--taken from: MSN Entertainment
Matt [Schichter] sits down with Canadian alt-rock legends Chris Murphy and Jay Ferguson of Sloan.
Check out the link below to see the video!
http://video.ca.msn.com/?mkt=en-ca&vid=c7185240-0982-4b86-b61b-9d6ff2e3225c&from=sharepermalink&src=v5:share:sharepermalink:
Friday, December 7, 2012
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Top 10 Reissues of 2012
--taken from: Exclaim!
by Brock Thiessen & Gregory Adams
1. Sloan
Twice Removed: Deluxe Edition
(Sloanmusic.com)
Having just Sloan's beloved 1994 sophomore album repressed on wax would have been enough of a treat, but the self-released box set for Twice Removed had the band mining the vaults for three LPs and a 7-inch's worth of treasure. While the extensive liner notes suggest this may have been the most difficult time in the band's career — from the rest of the group's assumed betrayal of Andrew Scott's move to Toronto, to managing label expectations and undergoing occasionally uncomfortable studio sessions — the album has most definitely stood the test of time. The full demos LP shows the evolution of the album, including a head-scratching grunged-up version of "Loosens," while the third LP showcases some of the group's more psychedelic moments ("Autobiography"). If you needed more proof that Twice Removed is downright Canadian classic, here it is. (G.A.)
--taken from: Exclaim!
by Brock Thiessen & Gregory Adams
1. Sloan
Twice Removed: Deluxe Edition
(Sloanmusic.com)
Having just Sloan's beloved 1994 sophomore album repressed on wax would have been enough of a treat, but the self-released box set for Twice Removed had the band mining the vaults for three LPs and a 7-inch's worth of treasure. While the extensive liner notes suggest this may have been the most difficult time in the band's career — from the rest of the group's assumed betrayal of Andrew Scott's move to Toronto, to managing label expectations and undergoing occasionally uncomfortable studio sessions — the album has most definitely stood the test of time. The full demos LP shows the evolution of the album, including a head-scratching grunged-up version of "Loosens," while the third LP showcases some of the group's more psychedelic moments ("Autobiography"). If you needed more proof that Twice Removed is downright Canadian classic, here it is. (G.A.)
--taken from: Exclaim!
Friday, November 23, 2012
Concert Review: Sloan’s Twice Removed makes for half of a perfect night
--taken from: National Post
by Noah Love
If you have lived in Toronto between Bathurst and Dufferin any time in the past 15 years, there is a good chance you have experienced Sloan’s omnipresence. You’ve probably seen Jay Ferguson or Andrew Scott riding a bike or Chris Murphy hanging out on College St. or Patrick Pentland at Loblaws. On a personal level, it went a bit further than that.
For three years, I lived next door to Ferguson and watched the rest of the band drift in and out from the couch. After that, I was less than a block away from Murphy. More recently, the group’s practice space was a block south of the building I moved out of in June. And from 2005-2007, I worked at now-defunct Chart Magazine, which featured Sloan on the cover more than any other band in its 18-year history. The very last of those covers was shot in my living room.
In spite of this, I have never been a diehard Sloan fan. I grew up on British and American indie rock, and Sloan existed in the peripheral. Their singles and videos were great, but I just didn’t seem to have the time for the records. I got a bit more into the band during my Chart years, mostly through osmosis. When I arrived in 2005, Sloan was on its cover again, with Twice Removed being coroneted the best Canadian album of all time by hundreds of music critics, musicians and industry people. It was the second time Twice Removed had won the critics poll — the first was in 1996, a mere two years after its release. (Joni Mitchell’s Blue took the top spot in 2000.)
Again, though, my relationship with that record is limited. Outside of People of the Sky and Coax Me, I spent more time with Twice Removed in the last week than at any other point. And that is because Sloan is touring that album, a tour that arrived at the Phoenix in Toronto on Thursday night, and which ends on Friday in Montreal. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: album tours are never a bad idea. They re-energize your fan base, and if you pick the right record, it’s an event. Given Twice Removed‘s special status among those were were in their late teens and twenties when the LP came out, this tour was a mega-event for Sloan fans.
Having said that, I don’t think you needed a superfan to get caught up in Thursday’s emotional homecoming. There is another reason why album tours are great: they combine the power of live music with the careful sequencing of a studio record. Everything feels right. And everything about Sloan’s Twice Removed set, the first of two on Thursday, went tremendously right. Even if the band rushed it a bit — delivering the album’s 12 tracks at close to its 44-minute running time — the crowd had a hand in propelling the night forward. Singalongs, clapping — nothing needed to be prompted because Twice Removed is a burned imprint on the minds of many of those who attended.
After Jale’s Jennifer Pierce appeared to reprise her part on I Can Feel It, the group left the stage for about 30 minutes, but giddy enthusiasm flowed freely in the room. What followed took a bit of the shine off the evening. Sloan returned to play somewhere in the neighbourhood of 20 songs. Many were hits, and everything sounded between pretty good and great. But songs from any album released after 2001 had a tendency to dull the energy level. The later part of the second set, which featured The Other Man and Underwhelmed, allowed Sloan to leave on a high note, but the whole thing felt like a bit of a missed opportunity.
I’m underrating it a bit. There were so few missed notes in a night-long celebration of Sloan. But this was a night where perfection was so, so close. It’s a shame it barely eluded them.
--taken from: National Post
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Sloan's Jay Ferguson talks re-issue of Twice Removed
--taken from: blogTO
by Adam Kamin
For a lot of folks, Sloan's 1994 album Twice Removed is a watershed moment in the Toronto-via-Halifax band's history. For a group who would become beloved for their jaunty, infectious take on Beatles-esque pop, their career had begun a few years prior with a debut LP, Smeared, that took the best elements of the sounds du jour - namely shoegaze and Sonic Youth-inspired noise-rock - filtered through the innate pop sensibilities of four distinct songwriters.
Seeing the potential of the band at the forefront of the Halifax scene, at the time deemed the "new Seattle" following that city's grunge boom of the early '90s, Geffen Records had signed the band on an international deal for the follow-up to Smeared, as well as giving their debut it's first American release.
Twice Removed was released in August 1994, less than six months after the death of Kurt Cobain. Unfortunately, in a period marked by an explosion of derivative proto-grunge Nirvana knockoffs tailor-made for radio play, the brilliantly direct songcraft of the mostly fuzz-free Twice Removed was perceived as a disappointment by the label, who famously dropped Sloan after all but sweeping the album under the rug of the international market.
Rather than opting to throw in the towel, the band reconvened with 1996's wildly acclaimed One Chord to Another, going on to great success over seven more LPs at the helm of their own label, murderecords.
Having delivered one of the best records of a long and storied career with last year's The Double Cross - the title a reference to the band's two decades in the business - Sloan have taken the last few months to pay respect to their sophomore classic with a crazily comprehensive box set, augmented by a series of shows featuring a performance of Twice Removed in full at a sold out show at the Phoenix tonight. Guitarist and songwriter Jay Ferguson took the time to answer some questions about the various anniversaries being commemorated by the band, the initial reception to what has become one of their most beloved albums, and what's on the horizon for Sloan.
After spending the last year promoting Sloan's 10th album and celebrating your 20th anniversary as a band, why pick now to look to the past for this series of shows?
Jay Ferguson (JF:) Some of us had been talking over the past couple years about reissuing older LPs (on vinyl or other formats) and perhaps touring one of these older LPs; playing it as a show from top to bottom. Those kinds of shows have obviously become a bit of a trend over the past few years. We thought it might be a fun idea and perhaps lure out some long lost fans who haven't kept up with us since the 1990s. After touring The Double Cross through 2011, we didn't really have a plan for this year, so it seemed like a good time to try to combine a reissue and tour for 2012.
Although it's not a particular anniversary for Twice Removed (happy 18th!), it seemed like the best place to start - it appears to be one of the records that many of our fans have a particular fondness for, and we also had a plenty of demos to choose from to really expand a reissue. As well, it was a fairly well documented time that enabled us to assemble a large, thorough book to accompany the vinyl box set.
Was there any talk of running through Smeared in its entirety prior to these performances of Twice Removed?
JF: Well, I guess it would have made sense to work chronologically, but I think we agreed that Twice Removed would be the best foot forward. We'll get to a Smeared box set, too. The version of Andrew [Scott, drummer] singing "Median Strip" has to see the light of day.
How has the reception to the tour been so far? What can be expected from the show aside from airing out the record?
JF: It's been super; good sing-a-longs. We play two sets - first up is Twice Removed in it's entirety, then a short break, after which we come back and play an all-sorts set of songs from the rest of our catalogue.
How has Twice Removed held up for the band? It's been said that there were a fair share of label issues with Geffen upon its original release, but did the band ever put any stock into these? Have your opinions of the record changed over time?
JF: I guess you might get a different answer from each of us. I've always liked the LP and while at the time the response from Geffen in the US was frustrating, it didn't mar the music for me. We've also been playing a handful of the songs ("Penpals," "Coax Me," "People Of the Sky") fairly regularly over the years, so it's not like we're unearthing something completely unfamiliar, but it's satisfying playing the LP as a united piece.
Is it true that the lyrics of "Penpals" are taken from fan letters to Kurt Cobain?
JF: Quite true. There is a recreation of the letter included with the new box set.
Twice Removed is a world away from the washed-out fuzz of Smeared and the earlier Peppermint EP, and is the first indication of the refined pop milieu Sloan has worked in since. What brought on such a sonic change from your first album? How do you see Twice Removed in relation to what followed?
JF: Personally, touring Smeared for the better part of two years was taking a toll on my eardrums. I was happy to play a little quieter at the time. I also felt that the musical climate was getting overstuffed with-half baked noisy guitar bands and wanted to take a turn away from that sound. Perhaps it was not the right thing to do commercially?
I think that was Geffen's frustration with Twice Removed, in that it didn't follow logically from the sonic template of Smeared. I/we were happy to pull from different references like Fleetwood Mac, or Plastic Ono Band, or the third Velvet Underground album, and to try to chart a different musical course that would set us apart (hopefully) from the glut of noisy indie groups that followed in the wake of (the great) My Bloody Valentine and Nirvana. It does seem that Twice Removed perhaps set the template for what followed, with every member singing and writing, and no particular set style or format of the songs contributed.
This time last year saw you give One Chord to Another a similar treatment at one of one of Fucked Up'sholiday benefit shows at the Great Hall. Are there any plans to revisit that or the other LPs for a proper tour?
JF: Since it appears this Twice Removed tour and box set have done well, I think we'll continue in the future with the box set reissue/tours for as long as fans will allow it. I think One Chord To Another would make a logical next choice.
Lastly, is there anything currently on the books in the way of new material? Has revisiting material from the band's formative years had an effect on the current songwriting process?
JF: We've yet to make a concrete plan for 2013, but hopefully we'll have a new Sloan LP out for next autumn, and then perhaps try another reissue/tour after that campaign is over. We also have a brand new 7" due out in a couple months that sounds absolutely nothing like Twice Removed.
--taken from: blogTO
by Adam Kamin
For a lot of folks, Sloan's 1994 album Twice Removed is a watershed moment in the Toronto-via-Halifax band's history. For a group who would become beloved for their jaunty, infectious take on Beatles-esque pop, their career had begun a few years prior with a debut LP, Smeared, that took the best elements of the sounds du jour - namely shoegaze and Sonic Youth-inspired noise-rock - filtered through the innate pop sensibilities of four distinct songwriters.
Seeing the potential of the band at the forefront of the Halifax scene, at the time deemed the "new Seattle" following that city's grunge boom of the early '90s, Geffen Records had signed the band on an international deal for the follow-up to Smeared, as well as giving their debut it's first American release.
Twice Removed was released in August 1994, less than six months after the death of Kurt Cobain. Unfortunately, in a period marked by an explosion of derivative proto-grunge Nirvana knockoffs tailor-made for radio play, the brilliantly direct songcraft of the mostly fuzz-free Twice Removed was perceived as a disappointment by the label, who famously dropped Sloan after all but sweeping the album under the rug of the international market.
Rather than opting to throw in the towel, the band reconvened with 1996's wildly acclaimed One Chord to Another, going on to great success over seven more LPs at the helm of their own label, murderecords.
Having delivered one of the best records of a long and storied career with last year's The Double Cross - the title a reference to the band's two decades in the business - Sloan have taken the last few months to pay respect to their sophomore classic with a crazily comprehensive box set, augmented by a series of shows featuring a performance of Twice Removed in full at a sold out show at the Phoenix tonight. Guitarist and songwriter Jay Ferguson took the time to answer some questions about the various anniversaries being commemorated by the band, the initial reception to what has become one of their most beloved albums, and what's on the horizon for Sloan.
After spending the last year promoting Sloan's 10th album and celebrating your 20th anniversary as a band, why pick now to look to the past for this series of shows?
Jay Ferguson (JF:) Some of us had been talking over the past couple years about reissuing older LPs (on vinyl or other formats) and perhaps touring one of these older LPs; playing it as a show from top to bottom. Those kinds of shows have obviously become a bit of a trend over the past few years. We thought it might be a fun idea and perhaps lure out some long lost fans who haven't kept up with us since the 1990s. After touring The Double Cross through 2011, we didn't really have a plan for this year, so it seemed like a good time to try to combine a reissue and tour for 2012.
Although it's not a particular anniversary for Twice Removed (happy 18th!), it seemed like the best place to start - it appears to be one of the records that many of our fans have a particular fondness for, and we also had a plenty of demos to choose from to really expand a reissue. As well, it was a fairly well documented time that enabled us to assemble a large, thorough book to accompany the vinyl box set.
Was there any talk of running through Smeared in its entirety prior to these performances of Twice Removed?
JF: Well, I guess it would have made sense to work chronologically, but I think we agreed that Twice Removed would be the best foot forward. We'll get to a Smeared box set, too. The version of Andrew [Scott, drummer] singing "Median Strip" has to see the light of day.
How has the reception to the tour been so far? What can be expected from the show aside from airing out the record?
JF: It's been super; good sing-a-longs. We play two sets - first up is Twice Removed in it's entirety, then a short break, after which we come back and play an all-sorts set of songs from the rest of our catalogue.
How has Twice Removed held up for the band? It's been said that there were a fair share of label issues with Geffen upon its original release, but did the band ever put any stock into these? Have your opinions of the record changed over time?
JF: I guess you might get a different answer from each of us. I've always liked the LP and while at the time the response from Geffen in the US was frustrating, it didn't mar the music for me. We've also been playing a handful of the songs ("Penpals," "Coax Me," "People Of the Sky") fairly regularly over the years, so it's not like we're unearthing something completely unfamiliar, but it's satisfying playing the LP as a united piece.
Is it true that the lyrics of "Penpals" are taken from fan letters to Kurt Cobain?
JF: Quite true. There is a recreation of the letter included with the new box set.
Twice Removed is a world away from the washed-out fuzz of Smeared and the earlier Peppermint EP, and is the first indication of the refined pop milieu Sloan has worked in since. What brought on such a sonic change from your first album? How do you see Twice Removed in relation to what followed?
JF: Personally, touring Smeared for the better part of two years was taking a toll on my eardrums. I was happy to play a little quieter at the time. I also felt that the musical climate was getting overstuffed with-half baked noisy guitar bands and wanted to take a turn away from that sound. Perhaps it was not the right thing to do commercially?
I think that was Geffen's frustration with Twice Removed, in that it didn't follow logically from the sonic template of Smeared. I/we were happy to pull from different references like Fleetwood Mac, or Plastic Ono Band, or the third Velvet Underground album, and to try to chart a different musical course that would set us apart (hopefully) from the glut of noisy indie groups that followed in the wake of (the great) My Bloody Valentine and Nirvana. It does seem that Twice Removed perhaps set the template for what followed, with every member singing and writing, and no particular set style or format of the songs contributed.
This time last year saw you give One Chord to Another a similar treatment at one of one of Fucked Up'sholiday benefit shows at the Great Hall. Are there any plans to revisit that or the other LPs for a proper tour?
JF: Since it appears this Twice Removed tour and box set have done well, I think we'll continue in the future with the box set reissue/tours for as long as fans will allow it. I think One Chord To Another would make a logical next choice.
Lastly, is there anything currently on the books in the way of new material? Has revisiting material from the band's formative years had an effect on the current songwriting process?
JF: We've yet to make a concrete plan for 2013, but hopefully we'll have a new Sloan LP out for next autumn, and then perhaps try another reissue/tour after that campaign is over. We also have a brand new 7" due out in a couple months that sounds absolutely nothing like Twice Removed.
--taken from: blogTO
Rockers give fans Twice Removed on vinyl
--taken from: NOW magazine
by Joanne Huffa
Eighteen years ago, Sloan altered the landscape of Canadian pop music with Twice Removed. Buoyed by clever lyrics, jangly guitars and meaty drums, the Halifax band’s second album was released by DGC, a label that also boasted Sonic Youth, Nirvana and Beck – decent company by any standard.
Thanks to requests by fans to see the classic album reissued on vinyl, Sloan have done just that through their own Murderecords imprint. They’re also currently winding up a Twice Removed tour in support of it.
The deluxe package includes three vinyl albums (the original, demos and outtakes), a 7-inch single with two bonus demos, high-quality digital downloads, a 32-page booklet, a copy of the letter that inspired the song Penpals and other goodies compiled for both new fans and listeners who’ve been around since the early days.
“We just played out west and heard a lot of ‘We haven’t seen you guys in 10 years,’” says singer/guitarist Jay Ferguson over tea in a Trinity-Bellwoods café a few days before flying to Newfoundland with bandmates Chris Murphy, Patrick Pentland and Andrew Scott to continue the tour.
“This show might be a little more special to some people than a regular Sloan show. [Twice Removed] was the point at which a lot of people got into our band. It seems to be the album that keeps getting brought up.”
With plans to record a new album next year and then treat 1996’s One Chord To Another to a similar deluxe reissue, the Toronto-based band is booked solid well into its third decade together. And the critical and commercial success of last year’s The Double Cross, which made the Polaris Prize long list, has certainly helped remind listeners of the group’s songwriting prowess.
“I didn’t know it could happen,” Ferguson says about Sloan’s longevity. “But it’s what I wanted. The longer I’m in a band, the more supportive I am of acts who are still together.
“You know, the Rolling Stones are rehearsing for four shows this fall and a tour next year. People are like, ‘Oh, they should give it up.’ But no, man, this is what they do. It’s almost uncharted territory – a rock ’n’ roll band that’s been playing for 50 years. How’s it going to end?”
--taken from: NOW magazine
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