always understand what they were singing about, but it was in the energy,” the brothers agree.

Their first album, Gear, was recorded in Montreal with the help of Cristobal Tapia de Veer and Troublemakers Studios; “The drummer from BEAST, who was supposed to produce the record, recommended Cristo, and I’m actually really happy he did, because […] it was a connection where we were crazy enough to fall in love right away,” Vagan says.

“We went in the studio for a month, every day, we were locked in the room for like, 12 hours […] just recording everything, and took just two weeks to mix it all. Cristo knew how to get us where we had to go. He’d sometimes push us out of our comfort zone […] he pushed me to be more aggressive, more theatrical.”

After touring to support this first, bright effort they hope to get straight back to the studio. In the meantime, the band is shopping for a label.

“It’s kind of like the law of attraction,” Vagan says. “You think about something long enough, visualize it, and go to bed with it, wake up and it happens.”

According to Vagan and Charly, that explains their recent break, landing an opening spot for home-grown phenom BEAST. “I get a call […] ‘Sold out show, Club Soda. You interested?’ Then he calls me back later with two more shows.”

Future goals? “I love Radiohead dearly, but I want to take their place,” Vagan says. “They cannot be the best band over and over again […] they’re married people with children, and we’re young people with lots of access to drugs. The circle has to come around again.”

At this pace, Barton Fink will be well on their way before they know it. - Natasha Young, The Link