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"Hollis Arkham" - In Production (Spring 2008)
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Bio
Brandon Shantz - Hollis Arkham
The road to Hollis Arkham was a long one, but Brandon Shantz traveled it the only way he knew how: with a guitar on his back, a cigarette between his lips and both eyes on the road ahead. Hollis Arkham is Brandon's first solo release but far from his only musical effort.
Growing up in Oakville, On, Brandon tripped and weaved through the local band circuit before he realized he wanted more than just small-venue shows and the occasional failed studio session.
"We were mostly too lazy to go on tour so we never really did anything besides an over-produced EP weeks before we officially called it quits," Shantz said. "After one bad dream too many I made a crack decision to move to Montreal."
Though it may not have looked like it from the dank subway terminals of Quebec's hub, Shantz's move was a step in the right direction. He bought a portable amp and quit his job to join the buskers dotting the city's underground routes.
"Of all the jobs I ever worked, no paycheque ever was near as satisfying as coming home at noon, cranking up my Chuck Berry records and counting my quarters and toonies," Shantz said. "It was a beautiful feeling living straight off my expression…but the dirty air down there made me sick often and I ended up being in the common bohemian circumstance of having to choose between food and cigarettes on a fairly regular basis."
One day at a stop at Guy Concordia, a regular passer-by offered Shantz a contract playing in a strolling cruise-ship trio. While catching up with the seasoned musicians in the trio proved more difficult than he'd thought, the ship lent a handful of unique opportunities to the future of Shantz's career.
He met a sound engineer from London, On. who offered to record some of his songs and a Russian piano player who orchestrated a few of the tracks on Hollis Arkham. The album is set for release in April, followed by a tour of Eastern Canada but life on the road is nothing new to Shantz. With his dense and poignant upcoming debut, things are starting to fall into place for Shantz and a landscape of new roads lies at his feet.
- Emma Renda
Arts Editor
"The Charlatan"
Carleton University Independent Newspaper
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