Recovery Child

After a four-year hiatus from the recording studio, Toronto's Recovery Child is back with their new EP Afterimage. Within the linear notes the band writes that the album took longer than expected due to the fact that they wanted to show how they've grown as a band.

The end result is a seven-song EP filled with well crafted and well executed songs. The songs are less in your face, balls to the wall rock that you'd normally expect from Recovery Child, but the end result is an older, more mature, somewhat down tempo straight ahead rock offering.

Although the album isn't crammed with conventional singles, there are still some strong contenders on Afterimage. "Bury Your Words" is arguably the strongest track on the album. Pushing six minutes, it's a rock n' roll opus that perfectly exemplifies how Recovery Child has grown in their song writing.

Recovery Child is always an entertaining band to see live and with these new songs in their arsenal, their shows can only get better. - Toronto Music Scene

As promised Ira's full interview with Tom Morello AKA: The Nightwatchman, as well as a special liver performance of the new single off Tom's new album, World Wide Rebel Songs. Plus Gavin Rossdale of Bush joins Sully to talk about their new album The Sea Of Memories, hockey, tennis, and girls. Plus new music from Kaura and Recovery Child. - Explore Music

In 2006 Toronto-based quartet >Recovery Child, won the Astral Media’s Rocksearch contest. They then toured across North America, playing to a variety of audiences. Tracks from Afterimage like, “ We Collide” and “Bury Your Words” could be a sure-fire hit on national commercial airwaves.

In the meantime, the 7-track Afterimage album from Recovery Child is rock and roll, and they surpass where others have not, independently. They are a contender for major success as their formula of appeal is right on. The lyrics are also apart of the album’s winning combination of harmony, and timing.

By Tristin Norenberg-Goodmanson

- !earshot

Outside of Bono and Bob Geldof, not many music stars are reknowned for their altruism. But Ryan McCambridge, frontman for Toronto indie-rock band Recovery Child, has poured a ton of work into organizing the new benefit compilation Spill: Songs for Oil Spill Relief. Not for his ego, but for the future of our environment, with proceeds going to water conversation group Oceana.

The disc gathers up a handful of great Ontario groups, including TORO Garage Band alumni The Balconies, and Michou, with contributions from Dragonette, Dinosaur Bones, Clothes Make the Man, and more. McCambridge was motivated by his frustration over the Deepwater Horizon disaster, frustration aimed at both the lax standards that allowed it to happen, and the incompetence that prevented a resolution.

TORO talked with McCambridge (below left) about the process of putting the album together, his ties to the environmental movement, and some unbelievable facts about the oil rig explosion.

Q: I recall my first reaction to the Deepwater Horizon disaster was fairly indifferent, until I slowly realized how serious the situation was. Can you tell us about your initial thoughts?
A: The reality was that of course it was going to intensify over time. But no one could have ever estimated that it could have gone on for three months, and turn into the biggest environmental catastrophe of our time.

Q: Have you always considered yourself environmentally conscious?
A: I would love to be able to answer yes. I think I’ve always cared about real fundamental problems plaguing the world, problems that have been talked about since the 1960s. When I was younger, I was more apathetic. In my twenties, I started to sit back and say “Well, this isn’t going to get any better” and it started to chip away at me a bit more.

Q: When did you become more actively involved in the relief process?
A: It was a pretty definitive moment. About a month into it, they started to realize that there wasn’t any good solution. They were really underprepared. They were exploring different means for sealing the well, and one thing that was put on the plate was to use a nuclear bomb. I don’t know how seriously they took it.

Q: But somebody brought it up, and they must have thought, “Hmm...”
A: Lead scientists were saying “Maybe the heat from the bomb will seal it...” And I remember reading this article like, “Really? This is what it’s come to?”

I was compelled to do something. I could have donated $25 or $100 myself, which would have been a drop in the bucket. Or I could used my resources, reach out to people I knew in the Toronto music scene, and try to put more time and elbow grease into it. Raise awareness, especially for people of a younger generation who are harder to reach.

Q: Was it tough to get the bands on board with the project?
A: I was absolutely amazed that everybody was so unbelievably humbled to be a part of it, so enthusiastic. Most artists have the heart to want to help, but don’t have the time, you know? All it takes is someone to organize and wrangle everybody together. Even artists like Dinosaur Bones and Dragonette, people I look up to, were thankful to be a part of it.

Q: The album has two functions: it’s a benefit compilation, but it also documents the Toronto indie music scene in 2010.
A: Absolutely. That was something I’ve always valued, when there is a scene and artists know each other and are collaborating, and coming together for causes or musical means. I really like the compilation, from a musical standpoint.

Q: How much of the material is exclusive?
A: I’d say 50 per cent. Beggars can’t be choosers. I turned to the artists and said it would be great if the whole compilation was unique, but the reality is that I’d be asking a lot. Dragonette shared a remix, and Lindi Ortega shared an unreleased B-side.

Q: Has the oil spill inspired you as a songwriter, directly?
A: I can’t say right now. I don’t look at songwriting so methodically. I think if I were to sit down and write a song about the spill, I wouldn’t be able to do anything with it. But it’s probable. Every artist should draw from those kind of things. You have to be open to feel these things, however it manifests itself. Maybe I’ll be 50 years old, and it will come out then. Tough to say.

Q: Hopefully the oceans will not be 100 per cent oil by then, and we’ll all be around to hear it.
A: Yeah, exactly [Laughs].

Q: Why did you decide to partner with Oceana?
A: Originally, I started doing research on different organizations. I liked Oceana, because they were very focused, and they’re pretty much the premiere organization focused on ocean conservation. So it just made sense. I wanted the compilation to be a conduit for people to be introduced to Oceana. They were so responsive, fantastic to work with. They appreciate when people step up to the plate.

All of the donations are going towards their research into the effects of the oil spill. The well has been sealed, but the majority of the oil that came out of the well is still in a soupy mess under the water. A very small amount washes to the shore. There’s all this base-level wildlife - plankton, krill - that are fed upon, and their exposure level to the oil is the highest. Oceana’s big push right now is to get the U.S. government on board to prevent future oil spills.

Q: Canada is facing an uphill battle when it comes to restricting or banning offshore oil drilling, which is something that Oceana supports. We’ve had environmental committees come out and say that it doesn’t need to happen, because so many safety standards are in place. Can you comment on this?
A: I recognize that things are a lot more complicated than anyone is going to make them out to be. It’s not a clear-cut situation. Personally, I run off the information I collect from other people. I’m not a marine biologist, or a politician, or an oil tycoon.

But the oil we get from offshore drilling is such a small portion of what is available in the world. It’s a small portion of what we use. If the effort and money being put into offshore drilling were reallocated into alternative sources of energy, we’d be much better off in the long term.

Q: And the rest of the world does not necessarily have the safety standards that we do.
A: Yeah. I hope people don’t view what happened as only a U.S. problem. It’s easy to brush it off and say “It’s not up here.” But it could have been. One of the biggest issues surrounding offshore drilling is that we don’t have the means to control it.

Q: We clearly don’t have the capacity to handle something going seriously wrong.
A: I’ve read so many accounts calling this “The worst field experiment ever.” They spent three months learning how to deal with it. An oil spill on this scale is completely unmanageable.

Q: From what we’ve learned about how lax safety standards were on Deepwater Horizon, it didn’t even take that much foresight to prevent.
A: A document was put together called “In Case of an Emergency”, and the person who was first point of contact, i.e. who to call if something goes wrong, had been dead for years! You just hope that you learn from it, and that our definition of learning isn’t “OK, now we know how to plug it..." - Toro Magazine

By: Michael Potvin - October 12, 2007

Recovery Child from North York Ontario, Canada has been receiving some airplay from various radio stations down the Eastern US and as far as LA. Playing shows at some of Toronto’s top clubs, The Horseshoe, The Rivoli, Lee’s Palace, and the Mod Club, the band has earned a loyal following. The relentless touring is in support of their EP released in 2006, On Being and the Affect. Their press release describes their sound; “Hauntingly reflective stories that collide with viciously poignant performances are Recovery Child’s aggressive rock signature”.

“Trigger Me” the first track of their EP has been described by a reviewer for CD Review by You as “Foo Fighters style hard driving rocker”. Listening to the track I can place their sound within the confines of the goth genre. “You’re the cut, the deepest love I carry/ I never hurt to give you up/ You’re part of me and it stands for something/ An honesty we’re living on and on and on”. Their use of intense story and dark imagery draws me towards this comparison. The feeling that is poured into the song leads me to think of them as an emo band as well. Granted, these are just qualifiers to help better define their sound. When it comes down to it they are an Alt-Rock band who have broadened their sound and style.

Recovery Child is a band who pours their heart and soul into the music in an attempt to create an honest sound. This is evident in their live performance and spills over into the studio as well. Their live performance has brought them the backing of the law firm Taylor Mitsopulos Burshtein, which has helped acts such as Death From Above 1979 and Sum 41 find national prominence. With this support and having won the Rocksearch on 97.7 HTZ-FM Recovery Child has earned rotation on commercial radio. Watch for Recovery Child touring in support of their EP in Canada as well as the Eastern US. - Indie In-Tune

"Their music is sexy, political and ‘Dangerously’ addictive." - Brittany Lemick - fusionradio.ca

"Front-man Ryan McCambridge possesses a fervent passion that propels Recovery Child’s onstage intensity into an emotionally engaging experience."
- Amanda Wrind – TOstudent.com

AFTER SIX
RECOVERING ROCK
By JENNIFER BILL

Toronto rockers Recovery Child are celebrating the CD release of their EP, "On Being and the Affect," tonight at the Mod Club, 722 College St. W. Produced by Brian Moncarz (Pilate, the Junction), director of Toronto studio Whirlwind Sound, the foursome's EP will be available at www.recoverychild.com beginning today. Rounding out tonight's bill are three other local rock outfits: Goodbye Glory, WhosArmy, and the funky StillSoul. Doors 8 p.m., show 10 p.m. Cover $10. - 24 Hours Magazine

Featured Artist - Recovery Child
Album: On Being And The Affect

"On Being And The Affect" is the debut CD from Toronto's Recovery Child. The album contains seven polished, well-produced songs that will definitely leave you wanting more.

Standouts include the opening track - "Trigger Me", a Foo Fighters style hard driving rocker that does a great job of setting the tone for the rest of the album. The closing ballad, "Weaker Than" has huge potential to be a hit single, one of those songs that makes you scratch your head and say, Why isn't this tune on my local rock station?

Recovery Child is another band that is continuing the tradition of great contemporary rock coming out of the Toronto area. If you are a fan of their Canadian counterparts Finger Eleven, Three Days Grace and The Marble Index, you should definitely check out this band.
- CD Reviews By You

Contributed by: Robert Frezza on 9/7/2007

The last month for Recovery Child has been very busy; hectic, to say the least. They have been touring non-stop trying to build a buzz and an audience. At this point in time, I think they have succeeded. Sure, Canadian rock's next big band is something hard to achieve or even label or even stray away from, but all clichés aside; Recovery Child is a rock band on the Canada and U.S. border that is evoking that alt-rock spirit that we lost in the past decade. Call it resurgence if you will, but Recovery Child has crafted some pretty decent tunes on their first EP, titled, On Being and the Affect. The first single "Trigger Me" is already getting modest airplay on both sides of the border. Breaking in the States is a hard thing to do, especially if the States is awaiting the comeback of someone called Britney Spears. While those who await pop's demise (calling all 20-something's out there) there is a relief in sight. Even if Recovery Child does not see the light of day, it could be our little secret-just don't tell anyone! I talked to the Ryan McCambridge, lead singer of Recovery Child, of all this and more.

Robert Frezza: Where do you get the inspiration for writing lyrics?

Ryan McCambridge: "It takes me a while to write a lyric and all you want to do is finish writing a song. When the song is finished, though, you want the song to stand for something that you're trying to say. That is the craft of lyric writing. For me, personally, I do draw a lot of inspiration from relationships. People should affect other people. Relationships do affect my writing to some degree."

RF: How did Recovery Child meet and who are the band's influences?

RM: "I'm a child of the 90s and the band was heavily influenced by the whole 90s grunge rock era. We were all into different types of music, such as punk, metal, and alternative, but there was undeniably a sound that carried a truth and a sense of honesty in the early 90s. I think, as an artist; withdrawing from that era, lead to what we are as a band.
Our guitarist, Greg McEvoy, and I met through our producer, Brian Moncarz. Greg and I just hit it off and saw eye to eye on things. As other bands that we were all in dissipated, we slowly came together though mutual friends and auditions. We met bassist Logan Scott and our drummer Gord Davidson shortly after that. The criterion is so meticulous for looking compatible band members. You want them to almost share the same vision that you have, but that is near to impossible. You have to find someone dedicated that will play and rehearse at least three times a week. By the time we first played together, it just felt right."

RF: Do you think alternative rock will be the big comeback story here in the states?

RM: "If there are enough decent bands out there that relatively have the same sound, I think there could be a resurgence of alternative rock music. There's a lot of good music out there if you are willing to search for it, like the indie scene. I just don't think there's that much continuity out there to start a music revolution."

Check out Recoverychild.com for more info on the band and their gigs. Who knows they might be playing a date near you soon!
- Buffalo.com