Sloan’s siren song and their hockey connection as the band returns to Halifax

--taken from: For Star Halifax

by Jack Parson

Air raid sirens are not an unusual sound at Halifax Mooseheads home games.

For some, the Halifax-born rock band Sloan is synonymous with hockey. Fans of the Mooseheads will recognize the sirens of the band’s iconic tune “Money City Maniacs,” waiting in anticipation for the first few strums of the guitar to give way to the ensuing catchy riff.

The song is often played while spotlights dance around the arena as the Mooseheads take the ice in the Scotiabank Centre. This will likely be the case some time during the Memorial Cup, running May 17 to 26.

Canadian artist Andrew Scott, best known as the drummer and one of four songwriters for Sloan, is a big fan of the game. Currently residing in Toronto with his wife and two kids, the 51-year-old Scott plays hockey four to five times a week in a recreational league.

“It’s so many aspects of keeping my mind and body in working order; if I can’t play the game it really pains me,” Scott said in an interview.

“Hockey’s a huge part of my family’s day-to-day. I’ve got a 15-year-old kid who plays single A GTHL (Greater Toronto Hockey League) hockey here, and that dominates our fall, winters and springs.”

Sloan’s music has also been played for hockey games at the national level, and Scott has heard of it being played at Toronto Maple Leafs and Buffalo Sabres games.

“If it turns a nonfan into a fan vicariously, then that doesn’t hurt,” Scott said when asked how he feels about his band’s music being used for hockey games.

During his youth in Halifax, Scott noticed the line between athletes — or “jocks” — and those in the music scene. He was a part of these two worlds and still is. He feels as though that divide is not as prevalent as it once was.

“You block out the stupid kind of ‘This is our gang, that’s your gang, you better not cross this line or watch out’ or whatever. That’s just silly, childish kind of thinking,” Scott said.

“Now, it’s just, like, who cares if you like sports or you like music, like whatever the hell you want.”

Scott will be in Halifax with the rest of Sloan on Saturday night as part of a 10-day music festival on Argyle St. that opened with Matt Mays Friday night and ends with the Joel Plaskett Emergency next Sunday. The festival is part of the Memorial Cup celebration and runs on the same days, with shows ending before the games that day start.

This series of outdoor concerts features homegrown talent, showcasing some of the best musicians to come out of Halifax, an appropriate accessory to the high-profile hockey being played nearby.

“It always feels good to come home,” Scott said.

Whether folks are coming into the city to watch the games or see the concerts, they can expect to hear some Sloan.

--taken from: For Star Halifax