For some reason, thanks to decades of sensational stories circulating at ever-faster rates of speed through radio, magazines, television, and various Internet mediums, music fans have built up this outlandish set of expectations surrounding how their favorite singers and bands truly live. We’ve been conditioned to believe that all bands are comprised of outlandish rock stars and pop divas who live out ridiculous, over-the-top existences where they’re out partying incessantly, tearing up hotel rooms, abusing illicit substances, or just running about the globe recklessly, casting responsibility to the wind. We watch them in awe, alternately repulsed by and jealous of their apparent disregard of the societal mores & behaviors the rest of us follow. It’s as if nothing shocks us anymore - they’re rock stars; it’s what they do. So we let it slide and wait around for the next melodramatic and lurid story to assault our ears and eyes.
Yet, though I knew that Stephen Ramsey & Catherine McCandless of the new Arts & Crafts band Young Galaxy were anything but rock stars, I was still not quite sure what to expect. Would they act like some horribly self-indulgent cliché or might they actually be real people? My fears were allayed when I finally did talk to them as they apologized to me for being a bit slow to respond to the ringing of the phone. Catherine explained that they were busy working in an adjoining room of their small Montreal flat. That floored me - here, these fine musicians were apologizing to me; and then, when Stephen got on the line to chat, they dropped the bombshell - they weren’t even writing songs; they were creating grant proposals. As in, they were working a day job. So, as Catherine politely excused herself so she could return to writing, I asked Stephen why he and lovely girlfriend seemingly were not living out the traditional rock star life.
“It’s because we’re not rock stars,” he states simply. “I’m just an English Literature major who loves writing songs and playing music, not some ostentatious person who’s more concerned with image over substance. Writing grant proposals might not glamorous, but it does pay the bills!”
Chuckling softly, he continues by saying, “I look at it this way - I’m a big picture person who loves clever phraseology, enjoys delving into the deeper meanings behind lyrics, and is fascinated by music’s ability to connect people. We hope to create the kind of music that could potentially change people’s perceptions on something, even if it’s one person at a time. I have a desire to give people lyrical material they can chew on. And I don’t say that because I’m on some ego trip or anything; I say it because music has changed me and has changed so many others.”
“I want to be a part of the conversation between songwriter and music fan, that communal experience where we dig into life together. Because, for so many people, myself included, music is their religion, and it’s only through the lyrics having substance and true emotional weight is there any stock in the music. And at the same time, I’m not trying to say something that’s never been said before. I just want to find new ways to phrase things in order to reach a different generation of music fans. Some folks slammed Morrissey for all of the borrowing he did from others, whether from Shelagh Delaney, Sandie Shaw, or some other British icon from the ‘60s that he loved. Now, I’m not comparing myself to that great songwriter, but I am making use of his template - it’s all about finding crafty, unusual means to make your lyrics about common human experiences resonate with your fans in very specific, personal ways.”
He pauses again before shifting his focus slightly, “You see, I love being around people with such dreams, visions, and denser understandings of music, lyrics, art, everything. One of the primary reasons that Catherine and I moved here to Montreal from Vancouver was to become part of the tight-knit, supportive artist community that thrives in this city. It is here that I finally finished our debut album, where I hooked up to play guitar for Stars, where Catherine & I got signed to Arts & Crafts, and where we’ve met all of the amazing musicians who make up our live, touring band.”
I then asked him if there has been much difficulty in transferring the lush, spacey atmospheric sounds of their record to the stage and he responded with an all-knowing laugh.
“It’s been such a wild ride so far & things are still changing quickly as we’ve begun to tour extensively and how we’re learning how to convey the multiple layers of the studio album in a live environment,” he replied. “Granted, it help that we have such vibrant, visceral live players, so Catherine & I have been blessed in that sense. We really do have a great group that’s gelling and has been gelling well enough that Catherine is now able to step back from her keyboard more often and focus primarily upon being a vocalist. We’ve been able to explore our sound and have come up with some sophisticated live interpretations of what I originally tracked in the studio. In fact, because we’ve all been getting along so well, it’s really energized my recent songwriting, allowing me to focus primarily upon the lyrics and giving greater space for the music to be written by the entire band. And since I’m a lyrics person first, I’ve been enjoying this creative freedom.”
I remark that he still sounds nothing like a rock star with all of this talk about the band getting along and writing meaningful lyrics rife with spirituality. With my tongue firmly in my cheek, I then asked him how he expects people to really appreciate Young Galaxy’s music if there aren’t any myths and legends surrounding the band.
Stephen laughs at my irreverent question before expressing these final thoughts: “That’s just not who we’re about; we simply believe in what music can and should be. I do my best to write lyrics that are shaded in subtleties and textures that are open to interpretation, where we can go out on a limb with the music we’re creating. I just feel that people play it too safe in this life; they live out too many clichés, whether they’re rock stars or the average person on the street. I’d rather us delve into the complexities of life, where we can realize that we’re all a bit flawed, because it’s then that we can truly begin to live and live richly. So, we in Young Galaxy want to make music that can help people along on that journey. And man, does that sound hokey, but it’s the truth.”
--Adam P. Newton
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YOUNG GALAXY's Self-Titled album is out now on Arts & Crafts Records
http://www.myspace.com/younggalaxy
http://www.arts-crafts.ca
Buy Album from CD Universe
