Holophonic Porno

By Matt Carter

After nearly two years of writing and rehearsing, Holophonic Porno is ready to rock your world. The brainchild of musician/producer James Gauthier and vocalist Tonella, this Fredericton band will be releasing their debut CD Obsession on Thursday, June 26 at The Capital Bar in Fredericton. I caught up with Gauthier to talk about how the band came to be and where they plan to take things.

"I had always wanted to work with a female vocalist," said Gauthier. "After working with Tonella on a project of her own, we began writing together, trying to find a way to combine our own ideas with some of the sounds we both liked."

After a lot of writing that wasn't quite landing their ideas on track, the two found new inspiration from an unexpected performance.

"One evening we were down at the Capital and checked out a band called Shinny Toy Guns from LA. They had just got signed to Universal Music Group. It was kind of weird to see them playing here in Fredericton. They really inspired us and got us thinking, 'we could do something similar to this'. Things just progressed from that point."

The writing process revolved around a series of improvisations Gauthier recorded over a variety of different drum loops at his Medium Rare Studios. Song structure came later, by piecing together the ideas from these improvs. As the songs began to take shape musically, Tonella began writing the vocals and the two tweaked and perfected their efforts until the end result was an album's worth music.

It wasn't until the music was finished, the album was mixed, and the tracks mastered, that the two began to think of a name for the project, a name for the album, and how to put it together live.

Holophonic is a term used to describe a certain type of recording technique that creates a real-life sensation to the ears. The porno part represents the climax. Holophonic Porno "" a climax for the ears.

"The aural effect of having something completely surround you, and the tantalizing porno affect are key to the music. People think of sex as climatic and so we are trying to create that through music. It was one of those names that just came to mind," remembers Gauthier.

Both his and Tonella's efforts on this project bordered on obsession. They both decided that as a theme, obsessive behavior seemed to run through all the songs as well as their efforts in creating them.

"Each song has an obsessive feel and they range from religious fanaticism to personal struggles anyone may have," he said. "When I start writing, it's like everything is going out and I do whatever I need to, to get the song done. Each song was literally written and recorded on the spot," he said.

It was decided, there could be no better title for the album. Obsessed with what they created, Gauthier and Tonella then put a group together and rehearsals began.

"Our perspective was to get an album together and then assemble a band to learn it. The band didn't actually come together until last October and the entire album had been finished the previous August," said Gauthier.

Holophonic Porno's performing lineup includes some of the city's most respected musicians playing hard-edged music today. Dan Rogers has long been hailed as a city drum-god and bassist Peter Lockhart has been delivering hard rock 'n' roll with his band Moment of Inertia for a number of years now.

Joining Gauthier on guitar duties is James McClafferty, who goes toe to toe with Gauthier to create the massive guitar sound that drives the group's electronic infused, incredibly danceable, rock and roll.

Despite the talented lineup, there were a few hitches in putting it all together.

"A lot of the music is simple to play," said Gauthier, "but also hard in a way, because the phrases are slightly different every single time. That calls for some concentration in getting the songs together." The band played their first show during ECMA 2008 week and the results were very positive.

With the CD out now, the real work begins. With release shows planned in Fredericton, Halifax, Saint John, and Moncton, Gauthier and Co. are already looking ahead to getting on the road and spreading what they've created.

"We're trying to get a tour through central Canada. It's a bigger market and a wider pool of people to appeal to. Once we get that done once or twice, then we'll start looking across the border."

Don't miss your chance to hear Holophonic Porno in a small venue like The Capital. Chances are they won't be playing them long! - Here Magazine