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By Cody Klyne, Arts Editor

ask one local band five random questions—

ranging from their successes and the obstacles

they’ ve encountered, to what they eat before a
show—in the hopes of revealing what makes them
tick. Often off the cuff, always bizarre, hopefully
entertaining, this is: 5 Questions.

I recently sat in on a practice with Douglas
College’s classic rock inspired, panther-slick four-
piece, Sneaky Pete. Bouncing back after the loss
of their drummer to UVic (Jay Schreiber, who also
happens to be my prodigious predecessor); this
talented bunch aren’t in the habit of wasting time:
Q: What kind of band are you guys? How do
you see yourself as a band?

Sneaky Pete: We’re really drawn to classic rock.
We’re definitely trying to bring back that old

hard rock feeling. We started out by doing a lot

of covers of the classic stuff, and it just felt good.
It’s been an evolution. It’s that old feel with a new
twist on it.

Q: How’d the band come together and how
long have you been together?

SP: We all met here at Douglas through the Music
Program. Our old drummer (Jay Schreiber) had

to take off due to graduation, but we found an apt
replacement in Mr. Brad Pyke.

Brad: I’ve done a lot of work with orchestras

in town. Jay signed on and helped me out in the
percussion section. That’s how I got to meet

these guys. Jay goes off to UVic and I’m like
“well... that must mean his band is left without a
drummer...”

SP: Perfect time to step forward, by the way
*laughter*. The rest of us have been together since
May of last year. It doesn’t seem like it’s been that
short because we’ ve played gigs that bands get
after two years of playing. We got the Cellar down
on Granville, The Backstage Lounge... things
have been going really well.

Q: What’s the motivation right now? Short-
term goals, or are you looking down the road at
hitting specific benchmarks?

SP: Right now, because we are in school so much,
we want to get some steady gigs while we’re here.
When we get out, it’ll time to kick it back into
gear. We generally play it by ear, but at the same
time we can agree that we’re just waiting for it to
kick off again come the summer.

This is one of the reasons to go to music
school. We want to become better at our craft—
rock music—and have the education to back it up.
We’ ve already reached a few benchmarks with
some of our gigs, and we already got some really
topnotch recordings here (at Douglas). It’s why it
feels weird that we’ve only been doing this since
May. We’ve got our demo done and we have our

with Sneaky Pete

press kit.

Next Fall or Spring, when we’re done
with school, there are definitely a few things
we'd like to look into; like Seeds or The PEAK
Performance.

Q: How have you guys approached the change
in your line-up?

Brad: Coming into it I’d already jammed with
them on a couple of occasions and already
recognized that they were solid musicians to play
with. This is more than an opportunity to network;
it’s the chance to just have fun. It’s been awhile
since I’ve had the chance to just get on stage and
rock.

SP: Maybe it’s a testament to how lax we are
with things in the band. We really weren’t worried
about our old drummer leaving until the day he
left and we were kind of like “Uh oh, we kind of
need a new drummer” and it just so happened that
Brad called us up. It’s gone really smoothly. There
are a lot of commonalities. In this case we share a
lot of common vibes groove-wise. We just have a
similar foundation.

Q: So I walk into a bar go up to the bartender
and ask for a Sneaky Pete. What’s in a Sneaky
Pete?

SP: Funnily enough, there’s actually a Sneaky
Pete already. Two shots of Crown, two shots of
Kahlia, and uh... and one of milk. The question
is, would we drink it?

Unfortunately, we’ve had the pleasure of
having a Sneaky Pete. It’s all good until you get to
the bottom. At one of the shows we played, they
said “Oh, we have the Sneaky Pete,” so we all
ordered one. The bartender’s like “Wow, I have
never sold this drink to anyone that wasn’t a biker
just passing through.” To date... we’re probably
the only other people to drink it *laughter*.

To experience a taste of Sneaky Pete for yourself,
hit them up at: http://www.myspace.com/
thesneakypeteband. For even more, check them
out live on September 25" at The Princeton Pub.
Who is Sneaky Pete?

Chris McLeod — Vocals

Mike Fabro — Guitar ee
Jayden Burton — Bass

Brad Pyke — Drums

 

 

i ars

Sounds of the apocalypse bring good tidings

Tin Star Orphans bring a subtle depth to Canadian Folk Rock

By Cody Klyne, Arts Editor

umans are strange creatures. From cynics
H: optimists and the in between, it’s our

resilience that has always been the deciding
factor in pushing us through the hardships of life.

With the release of their sophomore album
“the days of blinding fear”, Toronto band Tin Star
Orphans address this idea of strength in the face of
adversity head-on as they unearth a rich and varied
pallet of sound within a vacuum born of loss and
despair. Inspired by Cormac McCarthy’s sojourn
into the post-apocalyptic, The Road, the medley of
emotions explored on this 10 track disc chronicles
the ups and downs of life through the colourful
arrangement of factual past and fictional future.

Kicking things off with the slow-to-build, but
inevitably satisfying, “Jaw Wired Shut,” it’s hard to
deny the charm of lead vocalist Zachary Bennett’s
weathered mid-high ranges and the genuine weight
that they seem to carry. Sharp lyrics paired with soft
guitars that swell seamlessly with bright horns; this
opening track acts as a prime example of the kind of
range to be expected over the course of the album.

Just because the album draws inspiration from
the post-apocalyptic doesn’t mean things are all
doom and gloom. Biting tracks like “We Are Lions”
and “Year of the Wave” represent highpoints in
momentum and encourage listeners to shimmy,
groove, and generally gyrate. The blitz-like nature
of “Year of the Wave” in particular piques curiosity
as to the potential the band might have in a live
environment.

If the songs mentioned above represent the
high, then tracks the likes of “Fighter” and “Men
with Guns” find the anthem-esque middle ground.
Keys, drums, horns, and guitars create an ocean-
deep melting pot for Bennett to navigate with
choice timing and complimentary quips. There’s a
fine balance at play here that speaks of an age and
polish beyond the band’s years.

With “Three Cheers for the Coward,” “Fire,”
and “Hand Me Down” rounding things off at the
low and slow end, Tin Star Orphans have crafted
what is essentially a complete package. While
the tracks are successful in revealing the band’s
potential range, they also represent some of the less
impactful moments of the album. Hushed vocals
and the soft ambience of guitars and drums may
be too textbook-expected when you consider the
overall theme at work.

It’s often fight or flight when it comes to a
band’s sophomore release. Toronto’s Tin Star
Orphans have met this challenge and embraced the
next chapter of their own story with “the days of
blinding fear.” They are lions, hear them roar.

OOOO