David: The word
“jimmyrig” is an adaptation of jerry-rig, or jury rig. It essentially means to
build or fix something without the proper tools. When I came up with the
name, more than anything I liked the way it sounded. But it made sense for
us too when we first formed the band several years ago. At the time we
were a trio of musicians with diverse and somewhat dissimilar musical
interests. But somehow when we played music together, we stood up, and
sounded good. The band was essentially jimmyrigged.
2. The formation of the
band (duo) was led by open mic sessions that David and Andre
had participated. What was the biggest factor that made you decide to work
with each other? What motivated you the most to work with him?
David: I can't say there
was any one thing that made us want to work with each other, it sort of happened
gradually.
Andre: We each
collaborated with different musicians, and had our own separate projects for a
short while between the time we met and when the Jimmyriggers first
formed. But we often went to see each other's shows because we had struck
up a friendship through playing at open mics.
David: What was
noticeable about Andre from when I first heard him sing is the power in his
voice, and its distinct tone. It blends well with mine. I suppose what
drew me to want to perform with him was how good we sounded when we sang
together. Then again, he makes everyone he sings with sound great.
Andre: From my
perspective the band formed around the same time that alt-country was becoming a
more important influence in my own songs. There weren't all that many people
around that I knew who were interested in blending rock and country in a
way that I didn't find kitschy or gimmicky. David's material seemed
to suit mine fairly well, so it seemed natural to collaborate.
David: That’s a good
point. Our tastes in music seem to overlap at just the right spot.
3. With the changes of
members between the debut album, “Traveling Salesman, Killer on the
Run...” (2007) and the new album, “I Stand in the Weeds”, (the departure
of Ram Krishnan and the new addition of Kevin Moquin and Lewis Handford),
what has been the biggest impact on The Jimmyriggers? What dynamic(s) has
changed on the stage or live performance with new members?
David: Well the biggest
change is that we’re now a four piece, so our sound is a little fuller. But
with the benefit of hindsight I would say that there was very little
impact on the band itself. We kept playing shows, and singing our songs,
and having just as much fun if not more, only with different people.
Bands are transient beings; people will always come and go. It’s just the
nature of the beast.
Andre: It should be
mentioned that before Kevin and Lewis came on board we'd already started to change
our approach when working on new material. We played with R.D Harris for about
six months before we even started working on the second record. And
compared to the early years of the band we started to spend more time
jamming and letting the song arrangements develop gradually, whereas
in the band's first incarnation we tended to come up with our arrangements
fairly quickly. So far the more measured approach has continued with Kevin
and Lewis.
David: That’s true; there
was a transition period after Ram’s departure where we took our time
getting things organized before making “I Stand in the Weeds”. But since
its release we've been on a few tours and I think we're starting
to hit our stride. We also made sure to take our time to find the
right musicians to play with. And both Kevin and Lewis fit right in, not
only for their musical abilities, but also because they're great guys who
are fun to hang out with.
4. How was the recording
process of “I Stand in the Weeds”, with a producer, Mark Goodwin and drummer,
R.D Harris?
David: It was a lot of
fun. I personally learned a lot from working with Mark, somebody outside of
the band who could listen objectively to our songs and find ways to
improve them. And Robert was just the drummer we needed to make this
record too. He worked really hard on our getting the right rhythm for our
songs and I'm very proud to have worked with him.
Andre: Yeah, we benefited
enormously from having Mark's input in terms of arrangements, instrumentation
and composition (Mark wrote the string and choir parts), as well as his playing
abilities. We took the care to develop the songs fully, and as mentioned Robert
went to great lengths to ensure that each song had it own particular
flavour in terms of the drum sound. While we tried to be as prepared as
possible when recording the bed tracks we took a rather
more spontaneous approach in the overdubs. The guitar overdubs
in particular were a lot of fun - we had no real time constraints so Mark
and I recorded a whole slew of things and just used what worked best.
5. How would you describe
the difference between Montreal and Toronto music scene?
David: I've always been
impressed by how willing people in Toronto are to support live music. This
isn't to knock the Montreal crowds - there are a lot of people in Montreal
who support independent music and we're extremely grateful - but it seems
like if you placed a dance club with a DJ next to a live music venue in
Montreal, the club would always win out.
Andre: There's some truth
to what David is saying but there's also a lot more bands in Toronto, so I imagine
it's more competitive. As far as playing goes, there isn't much difference to
me.
Lewis: I find that there
are many differences between the Toronto and Montreal music scenes.
Montreal has a very definitive French music scene that is quite successful
and self contained. Aside from the obvious bands like The Arcade Fire, Sam
Roberts Band, and Broken Social Scene, who have had great national and
international success, there are numerous francophone bands that have found a
lot of success in this city and have a very strong Quebec following. These
bands stem from a culture that has a long history of change and continues
to struggle and maintain its French identity. I have only spent a small
amount of time in Toronto but from my experience I have found that the music
scene there has a strong connection to the rest of the country. There is a
lot of history and connection to the great songwriting and performing
talents of Canada such as Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor, Gordon Lightfoot,
Ian Tyson, Neil Young, and Dallas and Travis Good (of The Sadies) just to
name a few. They have all spent time there and honed their craft in the
local scene yet maintain that national “Canadiana” identity.
6. In the past, you guys
have toured mainly in Quebec and the East Coast. Do you have any festivals
or place/cities that you would love to play?
David: I like touring so
I’m willing to load up the van and drive to wherever people would like to have
us play. It would be fun to play SXSW...
Andre: Anywhere's fine I
suppose, but I do prefer small to medium sized rooms and would rather
avoid outdoor playing entirely.
David: I can understand
that to a certain extent. We’ve played a few outdoor shows and the sound quality
can be a bit unpredictable.
Lewis: I have had the
pleasure of touring Canada numerous times and seen a very diverse number
of venues and festivals. I absolutely loved the Winnipeg folk festival. I
had the pleasure of seeing The Levon Helm band perform while I was there
and I have to say that it is one of the best run festivals in
North America. Aside from that; I find that theatre shows are the best
venues to play. They have the ambiance of a large venue yet feeling of the
room is very intimate.
7. Do you have any albums
or artists that you are currently listening to?
David: Right now I'm
spinning Sarah Burton's “Mayflower” (she's Toronto-based - go see her!).
And Sarah Jane Scouten's “Magpie Waltz” is still getting a lot of airplay
in my car.
Andre: Bob Dylan's “Time
Out of Mind” and “Soul Journey” by Gillian Welch, but there's a vinyl
record fair in a couple of weeks, so I think some garage rock or early
proto-punk might be in order.
Lewis: I have a few
artists I am listening to right now. Kathleen Edwards new album “Voyageur” is
on steady rotation on my iPhone but I also am a vinyl addict and my latest
record I am digging is Queen: Live. It’s a 2 record album from their 1979
European tour. They're probably near the top of my top 10 favourite bands.
8. What's next for the
Jimmyriggers?
David: We've got a ten
day tour of Ontario coming up at the end of May, including two shows in
Toronto the week of the 21st. We're also keeping our fingers crossed that
somebody drops out of the Montreal Jazz Fest because apparently we aren't
too far down on the short list.
Lewis: We also hope to
tour more around Ontario as well after these upcoming May dates, and we aren’t
ruling out making a few weekend trips to the Maritimes throughout the summer.
Thank you guys so much!
The Jimmyriggers are rocking out at Silver Dollar Room on Friday, April 20th
with Lee Mellor and the Key Frames. What else can I ask for aside from good
music and drinks on Friday night! I hope you can join me!
.JPG)
