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Sponge (alongside Tristan Psionic and Shallow) was one of the three bands that helped spawn Sonic Unyon. Over time, Sponge begat Smoother, signed to the majors, toured Canada four times, received Juno nominations, released two albums (including their swan song, "Chasing The Dragon", and had a hit with their track "East Side". Fast-forward a few years, and you'll find three of its members with no regrets and new musical concerns.
"We're proud of the work we did in that band, we had a ton of fun, and we learned a lot about the business of music," remenisces former Smoother guitarist Todd Knight. "While we were having success professionally, personally we weren't getting along all that well. We were gearing up for another record when our singer (Andrew Franey) decided he'd had enough. That was the end of Smoother.
"But I'd been writing music since way back", he adds. "Most of the songs I wrote for Smoother had a humorous element to the lyrics, as well as heavy guitars. I wanted to continue in that direction, but I had also developed a love for collecting old school rap records - groups like 2 Live Crew, Run DMC, Public Enemy, Beastie Boys and Busy Bee. I began to incorporate elements from those bands into my songs - this included big guitar sounds, DJ scratching and sampling - and thought that this style would connect well with a live audience. We knew from past experience that the audience holds the power to lift shows to new levels of craziness, so we decided to start laying the foundations for what would become LO-FI, we spent the next two years auditioning all sorts of people between 2002 and 2004."
LO-FI - including Knight (vocals and guitar) as well as former Smoother boys Adam Benning (drums) and James "Jimmy James" Flemings (bass), as well as Jason "Reverand Selecta J" Taylor (DJ) and ex-Race/Inspirators Jamie "Lips" Cameron (guitar) - revel in their latest influences. Easily referencing Joan Jett lyrics, Beastie Boys humour, and The Monks', "Drug's In My Pocket", LO-FI is a steeped flowing pool of hip-hop, punk, dubs and 80's old school. With an indie E.P. available the band expects to head back into the studio - but for the time being they're happy doing what they love.
"I wouldn't trade our major label experience for anything", explains Knight. "We got to do all sorts of awesome stuff we never thought we'd have the opportunity to do. However, at the end of the day, the best part by leaps and bounds was always playing live. Younger bands should remember that. Record companies are cautious and move very slowly and years can go by before your record is released. Bands try and try to get signed because they think it will change everything for them, but at the end of the day you’re still on stage doing what you’ve always done. We feel successful after every show because we go to play our songs, our way, to our friends. Label or no label it’s the same.”
“This music is a lot of fun to play live, and humour is a big part of our time spent together as a band. We know we aren’t making a bold artistic statement – we’re more about making songs that bring party people together! You don’t light candles and take a bath to our music; you light fireworks and see how many people you can fit in your bathtub!”
LO-FI play this Saturday, June 18th at The Casbah with Dodger and Mr. Falcon.
- View Magazine - Ric Taylor
Discography
LO-FI Demo Sampler, 2005
LO-FI The Red Album (Full Length CD), 2006
Photos
Bio
LO-FI is a dirty little rock band that proudly comes from the streets of downtown Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. LO-FI was started in 2003.
"My friends and I are all musicians and we like all kinds of rock, hip-hop, punk, and old-school. We decided to try and mix all of these sounds together and see what happened. We liked the results so we decided to call it LO-FI. We figured LO-FI was a good name because the whole thing was real simple and fun", says singer and guitarist Todd Knight.
Rounding out the lineup is Ken Corke on bass, Jamie "Lips" Cameron on lead guitar, Adam Benning on drums, and D.J. Rev Selecta. Each of the band members have been around the music industry and the live circuit with a number of different bands over the years. LO-FI represented a fresh start for these rock vets. LO-FI produced a demo CD and started playing live in early 2005.
"We were really lucky to gain a following almost right away. The people that come out to our shows are pretty insane. They actually influence our songwriting quite a bit. It's a two-way, back and forth thing. We fuel them with the rock and they fuel us with their energy and all of the crazy "goings-on" at our shows. It's really a cool thing. We're lucky."
After a bunch of live gigs in early 2005 LO-FI headed to Organ Music in Hamilton to work with producer Vince Sciara (Dodger, Finger Eleven, The Livid) in August of 2005. The result was an in-your-face record referred to as, "The Red Album".
"It was the hottest summer on record in Canada and there was no air conditioning in the studio. It made for a really hot and sweaty record. We were 100% happy with how the record turned out."
Plans for the future include ripping up the live scene and writing for an upcoming E.P.
"For us it's all about writing and playing live. We want to keep trying to bring the best show we can and continue to recruit more freaks and weirdos to our crowd. We love this shit, so stay tuned."
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