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What do Controller.Controller have in common with Guns N' Roses, Jason Bonham and Lenny Kravitz? They've all opened for The Cult in Toronto, a sweet gig considering the '80s goth-rockers still draw their biggest crowds here. But watching the local dance-punks try to warm up a chilly Molson Amphitheatre audience last Friday night proved that it's also hard work, especially when your drummer plays disco beats with his shirt covering his head, rather than Zeppelin-sized solos.
Still, how cool is it to see a favourite indie band on a jumbotron? Controller.Controller took advantage of the shed setting to amp up the songs from their latest, X-Amounts. Guitarist Scott Kaija even dedicated "Heavy as a Heart" to "the Kyuss fans." But singer Nirmala Basnayake wasn't about to turn rawker chick for the occasion: dressed like a combatant in black, she kept her distance with a deadpan disposition throughout. If most of the audience seemed unimpressed, Cult leader Ian Astbury later declared Controller.Controller "the future of Canadian music... and international music."
According to Kaija, his band was selected by the Wolfchild himself to support The Cult's seven-city Canadian tour. "He's a fan. We met him in Vancouver and he showed us his iPod to prove that he listens to us. To play for someone who was your hero growing up is really fun, even if you're driving in the same old van!"
Controller.Controller's next Toronto appearance is at the Paper Bag Records/Eye Weekly NXNE shindig on June 9. They have a new video for "PF," and if the band ever stops touring, Kaija plans to finish his side project, Young Coconut Meat.
BY LIISA LADOUCEUR - Eye Magazine
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Still working on that hot first release.
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Scott Kaija should be enjoying his time off the road, but instead hes chained to his guitar and microphone pick and laptop in hand. Although touring across North America and Europe with Controller.Controller may have solidified Scott as a veteran in the music industry, his roots in the scene go much deeper than that. As the managing director of Umbrella Music, Scott interviewed hundreds of well-known artists, as well as hosting monthly shows at the Rivoli in Toronto. Scott also fronted the indie rock group Space Elevator before taking on duties as a singer-songwriter and guitarist in Controller. His contribution to indie music is significant, but certainly not complete.
Scotts guitar continues to stab and dance as it did in Controller.Controller, but now that the songs are entirely his own, he explores new territory lyrically and vocally on top of his layered guitars. Although the themes of his songs are generally dark and deeply personal, there are some tracks where he comes up for a breath of fresh air if only momentarily.
The songs I have written are a result of past experiences colliding with new ones and this process of change is not always an easy one.
We are glad his songs arent easy, because nothing worth listening to is.
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