--taken from: NiagaraThisWeek
by Derek Vanderwyk
The music industry is a treacherous place, filled with greed and egos that would tear even the oldest of friends apart. Pairs who spend their time writing songs together in basements end up battling against each other in court, and even bands that forego the stress of touring in a van have an expiration date tacked onto their “creative differences.” With all of the controversy and all of the pride, it seems almost impossible that any group of musicians could survive for even a decade.
How, then, did the members of Sloan manage to stick together for the last 20 years?
“I think you just split the money four ways and you’re fine,” laughs guitarist Jay Ferguson, “It’s all about the money.”
Ferguson’s sarcasm is the first hint that Sloan is a different breed of band. Since 1991, the four-piece from Halifax have been doing things just differently enough to survive the music industry, breaking free from major labels before anyone thought possible. “We’ve been an independent band, technically, since 1995,” states Ferguson, recalling their transition into their own label at Murderecords. Sloan were pioneers in being an “indie” band before that was even a term, and it seems their move of foresight was intelligence rather than coincidence.
“Record sales are declining, with a big part of it due to file sharing and the Internet, so major labels are just having to scramble to make money in other avenues. They sign bans to what they call ‘360’ deals, where they find a band and get not just a piece of their recordings, but a piece of merchandise, and touring, and everything for the advance that they give the band,” lectures Ferguson, “and I think it’s driven a lot of bands away from major labels, because it’s basically a bad deal.” Not to be a cynic, however, Ferguson has also been quick to pursue the opportunities that arose with the change of the millennium. “The Internet has helped us run our own business better, because we have a better ‘band-to-fan’ relationship,” says Ferguson, “it’s almost like direct-to-fan marketing, which never really existed before the late nineties or 2000’s.”
Beyond the business of music, Sloan’s creative dynamic seems to be just as much of rarity as it is a reason they’ve kept together. “Everyone in our band sings and plays music,” explains Ferguson, describing their defiance of the classic four-piece model, “it’s an outlet for everybody, so it’s not like there’s a disgruntled drummer who wants to go make a solo record.” Each member of Sloan is tasked with writing a quarter of each album, and when it comes to playing live, the philosophy on sharing is no different. Instead of keeping their line-up stationary, members of Sloan trade instruments to allow each to front their own songs. “It’s not like ‘this guy’s just a bass player’ or ‘this guy’s just a guitar player or the drummer,’” explains Ferguson, “we usually try to be fairly evenly divided.”
With the release of 2011’s The Double Cross (cleverly named after roman numerals “XX” for 20 years), Sloan has officially built a catalogue of ten full albums, each with a slightly different flavour; however, there are a few trademarks in the music that are undeniably “Sloan.” Anyone picking up a Sloan album can expect a forceful, indie-rock/power-pop/jangle-pop/shining-ball-of-noise sound, filtering elements of fuzz in with soaring harmonies to make the catch of 60’s and 70’s music come alive in a more modern way. To hear a Sloan record is certainly to hear the influences, whether it be The Beatles, The Smiths, or The Pretty Things, wrapped up in a way that is undeniably 21st century. “Everybody in the band translates their influences in a different way or channels them in a different way,” explains Ferguson, “and then the output just becomes what we take from it.”
Sloan is hitting the stage at Canal Days on Saturday, playing in line with the legendary David Wilcox. The band has already made plans to tour their break-through album, Twice Removed, in the coming months, and a deluxe version of the album is being released. Just because they’re looking back for the anniversary, however, doesn’t mean they’re becoming a cover band for their early days. “We’re not going to stop making new music,” says Ferguson, “I just really like our back-catalogue.”
The band must not have gotten the memo that, by this time, they’re supposed to be broken up for ten years and having a disgruntled reunion tour. Everybody makes mistakes, I suppose.
--taken from: NiagaraThisWeek
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