by Daniel Emberg
If you make a record with one of the most beloved recording engineers on the planet, the subject will inevitably be broached in every interview for awhile. So let’s start with vocalist/guitarist James Stewart giving a little primer on the latest record from his band Slates.
Quoth Stewart, “Taiga is our third full-length, and we recorded it with Steve Albini at Electrical Audio Studios. It was six days of recording and mixing. We took a day off then got it mastered, and then we went home and just didn’t talk to each other for a month—which was glorious!”
Lest you think the Slates crew are so insufferable that a week together demands a month apart, there’s a bit more to it. They were quite excited to be working with Albini, to the point that Stewart says over eight months were spent writing and tweaking the songs. The breather makes much more sense in that light.
As for those carefully crafted songs, Stewart says, “We decided to leave a lot more space and use a lot more dynamics, because [Albini] has these incredible rooms and his microphone techniques just catch that ambient room sound. We wanted to make sure there was enough space [in the songs] to kind of get that through on record.” Additionally, the band knew they would be recording pretty much live to tape so wanted to make sure they were “really well-rehearsed, to the point where we got to the studio and were just able to hunker down and do everything we wanted to in those six days.”
Stewart tells a familiar story about making a record with Albini: there is nothing Hollywood about getting in. “It’s literally just a timing issue. If he’s around and he can do it, he’ll do it. He’s resisted any attempt to price himself out of that and become some ‘big name’ producer. He wants to work with up-and-coming bands, the people he considers his peers…that’s his roots and he doesn’t want to reject that, which I highly respect.” Upon arrival, “[Albini] asks how you want stuff to sound, then he sets up some mics. If you’re familiar with how his records sound, you kind of know what you’re getting into. A lot of it is just microphone selection and microphone placement.”
Slates have been spreading their wings far and wide since the release of their eponymous debut in 2009, playing in locales as diverse as Cuba, Bosnia, Poland, and even dear ol’ Winnipeg! They have built an enthusiastic following along the way, as word of mouth regarding their live shows has helped the Slates name become a trusted one with music fiends and friends all over the place. The current tour has seen Stewart and his bandmates (Stefan Duret, Lee Klippenstein, and Dallas Thompson) play all the way out to Nova Scotia and back, including a stop at the HMS Arlington this Thursday evening.
They are nearing the end of a nearly month-long haul through the summer, but the band is keeping an eye on further touring possibilities later in the year. Slates have been (and remain) very much a DIY punk band, but signing with New Damage Records last year is another of the connections that help them do it themselves even further afield. Stewart remarks with at least a hint of surprise that he’s been sent Taiga reviews from unexpected locations such as Germany and Australia, so this record is certainly getting around.
Stewart reflects on the time spent writing Taiga as one of memorable creative exploration and growth for the band. Part of that stems from a major lineup change after guitarist Eric Budd left the band. They picked up bassist Klippenstein for a European tour in support of 2011’s Prairie Fires, which led to former four-stringer Duret moving over to guitar full-time.
“That made for a pretty big difference in the interplay of the guitars, which is an important part of our band,” explains Stewart. “It really changed our style…we felt reinvigorated, almost like a different band [so] we were putting a lot of hard work in but it was also super exciting and fun to be writing these songs that kind of pushed the boundaries of what our band had been up to that point.” Ultimately, Stewart says all those changes have the band, “more excited than ever to get out there.”
Describing Taiga as a “bleak, wintry record,” Stewart explains that this latest batch of Slates songs is definitely informed by a combination of the band’s new configuration and the experience of holing up to write through the winter in a relatively isolated prairie city. That latter point comes shining through in the video for the title track, which leaves no doubt as to the band’s Edmonton identity—it’s something of a visual collage familiar to anyone who has kept the party going after a sweet night at Wunderbar.
Stewart continues, “Lyrically, a lot of [darkness and winter] comes through for sure. Also being in Alberta, and seeing what’s going on with the environmental devastation, the unwillingness to vote out the government in power…it’s super frustrating. On the flipside, you have these amazing arts and music communities that always keep you inspired, and you don’t want to leave because you feel like you’re all in it together….Edmonton, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, there’s definitely a kinship to these communities that only people who live here would ever really understand.”
Slates are a group that simply loves gettin’ out there, whether that means playing to familiar faces and places or plunging into uncharted waters. If it’s been awhile since you’ve seen them come on down to the Handsome Daughter on Thursday night and find out how the band has evolved. If you’ve never caught a Slates show before, come on down anyway to catch a stellar live band that is constantly looking to build their community!
HMS Arlington, July 31, with These Estates (Regina), Conduct, & Tunic. Do it. Do it. Do it. Do it.