Brendan McLeod, Barbara Adler, Adrian Glynn and Steven Charles
..
Etkilendikleri
Commercial Drive
Neye Benziyor?
The Fugitives EP, "Find Me" comes out Oct. 6, 2009
Anyone who takes meandering bus rides through their city (lost in a foreign town, etc) knows that communicating with strangers can be a challenge. Having spent their past three years on the road, The Fugitives’ have seen a few buses (towns, what have you) and bring these experiences to bear on their latest release, “Find Me (EP)”, which has them seeking out the stories of strangers and pulling them close in an attempt to connect with their neighbours.
In March 2010, The Fugitives will release a full-length concept album chronicling their attempts to connect with the majority of people in the world – those we don’t know. The 5 tracks on “Find Me” are the first overtures in this musical conversation, tracking the stories of strangers through newspaper articles, interviews, and good old-fashioned eavesdropping to create a thread of narrative songs which explore the extremes of solitude and isolation. In the title track, The Fugitives recount the lonely urgency of cabin fever in a story gleaned from a personal interview with a back country ranger. In “Blue Belle Lament” the intimacy of a marriage dissolves into estrangement, and ‘To the man…’ tries to make sense of a man so isolated he died without anyone noticing.
The band’s personal response to these stories finds them in turns passionate, perplexed, and vulnerable – nearly at a loss for how to connect to the experiences of others but stretching to do so regardless. The musicality of the album embodies this disconnect – discordant bowed banjo wreaks havoc over three part harmonies and the swell of electric organ and lap steel soothe the stark images of utter isolation. Throughout the album there is always the promise of genuine connectedness and affection, an approach best embodied in the opening track’s unabashedly joyful anthem, in which a chorus of strangers recorded at one of the band’s performances belts us through to an exuberant conclusion.
Featuring an impressive cast of guest musicians and guidance from Canadian Art-Rock icon, Veda Hille, “Find Me” has an old fashioned sensibility. It’s not that the songs specifically reference past genres. The Fugitives are not folk-revivalists. Yet there is a nostalgic, well-worn ease to the album that serves as a reminder that conversation is one of the oldest art forms around.
The Fugitives’ 2007 CD, “In Streetlight Communion” was nominated for a Canadian Folk Music Award for its multi-genre exploration of the boundaries between storytelling and music. In “Find Me,” those boundaries are navigated with assurance to create a lush world of orchestrated storytelling, where the convergence of poetry and music happens with ease, like something remembered. For the past five years, The Fugitives have lived on the road, playing folk festivals, theatre festivals, literary festivals, dance festivals, and every kind of venue in between. Their ability to garner acclaim in such a wide variety of genres is proof that their music has the ability to speak to all kinds of strangers, even those who are the hardest to find and the most difficult to accept.
..
“Accompanying themselves on various combinations of banjo, guitar, melodica and percussion, The Fugitives are capable of achieving dizzying, Arcade Fire-ish crescendos, replete with parallel melodies, complex harmonies and brimming torrents of emotion.” – Uptown Magazine, Winnipeg
****************************************************************
“One of the best events we’ve ever had…right up there with Allen Ginsberg and Ken Kesey” – Executive Director, Dylan Thomas Festival (UK)
****************************************************************
The Fugitives are the combined talents of Vancouver artists Adrian Glynn, Barbara Adler, Brendan McLeod, and Steve Charles. A group of multi-instrumentalists, songwriters, poets and novelists, each with their own burgeoning solo career, they’ve won individual accolades as diverse as the Canadian SLAM poetry championship, CBC poet laureate, and a place in the Peak performance songwriting series. But their primary focus lies in banding together to integrate their sensibilities into a dynamic mix of modern folk.
Formed four years ago on Vancouver’s East Side, The Fugitives have trod their instruments and words numerous times through Canada and Europe. Performances that began in abandoned bank vaults and small vegetarian restaurants in England have turned into mainstage appearances on the Canadian folk festival circuit and sold out headlining shows at venues as diverse as the Vienna Literary Festival, the Winnipeg Fringe Festival, the Vancouver Jazz Festival, and the Chutzpah Dance Festival.
Like most young bands The Fugitives have weathered poverty, missed trains, and a few line up changes (parting amicably with upcoming folk talents Mark Berube and CR Avery), while honing their live act into a versatile mix of story and song. As the CBC has it, “whether you go for the poetry, the music, or both, this show is simply brilliant.”
The Fugitives last release, In Streetlight Communion, was nominated for a 2007 Canadian Folk Music Award for pushing the boundaries of contemporary folk music. They’ve returned with a five song EP, ‘Find Me’, to be followed by a full length release in March of 2010. Featuring orchestration by Veda Hille and production by Matthew Rogers, ‘Find Me’ will be supported this October by a tour across the country. Check for them in your town; their live act keeps on improving, and they’ve gotten much better at catching trains.
Just a reminder to listen to THE FUGITIVES on THIS GREAT WHITE NORTH. It's an ALL CANADIAN music show FRIDAYS 4:30-6pm CST on 91.7 KOOP FM in Austin, Texas. You can listen online at www.KOOP.org.
Just read an review for the EP saying your guy's poetry is ruining the "various perfect melodies" haha!
Naaahhhhh man, don't they know the poetry's the best part.
Not that the music not kickass though. 'Cause it is. Shiny Plastic Bags is still one of those stop-whatever-you're-doing-and-listen type songs. It's so haunting. Like beautiful, little ghosts playing dress up with their parent's clothes.
Hello, thank you very much. This is wonderful music...exactly what we would like to hear live over here. So don't hesitate, pull on your bathing suits and come swimming. Don't forget your instruments. See you in a minute. All best wishes, LB
You guys should come to Fort St. John, lol, I know it probably won't happen but Whole Wheat and Honey is not a bad venue. I miss you guys. BTW how can I buy a c.d. online?
le cd tourne en boucle!! merci encore pour cette soirée samedi!!..quelle énergie!..j'aime.. et quelle nuit blanche! coup de coeur musical! ;) bises!! bye! aurélie
If you'd like your music to be considered for a feature at Rambles. NET, be sure to send a couple review CDs our way. (Check out our page for the mailing address.) Cheers!
Online!
