When My Train Comes In

(A Review Of Joel Plaskett's Latest Album 'Three')

by Matt McKechnie

There used to be an old song by De La Soul that I loved

in which the chorus repeated 'Three...it's a magic numba...'

amidst other silly De La Soul-esque flowery beats and

ramblings.

In Joel Plaskett's 'Three', there are no flowery beats or

hippie-centric rap songs. There are only 27 individual pieces

of art in a musical exhibit that draw a passer-by in to stare

deeply. In a recent interview I conducted with Plaskett, his

words gave me some insight into some of the borderline-OCD

art-work within the album. Plaskett said "I felt that people

would only really get into this album if I could actually

somehow 'bring em to it'...". Using only the warm sounds of

analog recording equipment (as opposed to the default

digital of the modern world), the acoustic-driven (yet

often full-banded ending) songs have a tone of soothing

listenability that run through the entirety of the disc.

With three different albums towing nine songs apiece, there

is plenty to sink your teeth into and almost every aspect

of each album is divisible by three, in some way shape or

form. From the re-curring usage of the three word song

titles ('Heartless, Heartless, Heartless', 'Run, Run, Run',

'Gone, Gone, Gone', etc.), the listeners gets a strong sense

that Plaskett is trying to stick tightly to a concept with

little variance or movement outside of that frame. The

honey-drip accompanying vocals of Rose Cousins and New

York folker Anna Egge lend themselves to almost every song

in a brilliantly guiding light.

But so what? Tons of other artists put this kind of tedious

and exasperating prep into a full length - what is it about

Joel's work that pushes his cream to the top of the milk jar?

It might be due to Joel's ultra-personal songwriting style

that brings the listener right into his living room. JP pulls

no punches when it comes to exploring his own demons

(which are actually shown in the 2nd disc song 'Demons')

and darkness.

But what is it that keeps Plaskett 'Rollin, Rollin, Rollin'?

From his early days with 'The Hermit' (Thrush Hermit)

to his first solo work 'In Need of Medical Attention', Joel

has proven his ability to stay centrally focused (majorly

within rock, country and folk) but to dip very deeply into

varied musical pools when he needs to; He's not afraid to

pick up a mandolin and strum a heartfelt ballad or to

rip full-throttle into his beat-up fender duck and rock the

crowd without abandon. This is no more evident in the

song that rocks hardest on the album - 'Run, Run, Run'.

In this final song on disc 1, after a Zeppelin-esque whap-

drum and sonic rock riff ends, an acoustic coda begins

that ends the song with a brilliant refrain that just may

sum up Joel's experience as a musician so far - and as a

human being:

'All you beautiful creatures

You are featured presentations

Show me a little patience

Won't you meet me at the station

When my train comes in...'

In that same interview, Joel defined success as a sort of

'restlessness' in the sense that he is never truly happy with

what he's made - and he is always on to the next thing.

I didn't really get into this album at first - but it's like any

book worth reading; it takes some time to ingest and once

it sticks, it is all over your consciousness. Let's hope that

Joel still has a ways to go before that ever-running

train comes in.

Book Review (by Matt McKechnie)
AUTHOR: Susan Isaacs
BOOK: 'Angry Conversations With God -
A Snarky But Authentic Spiritual Memoir'

In this life, our personal stories are supernaturally significant.
In Susan Issacs' intensely personal book 'Angry Conversations
With God – A Snarky But Authentic Spiritual Memoir', the
reader is led down the fragrant road of a very colourful story
about a woman trying to get to the centre of her spirit. Thinking
that the end of her rope was going to be reached in New York
at age 40 (after a series of massive life- letdowns and broken
relationships), Susan re-counts the detailed process of finding
an ex-pastor hippie therapist to deal with the re-construction
of her soul.

Speaking of stories, another wrinkle that makes this book all
the more interesting for me is the prong of another story that
entails how I came to cross paths with Susan. In my younger
years, I spent a lot of time watching movies (especially within
the realm of John Hughes comedies). A movie that was very
pivotal for me was 'Planes, Trains and Automobiles' starring
John Candy and Steve Martin. Martin plays Neil Page – a
conservative, tightly wound businessman from Chicago. Candy
plays Del Griffith – a jovial salesman who loves people and
the scent of the open road. In the story, though, I was always
confused about the sad plot of Griffith's wife as she is
somewhat of a present character in the film but is only ever
seen in a bedside photo that Del keeps close. There was
something that drew me in about that picture…but I couldn’t
put my finger on what it was. Regardless of the mystery,
though – I went on. I lived life. I grew up. From time to
time, I would see the film on TBS or another channel and
wonder about the mysterious, friendly-looking woman in
the picture. Some years later, after continuing down the path
of writing and journalism, I worked as a writer and editor for
the Burnside Writer’s Collective based out of Portland,
Oregon (for which Susan was also writing). Googling every
name I found within the collective, I googled Susan’s only to
find out she was a professional actor among many other
things. I clicked on to IMDB to see what films she’d been in
and that’s when I saw that she had acted in ‘Planes, Trains
and Automobiles’. I got kind of excited because I loved that
movie and knew every face in the film like the back of my
hand. I started thinking about which character I thought she
might be – and then I saw her picture online. It was her –
the mysterious lady I’d wondered about for years – Del
Griffith’s wife. I contacted her immediately and we’ve become
acquaintances/e-friends ever since.

Going deeper from my initial meeting with Susan (and due
to the personal nature of this book), I found myself gaining
a wealthier understanding of her while reading it. In
re-counting the woes and hardships of her professional acting
career (in a lot of films I owned on VHS), she bluntly talks
about the harsh downside of the limelight - and how all of her
scenes were cut from the final version of Planes, Trains and
Automobiles. My jaw dropped in revelatory spasm when I read
that line. Susan’s writing style is raw, as she holds back nothing
from her personal experiences. Her narrative includes
everything from guilt-flagged sexuality to running through
the streets of her Californian suburb in a state of lunacy after
hearing about John Lennon’s death. It’s political – it’s powerful
– it’s personal. She curses at God and He curses back at her. But
for all of her ornately-detailed accounts of coffee/rock
church-shopping and odd-duck Christian finding, she finds out
that there is an upshot.

I’m glad to call myself an acquaintance of Susan and to have
gained a greater grasp of her life from reading this book. There
was always a calm, re-assuring notion about her picture in that
film that was endearing to me as a kid. Little did I know that I
would one day meet that very, same lady in the photo. In the
book, Susan stumbles toward re-connecting with God in
couples’ therapy by remembering the good things He’s done
and the presence of His work in her life. Maybe all of that time,
while she struggled through acting and many other woes, her
picture was a way of God telling me (a little boy in Canada) to
never forget faces and to always invest into relationships.

Having been an English major for four and a half years of my
life, I’m still not at a place where I want to read on a casual
basis. ‘Angry Conversations With God’ made me want to start
reading for pleasure again.

Movie Review

Synecdoche, New York

In the mind of Charlie Kaufman and within the screenplays that

originate from that ultra-bizarre and yet strangely familiar world,

the watcher is never really sure what is going on. Even the ending

of a Kaufman film (which usually brings some form of closure or 

relief) doesn't ever actually mean it's 'the end'. Long on trickery 

and short on conformity, Kaufman's latest work 'Synecdoche, 

New York' was released on a relatively small scale last year but 

has thumped the cinematic world for ages to come.  

The making of this film must have been similar to the journey 

of Philip Seymour Hoffman's character Caden Cotard. Overtly 

distraught by a strange and de-habilitating medical condition 

that affects his ability to salivate, Cotard is a man of fatal 

disappointment. Stuck within a disparate marriage to a 

famous painter but pedestalizing his young daughter 

Olive, Cotard aims to break out of his rut as an unoriginal 

playwright and to create something so brave, artistic, daunting 

and unfounded that it begins to take over the whole of his 

being. Within this journey, though, Kaufman keeps the viewer 

disoriented by allowing Cotard's character to lose track of 

normal daily devices such as time. Within the work of this 

film, time is a factor that never really makes sense but 

is still pivotal to the duration of the story. 

Synecdoche plays out like a dream that seems so vivid and

real the moment you wake up, but that is so fragmented and 

near impossible to recall within seconds of being awake.

It is a cinematic work like none other to date. Hoffman is

obviously brilliant along with a stellar cast but the real

creative genius is in the writing. This is not to say that 

Hoffman doesn't act well or isn't a good actor - he's crucial

to this role and a massively gifted actor. This film is just

so well written that the cast is almost a non-factor 

(including a definite nod and branching out for Michelle

Williams). It's actually hard to write about what

unfolds within the film without giving away too much.

Just know that if you don't see any other film this year, 

you must see this one.

MOVIE REVIEW
THE BROTHERS SOLOMON

My brother and a few other friends told me about this
movie, and upon initially hearing about it, I wrote it
off as a lame feature. The rumblings in my mind said
'There's no WAY Will Arnett and SNL regular Will
Forte can be THAT funny for 1 hour and 20 some
minutes'. I also heard it was laced with a lot of sexual
innuendo humour which I find to be pretty unoriginal,
over-used and lacking in comedic depth.

Boy, was I wrong.

The film basically follows the lives of John and Dean
Solomon - two socially inept brothers who are
trying to complete their dying father's last wish to be
a grandfather (who is actually Lee Majors from tv's
long running series 'The Fall Guy'). Yes - the premise
seems ridiculous but in the end, after all of the
awkward antics are done with, it is a film that has
heart. In their quest to impregnate a female and
have a child, the two brothers begin to see what
really matters in life. As an added bonus, you also
get to see Will Arnett wear very short shorts for
the entire feature.

This movie shocked me in the sense that...I haven't
laughed so hard while watching a film in quite some
time. One scene in particular made me laugh to
the point of silly, shaky giggles that even woke up my
sleeping wife. As funny as Will Arnett is (and believe
me - he has some side-ripping scenes), Will Forte
actually steals the show with his amazing dialogue
delivery and stunningly awkward smile. SNL regular
Kristen Wiig also does a bang-up job as the mother-
to-be.

If you are unsure about what flick to pick up the
next time you are browsing the comedy shelves, give
The Brothers Solomon a chance to warm your
heart and your funny-bone.

Matt McKechnie interviews 'Restaurant
Makeover's Design Diva' Meredith Heron


Trying to be a little bit more about culture than just
music, I was able to conduct an interview last week
with Designer Meredith Heron (from HGTV and
the Food Network's 'Restaurant Makeover' and
'Love By Design') and ask her some q's about the
worlds of design, music and culture.

On a snowy Thursday morning with a serious lack of
caffeine, Meredith and I were able to connect after
she screened my calls and refused to answer the phone
a few times.

MM: How did you know you wanted to get into the
world of décor and design?

MH: I guess I’ve always been a naturally creative and really
hands-on person. And ya know, I’ve made mistakes
along the way. I became an elementary schoolteacher
when I was 23 but it really wasn’t my thing. I mean,
I had some outlets as a teacher and helped develop
some new curriculum but it wasn’t enough - and I
could have kept going but I was sort of dying inside.
I always had a great and innate sense of colour growing
up. At one point, I was working at Home Depot making
paints and I thought ‘I love colour and I need to do this’.
So I went back to school, took some con-ed design
courses (and I was really encouraged to do so by
everyone in my life from old teachers and colleagues
to friends and family). And from there, I started
building a client base and I went pro.

MM: How did that lead to becoming a Television
/Media figure?

MH: I actually hosted a charity event for Starlight TV and
I had a friend who was a casting agent - and everyone
seemed to like my on-screen abilities and I loved
doing it. So I was contacted from that event, did a
screen test and went on to host ‘Love By Design’ and
from that show, I met a camera man who referred me
to ‘Restaurant Makeover’.

MM: When you are chillin’, what is your
favourite music to listen to?

MH: Ya know, it depends on what I’m doing and what mood
I’m in but I went to see Duran Duran live a few months
back and it was an amazing experience. I mean – I’m 9
weeks pregnant so I can’t really party that hard but it
was still so cool. And music has a power that way. I can
be in a really bad mood and then ‘Hungry Like The
Wolf’ can come on the radio and everything is okay! I
totally love Simon Lebon so that probably helps.

MM: I’ve read that you specialize in colours and
faux finish – for those of us who aren’t design-
inclined, how would you describe faux finish?
MH: Well, faux finish is just a painting technique that lets
you make something that’s fake - like the appearance of
stone or marble or to make something look aged. I don’t
do it as much anymore unless it’s with antiquing
furniture or glazing something. I try to stay away from
sponge painting now as it sort of makes me cringe. But
that’s basically what it’s about.

MM: Does music have any effect on the way you
create a design?

MH: Actually, we are pretty big about music in the office.
(Asks her partner/husband about a band they listen to).
There is an artist named ‘Kosheen’ who we listen to a
lot of – I also love The Weepies and I love a lot of
melon-collie music; certain Coldplay songs, St Germain.
Friday afternoons at 5 pm, we have this tradition in
our office of cranking up some music. And ya know
what, I may be boxing myself here but I love Bon
Jovi . I saw them live a while back and what a show
that man puts on. We were even in nosebleed seats
and it was still amazing. So yeah – I love music.

MM: There were some internet videos where
someone imitated you a while back on
Facebook – is there a backstory there?

MH: Oh my gosh! (laughs) The story there is that the guy
making the videos was a mutual friend of my
cousin-in-law. A bunch of us went all out at the hair
of the dog pub here in Toronto (which is a pub in
the gay district in Toronto) and there was this guy
named Daniel who is a very gregarious guy who
sort of matches me in many ways AND he is a gay
Anglican priest. You can’t script that! You just can’t.
Anyways, we met the one time, exchanged things
back and forth and made some jokes about me
saying to servers and people in public ‘do you know
who I am?’ So in the videos, he was spoofing me
as we both have the same high maintenance
Starbucks drink order. Pretty hilarious.

MM: What do you think made Restaurant
Makeover so successful (especially when
you teamed up with Chef David Adjey)?

MH: In the first season, the shows were only half an hour.
But in the second season, they were bumped up to
an hour because half an hour just wasn’t enough to
show even a sliver of everything that was going on
(let alone allowing the audience to see the food) so
that helped with the success I think. And as far
David and I, I think people connected David with
us because we are…pretty much ourselves, ya know?
We are both pretty honest people and tend to tell
it like it is so I think people connected to that and
found it a little refreshing. David and I also have
stronger personalities than most and would have
stronger on-screen interactions with Igor (the head
builder) which was always fun (though sometimes
that was scripted).

MM: What would you say to future 'up and
comer' designers?

MH: Oh man. With design, I would say that you can’t
use tv as a guide for what to do or what to design. There
are a lot of hard-working people who have great design
ability but you really need to pick one area and
specialize. But you still have to be able to do multi-task
and work hard. For designers, you have to pay your
dues. If you think you’ve learned everything in a year
or two, you haven’t. There are a lot of people in this
industry who are young and impatient and sort of
encompass that millennial ‘I want it now’ generation.
Design is a business. Figure out where your strengths
are and if you’re a team player, find a firm, use an
approach that compliments your own. Don’t try to
copy something on tv (which is what happens a lot,
unfortunately). I really don’t try to emulate others -
I do my own thing and that helps a lot.

MM: Thanks so much for your time today,
Meredith.

MH: No problem.

Album Review by guest writer Dave Ullrich 

Artist: Andrew Vincent

Album: Rotten Pear

My high school experience was probably pretty normal. 

I wasn't the nerdiest kid in the whole school, but I was also 

definitely not the coolest. I ran with a quiet, law-abiding 

group of friends with a slightly intellectual outsider view 

of the world. Andrew Vincent seems like he could have 

been part of my crew.

Rotten Pear has plenty of quiet electric guitar numbers, 

Genesis-era keyboards and slightly intellectual outsider 

lyrics. I get the feeling that Andrew Vincent is a thoughtful 

guy that doesn't always get the good breaks. However, the 

quality of this album shows he really should get some this 

time around. This is my favourite new album of the year. 

My basic recommendation is that you first buy this album 

on Zunior, call up a few of your outsider friends, get 

pizza/beer and then give it a play. It goes well on 

rainy/snowy nights with people you really like. Listen to 

the lyrics and roll with the mood.

- Dave Ullrich

Dave is the drummer for The Inbreds, the main musical force

of Egger, commander in chief of Zunior.com (Canada's largest

independent music download platform) and the head honcho

of the indie zine ThickSpecs.com.

Interview With Dave Marsh
Published on Thickspecs.com on January 15, 2009


Finding it difficult to co-ordinate our non-meshable
schedules, Dave gracefully accepted a phone call from
me at 9:30 pm Atlantic time on a Thursday night to
talk about music, life, drum-thunder and his newest
full-length solo album 'The True Love Rules'. Dave
let me know he was just playin' a little guitar as he
had just woken up not too long ago from a late night
packed show at the Sea Horse tavern the night before).

MM: First off, thanks for making time to do this
tonight, Dave.

DM: Oh, no worries. Actually, hang on a sec, Matt –
(background talking: 'Al – you okay, there? Come on
in, man). Sorry, Matt – I'm actually just playin a little
guitar tonight and having some pizza that is being hand
delivered to me by Mr. Al Tuck.

MM: Cool! Well, in an interview I did with Jay
Ferguson, he referred to Al as a hero of the Halifax
music scene.

DM: (yells to Al) Jay Ferguson says 'Al Tuck is a hero
of the Halifax music scene'. (mumbling)

MM: Alright. What was it that first set you off down
the road of music?

DM: What – you mean like some sort of traumatic
childhood experience? (chuckles) Let's see – what
was it? I guess it was a lot of listening to the radio
and hearing these crazy big band songs. Growing up,
my parents were always having dinner parties where
music was playing and I was always into hearing what
it was. The radio was always on in my house. And it
probably helped to have a brother who would bring
home 4 or 5 awesome classic albums at a time. Those
things are probably what drew me in.

MM: Right from the beginning of 'Backstreets Thread',
the listener is taken to a pretty vivid place. Are these
real people and real places all throughout this song
and this album?

DM: Yeah man, it's all full of real stories and real
characters. In fact, 'Backstreets Thread' is a straight-up
nostalgic story about workin at the arcade with
childhood friends. It's pretty cool that some of those
same friends were at the show we played at the Sea
Horse last night.

MM: I'm sure this is a question that many of your
drum-wizardry students want to know: How do you
get that gloriously thunderous snare sound in 'The Way
We Live Today' and in some of your other songs?

DM: When the snare works well, it's all about timing,
a little rimshot and the perfect blend of wood and
metal. The rimshot is what gives it that sort of
metallic sound. Joel gave me a 1963, 25 dollar Kent
snare drum that we affectionately call 'Bluey' and it
gives us a lot of that solid sound. The dryer stuff was
recorded with a bigger Ludwig snare that I have
(which we hooked a few mics up to and covered with
a dishtowel to dampen it).

MM: I really first heard about your upfront
musicality on the Super Friendz album 'Love Energy'
(especially on 'Good To Feel Like'). Had you written
and recorded your own original material before?

DM: Yeah, actually. Even before The Super Friendz,
I had my own band named 'No Damn Fears' which
was basically...well...it was 'my' band. I wrote the
songs. It was a pretty killer line-up too. We had
Sloan's Andrew Scott on drums, Matt Murphy on
guitar and Jennifer Pierce who went on to do stuff
with Jale and sign with Sub-Pop. Anyways, that band
featured mostly my songwriting but after that, I
kinda went full-time into exploding and rocking the
skins for The Friendz and Joel in '99.

MM: So is this going to be a common occurrence for
you to write and record your own stuff? And does
Joel 'boss man' Plaskett mind if you take time off?

DM: Ha ha, no – Joel actually encourages me to do
that stuff so he can take time to do his own solo stuff
as well. In fact, right now, he's working on sort of a
three-parter production with his dad. So no – there's
no tension there at all. We'll see how things go with
this album. I'm going to be coming to Toronto in
March to promote it and play some shows.

MM: Have you ever had a nickname in music and if
not, how do you like the sound of 'The Wizard of
Whack'?

DM: (laughs raspily) That's awesome, man! I dig it.
I used to think Sultan of Swat was cool but I'll gladly
take 'Wizard Of Whack'.

MM: On a personal note, with over 20 years
experience as a pro musician, how do you feel about
the modern pop-music marketplace as opposed to
the pop music of the 70's and 80's?

DM: Oh man. I don't know. I mean, my experience
with success kinda only runs from point A to point B.
How some of these bands get to where they are – I
have no fuckin' clue. I guess it's still kinda the same,
ya know? You go out, you see shows and as a musician,
you gotta play shows to get out there. As per
mainstream stuff, I really don't have much time for
the same old Bob Seger songs and the over-digitalized
bullshit of today. Here in Halifax, I mostly just listen
to Suicide FM – it's sorta this radical old-folks station
that plays tunes for Gramps like Bing Crosby and
Ella Fitzgerald but every song is a box of chocolates.

MM: And finally, how do you generally kick so much
drumming arse?

DM: (sighs) Oh, Matt – Why is the sky blue? If dogs
run free, why can't I? (laughs) All of it came pretty
naturally. I mean, I did (at one point in my life) have
to spend an entire summer inside working on the skins
to really get a feel for them. In fact, my brother made
me my first set of drumsticks and they were really thick
and heavy sticks, man. So I figured 'If I can play with
these, everything else will feel like feathers!' I've had
a lot of luck, though, and playing with amazing
musicians like Matt Murphy and Joel Plaskett has
definitely helped. Having good material to play is
always key.