Excellerater

WASAGA BEACH - The Wasaga Beach-based band Excellerater is having a concert on Fri., Nov. 5 at The Beacon to launch its new album.

The band is comprised of Wasaga Beach residents Nick Shortt, lead singer and guitar, Shawn Crozier, base guitar and back-up vocals and drummer Phil Birchard.

Shortt, 27, said the group's music can be described as "catchy indie rock" but added there are other influences, including punk and heavy metal.

The album features four songs written by Shortt and refined with help from his band mates.

"There really isn't a theme to it," Shortt said of the album during an interview at The Beacon last week. "We're just kind of trying to get our music onto computers and iPods so people will listen to us before we go record a full-length record."

The first song is called BB Gun.

"The beginning of the drum sounds like a gun but not a very good gun so we called it BB Gun," 24-year-old Birchard said. "It's hard to describe. It kind of starts off with this punky drumbeat and then just kind of gets into almost old school rock-a-billy stuff."

Asked what the song is about, Shortt - who started playing the guitar 15 years ago - confesses he doesn't really know.

"It's more just an intro song," he said. "One of those good songs you can bust out early in the set to get people involved. I know when I play it live Shawn gets the hand claps going at the start."

The second song on the album is named After All.

"It's one of the hardest songs to learn," said Birchard, who started playing the drums 16 years ago. "The time signatures are all over the place. There is a bunch of different guitar parts. But the final product is excellent."

Shortt, who when not playing music sets up tables and chairs for conferences at Blue Mountain, nods in agreement.

"It's kind of a take on the environment," he said of the song. "It's loosely based on where we currently are with the environment and that we should be looking towards changing things."

Song number three on the album is called Another Dose.

"I just kind of came up with the guitar for it and went from there," Shortt said. "I kind of write songs so that anyone can interpret them. People could maybe interpret this as a relationship song."

Last Chance is the final song on the album. Shortt said it seems to be a fan favourite.

"This is the most radio friendly song we have," Birchard added, noting it's another song about relationships.

Crozier, 26, agreed and said, "you can really sing and dance to it."

The three musicians recently recorded the album at a studio in Barrie.

"It was actually a good studio but small," Birchard said. "It was our first trip in so it was a learning experience. We listened to the producer a lot, not trying to be too creative or outrageous. We played it safe. Next time around I think we'll be more fluid."

Asked whether they prefer live performances or recording in the studio, the response is mixed.

"I like both for different reasons," said Birchard, who is a broadcast journalist at 97.7 The Beach. "If you're recording and make a mistake you can go at it again and again and again and get the perfect track down. But that being said, when you're playing live there is just that energy that you can create. People don't know if you've missed a note or played the wrong riff. It's all about creating the atmosphere that gets people energized, gets them into your music, gets them into your song as opposed to playing that perfect song."

For Shortt, live performances are best.

"The studio can get kind of worn down," he said. "With doing it live there's that interaction."

Crozier, who works as a cook at Horseshoe Resort, thinks the same.

"It's way more interesting when you play live," he said. "It's a better experience."

Still, the group is hoping to go back into the studio sometime early next year to record a 10-song album. They know recording is a key component to getting better known.

"I'd like to get into a studio with a pretty renowned producer - that would be a plus," Shortt said.

Birchard and Shortt have been playing together now for about a year and a half. They met when Birchard responded to an ad Shortt placed in search of a drummer. Crozier, who joined the band a couple months ago to round it out, grew up with Shortt in Stayner.

The three said they like playing together.

"We're working towards playing Friday nights at the Horseshoe Tavern," Crozier said, referring to the iconic Toronto-based concert venue. "We played there on Wednesdays but Friday and Saturday is the goal."

Shortt added they've played other venues across Ontario, including London, and been well received.

"We're working towards getting a manager behind us," he said. "We need a proper management group to move forward. I'd really love to turn this into a full-time career. I think we have the proper steps in place, getting management behind us, recording full-length recor - Michael Gennings

WASAGA BEACH - The Wasaga Beach-based band Excellerater is having a concert on Fri., Nov. 5 at The Beacon to launch its new album.

The band is comprised of Wasaga Beach residents Nick Shortt, lead singer and guitar, Shawn Crozier, base guitar and back-up vocals and drummer Phil Birchard.

Shortt, 27, said the group's music can be described as "catchy indie rock" but added there are other influences, including punk and heavy metal.

The album features four songs written by Shortt and refined with help from his band mates.

"There really isn't a theme to it," Shortt said of the album during an interview at The Beacon last week. "We're just kind of trying to get our music onto computers and iPods so people will listen to us before we go record a full-length record."

The first song is called BB Gun.

"The beginning of the drum sounds like a gun but not a very good gun so we called it BB Gun," 24-year-old Birchard said. "It's hard to describe. It kind of starts off with this punky drumbeat and then just kind of gets into almost old school rock-a-billy stuff."

Asked what the song is about, Shortt - who started playing the guitar 15 years ago - confesses he doesn't really know.

"It's more just an intro song," he said. "One of those good songs you can bust out early in the set to get people involved. I know when I play it live Shawn gets the hand claps going at the start."

The second song on the album is named After All.

"It's one of the hardest songs to learn," said Birchard, who started playing the drums 16 years ago. "The time signatures are all over the place. There is a bunch of different guitar parts. But the final product is excellent."

Shortt, who when not playing music sets up tables and chairs for conferences at Blue Mountain, nods in agreement.

"It's kind of a take on the environment," he said of the song. "It's loosely based on where we currently are with the environment and that we should be looking towards changing things."

Song number three on the album is called Another Dose.

"I just kind of came up with the guitar for it and went from there," Shortt said. "I kind of write songs so that anyone can interpret them. People could maybe interpret this as a relationship song."

Last Chance is the final song on the album. Shortt said it seems to be a fan favourite.

"This is the most radio friendly song we have," Birchard added, noting it's another song about relationships.

Crozier, 26, agreed and said, "you can really sing and dance to it."

The three musicians recently recorded the album at a studio in Barrie.

"It was actually a good studio but small," Birchard said. "It was our first trip in so it was a learning experience. We listened to the producer a lot, not trying to be too creative or outrageous. We played it safe. Next time around I think we'll be more fluid."

Asked whether they prefer live performances or recording in the studio, the response is mixed.

"I like both for different reasons," said Birchard, who is a broadcast journalist at 97.7 The Beach. "If you're recording and make a mistake you can go at it again and again and again and get the perfect track down. But that being said, when you're playing live there is just that energy that you can create. People don't know if you've missed a note or played the wrong riff. It's all about creating the atmosphere that gets people energized, gets them into your music, gets them into your song as opposed to playing that perfect song."

For Shortt, live performances are best.

"The studio can get kind of worn down," he said. "With doing it live there's that interaction."

Crozier, who works as a cook at Horseshoe Resort, thinks the same.

"It's way more interesting when you play live," he said. "It's a better experience."

Still, the group is hoping to go back into the studio sometime early next year to record a 10-song album. They know recording is a key component to getting better known.

"I'd like to get into a studio with a pretty renowned producer - that would be a plus," Shortt said.

Birchard and Shortt have been playing together now for about a year and a half. They met when Birchard responded to an ad Shortt placed in search of a drummer. Crozier, who joined the band a couple months ago to round it out, grew up with Shortt in Stayner.

The three said they like playing together.

"We're working towards playing Friday nights at the Horseshoe Tavern," Crozier said, referring to the iconic Toronto-based concert venue. "We played there on Wednesdays but Friday and Saturday is the goal."

Shortt added they've played other venues across Ontario, including London, and been well received.

"We're working towards getting a manager behind us," he said. "We need a proper management group to move forward. I'd really love to turn this into a full-time career. I think we have the proper steps in place, getting management behind us, recording full-length recor - Michael Gennings