Get Ready to Collide with The Subcollisions

The Monthly Mess V; is it the fifth month already?, is a-knocking on the the door, down the back alley, behind the fish monger, through the mouse infested restaurant, past the whiskey swilling piano player, down the lonely street and up the steps into wherever this Mess will bring you on Wednesday July 25th. All the time of your pilgrimage, to satiate your artistic hunger in what is cool, a gorging that happens but once a month at the Monthly Mess, you can feel uplifted and relieved by one of the bands that awaits to feed you; The Subcollisions. They are ready with their carnival vibe and tongue-in-YOUR-cheek suave , with their geek chomping, romping malarkey and musical mayhem. I thought I would get to the bottom of a few things. So I got in contact with Willow Rutherford and Ben Duval (Banjo Ben) to get to said bottom.

The Subcollisions (Tow Truck)

Posted to Indyish Video by euphoreador on July 15, 2007

Click to Play | View Details

Are you currently reading anything now or what was the last book you read that made you think about things differently or impacted you?

(Willow) I recently read a very warped book called Geek Love. It is the story of a family of carny circus freaks and these types of histories definitely influence my particular style of songwriting. It kind of felt like the author listened to Tom Waits while writing the book. Also I heard that Coney Island may be bull-dozed in a year to be transformed into condos, so the band hopes to go play in Brooklyn late September and check out where Mr.Waits’ Coney Island Baby came from before that nostalgic inspiration is gone. Another tale of woe that helped partially form a song was Trainspotting. Once my brain wrapped around the dialect I found the characters struggled with a sort of land locked piracy much like many people who stay in one place (like their hometown) for too long.

You seem to feel very comfortable singing in both French and English. Do you prefer one to the other? Does one of the languages allow you more expression?

(Willow) I wish I was more comfortable writing and singing in French. Unfortunately I can’t say I am fully bilingual, although most of our practices are conducted in French with smatterings of English thrown in. A linguistic exchange is constantly happening in the group. Besides Julie D’Eon (who was raised in English by Acadian parents,) I am the only true Anglophone of the group and that suits me just fine. Being in a French speaking environment is fantastic for learning and improving this second language and I love the opportunity. I greatly improved my Spanish by living in Mexico and working with bands there, and the same is said for communication in French here in Quebec. Nicole Carmen is from New Brunswick and hence the French lyrics so far come from her, with the exception of a few Franglais things I throw into my songs. I love singing in French (and playing my accordion) and do feel a certain “joie de vivre” when performing or even speaking in French or Spanish. It’s really fun to be able to connect with both parts of the audience here in Montréal. I have found that English is definitely an easier language to write lyrics in as we can chop up sentences and butcher grammatical structures and often get away with it.

The Subcollisions have a large amount of people in it compared to the average band. Did this take awhile to assemble? What are the challenges you face with dealing with so many people? It seems that there would be not only logistic obstacles but also creative.

(Banjo Ben) The core of the band has been together since February, with the horn players joining us one by one within the past few months. The fact that all members have past musical experiences (except Julie D’Eon- this is her first musical experience!), and already knew one or two people in the band made the integration of new members fairly easy. I’m still amazed that so many talented and creative people could come together, see the potential and fall in love with a project at such a short amount of time.

I think everyone’s goal is to get the songs across in the best possible ways, and from the start, we’ve always seen Subcollisions as a “variable geometry” band, meaning that the songs could be performed
by 2 or 3 or the full band, depending on availabilities (as some members also work with other bands). Having a lot of members open of lot of possibilities and although the songwriting has been done so far
by Willow, Nicole and me, the rest of the band is very present for the arrangements. Obviously, getting everyone together to work on these arrangements is not always easy, and financing travel can become an issue when you want the entire band to be present.

(Willow) It’s true that organizing 10 people can be a real pain, but so far so good- strength is known to be found in numbers – especially with professional players like Benoà®t Rocheleau and Lysandre Champagne. We share a common passion which helps a lot. We are talking about touring Europe next year, but it is uncertain how viable that will be for all 10 of us- logistics are an issue for travelling with such a large band.

There is a palpable ‘dark’ slant and feeling to your music, why is this?

(Banjo Ben) Someone’s life isn’t always bright and sunny, so why should music be different? I think the darker side of the music or lyrics is a nice balance to the festive and fun side of the band. I can’t really see one without the other. I can’t say for the lyrics, but I always notice a little melancholy in music that I come up with. Must be the love for oriental music coming through, or the fact that it always seems to easier to create when some things aren’t going 100% in your life.

(Willow) Sickly sweet love songs make me want to puke. I want to write songs that are full of double-meanings and crazy imagery, twists and turns that keep the listener on their toes. I have always loved the darkly beautiful manic melodies of Nino Rota and Astor Piazzolla, the shadowy moods of the Threepenny Opera, the touchingly clever and sinister tales of Eleni Mandell and Tom Waits and the soul and mind-blowing versatility of Nina Simone. Lyrics occur to me at the strangest times. Sometimes it is the result of a hangover, something someone said, it can be extreme pain or joy, introspection, learning something new on the accordion or a dream I had. Highly unpredictable.

Is there a mission you hold for creating art or what is your purpose for doing it?

(Banjo Ben) I don’t have a mission per say. Music obviously has a broader appeal than many forms of art, but I think a person creates first and foremost for themselves. Songwriting can help one get through hard times, get a better understanding or perspective on things, or simply bring a smile to someone’s face. If you have the chance, like we do, to also create with others, and then to express yourself to an audience, it’s a nice bonus, but it shouldn’t be the starting point.

(Willow) I have an innate need to express myself through music- always have, always will. I suppose I am also carrying on the musical tradition of my family (my Father Mark is a wonderful pianist and composer and my sister “Calamity Royale” is one kick ass Wurlitzer playing songwriter based in Toronto.)

Did you attend college? What did you study or currently study (maybe even outside university?)

(Banjo Ben) Did the Standard CEGEP in Human Sciences, and later went back for a technical diploma in Audio recording and multimedia.

(Willow) Graduated from interdisciplinary studies at the Ontario College of Art and Design, Toronto Ontario. I love art but have always been more consumed by music. Currently study accordion with Raylene Campbell here in Montreal.

What are your religious or philosophic beliefs?

(Banjo Ben) Born and raised Roman-Catholic, and although my values are based on this education, I currently do not associate myself to any particular religion. I prefer to take the positive laws and beliefs form different sources and applying them to the events of my life.

(Willow) I was not raised with a religion. As for philosophic beliefs, I figure you had better do what you want to do before too much time passes and you regret it. Listening to my heart (or is it guts?) has always helped me to navigate. Also, I really enjoyed the book the Tao of Pooh.

Why did you volunteer for the jazz fest?

(Willow) I worked backstage for the 2007 Montreal Jazz festival making sure that the artists were happy- it was an amazing experience and I was humbled and so inspired to play after hanging out with the likes of Mike Stern, Danilo Perez, Toumani Diabaté and Richard Bona. These men are all masters of their instruments and are the coolest, most genuine and down to earth people.

As one, I think, can glean, The Subcollisions are genuine and down to earth as well. Don’t miss them at the Monthly Mess.

contact me josh @ indyish (dot) com

- euphoreador –