Sharing the Love Rock Revolution, Scatterheart to the Rescue: Second Interview with Vancouver Love Rockers Scatterheart

Scatterheart, a Theatrical Love Rock band from Vancouver are playing an all ages show in Regina at the Exchange tonight September 9th.

With a new western Canadian tour under way in support their Love Rock Revolution, I recently had a chance to ask the boys of Canadian glam/punk-rock outfit Scatterheart a few questions. They are on their way to your town to dazzle you with their Love Rock Spectacle.

"The flavour is reminiscent of the '70's and '80's. Think Platinum Blonde meets Freddie Mercury with a little Bowie tossed in for good measure." - Camrose Canadian writer Kelly Barrett had this to say about Vancouver based band Scatterheart.

Handstands, guitar solos, sing-alongs, dance contests, catchy songs - and above all... an amazing live experience!

Here is what the fantastic Scatterheart had to say:

SPUN: How would you describe the sound of your music and what makes you feel that your album is different from other artists in your genre?

Scatterheart: Our overall goal is to create music that is uplifting AND powerful. There’s a lot of softer music that is uplifting and a lot of heavier music that is dark and intense. Both are cool, but we’re trying to take elements from each and create a two headed super music. Like if Zeus and Cupid had an illegitimate child.

SPUN: Have you written or created a song that didn’t make the album cut that you wished would have?

Scatterheart: Yes and no. There are times where you write what seems like a great song and you want the whole world to hear it but at the same time when we are working on a full album, it’s the full album that we’re creating, if that particular song doesn’t fit then it’ll have it’s place elsewhere. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

SPUN: Do you have any musical pet peeves?

Scatterheart: We tried to keep a few pet peeves, but we found it cost too much to feed them. Also, they wouldn’t let us take our peeves on the airplane with us. Oh - and they weren’t very musical. We tried to teach one to play keyboards and sing background vocals for us but he just hit all the keys at once and yelled. We gave them away to a nice family in Delaware who takes care of them for us, but there isn’t a day we don’t think about them... Oh peeves...

SPUN: Besides music, what are your favorite things to do? What keeps you grounded?

Scatterheart: Wes likes Hockey, Jesse likes Yoga and Mike and Doug like long walks on the beach. Together. Yes, you heard us.

SPUN: What would you say is your favorite song on the album and why?

Scatterheart: Those are our babies you can’t make us pick one over the other, but if we had to it would easily be Beautiful, it’s such a feel good song, or maybe The Free, love the energy of it, or no, wait, Take A Look Around.... uhm, ya, we can’t pick.

SPUN: What do you miss most, besides family and friends, while you are out traveling and touring?

Scatterheart: Sleeping in our own beds, making food on a stove and doing laundry (all at the same time). Jesse misses his hyperbaric chamber and pet monkeys.

SPUN: When not on stage you and your bandmates can often be found around the merch table? How important is it to be available to your fans?

Scatterheart: It’s the most important thing we do, without the fans we wouldn’t have anywhere to tour. And we have such awesome loving fans that it’s a pleasure to get to meet them all. We’ve had the pleasure of meeting a lot of great people because of it. “Hi everyone!”

SPUN: What kinds of comments do you get?

Scatterheart: I love the wings, can I wear them? I love the hat can I have it? I love your jacket, where’d you get it? I love your drummer, can I kiss keep him?

SPUN: What’s the secret to living on the road?

Scatterheart: A 12” color TV with a collection of Steve Martin movies.

SPUN: What phrase do you never want to hear again?

Scatterheart: Hit me baby one more time!

SPUN: This is where it gets random!!

Scatterheart: Yes. Yes it is. Good question, by the way.

SPUN: If you could pick which character from the wizard of Oz you are like, who would it be? The Lion, The Tinman, The Scarecrow, Dorothy or the Wizard?

Scatterheart: The Lion, because he had the most heart - plus I think he’d look good in feathered shoulder pads.

SPUN: Have you ever shaved any part of your body other than your face?

Scatterheart: Do eyebrows count?

SPUN: How come rappers never smile in photo's?

Scatterheart: Because they are afraid of letting people know that they are beautiful inside. (And maybe they can’t afford to go to the dentist.)

SPUN: Amanda wants to know who does your hair?

Scatterheart: All hair is done within the band, colorings, cuts, the whole she-bang! You need to when you’re on the road, we can’t bring a stylist with us yet so we’ve learn to be crafty with the scissors.

SPUN: Rick Wants to know if you could live out one movie what would it be?

Scatterheart: 1984, it was such a great year for music, oh wait....

SPUN: Kim wants to know if the moon is in the 7th house and Jupiter aligns with Mars... do you really believe that peace will guide the planets and love will steer the stars? If you don't know just smile and nod like I do to her.

Scatterheart: *Smiling and nodding :) Jesse agrees though.

Scatterheart Loves You!! :)

http://scatterheart.ca
http://facebook.com/loverockrevolution
http://youtube.com/loverockrevolution
http://myspace.com/scatterheartband
http://twitter.com/scttrhrt

Scatterheart - The Masterplan

I first saw Scatterheart well over a year ago at The Distrikt when they opened for Bif Naked. Right from the start, this was a band that commanded your attention. Even before the opening notes, the band just looked like they had IT. The band dressed sharp and their charismatic singer, Jesse Enright, was wearing his now trademark football shoulder pads adorned with feathers. Right away it was obvious that this wasn't going to be shoe-gazing music. That night they definitely won over the Bif crowd, who no doubt recognized guitarist Doug Fury from his decade-long tenure with Ms. Naked.

Since then, I've had the pleasure of seeing them two or three more times while they've toured the hell out of their debut album, The Masterplan. These guys are definitely road warriors! Since they are an independent band, they are building their audience one show at a time. And what a show they put on... feathers, yoga headstands, bubble machines, dance contests and covers of Rush, Queen and U2 thrown in for good measure. Simply put, Scatterheart are just tons of fun. They combine the dumb fun of hair metal, the energy of punk rock and the artsiness of 7o's glam rock. With his stage get-up and piercing voice, Jesse Enright reminds me of what would happen if Perry Farrell, Dee Snider and David Bowie had an orgy. These guys are the most fun Canadian rock band since Robin Black decided to focus on MMA.

As good as their live show is, it would all mean nothing if their songs were shite. Luckily, The Masterplan is a stellar batch of tunes. Aside from one or two forgettable songs, their debut is loaded with instantly memorable melodies, crunching guitars and a tight rhythm section. These are unabashed pop songs brimming with positive energy. It's so easy to be cynical and negative in today's world. In particular, it's easier to write songs filled with angst and negative energy. So it's refreshing every now and then for a rock band to have the balls to promote potentially hokey and cheesy themes as love and positivity. Thankfully, they pull it off just fine. Standout songs include "Beautiful," "More Man Than A Man," "The Free" and "We Are Stars."

Make sure to check them out when they spread their "love rock revolution" at The Exchange September 9! You can check out a great live clip of their performance of "The Free" at the Busan International Rock Festival. (I don't think The Exchange can fit this many people...)

More Than Just Men: An Interview with Vancouver Love Rockers Scatterheart

With a new western Canadian tour under way in support their Love Rock Revolution, I recently had a chance to ask the boys of Canadian glam/punk-rock outfit Scatterheart a few questions. They are on their way to your town to dazzle you with their Love Rock Spectacle. These are shows you won’t want to miss.



Without further ado, here is what Scatterheart had to say.

SPUN: When did Scatterheart get together as a band? What inspired you to make music together?

Scatterheart: Scatterheart is about 3 years old now. We decided to create it because we wanted to see a rock band that was positive, fun and wore feathers.

SPUN: For someone who may not know, what genre of music do you consider Scatterheart to be? Who are your major influences?

Scatterheart: Our genre is 'Love Rock'! We have quite varied influences in the band, but the main ones that are the same for all of us are Queen, The Police, David Bowie, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Tom Jones.

SPUN: While packing your sets full of your original music, you still have fun with a couple covers here and there. If you had to pick between U2’s “Pride (In The Name of Love)” and Rush’s “Closer To The Heart” which song would make the cut?

Scatterheart: Pride (In The Name of Love) is a great song and a lot of fun to play live, but Closer To The Heart has become such a signature that we have trouble not playing it. We've taken it out of the set a couple of times and it just doesn't feel right. Plus, people love it so much that I think we'd disappoint our fans by not doing it. ;)

SPUN: Doug, as once the guitar player for Bif Naked, was it a big change to rock with the Scatterheart boys?

Doug Fury: Nope! It reminds me of the early days touring with Bif playing smaller rooms, we were on a mission! I feel that same thing with Scatterheart, I Love It!

SPUN: If you were not making music, what is it you suspect you'd be occupying your time with?

Scatterheart: Listening to music and hugging.

SPUN: Other than the Vitamix blender top fiasco back in July of last year, what has been your biggest challenge as a band? Have you been able to overcome that challenge? If so, how?

Scatterheart: We haven't had too many big challenges, every day is just a great experience, meeting new people and playing lots of fun show!

SPUN: You will be doing a show Dirtbred here in Regina soon. Dirtbred is a little harder of band. Have you done shows as unique as this one? What are your thoughts the show as it gets closer?

Scatterheart: Yes we have! We've played with metal bands, shoegazers and country and even hip hop and it always turns out to be a great night. Put the love out to the room and everyone has fun. Just be yourself. We're looking forward to playing with Dirtbred, a good friend of ours Roque plays in the band and they are awesome!

SPUN: What would you consider the highlight of your career so far and why?

Scatterheart: There are so many, but to name a few: Playing in Korea to 25,000 people, headlining the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver and the 2009 Scatterheart Septathalon in Regina!!!

SPUN: What was the first record you ever bought and do you still own it?

Mike Southworth: I'm too ashamed to write it so I'll post the youtube video (and no, I don't still own it...)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUxhNWDlGts

SPUN: 3 videos have now been released for our viewing pleasure (all available on youtube for viewing), do you have a favourite?

Scatterheart: I think the newest is always the favorite, so right now we'd have to say 'The Free'. We still have a soft spot for 'Beautiful' and 'More Than A Man' though. They're all our children - don't make us choose!! :)

SPUN: Is there a follow up record planned for “The Masterplan”? Can you tell us anything about it if so?

Scatterheart: There most certainly is, it's in the very early stages, we just started throwing a few ideas around. The plan is to put work into it more in the fall, we have 1 more summer of touring to go before we retire to the studio for another album.

SPUN: You guys get a booming response the feather people, why do you think that is?

Scatterheart: It's the love we give and the love we get. It's a shared emotion with everyone in the crowd. We just try to be ourselves and have a good time and hopefully it shows and the feather people feed off that and we feed off them.

SPUN: How can fans-to-be gain access to your music?

Scatterheart: iTunes, Scatterheart.ca, call the local radio station and ask them to play it, or watch some videos on YouTube.

SPUN: Tell us about your next shows and why we the feather people should be there.

Scatterheart: We've got a nice western Canada tour that we're doing here and it's going to be a lot of fun, we haven't been out since last fall, spring is in the air, the birds are out singing, it's a great time to be travelling in this beautiful country, the only way it could get better is if we get to see the wonderful feather people out in full effect. That's what makes the shows. We love to see our fans dressed up in their feathers with their big smiles. That's what we do all this for.

SPUN: Lastly just give me two words to end this interview.

Scatterheart: Scatterheart Loves.... (you).



--
Scatterheart Loves You!

http://scatterheart.ca
http://facebook.com/loverockrevolution
http://youtube.com/loverockrevolution
http://myspace.com/scatterheartband
http://twitter.com/scttrhrt

Dates
04/25/10 Scatterheart in Edmonton, AB @ On The Rocks
04/28/10 Scatterheart in Leduc, AB @ Burnsy O’Flanagan’stickets
04/29/10 Scatterheart in Calgary, AB @ Rusty Cage
05/01/10 Scatterheart in Lethbridge, AB @ Henotic Lounge
05/02/10 Scatterheart in Medicine Hat, AB @ Ottoman Lounge
05/06/10 Scatterheart in Red Deer, AB @ Cheers North
05/07/10 Scatterheart in Saskatoon, SK @ Roxy’s on Broadway
05/08/10 Scatterheart in Regina, SK @ The Exchange

Scatterheart Loves You!

Back in July of this year Camrose Canadian writer Kelly Barrett had this to say about Vancouver based band Scatterheart, "The flavour is reminiscent of the '70's and '80's. Think Platinum Blonde meets Freddie Mercury with a little Bowie tossed in for good measure." Good start!!

It was a few months back when I reluctantly opted out of going to see a Bif Naked show. Bif is very talented and thought I may regret that decision. Well... I definitely did. However it wasn't because Bif put on a great show, sounded great and was hot as per usual. She was all of those things, however it was because I missed an opportunity to see a fantastic opening band. Scatterheart was the band everyone had to tell me about. People insisted on telling me how they were right up my alley and how I would have loved them. It didn't stop there. They told my how the music was great and the show was "like probably one of the best ever!" My roommate Jessie played me they're album and Ep and I thought it was fantastic. Initially my favorite song was "New Foundation". That being said there was a plethora of songs that were rivaling it. Be damned if I was going to miss them the next time.

The following July the Jesse Enright (vox), Wes DeBoer (bass), Mike Southworth (Drums) and previously of Bif Naked himself Doug Fury (Geetar) came back to the Exchange to cover their fans in their brand of loverockrevolution by that I mean bubbles. Who doesn't like bubbles? If you weren't dripping in loverockrevolution by the end, there is something wrong with you. Scatterheart is a positive, high energy, rock n roll show that DEMANDS you be entertained. I think it was a success and if you had seen the smiles on everyone's faces I think you would agree. Not many band's can play Rush's "Closer to the Heart" or U2's "Pride (In The Name Of Love)" and make me enjoy it, and I did very much so. I almost enjoyed it as much as their originals. After an hour or so long set, a new t-shirt and many sneer pictures later the night had come to an end. I knew it wasn't going to be long or at least hoped before I would see the boys of Scatterheart again.

I could go on and on about how good they were at their instruments... and they were but it actually doesn't matter. This band is a show and they take the boat loads of talent and use it as a catalyst to form great music their charm and charisma leaving you wanting more. Whether or not it's Jesse's dance moves, Doug or Wes' rock faces or Mike's laughter at what is going around him, there will always be something that catches your eyes and ears at a Scatterheart show.

Sunday's show was no different. I got to hear soon to be hits "The Free" and "Shut Up" along with current hit "Beautiful". I saw some fantastic people in a "Dance-Off" and I got to sing along with one of my new favorite Canadian bands while they did a superb rendition of Queen's "Somebody to Love". This all while nursing a cold beer with some of my closest friends. It's been a long time since I have seen a show to this magnitude. Probably not since the days of Robin Black and the IRS. If you get a chance to see them, go! You won't be disappointed. They will graciously entertain your ass off. When they tell you Scatterheart loves you, they do. Love them back!

Cheers Rockers!!

http://www.myspace.com/scatterheartband

Scatterheart - The Free


Scatterheart TV: Oct Tour Vlog #4 Regina