{"id":28885,"date":"2019-05-01T08:28:31","date_gmt":"2019-05-01T12:28:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/?p=28885"},"modified":"2019-05-01T08:28:38","modified_gmt":"2019-05-01T12:28:38","slug":"on-stage-marianas-trench-gets-deep-into-its-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/?p=28885","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: Marianas Trench gets deep into its work"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff<\/strong>, <\/span>Entertainment Editor, The Times<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Marianas Trench<\/p><\/div>\n

Marianas Trench, an indie-pop band based in British Columbia, broke into the Canadian music scene in 2006, met with immediate success and has been riding high north of the border ever since.<\/span><\/p>\n

The four-piece band from Vancouver — Josh Ramsay\u00a0(lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, pianist, songwriter), Matt Webb (lead guitarist, backing vocals), Mike Ayley (bass guitar, backing vocals) and Ian Casselman (drums, percussion, backing vocals) \u2013 initially won over Canadian audiences and then moved south to conquer America.<\/span><\/p>\n

Along with double platinum and gold digital singles, the band has also garnered multiple SOCAN and MMVA Awards, number 1 videos on MuchMusic, JUNO Award nominations and won the 2013 JUNO Award for Group of the Year. Ramsay also received a GRAMMY nomination in 2013 for co-writing and producing Carly Rae Jepsen’s international breakthrough smash and certified US diamond selling single “Call Me Maybe.”<\/span><\/p>\n

On May 1, Marianas Trench is bringing its \u201c2019 Suspending Gravity U.S. Tour\u201d to the area for a stop at the Theatre of the Living Arts (334 South Street, Philadelphia, 215-222-1011, http:\/\/www.lnphilly.com<\/a><\/span>). <\/span>The band is touring in support of its new album \u201cPhantoms,\u201d which was released in March on 604 Records.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMaking the new album took a while,\u201d said Ayley, during a phone interview last week from his home in Vancouver. \u201cWe recorded it all last year. It wasn\u2019t a rush-rush thing. There were a lot of details. The mixing was done in December and January and it came out on March 3.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

On \u201cPhantoms,\u201d a house possessed by the spirit of lingering loss whose inhabitant is driven to madness by the ghost of a former love. The band drills down into the consequences of that loss deeply on lead single, \u201cI Knew You When\u201d — a track that showcases Ramsay\u2019s staggering vocal range and the band\u2019s ample musical chops in equal measure.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJosh is the writer, but we all take part,\u201d said Ayley. \u201cIt\u2019s not like Josh saying \u2013 here\u2019s the exact song. We all give our input. We\u2019re like the sounding board. We usually pool ideas. The completion of the sound comes in the studio.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWith our earlier albums, we had all the songs ready before we went in the studio. It was long process but not fresh or new.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur first album \u2018Fix Me\u2019 was just an album with 11 or 12 songs. Our second album \u2018Masterpiece Theater\u2019 had just three songs \u2014 beginning, middle and end. They were longer songs \u2014 more like Act I, Act II and Act III. The last one played as a continuous piece of music. As soon as one track ended, the next one began.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Like past records, \u201cPhantoms\u201d finds the Vancouver-based four-piece pushing their musical boundaries relentlessly.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNow, we write as we go,\u201d said Ayley. \u201cWe don\u2019t do demos. We sit down, play the basic song and decide what we want to do different. We have our own studio in Richmond, B.C. so we don\u2019t have to worry about studio time.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis album definitely has a concept. It has a creepy, haunted vibe but it\u2019s also a celebration of love and joy. We were on tour and had time off in New Orleans. There is cool old architecture there that is kind of creepy. Josh said \u2013 this is a cool vibe. It gave us inspiration.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a really fun album and, with that vibe, it opened up a lot of doors. The third track starts off with a harpsichord and we\u2019ve never done that before. And, we use a theremin which is also a first.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The band shares its name with a trench. Marianas Trench is located in the western Pacific Ocean and is the deepest natural trench in the world. It is a crescent-shaped trough in the earth\u2019s crust — 1,580\u00a0miles long and 43\u00a0miles wide. The maximum known depth is 36,070\u00a0feet. To give you an idea of just how deep this is — if Mount Everest were dropped into the trench at this point, its peak would still be more than 1.2 miles underwater.<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for Marianas Trench — https:\/\/youtu.be\/4XkxKIh3MB0<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The show at the Theatre of the Living Arts, which also features New Dialogue, DJ George Thoms, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $26.50.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Slothrust<\/p><\/div>\n

Slothrust, which is headlining a show at the Chameleon Club\u2019s Lizard Lounge (223 North Water Street, Lancaster, 717-299-9684, http:\/\/www.chameleonclub.net<\/a>) on May 1, is a band that started when its founding members were in college but it has never been what you\u2019d call a \u201ccollege band.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Leah Wellbaum, who sings and plays guitar, and drummer Will Gorin met when they were undergrads at Sarah Lawrence College just over a decade ago. They added bassist Kyla Bann and formed a band which had rock, jazz and blues in its DNA. In 2012, Slothrust released its debut album \u201cFeels Your Pain\u201d on Ba Da Bing Records.<\/span><\/p>\n

That was the start of a regular two-year cycle of releasing LPs. \u201cOf Course You Do\u201d came out on Ba Da Bing in 2014 and was followed by \u201cEveryone Else\u201d in 2016. \u201cEveryone Else\u201d was released on Dangerbird Records as was the band\u2019s latest album \u201cThe Pact,\u201d which dropped in September 2018.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf \u2018The Pact\u2019 came out in September, I feel like we were recording it the winter before,\u201d said Gorin, during a recent phone interview. \u201cWe spent one month in the studio at Dangerbird Studio, which is located in the Silver Lake area in L.A. Them, we took a little break and came back later to do the mixing.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re still touring \u2018The Pact.\u2019 It\u2019s been a busy year. We did a headline tour right after the album came out and also played all over the U.K., Germany, France and Scotland. This will be our last headlining tour on this album cycle.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The band\u2019s latest album showcases the trio\u2019s dynamic evolution through experimentation and exploration. Slothrust\u2019s efforts have been recognized with millions of streams on Spotify.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cUsually, we build up songs for a while and play them live before we record them,\u201d said Gorin. \u201cThis time, we did a lot more experimentation in the studio. We used the studio as an instrument. It really opened up a huge amount of doors for sonic exploration \u2013 keys, horns \u2013 bigger than a three-piece.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Using a studio this way is great but Gorin also knew they couldn\u2019t take the studio on the road to recreate the songs the way they were recorded.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was most concerned how the expanded sound would translate in our live shows,\u201d said Gorin. \u201cEverybody else said \u2013 don\u2019t worry about it. We handle it live by using Roland sampler pads for horns and keys \u2013 not a tom of stuff. We use it on four or five songs.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI felt this record was less than an overall concept. It was more a collection of songs \u2013 groups of songs that fit together. In the end, it came together as a dynamic record.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Fans attending shows on this tour will be treated to many songs from \u201cThe Pact\u201d \u2013 and a lot more.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWith four albums and a bunch of covers, it\u2019s hard to make a set list,\u201d said Gorin. \u201cWe have to play the hits. Fans want to hear \u20187:30,\u2019 \u2018Double Down,\u2019 \u2018Horseshoe Crab,\u2019 \u2018Like A Child Hiding Behind Your Tombstone,\u2019 \u2018Peach\u2019 and \u2018Crockpot.\u2019 So, we play the hits \u2013 and some random older gems.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for Slothrust \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/31gBizKYAnc<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The show at the Lizard Lounge, which also features Summer Cannibals, will start at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times Marianas Trench, an indie-pop band based in British Columbia, broke into the Canadian music scene in 2006, met with immediate success and has been riding high north of the border ever since. The four-piece band from Vancouver — Josh Ramsay\u00a0(lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, pianist, songwriter), Matt Webb (lead […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28887,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[6269,11466,11467],"class_list":["post-28885","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-featured","tag-marianas-trench","tag-slothrust"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28885","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=28885"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28885\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28886,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28885\/revisions\/28886"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/28887"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=28885"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=28885"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=28885"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}