The Strange

The Strange
The Pulse August 19th, 2004
By Tamara Holmes


”No one has heard it yet,” says The Strange’s Chris of their yet-to-be mastered debut album The Strange Vol. 1. “I know we’re cutting it a bit close but we want to make sure everything is perfect.”
Apart from a rough cut spinning in Chris’ CD player and their parents hearing a few tracks here and there, the featured product for next week’s CD release party has yet to arrive.
“It’ll be here,” assures Chris. “We’ve got more than 100 on rushed special pressing order. “We’ve been working on the album for about three or four months now and going over idea after idea. We kept changing our minds over and over again, too. It didn’t help time at all. This is the first time people are going to hear us recorded so we’ve found that we’ve been ridiculously over cautious. The second we second-guessed something because it was cheesy or we just didn’t like it, we cut it out immediately with no second thought. So yeah, it’s not entirely mastered yet.”
“It feels a bit vulnerable to have people listen to it”
It’s something that Chris along with other band mates Brandon, Mel and Eric will have to toughen their skins to, however with Vol. 2 and Vol. 3 already in the works-Vol. 2 has been tracked says Chris, and Vol. 3 should be ready for recording in September-Vol.1 needs to make its highly anticipated local debut.
“It took us a year to finally get on top of things and record something, “ says Chris. “Fans would come up constantly and ask us for something and we’d just apologize and assure them that something would be around in the future. But when bands that we played with and totally respected started asking for a copy, like Tricky Woo when we played with them at a Tangiers show, we really knew then that we had to get something together. Even though this is our first CD, it’ll be the product that we shop to management and labels and that.”
Chris says fans of The Strange should prepare to hold on for the ride that is their scattered trilogy. The band is undaunted at the idea that variations in style so early in their career could throw people off.
“I think that listeners are going to get a bit of a shock,” says Chris, confidently. “Our live shows give so much emphasis on the vocals and the music behind acts more of a back-up to my vocals. On the albums, the emphasis really went into the instrumental and went deeper into music, really. There are more than 30 or 40 layers of guitars on some tracks so it’s a lot different than our stage sound. We can only hope that fans will like both.”
For a self-professed pernickety band when it comes to details, Chris says that the recording process has been very chilled out.
“We recorded in a small studio in St. Catharines and we took a very relaxed approach. We’d just grab a case of beer and head over and that’s how it’s been for the past weekends since we started it. It’s odd because this was a demo with so much extra effort that it became a CD in itself.”
The Strange’s best talents are collected on Vol. 1 with a sinuous mix of their own brand of pop-like melodies with a tighter emphasis on guitars and instrumentals. Their essential dedication to Brit-pop is evident throughout the entire disk, says Chris. Vol. 2-to be released soon-is likened to be more of an experimental journey where The Strange flex their concentrated music skills into new territory.
“Vol. 2 will still have a large pop element but taken much further. We’ve got interesting songs on there like “Swings and Roundabouts” or “Utah Living”-That’s about bigamy and is purposefully honkey tonk-ish. We also have a Russian folk song-type song on there called “Done Before.”
Vol.3, as it stands, will be coming back to The Strange’s original pop-like roots with a heavy dose of garage and Brit-pop rock.
“Our biggest thing is that we don’t want to ever pain ourselves into a corner. Nardwuar spent half an hour trying to pigeonhole us and couldn’t. People find it hard to define us and we like it that way.”
“Then again, you never know,” warns Chris, with a laugh. “We could fly off the handle while recording and sound completely different than we though.”
- The Pulse

Three is the magic number for The Strange
St. Catharines Standard Friday August 20th 2004
By Christopher Waters

St. Catharines-based band The Strange was organized enough to have T-Shirts made before it played its first ever gig. But it’s taken the four-piece pop ensemble more than a year to release its first studio recordings; a three song CD entitled Volume One.
According to member Chris Barry, it’s a matter of rock ‘n’ roll priorities. An aspiring band had better make sure its records sound as good as they possibly can, he said, so The Strange took some time to consider its options and decided that shorter was better.
Instead of opting to record all of the band’s original tracks, which could have easily compiled a full-length studio album, Barry explained the band hatched a plan to work in three-song increments.
“We want to do our level best to put out three great songs every time,” said Barry who is joined in the band by Brandon Sloggett, Eric Hutt and new recruit Mel Vanschaik.
The idea is to produce a three-song release every six months. Barry said the band has virtually completed work on Volume Two, which will be released in January.
Barry explained most of the recording has taken place over the past two months, roughly since bassist VanSchaik came on the scene.
The initial release features the song One More Hour, Sing on and Radio Friendly, which Barry characterizes as being fan favorites from the band’s first year of gigging.
“They’re the songs that, if we didn’t for some reason play one of them during our set, people would come up to us after the show and tell us they were disappointed to have missed hearing them,” he said.
The Strange will tour clubs in Hamilton, Barrie, Montreal, Windsor, London Ont. And Toronto in September to promote its release.
Volume One will be officially released Aug. 26 at The Merchant Ale House on St. Paul Street. The CD will be sold for $5 at shows.
The release party in St. Catharines will feature The Strange performing with Life Like Life, Rose of Sharon and The Perms. Cover is $7. Music starts at 7pm.

- St. Catharines Standard

"We were doing a cover band thing" explains The Strage's vocalist Chris, "because we wanted to make money. Then we came to the realization that we wanted to make a career out of music. We had a bunch of originals, a bunch of stuff we were working on and we tested it out. People were really impressed with what we were doing. From there we figured we had something, so we went for it."
And so The Strange was born. Initialy an acoustic two-piece, Chris and Brandon soon acquired Matt (bass) and Eric (drums) and the band quickly evolved into a full-out electric ensemble. Chemistry is not always instant, but in this case the members meshed unequivocally.
"We just brought the two guys in to practice one day and they completely understood our music," Chris explains. "They were able to develop their own ideas. Matt the bassist listens to alot of British stuff and it's a really British sounding band. He really feeds on the sound. Like Andy Bell from Oasis or the guy from Travis, you know how they really fill a song out with bass. They kind of have their own chemistry which is fortunate. I guess we impressed a couple of people. We were just doing what we were doing and have a laugh. I guess because we were enjoying the music we were playing so much - it was fun and uplifting. I guess it kind of came through on stage. Luckily our bassist and drummer had been in a band together for five years and brandon and I have played for a little while. So basicaly it was four guys who may not have played together, but had had a lot of experience with another member of the band. It sounded really, really tight."
With their ominous sounding handle, there's plenty of possibility for misconception, but Chris sums up the choice with meticulous simplicity, "I love movies, in particulair B movies. Really, really stupid B movies I find them hillarious. I love watching them. So I wanted the name to have that sound, like a B movie title and I came up with The Strange and I thought it was pretty cool."
Those familiar (and who isn't these days) with Lord of the Rings will also recognise the inspiration behind the track "Anduin," the name given to the long river running through the Misty Mountains and Mirkwood in Tolkiens epic tale."We've built up quite a large fan base actually based on one song, Anduin which is an acoustic song, "Chris said. "I kin of related it to the journey of life. Some people find it really moving and we have a lot of people who get pretty mda if we don't play it live, so we try to include it, but sometimds you get caught up in the energy and suddenly it's the end of the set..."
Since The Strange are writing predominantly acoustic msuic, their overall approach had to be shifted slightly to allow for the new members and new instruments. In most cases, this posed no problems and the new sound developed quite organically, but there were a few songs that just didn't translate over.
"The songs were all written acoustically," Chris explains. "But we play with distortion and everything. We broke them in sort of slowly, basically so we could control the sound. One thing we didn't want to do was to go over the top. We didn't want it to be a huge messy wall of noise. Brandon and I perform acoustically quite often and we plan to keep doing that. We have songs that we can only perform acoustically. It's near impossible to transpose them into a four-man set. They're just too folksy."
Besides the upcoming opening slot for the Dears, The Strange are also a part of the SCENE festival July 13th and have a series of south western Ontario dates slated for the end of July and August. Because they've identified themselves by way of pop/rock or a more British (Chris is an expatriate) sound, they're prepared for the inevitable backlash that often comes along with the maligned genre.
"It's alot harder over here." Chris sighed. "Especialy for a band like us whose sort of pop/rock, so you've got to be carefull. People can suddenly start not to like you too much for what you do. I went to school with the dudes from Alexisonfire and a couple of them are fairly good friends, but people try to pit you against them and we don't care. I wish them all the luck in the world. I see them regularly and when I do, I say well done. What you guys do is killer. They come out to a lot of our shows. We have no animosity towards them. We're not what you expect. The preconcieved ideas about what The Strange is are wrong. We're a fun band, we're a tight band. There's a lot going on."
By TIffany Morris - Pulse Niagara July 2003

St. Catharine?s band braves mosquito bites and industry snubs on their way to the top With neither hesitation nor a drop of sarcasm, singer Chris Vegas is happy to say exactly where his band, the Strange, is headed. ?We want to be the biggest band in the world, if possible,? he says matter-of-factly in his Liverpudlian accent. ?That?d be alright.? For now, though, Vegas?along with Eric Bo Derek (drums), Melody Van Schaik (bass) and Brandon Sloggett (guitar)?is part of an independent Britpop-inspired rock band that hasn?t yet strayed much from its St. Catharine?s, Ontario, home base. But that hasn?t stopped him from pre-emptively addressing the challenges of full-blown rock godhood?foregoing the piddling details of smack addiction and groupie management for issues that have unfortunately already surfaced very close to home. ?Hopefully someday it does get huge,? he says, ?but I think we really want to hope and pray that we wouldn?t become one of those bands that didn?t have time for people. I think that?s what worries us, because we see the way we get treated and we wouldn?t want other bands to play with us and think we were a bunch of dicks.? Vegas?s voice gets a bit weary as he thinks back on the few-too-many times he?s been burned by old friends who turned up their noses and tossed their fashionably mussed hair at still-struggling musicians like him once they broke their first single or signed to a major label. ?Well,? he says, ?between you and me and the wall there, I don?t know, we?ve been around the block a bit in the last few years and we?ve played with a lot of bands. We?re friends with?well, I wouldn?t use the word ?friends,? but we?re acquaintances with certain bands that have blown up or whatever and we don?t even exist to them. And it can piss you off because you?ve got to wonder what happens between when we were playing with them and they were normal people and they were fun to hang out with and then all of a sudden they?re too good for us. You?re kind of wondering then, what happens there? You know, when do you suddenly become a dick from being an okay guy?? Vegas?s experiences have led him to the conclusion that the blame for most of that rock star dickery falls on the corporate end of the music business. ?I think for a large part, major labels will push a band towards seeming a bit more aloof and a bit grander than your average person, and too good for everyone,? he hypothesizes. ?I think that?s just what it probably comes down to. It?s like, ?We?re better than you and you?re not worthy,? and it?s just bollocks, really.? Vegas doesn?t mince words when it comes to opining about the state of the music industry, either, and it?s clear he has no love for the major labels. Still, he says, he?d take a big-time offer if the chance arose?he just hopes that the Strange will be more prepared if the time comes due to their brushes with the nouveaux fameux. Anyway, all this talk of signing record deals and staying ?real? seems a bit far off, considering Vegas is calling before playing a small pub show in Vancouver. But the Strange has experienced enough success back in St. Catharine?s to keep them hopeful for the bigger things. Their first EP, the three-song Volume One, sold out twice back home, and the Strange hopes to continue their sales streak by bringing their bouncy and melodic feel-good rock across western Canada before returning with the soon-to-be-released Volume Two EP. The Strange will be touring for the next few months, camping on their way out west, pitching tents from Manitoba to Alberta, having first-time run-ins with prairie dogs and being bitten alive by the various insects of the Canadian Shield. ?Everyone?s covered in red ones?it?s disgusting,? Vegas says. ?My mom packed me a thing of calamine lotion, so it?s been my saving grace so far.? For Vegas, though, his collections of bug bites have become rock merit badges. The way he sees it, most of the major-label snobs who?ve snubbed the Strange wouldn?t be caught dead roughing it from club to club, and they?re the worse for it. ?I think you?ve got to pay your dues. I think right now a lot of bands, especially from our neck of the woods, seem to have got picked up very, very quickly without ever touring the country on their own or doing any kind of touring on their own,? he says, before cheekily adding that he ?might? be talking about fellow St. Catharine?s residents Alexisonfire, before confessing they?re ?actually not dicks,? like some other previously mentioned groups. ?There are other bands that have snubbed us and it?s been weird,? he continues, ?but I think the way to avoid it is?those bands, they didn?t go out and do things on their own and struggle and camp and get bitten by bugs and stuff. We?re living the dirty side of it right now.? Not a bad trade: a few itchy spots now, and some years down the road, say, while playing Wembley Stadium, Vegas?ll remember the humble beginnings he came from. ?I?ll remember the mosquito scars,? he concludes. ?Right before I throw my guitar at the guitar tech for not tuning it properly, the mosquito bites will stop me.? V The Strange With the Wildfire and Ten Ways from Sunday ? Sidetrack Café ? Sat, Jul 2 (8pm) - Edmonton Vue Weekly

"We're just trying to make music that we enjoy playing and people enjoy listening to." Four parts make up The Strange, the St. Catharines band with a Liverpool, England, front man. The Strange, together now for about a year, consist of Chris Vegas (Vocals/Guitar), Melody Van Shaik (Bass), Brandon Sloggett (Guitar), and Eric Boderik (Drums). They formed in 2004 and were on Scene, St. Catharines' yearly music festival, a month after coming together. "We didn't even have enough material for a full set, at that time," Chris Vegas, 22, says in an interview with news@niagara at our newsroom in Welland, Ont., on May 16. "We came out swinging," Eric Boderik, 22, says at the same interview. Their NOISE@NIAGARA song, One More Hour, was released August 2004. Vegas says in their EPs, they put in two "strong" B-sides: "Not just filler -- a three song sampler." news@niagara was curious about The Strange's feelings about the music industry. We got an earful of opinion from Briton from the birthplace of Brit-pop. Vegas says that record executives aren't taking the risks they once would have. "Take a band like The Darkness," he explains. "A totally amazing band. They were selling out at London Astoria before a major label would sign them. Those guys (record executives) aren't taking risks." Is there something wrong with music? Is it getting worse? Boderik replies, "There's a lot of good bands out there, but they aren't getting recognition. There's no flagship band." "The bands are out there," Vegas continues. "Music hasn't gotten worse -- that's ridiculous. It's just not coming to the forefront. Everything is safe. Before they (record execs) see dollar signs, they're not touching it." "Ten years ago we'd already be signed, but not in this climate." "Safe" music is music that is guaranteed to sell, to make a return on the record labels' investments. Vegas says this lack of support in music from executives eventually kills independent bands because money and ambition dries up. "If you breed boring, middle of the road stuff, it's going to breed boring, middle of the road stuff ... I don't think that means music sucks, it's the infrastructure that sucks." Government grants are going to bands that are already big, Vegas says. "That's just taxpayers' dollars going to bands who don't need them, like Avril (Lavigne)" "There's a movement to stop that," Vegas says, "and hopefully it works as there's no point going on about music sucking when you can actually stand up and do something about it." Vegas is hopeful but not convinced. "There's an argument that today's generation is an apathetic one. Hopefully that's not true, but in the '60s, you had the hippies, and you could argue they failed. In the '70s, you had punk rock and you could argue they failed. In the '80s both groups became yuppies ... maybe people have rolled over and given up." So just what kind of music does The Strange play? Vegas replies, "Proper Rock and Roll." He says he's trying to make music people enjoy listening to, and that while the band may have certain beliefs (such as being against racism and political correctness), they don't put it in the music because it would be "preachy." "Most musicians didn't even finish high school and they think they have the right to tell people how to live their lives," Vegas says. "It's like, shut up, you're a dick head." "They're trying to sell teen angst ... kids know that kids commit suicide. Kids know that kids get pregnant. What help is it having it sung right back to them?"
INTERVIEW BY SANDOR LIGETFALVY - News Niagara