by Broose Tulloch
Summer’s just begun and Electric Soul is already planning for the end of it, for that’s when they unveil their sophomore disc, Second Paradise. The prog-influence quartette features Ed Durocher (guitar, vocals), Dave Guenette (keyboards, vocals), Joey DeCosse (Drums), and Chris Tuscherer.
Stylus caught up with Ed Durocher and Dave Guenette to discuss the new album, weddings, and band names.
Stylus: You were aware that there were other bands named Electric Soul, but you kept it anyway.
Ed Durocher: I really felt a strong attachment to that name and I can stand behind that name. Actually the name came when Chris (bass) and I played in a band that was the house band on Thursday nights at the King’s Head Pub four or five years ago and Electric Soul was the name of that band. Then it broke up. So when Dave and I got a band going, Chris came back into the fold and I knew we had to keep that name. I just loved it so much. It suits us but it doesn’t define us. It’s wide open and we can take it anywhere.
Dave Guenette: Electric Soul strikes me as a very timeless name for a band, and one that partially gives away our sound, but not completely. It sounds like it could be anything from rock to funk to soul to R&B. We all come from different backgrounds musically, both in what we listened to and how we learned to play, and the name Electric Soul doesn’t sound like it fits in any specific genre.
Stylus: One of those other Electric Souls is a Welsh Wedding Band! Have you ever played a wedding?
ED: No, we have never played a wedding but if it comes up I would totally be down for that! Actually, my girlfriend, Hannah and I met at one of our shows! So that is awesome; best show of my life right there. She commented on my Zappa shirt and it was all over from there.
DG: There was one gig a while back at Ozzy’s where some guy we didn’t know came up on stage and started dancing around us with a full beer in hand, spilling some onto our instruments. No harm done, though, and it was actually a really cool moment.
Stylus: What is your vision, where do you want to take the band musically?
ED: It’s funny, whenever I bring in a song to the band I have an idea of how the song should sound and be arranged, and rarely does it stay like that but the song always comes out better. I feel like this band is always hungry to evolve. I like what we have done in the past, but we need to move forward always. That’s what we take from Prog Rock, they were always looking for something new. I want us to keep on exploring, looking for new colours and emotions because that’s what good music is.
DG: Musically I have no idea where this band is going to go, and that’s how I like it. As people I feel we evolve mentally, and what I want to see the band doing for the next album may be completely different now than what I want when we actually record it! That’s kind of the fun part: we have no idea what the songs are going to sound like until we write them!
Stylus: Tell us about your sophomore album, Second Paradise, which will be available September 3rd.
ED: It was a hard album to make. Lenny (Milne) worked us hard and never let us just “settle” for something. We are a better band now and know what we have to do to move forward as a band and as musicians. It brought us closer together. You really have to be there for each other even when you are arguing. Recording an album of songs you care about so much is mentally, physically and emotionally draining.
DG: Making the album was a really great experience because it brought us to the highest of the highs and the lowest of the lows. We put our hearts and souls into this album and in the end we’re very happy with it.
On September 6th, Peg City rockers Electric Soul release their second effort, the aptly titled Second Paradise, at the Windsor Hotel, along with Mariachi Ghost and King Cabernet. Tickets are available at Music Trader and Into The Music. Electric Soul can be found online at electricsoul.ca.