MOMENT OF INERTIA

Nelson Hansen
Published Thursday June 14th, 2007

We consider ourselves a bit of a wake up call in terms of our music and lyrics," says Fredericton's Moment of Inertia founder Pete Lockhart. "We have always worn our social conscience on our sleeves. That goes back to our influences as early as Black Sabbath's War Pigs which is essentially an anti war protest song."

Founded in 2000 and previously known as Drop-D, Moment of Inertia has put a strong emphasis on songwriting and more to the point, writing songs with socially relevant lyrics. Lockhart laughs when suggested that in this day and age finding someone to write a protest song can be like shooting fish in a barrel.

"Sure, take a look at the world today," he says. "There are all of these horrible wars going on and we have a very real environmental crisis on hand. We don't want to be all doom and gloom. Music is an art form and it should inspire people to take action and think. That's what we hope we do with our music."

Playing socio-political music can be a great way to earn credibility, but tough to find bookings for. To that end the group has accepted that to play in local bars they would have to mix cover versions in with their original material for the time being. This is something the band is hoping to get away from as they embark on the next leg of their career.

Moment of Intertia has just released a seven song CD that Lockhart and fellow members brother Jeff, Pat Pelltier and Johnn Morrison hope will propel the group to the next level. Mixing political lyrics with a sound that straddles old school metal and more current modern rock, the disc will be an important part of the plan to take Moment Inertia out of the local all ages shows and mindless nights of playing covers.

To his credit, Pete Lockhart speaks with the conviction of someone who truly believes in what he's doing. Moreover, he has something of a rarity in these parts, an actual "plan" to grow the band. By taking advantage of new media and the rise in interest in indie music, Moment of Inertia is knocking on doors around the world via the web. Recently posted on Neil Young's anti-war website, Moment of Inertia have submitted music to the site to be heard and ranked and at last check were sitting in at around number 200 of over 1,800 artists who have submitted. Traffic on Neil Young's site has also driven a lot of attention to their MySpace site, a valuable marketing tool for any artist today.

Lockhart et al are edging closer to a distribution deal which will see their music available worldwide and have had some smaller label interest, but will hold out for the correct fit. Perhaps the most exciting prospect for the group is their involvement in the Bodog Records Battle of the Bands. Before you groan take notice that Bodog is the home of Bif Naked, Billy Idol and Warren G. The label is searching for independent talent across the country and fans can logon to the Bodog website to vote for their favourites. Regionals will commence in the fall.

Until that next big leap, Moment of Inertia will be honing their skills by cutting back on the cover versions and playing more all ages shows and looking for opening slots on the bill when interesting acts may blow through NB, both measures will help put the focus back on the band's original music.
For more on Moment of Inertia www.momentofinertia.net
- Here Magazine

Next came the surprise of the evening, both to me and everyone else in the building, including the other musicians. Moment Of Inertia from nearby Perth Andover. These guys almost literally torn the damn place down with their high energy set comprised of original material mixed with covers.

The musicianship was absolutely fantastic from all three band members. I personally didn’t know that a drum kit could withstand that kind of abuse, from cymbals being knocked over to the bass substituting for a diving board! Great band and can’t wait to see them again. - Great White Noise

The truly great “power trios” the rock and roll has managed to provide can arguably be counted on the fingers of one hand. I hate to mess up your plans, but it’s now time to start using the other hand as well!

Moment Of Inertia has just released their debut EP, and are certainly on the right path for building success. Combining their knock out live performance style (see show review) with the ability to capture that same energy and feel onto a CD is no easy job. The 4 songs that have been released on this disc are great samples of rock, with just a slight flavor of blues laced throughout.

Brothers Peter Lockhart (guitars and vocals) and Jeff Lockhart (bass) join forces with one of the more formidable drummers I have witnessed, Pat Pelletier. The result is something that really needs to be heard to be understood. Each member of the band plays their role incredibly tight, despite the complexity of the songs. Perhaps the most amazing thing about Moment Of Inertia is how genuinely nice and well spoken the guys are. There is an absolute absence of any and all rock and roll pretensions here. In a day when even a few on the local scene have the knack of swelling their own head, these guys are very down to earth and after talking with them you are left with the confidence that they are complete professionals.

Those are all the good points of this very good new band. The disc, unfortunately, is a self-recorded and duplicated effort. The sound quality does not suffer at all from this. It is actually a very well recorded and produced disc, but they may find it a bit harder to be taken seriously by some until they have a somewhat slicker looking package (damn I hate to say that makes a difference, but we all know it does).

I am eagerly awaiting the day that they release a full blown CD, or a time when I can see them perform live again. Until such time, however, I will leave you with a few questions that the guys were nice enough to answer for me. Enjoy!

GWN: Where is Moment Of Inertia based out of and who are the members?
MOI: Fredericton NB. Members are Pete Lockhart – Guitar/Vocals, Jeff Lockhart – Bass, Pat Pelletier - Drums

GWN: How long has the band been around and playing together?
MOI: Essentially, the band has been around for 3 years. Formally known as ‘DROP-D”. The current Moment of Inertia line up have been playing together for about 6 months

GWN: Have there been any line up changes?
MOI: Formed in early 2000, Jeff Lockhart and Pete Lockhart began working on some tunes that Pete had written. We hooked up with local veteran Rock drummer, Chris Saad. We wrote songs and performed together until late 2002, when Chris had to bow out of band activities due to scheduling conflicts. Pete and Jeff enlisted the help of well-known local drummer/singer Pat Pelletier to help record the Moment of Inertia EP. Pat was the perfect fit for the band…amazing drummer, passion for the music…who could ask for anything more?

GWN: Can you give me a brief history of the band members with regards to their musical back grounds?
MOI: Jeff has played acoustically for years but only played out in jams, etc. Pete Lockhart has played with various Fredericton bands such as BarkerHouse Alley, and Slow Moving Walter, and First Cool Hive. Pat Pelletier has played as a permanent fixture with Fredericton bands such as Morahambi, Dream Kick,as well as filling in with various other bands.

GWN: Is there any significance to the name?
MOI: In the literal sense, Moment of Inertia is the relationship between the point of rotation of an object and its mass. It is the point in time when an object gains momentum. We liked the term because - Metaphorically speaking, although sound has no measurable weight, it can still be “heavy” and evoke a feeling of “kinetic energy”. How’s that for some philosophical insight!? Jeff had scoped this term for a band name a couple years ago…and it just made sense to use it when Pat “jumped in”. (ed: this explanation sounds good but it makes my head hurt to think about it too much!)

GWN: Who were the bands musical inspirations in the early days? Was there ever a “I want to sound like them” philosophy?
MOI: The great thing about Moment of Inertia is we all have varied tastes in music from Jazz to classical…but the common ground and what we most enjoy playing is Rock (or hard rock—if you will?) We all dig the classic Sabbath, Zepplilin, and Hendrix sound, as well as Old material from the likes of Metallica, COC, Rush, Maiden and U2. We also like some “newer” shit like System of Down, Rage Against the Machine, and Big Sugar. That being said…we also have a collective taste for old school/traditional blues and 70’s funk. In terms of the Moment of Inertia sound…its probably best described as “high impact rock punctuated with a heavy blues/funk groove”…or (not sure if I’m “coining” a term here,.but..) TANK ROCK

GWN: After watching the Grand Falls show, how the hell do you all keep up that kind of energy level? Is all the activity intentional or just how the band expresses itself?
MOI: We intentionally try to give 100% at each show, weather there’s 2 or 20 people. We love performing the music we write. And being able to share that with an audience, is truly a natural high. I think the adrenaline that’s pumping between us when we play (even in rehearsal)…gets magnified when we’re in front of an audience – its sounds bizarre – but its sometimes almost a primal feeling of energy and elation. If you listen to the lyrics of a Moment of Inertia song,…its really a social commentary about the state of things”…not to preach…but more of an observation….so we hope that on some level, we connect with the audience by first …harnessing the energy between us…and then sharing our message and energy with them. Nothing in an M.O.I. show is calculated or planned…other than just knowing our individual parts. Everything that happens in a performance is about how we feel in that moment.

GWN: Are there any plans for a full length CD?
MOI: We have the tunes…just need the cash… May be looking at next summer. We were very happy with James (Guathier – ex guitar player for Morahambi) producing. He basically kicked our ass..and got the required performance out of us. Most of all, he really came through on in terms of the visions we had for the sound of the EP.

GWN: Is Moment Of Inertia label shopping or are you content with doing the indie thing for now?
MOI: Indie for now…but always keeping our options open if an opportunity presents itself.

GWN: Are there enough venues for indie bands, and do the ones that do exist appreciate what the bands go through?
MOI: We have a fairly receptive scene in Fredericton…could use a larger..concert style venue

GWN: Any advice for bands just starting out?
MOI: Learn your instrument well, be conscious of the sound of the whole band…you are unit…listen to each when you play and practice. Always listen to the rhythm of the song..because the foundation of a great sounding song starts with rhythm. Listen to many styles of music…broadens you’re instincts and approach to how you play you’re favorite style of music. Try to connect with your audience…How you do this is something you need to find out for yourself…but if you are honest in your delivery…the audience will feel it. Get lots of rest before you play…(ed: this is great advice and every fledgling musician should heed it!)

GWN: What is the song writing process in Moment Of Inertia?
MOI: At the moment, about 90% of the music and lyrics is introduced by Pete. Jeff has helped pull some songs together over the last year or so and Pat’s instinct for song writing has already made it’s mark on some of the newer material that is not on the CD. Moment of Inertia currently have about 15 originals. Usually, the songs will start with a guitar riff and a vocal melody (that often turns into a course) lyrics seem to come after, and are a little harder to write. As mentioned previously, most of the lyrics in MOI songs are “observations of the state of things”…with a touch of sarcasm thrown in for good measure…the lyrics are usually never literal…they are either a metaphor or somewhat ambiguous-the way a poem might read….for instance,,,..The track “Last Dance” …on the CD..its about the harm we’re doing to our environment and the complacency and “bandages” that our governments use to “blow it off”..this last section is like a prediction of consequences of our inaction:

“Nourished the wounds for many years Told ourselves there’s nothing to fear And so we woke up from this Trance Realized our Last Dance”

But we couldn’t find a way To make it last another day And now we’re falling down To loose the evolution crown

GWN: Where do you see the band in five years time?
MOI: Rockin in the Free world

GWN: What has been your biggest disappointment in the music business so far?
MOI: Club owners mysteriously loosing promo packs. (ed: haha, I love this answer because it is SO true)

GWN: What has been your biggest joy in the music business so far?
MOI: (ed: they seemed to have missed answering this question. I’m sure they intended to say “being featured on GWN is the high light of our career. Yeah, that’s what they would say!)
- Great White Noise