Sunparlour Players

What's the small farm-town equivalent of a garage band? A barn band, say Andrew Penner and Mark Schachowskoy. And they played in plenty of barns growing up in Leamington, Ont., in the tomato-growing area near the Windsor-Detroit border, popularly referred to as the Sun Parlour. "We recorded that one song with a drill in it," says Schachowskoy, "or a saw. It got in by accident and it worked so we left it." "I remember our buddy was working on his T-Bird or something in the back," Penner jokes.

A decade after laying down that track, The Wrath of Andy, in a friend's barn, the pair, who met in Sunday school when they were five, live in Toronto. They've formed the Sunparlour Players, a band inspired by the likes of the Carter Family -- and Van Halen. If that scares you off, think of a two-man Arcade Fire with more banjo. Their mutual love of heavy rock shows up only once in a while, and mostly in how hard and fast they can play their instruments. A real do-it-yourself band, the Sunparlour Players released their debut CD, Hymns for the Happy, this past summer in local record stores, on iTunes and through their website(sunparlourplayers.com). They've toured Ontario and Montreal and plan to hit other provinces and the U.S. in the new year. And indie labels are showing interest. But for now, the guys will be keeping their day jobs, which afford each of them another kind of renown -- Schachowskoy's a genetic scientist at the Hospital for Sick Children, and Penner's a part-time shoe shiner near Union Station.(In fact, he's rumoured to be Brian Mulroney's Toronto shiner of choice.)

Many things set the Sunparlour Players apart from their peers, but the most striking is how they hearken back to a simpler time and place by translating their Mennonite religious upbringing into music that resonates with even the most modern urbanite. Penner started out by immersing himself in '20s and '30s blues, country and jazz -- "when rock was starting to swirl," he says, "before it came together in the '50s." Lyrically, he turned to his roots. "I was looking back at where we grew up, making folklore out of a place that you love. I could have never done that if I was still in that area. I had to be completely separated."

The CD has very specific references to tomato farming(which Penner's father does), with nods to Leamington's large population of Mexican labourers(They keep working hard, to send a little money back home / In Mexico is where their family seeds are sown / But, now the Sun Parlour is where they call their home). And many of the songs refer to the pair's Mennonite religion and community, including Pacifist's Anthem(I don't fight, I don't steal / I might believe in things that you don't think are real)and Dyin Today'(I just don't feel like praying today / My knees are sore and my church is a bore). That's more God than you'll hear on most indie rock albums, but the Sunparlour Players inject a healthy amount of skepticism, questioning faith and feelings of nostalgia. "Sometimes it comes out very positive," says Penner, 28. "But it's not a completely glowing look back."

Penner and Schachowskoy dress the part of strict, traditional Mennonites while on stage -- dark suits, porkpie hats and Band-era beards. But both grew up in modern households. "My dad was a jeweller," says Schachowskoy, 29. "That's the furthest thing from traditional Mennonites." Penner's parents kept up with the times, too. "My dad's got an armada of tractors on his farm," he says. "It's not horses plowing the field and stuff." And Penner's dad had pretty secular musical tastes. Besides Bob Dylan, Neil Young and the Stanley Brothers, he liked Abba, Cher and the hip-hop group the Fugees.("They cuss a lot, though," he told his son.)

Even at a small club in Toronto, a Sunparlour Players live show can feel like a high-energy revival-tent experience. There's the two-man cacophony -- Penner plays banjo, guitar, organ pedal, straps bells to his left shoe and stomps on a suitcase, while Schachowskoy plays a drum kit, the bass, a glockenspiel and accordian, often all in one song. And both can get carried away, joyously shouting the lyrics till they're red-faced. Then they'll take a break and raffle off preserves they've prepared themselves. Penner's hot mustard is a recipe passed down from his grandmother. Schachowskoy's preserves are weirder, he admits. "I make fancy ones, like a red onion basil jelly -- it's definitely not handed down from grandparents." But it still adds a welcome, old-timey touch to their rock 'n' roll. - Maclean's

The last time I talked about the Sunparlour Players, I mentioned something about how easy it was to jump into forced metaphors about the band's back story or the region that spurred their name. Well, in theory, none of those things have changed. You could focus on the proud farming tradition and warm southern breezes that describe the southern most part of Ontario or just as easily focus on lead vocalist, Andrew Penner, and talk about how he was raised a Mennonite and build on the stereotypical earnestness you’d expect to shine throughout the songs like it did on the standout Hymns for the Happy.

The thing is, Wave North marks such a huge growth for the Ontario trio, it will shock fans both old and new and shatter most of the easy jump off points reviewers search for. Sure, the elements are the same – banjo, guitar, kick drums, Penner’s unique vocal range – but they all sound bigger and more important. Even with the slowed pace of the opening track, North, the strums host an importance and over the next 12 songs, The Sunparlour Players unleash a collection of thicker arrangements. Producer Jeremy Backofen balances the sweat and emotion that earned the band a rabid fan base with a more professional, intricate sound perfectly. More importantly, he helps the band retain that succinct sound. Experimental? Yes. Wasted notes or confusion? No.

Horns and choral backing are obviously shocking (although they experimented with the latter before), but it’s the surging power the trio delivers that really knocks you back. Even the tender moments are accompanied with a tangible energy that makes you think the band could break into a sprint at any time. On Hymns for the Happy the band had two tempos - fast or slow - but now their control of pace and improved song writing allows for a constant mixing of the two. A few years ago, Nuclear would have ridden the simple picked banjo riff until the wave crashed, but now the 3+ minutes uses organ and tempo changes to hook the listener and the band nestles subtleties deep into the empty spaces.

Figure It Out is another classic ballad, but it seems more mature, more well thought out than anything on their last LP (which, keep in mind was terrific). You might be tempted to compare it to Pacifist’s Anthem - especially when you hear the familiar fret board squeaks - but instead of revealing each note on first pass, Figure it Out hides most of the textures just below the surface. The song unfolds slowly and it takes a few listens to really digest the whole track.

But without question, the biggest accomplishment of Wave North is how a "trio" can rise up and deliver inspired anthems like Point Pelee Is The Place To Be!, worthy of a place beside those penned by 9 and 10 member outfits, without losing any of the sincerity you expect from the Sunparlour Players. I read a press quote once that compared the band to Arcade Fire ... with more banjo and remember laughing. Well, with Wave North they make that writer look prophetic. PPitPtB is more than the fever pitch of John Had A Bell And A Whistle and more than another chance for fans to stomp a hole in the floor. Sure the kick drum that threatens to beat through your chest for the last minute of the song could wake the dead, but it’s the journey up to that point that is so remarkable. The pull the reigns tight at just the right time, gradually letting the song break into full stride.

It's exciting to see the changes the band have gone through. There is no doubt they will still deliver euphoric live shows, but now with a deeper catalog and an a better understanding of their sound, they show that over the next few years, we can expect a slew of consistent, action packed, rewarding records. - Herohill

Next up were The Sunparlour Players and if you’re looking for a quick indication of how much energy these guys packed into their set try this on for size: their Myspace page has just reported that drummer Michael “Rosie” Rosenthal broke his foot during Friday’s show!

Seriously, these guys were nuts. Of course, I mean that in the most complementary way possible, as a lesser band would have needed at least twice the amount of people to accomplish the sound created by these three highly talented multi-instrumentalists.

At any given point each band member was successfully juggling up to 3 different tasks at once, be it the aforementioned Rosie playing drums with his feet, hammering on a bass guitar with one hand and playing glockenspiel with the other, or the equally awe-inspiring Dennis Van Dine taking up similar bass duties while thumping a kick drum and playing keyboard (not to mention occasionally blowing a whistle)!

Of course, one only needs to hear Andrew Penner’s commanding vocals to understand his intensity—now imagine that wail being delivered while playing guitar, bass drum and an organ pedal! It’s a wonder that these guys didn’t pass out of exhaustion, let alone break a few bones. That said, this wasn’t a band out to impress with their virtuosity, as it was clear that the three men on stage were enjoying themselves as much, if not more so, than the awe-struck concert goers who were wondering how they managed to get away with only paying $5.

Jan 14th, 2008 - Wolves, Hawks and Kites

June, 2007. Sunparlour Players..No question...a MUST SEE! These guys are so intense while playing kick drums, dobros, banjos, etc. And they sell preserves with their CDs! Honestly, this is ragtime, footstomp meets Arcade Fire plus the intense-strained face of Joe Cocker mid-grunt. - CBC RAdio 3

Many flavours of jam

BRAD WHEELER

As long as the creeks don't rise, the Sunparlour Players perform every Wednesday night at the Tranzac. They're not your average blues-rock duo -- they're not your average anything.

The bearded singer-guitarist presents as a young Garth Hudson, in an old dark suit with no shoes (so as to better manipulate an organ pedal board). He sings about family, farm work and not wanting to die, and he exerts himself to a sweaty shade of purple-red as he howls. He is 28-year-old Andrew Penner; he is polite; he is Mennonite; and during the day he shines shoes beneath the Royal York Hotel.

Penner uses another foot to stomp a bass-drum pedal, as does his partner, a darker, angular fellow who plays percussion, a Rickenbacker bass and a xylophone -- at times, simultaneously. He wears red Converse sneakers with an old pinstriped suit and a porkpie hat. He is 29-year-old Mark Schachowskoy; he is polite; he is Mennonite; and a genetic scientist by trade.

The pair gets up to all sorts of things, mixing up drone blues and straight-line new-wave rhythms. Some of it sounds like a hillbilly version of U2 -- as if the Irish band were stranded in a mountain cave, and Bono devoured the Edge and half the rhythm section to survive.

Penner, whether on banjo or a resonator steel guitar, is a generous performer. There is a gospel-revival-tent energy in the small pub-like front room. (It's a mixed crowd of university students and older music fans).

It's getting near 11 p.m., so time for a set break, which gives everybody a chance to breath regularly again. A hat is passed for the Players, and there's also a sweepstakes for a prize of homemade jam (red onion and basil) and mustard (Ukrainian). A Mennonite upbringing instilled a pride for preserving foods, according to Penner, the son of an Essex County farmer.

"We started raffling them off because we thought it'd be fun to have something to sell at shows beside our EP," he says, referring to the duo's five-song CD Alive at the Tranzac. And also, "We don't have any T-shirts yet."

The two men have known each other most of their lives, since the age of 5 when they were Sunday-school chums in the Ontario township of Mersea, down Windsor way. They took separate paths after high school, but recently hooked up again in Toronto. They'd played in different groups over the years (hard rock and metal bands), but have found a rural, primal groove as a duo.

"We just tried to see how big we could get with two people," Penner explains. "Whenever you have several instruments that you play at the same time, it makes you simplify what you're playing."

In May, the band expects to release its first full-length album (Hymns for the Happy). Until then, they'll play at the Tranzac, where they draw full rooms of fans attracted to huge, honest music performed full bore.

"With a lot of the songs we play, you need to go to a place," says Penner. "You can't go halfway with it.

"I guess what we're trying to do is just grab people by throat, and say 'Come on along with us for a little while. It's going to be fun, and we think you're going to be happy when you're done with us.' " - Globe And Mail

The Sunparlour Players succeed where so many other folk revivalists fail, finding poetry in their own backyard. They plow the fields of southwestern Ontario and comb the north shores of Lake Erie for stories of universal texture. There is an honesty to these 13 songs that is irresistible. A gentle banjo strum gives way to the urgency of a marching drum. There’s danger up ahead and Andrew Penner’s beguiling voice serves up a warning cry. Playing dark but delicate rhythms on a multitude of instruments, bandmates Dennis Van Dine and Michael Rosenthal add a Stephen King sense of pace. The song Battle of ’77 has all the hallmarks of a classic. - Metro