The idea of the Tin Star Band is to mix together folk blues and
the modern bass pulse of dance music. Ben Boles and I began talking
about it in the fall of 2002. We liked both kinds of music and thought
we could make a sort of tinny, live sounding house music that drew
from both sides. Sometimes it seemed there was too much dance, sometimes
there was too much blues, and sometimes there was not enough of either.
Regardless of our accuracy in performing the genres, The Tin Star
Band produces very quirky, nostalgic music.
We holed ourself up in an apartment, recorded with one microphone,
Ben on lap steel, myself on rhodes, and the drum machine as the rythm
section. About three months passed, and we had found 8 songs we liked,
though we had recorded at least three versions of each one.
Lucas came into the fold shortly and we collaborated with him on
the subject of swing. He had just constructed his own acoustic bass.
Lucas had more of a notion of how to get the folk qualities working
that we were missing. Jonno also contributed his talents as a percussionist,
and allowed us to do some rehearsals at the Toronto Tabla Studio where
he works as a teacher of the instrument.
I was very excited about the sentence "Lightning Hopkins +
808 drum machine". I wrote it on a napkin and thought it was
the best thing ever. It was a persistent idea, and it would not let
me eat my dinner in peace. It was a sentence, that I thought, described
tersely how the band should sound. Still, I wouldn't be suprised if
the next time the band plays it will be completely different and for
me that's part of the point.
The Tin Star Band should be planning to release it's debut in January.
I say should because...
Our Grand Idea, dance music+ folk blues has been replaced by a bunch
of songs, so we have to get them recorded in a furious hurry before
another Grand Idea On A Napkin comes along.
-Shelton Deverell
