Myelin Sheaths
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Myelin Sheaths

Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada | INDIE

Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada | INDIE
Band Rock Punk

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This band has not uploaded any videos
This band has not uploaded any videos

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"Myelin Sheaths CD Review"

The Myelin Sheaths were sold out of their CDR after devastating a small crowd during Calgary’s Sled Island music festival. And dammit, my ass is burnt! I never got one and now I want one! When they were ready to record, Martine and Cassandra, founders of Myelin Sheaths, approached Paul from Endangered Ape as the resident Lethbridge recording weirdo. Paul hastily joined the band and took a producing role. The result is a qualitative analysis in pulverizing sci-punk; imagine William Gibson trying to write a biology textbook with a busted Fender drenched in ink. It’s fun, it’s rad, it’s vaguely educational, and it sounds like absolute crud; fragmented distorto-thoughts oozing out of your nervous system in a ridiculous attempt to escape the cavernous spectral-noise that is Paul’s hallmark recording style. Myelin Sheaths will be a big deal whether you like it or not. Look out for an upcoming 7? on Hozac Records. Lethbridge shreds. Paul shreds. Myelin Sheaths shred. Let’s shred with them. (Aaron Levin // Weird Canada August 2009) - Weird Canada


"Myelin Sheaths August 2009 Beatroute Cover Story"

On the surface, the city of Lethbridge appears no different from any other mid-sized prairie town. Looking beyond the usual trappings of such places, however, one sees that Lethbridge has many of the essential building blocks for a vibrant musical community.

The city is very much a university town with a long-standing artistic bent, which undeniably provides a framework for a musical scene to grow within, while the University of Lethbridge is home to the local campus radio station, CKXU. Complementing those institutions is the independent record store, Blue Print Records, and a venue that champions diverse booking, the Green Couch/Blue Couch Lounge.

Quarterbacking all the other elements that have been essential in the emergence of a definite Lethbridge “scene” over the past few years is Paul Lawton. Whether promoting shows, hosting a radio program, recording in his studio, or playing music in some of the town’s premiere bands, Lawton has done much to further the visibility of not only Lethbridge’s underground rock and roll scene, but also the Alberta scene in general.

With such a stage set, the brief history of the Myelin Sheaths – Lethbridge’s latest offering into Alberta’s current underground rock scene – can begin in earnest.

On a warm summer afternoon deep within drummer Lawton’s Mammoth Cave Studios, band bassist and co-founder Martine Ménard explains the genesis of the Myelin Sheaths: “Cassandra (Ward, co-founder and one of two guitarists) and I jammed a few years ago – just funning around and playing Devo covers. A while later we were in this bar, and she was like, ‘I thought of the perfect band name: the Myelin Sheaths!’ I was like, ‘Oh, like Bio 30? Awesome. Let’s write about science and biology.’ ”

For those a little hazy on what an actual myelin sheath is, it is the core of a nervous axon, and facilitates the transmission of nerve impulses in the brain. Lawton chimes in by emphasizing the asset of having a definite theme to write songs within. The science-centric route taken by the Myelin Sheaths has manifested itself with songs like “Your Acid Is Too Basic,” “Do The Mental Twist,” and “Laboratory Disaster.”

However, if a scientific, albeit playfully scientific, theme can be considered a gimmick, that’s where gimmickry begins and ends for the Myelin Sheaths. The eight complete and recorded tracks that the band has put to tape thus far are a solid collection of fun and melodic lo-fi garage-pop-punk, which sound contemporaneous and have qualitative parity with the best of that genre’s current practitioners.

When asked what the catalyst was for changing the Myelin Sheaths from a night out’s dream into an actual band, Ménard responds simply with “Sled Island,” the Calgary-based independent music and arts festival.

She continues by elaborating, “Joel (Butler, the other guitarist and a member of the Moby Dicks) wanted me to be in the Moby Dicks with him, and then he cut me out in favour of some other d-bag after I wanted to record three songs and send them to Sled Island so we could get in for free.” Butler swiftly retorts by stating that his alternate choice in the Moby Dicks was, in fact, a seven-foot-tall d-bag. After being dismissed from the Moby Dicks, Ménard then began jamming seriously with Ward.

In the dying days of this past winter, Ménard and Ward began formulating their songs. Fate saw Butler admiring the progress of the nascent Myelin Sheaths and, in turn, joining the band. He has yet to be kicked out. A couple of weeks afterwards, the girls, without Butler present, brought what they had concocted to Lawton in his studio.

Seeing the possibility of a collaboration, and an opportunity to acquaint himself with playing drums for the band, Lawton joined the group. Lawton offered his music experience in the form of an objective sounding board for the other Myelin Sheaths to tighten the screws of their songs. Lawton states most genuinely, “Even early on, I always knew that there was something really special about it. As lame as that may be to say.”

Before their first rehearsal was scheduled, the Myelin Sheaths were recording their songs – a luxury afforded by Lawton's studio. A day before Sled Island artist submissions were due, Ménard was ready to realize her dream with a band that had recorded songs, a MySpace page, and the last weekend of June free to play and rock out at the 2009 Sled Island Festival. Her wish was granted with not only a slot to play during the festival, but also the after party at Calgary’s Artlife gallery.

Forming a new band is one thing, but having said band in a state of readiness to play a big show in a short time is a different thing altogether. Lawton, using his booking wizardry, arranged for the Myelin Sheaths to get a crash course in live performance before hitting Calgary. In Lawton’s mind, that course of action must have been a stroke of genius, since he describes one of those early shows (in Coaldale no less) as “the worst show o - Beatroute Magazine


Discography

tGet On Your Nerves (Southpaw Records, Oakland, CA)

Dead Things Cassette (Scotch Tapes, Canada)

Do the Mental Twist 7" (HoZac Records, Chicago)

Stackticon 7" (Bachelor Records, Austria)

S/T EP/CDR (Mammoth Cave Recording Co., Canada)

Compilation Appearances:
YETI Magazine #8
CJSW LIVE 2009
Official 2009 Sled Island CD compilation

Photos

Bio

Coming out of the very definition of "nowhere," Myelin Sheaths survive in the prairie hinterland of Lethbridge, Alberta. Locked in their basement for years, these delinquents have been honing their own warped take on vintage girl-group sounds, warped punk and psychedelic garage-slop.

Myelin Sheaths have had a pretty good start since forming in 2008, they have played over 150 shows (notably: Sled Island 2009/2010, Wyrd Alberta Travelling Festival 2010, SMMR BMMR 2010), were featured on the cover of BEATROUTE in August 2009 and in 2010, both HOZAC RECORDS out of Chicago // BACHELOR RECORDS out of Austria put out two 7" singles simultaneously to near universal acclaim.

October 2010 sees their debut LP MYELIN SHEATHS GET ON YOUR NERVES, out on Southpaw Records, an album that has already been gaining some advance buzz on such sites as Raven Sings the Blues and Altered Zones.

REVIEWS:

MYELIN SHEATHS GET ON YOUR NERVES (2010 Southpaw Records)

Myelin Sheaths upcoming full length has pole-vaulted over those initial expectations like a garage pop cherry bomb on the turntable. It's still got rough edges and bratty motions but they're steeped in catchy harmonies and redlined back and forth vocals that feel untethered and fun as hell. Definitely seems like one to catch live and a repeat listen on the home system for sure. (Altered Zones // Raven Sings the Blues)

S/T CD (2009 :: MAMMOTH CAVE RECORDING CO.)

The result is a qualitative analysis in pulverizing sci-punk; imagine William Gibson trying to write a biology textbook with a busted Fender drenched in ink. It's fun, it's rad, it's vaguely educational, and it sounds like absolute crud; fragmented distorto-thoughts oozing out of your nervous system in a ridiculous attempt to escape the cavernous spectral-noise that is Paul's hallmark recording style. Aaron Levin // Weird Canada // August 2009

STACKTICON 7" (2010 :: BACHELOR RECORDS)
Lady-led garage-slop that is spot-fucking-on. It sounds like the Cheater Slicks put microphones in front of all three Vivian Girls but wouldn't let them touch their instruments. There's a scope here, too, as perhaps three different approaches are fiddled with: textured-but-sounds-like-crap pop, blown-out garage-hate, and medium-warm garage-rock. Again, it must be spelled out: T-h-i-s-i-s-a-g-o-o-d-t-h-i-n-g. Stay tuned! Alright, get these records. They're good. ANDREW EARLS // STILL SINGLE // APRIL 2010

Rambunctious garage mess, with spazzed-out trebled guitars and the best fuck-you lady vocals, making for a savage attack of epic proportions that you would be a fool not to partake in. This sounds dangerous and bratty; music for kids that carry knives and know all the words to Easter Everywhere and Outta Here. Yeah, I namedropped my favorite garage records of the 90's - there's something GORIES about this, the primitive dreaminess that may aim for but so few can get a handle on. This makes me wanna see this band play so fucking bad. It's an exciting record, my friends. The sort of thing that you want to listen to over and over until the neighbors wanna cut their ears off. Layla Gibbon // Maximum Rock N Roll // April 2010

[SPF70] is a blue whale of a song, inching its way out of a toxic waste puddle on a to a beach full of mutant onlookers, armed with skeletal spears and tin-metal chest plates. This is the skeleton of that whale months later, ghost crabs clacking from the wreckage, the final salty bits of blubber baking in the sun. Smells like the ocean right? - Noah Sanders // Sound On the Sound Daily Choice // Feb 2, 2010

DO THE MENTAL TWIST 7" (2010 :: HOZAC RECORDS)
Canada exports a serious fuzz nugget in the form of Myelin Sheaths. The band bangs, pops and buzzes through three rabid garage punk tunes that leave very little room for air let alone contemplation. - RAVEN SINGS THE BLUES

Even the stodgiest of wallflowers will find themselves mentally twisting to this Myelin Sheaths single - these guys and girls have clearly studied the right records for the job. "I Don't Wanna Have An Operation" is the best of the bunch and a satisfying ripper that could easily fit into a classic Angry Samoans set; the title cut swerves all over the road that divides Loli & the Chones and Dum Dum Girls.
Matthew // Yellow Green Red

Holy christ on a fuck!!!! More garage rock!!!! It's so garage in here I'm fully expecting to see Phil Mitchell greased up and mending an old banger. I quite liked this record though. 'Do the Mental Twist' is by a band called Myelin Sheaths and its female vocal driven punk all the way fucker! My fave track on this lasts about 46 secs and its called 'I Don't Wanna Have An Operation', its like being slapped with a fistful of syringes by Lydia Lunch. *Interesting fact-Sharks use a gland called the Ampullae of Lorenzini to pick up and register electromagnetic impulses in water in order to hunt and catch prey. Woah...! - Norman Records Recommended Single of the Week

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