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SPEAKER SCAM GOOD VALUE - El Mocambo January 19,2005
The reopened El Mocambo is a cavernous concrete "gym-nausium", an unappealing atmosphereless echo
chamber more suited, one would think, to showing off vintage automobiles than showcasing live music.
I told myself I wouldn't go in there again as a protest against former ElMo impresario Dan Burke's
ousting, but a disc landed on my desk last week that transcended any petulant loyalty.
The disc was the first effort by local band White Van Speaker Scam. Their name is worth googleing...
its source is a pretty hilarious concept. The packaging of the disc looked intriguing enough, no
doubt a homage to bootlegs past (Dylan's Great White Wonder comes to mind) or maybe the White Album, but
what was on the disc itself really made me pay attention.
White Van as a live band has their work cut out for them. They are a mere trio of standard
instrumentation (guitar, bass, drums) but everyone does double duty. Songs like "No One's Gonna Sleep
Tonight" and the 3-minute epic "Second Childhood" call for three part vocal interplay and polyrhythmic
accompaniment. The sound system in the ElMo and the acoustics seemed to fight against what the guys
were trying to do. I'm not sure they played flawlessly but they certainly did it with passion.
I realize after writing the last paragraph that perhaps I've made them sound like a bunch of muso
progmeisters and nothing could be further than the truth. "In the end it's all about the melody and the
groove," says guitarist Adam Burnett, surprised that someone would even ask him for a quote.
Burnett plays rhythmically. You'll never hear any ripping solos in his Neil Young-meets-Steve Cropperby-
way-of-Johnny-Greenwood stylings. The melodic instrument in the band is undoubtedly Lee Roger's
bass. His bass lines are from the McCartney-Danko school and beyond. James Scott, an energetic Keith
Moon-in-bed-with-Bill-Bruford-and-Jabo-Starks style drummer, keeps things exciting with a simmering pot
of dynamic percussion. These diverse influences, if I may be so bold, add up to a sound like no other
band around today.
The set consisted of the EP tracks and a few others I didn't know. The best "rock show" moment of the
night came at the very end when Roger took a flying leap into Scott's drums. This seemed unplanned as
Scott seemed genuinely surprised and laughed for several minutes afterward. Hopefully a longer release
can be expected from WVSS soon. May I suggest the CD release party is not held at the El Mocambo.
Terry Krenek – Xplode Magazine - Xplode Magazine
Discography
White Van Speaker Scam (EP) 2004
Single: Second Childhood
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Named after one of the great acts of suburban injustice, Toronto Ontario trio White Van Speaker
Scam is a collective of like-minded musicians that uses its members' disparate musical influences to
create songs of rhythmic and melodic depth.
Multi-instrumentalists/songwriters Adam Burnett (vocals, guitar, bass, drums), James Scott
(vocals, drums and percussion, keyboards) and Lee Rogers (vocals, bass, keyboards, guitar) form
the core of the group, and are unafraid to switch instrumental and vocal roles according to
the desired flavour of each tune.
WVSS released a self-produced, five-song EP spring 2005. The songs, recorded live-off-the-floor,
were engineered and mixed by Sony producer Ashton Price at the band's Toronto-based studio.
Laced in raw emotion, the material features three distinct solo and harmonious voices and dishes
out plenty of fresh grooves. The original sound inherent in these recordings results from the band's
keen interest in subtly integrating elements from various musical genres while using minimal
amounts of instrumentation.
Over the past year, the group has performed numerous shows throughout Ontario, Quebec, and
New York. A cross-Canada tour is in the works for spring '06.
The band is currently demoing songs in its own studio in anticipation of recording its first full length
in January '06 at Flipside Studios in North Bay, Ontario.
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