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July 31, 2008


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2008-07-31

Making musical magic

Record of the Week Club is getting local musicians to work together

Jen Zoratti

Mike Petkau isn't one who's easily intimidated by hard work.

The local producer/sound engineer/musician-for-hire has helmed some ambitious stage shows, including the recent The Last Waltz of the West End and the second live recreation of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon at this year's Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival. (The show debuted at last year's fest.) He's a prolific producer, having lent his ears to everyone from alt-folk duo Twilight Hotel to prog rockers Mahogany Frog. He's also the frontman of art-rock/new wave outfit Les Jupes and moonlights in both The Liptonians and Ian La Rue and the Condor. (He also, somehow, has time for a girlfriend.)

Indeed, Petkau's schedule is full - but lately, he's been making waves in the Winnipeg music scene with yet another project. The 29-year-old is the creative brain behind Record of the Week Club - a collaborative weekly recording session that challenges a group of local musicians with writing, arranging and recording a track in a single evening. Every Wednesday evening, a new group of musicians meets at MCM Studios (Petkau's home base) and hammers out a song, which is then mixed, mastered and made available for download by early Thursday morning.

That's enough of a challenge on its own, but there's another unique factor that keeps things interesting: Participating musicians never know who their fellow players will be, pushing them out of their comfort zones.

It's an innovative idea - one that has been percolating in Petkau's brain for some time.

"Three or four years ago, I had this idea. I thought it would be cool to get different people in the studio and get them playing together," he says. "Initially, I thought it would be more formal, but I like how it turned out."

It wasn't until recently, however, that Petkau had the personal and financial resources to get ROTWC up and running.

"Last year, I started thinking I had the pieces in place to make it happen," he says. "I needed to become a better sound engineer to make this work, so I'd spent a few years doing that. I also needed money, so I started applying for grants and ended up getting a Multi-Arts Grant from the Manitoba Arts Council."

With funding secured and an impressive recording resumé under his belt, Petkau was ready to get the project started - which proved to be easier said than done.

"I was really nervous for a long time," Petkau says. "I got the grant in December, but I kept putting (the start date) off. I didn't want to embarrass myself or other musicians. I wanted to capture the creative spirits of all these people."

ROTWC finally kicked off in May, and Mahogany Frog's Graham Epp, Oldfolks Home's Ricardo Lopez and electronic composer Joe Silva had the honour of participating in the project's first session. There will be 16 sessions in total and the tunes from each session are available for 99 cents at recordoftheweekclub.com - or you can become a subscriber and pick up all 16 for $13.99.

"As soon as people started showing up and ideas started to flow, it just clicked," Petkau says of the Club's first night. "It's like starting anything new - you're hesitant at first, and then you get more confident with it."

Petkau wasn't the only one feeling jitters at the beginning of that first meeting. Lopez, an experimentalist who works as a solo artist under the moniker Oldfolks Home, isn't used to jamming with anyone other than Moses and Solomon - his computers.

"I was really scared," Lopez says with a laugh. "You don't want to be the one to freeze up. I was also super-nervous because it's the exact opposite way I make music."

Thankfully, it didn't take long for the trio to warm up to each other, and the session resulted in the quirky electro-pop number Laying Mortar.

"The first one definitely sticks out because I had no idea what to expect," Petkau says. "They came out with this really unique pop song almost entirely in 5/4 (time), which was interesting.

"Last week (July 23) stands out, too. The three of them were totally on the same page. I was the most hands-off on this one."

That session - which featured Anthem Red's Jo Snyder, Tele's Matt Worobec and D. Rangers' Jaxon Haldane - marked the first time three lead singers have been matched up. For Worobec, it was a unique opportunity to work with musicians far outside of his genre - after all, Anthem Red's scrappy punk and D. Rangers' banjo-pickin' bluegrass is a far cry from Tele's austere electro-rock.

"It's a great idea because it puts you in an interesting situation," Worobec says. "Musicians tend to fall into ruts. This really keeps you on your toes."

Working outside one's usual box, so to speak, certainly helps to renew creative energy - and the musicians who have participated in ROTWC have taken away a few personal things from the sessions as well.

"For me, it's the confidence in my ability to work with others," Lopez says. "Now, I want to start another project away from Oldfolks Home. I want to start writing fresh stuff - with people."

"I think you get hung up on recording that sonically perfect song," Worobec says. "Sometimes doing 20 takes isn't what's right for the song. This helps you learn when to pull away."

It's not just the musicians who have benefitted from the weekly get-together.

"I've become a lot more comfortable trusting my instincts," Petkau says. "I think that's true for the musicians as well. Sometimes it's tough to let go in the studio - which is usually a very controlled environment. I think I've learned to tap into the bigger picture as opposed to fixating on the minute details."

There are six sessions left in the series, and Petkau says the club is something he'd consider doing again - after a well-deserved break, that is.

"It's a lot of fun. Everyone's getting along great," Petkau says. "All the musicians coming down want to make something great. They're showing up with a desire to meet that challenge head-on.

"I think everyone has had a lot of fun and has felt really free. I think they're proud of themselves."

Meet the players...
Here are the talented 'Peg musicians who have participated in Record of the Week Club so far. All songs are available for your listening pleasure at www.recordoftheweekclub.com. Hear something you like? Individual tracks are $ .99 each, or you can purchase all 16 for $13.99. The first $100 from each song will be donated to The West End Cultural Centre's rebuild efforts.

Week One
Laying Mortar
Graham Epp - Mahogany Frog
Ricardo Lopez - Oldfolks Home
Joe Silva - electronic composer

Week Two
Step Outside
Joel Klaverkamp - The Hummers
Dave Quanbury - Twilight Hotel
Andrew Workman - Ian La Rue and the Condor

Week Three
Steamed Chills
Jack Jonasson - Novillero
Jonathan Alexiuk - jazz pianist, arranger
Mike Petkau - Les Jupes, producer

Week Four
Live for Love
Karla Adolphe - Jacob & Lily
Rusty Matyas - The Waking Eyes
Demetra Penner - solo artist

Week Five
Come Forth
Andrina Turenne - Chic Gamine, Madrigaia
Matt Tapscott - Hedwig & The Angry Inch
Matt Schellenberg - The Liptonians

Week Six
Take What You Can
Sky Onosson - Scott Nolan Band
Bucky Driedger - The Liptonians
Jaime Carrasco - jazz drummer

Week Seven
Don't Wanna Cross
Julia Ryckman - The Gorgon, Slattern
Lloyd Peterson - musician, engineer, producer
Matt Peters - The Waking Eyes

Week Eight
Call Me
Rachel Moody - Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra
Brandy Zdan - Twilight Hotel
DJ Grant Paley - Moses Mayes

Week Nine
All Answers Pending
Jo Snyder - Anthem Red
Matt Worobec - Tele
Jaxon Haldane - D. Rangers

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