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THE KING OF CANROCK
C'MON
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by Sean Palmerston
July 28 — August 3, 2005 |
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While his name is more recognizable to some as the producer of
some of the best Canadian indie rock albums of the last five or
six years — including Tricky Woo’s Sometimes I Cry and the
Weakerthans’ Reconstruction Site — Toronto native Ian Blurton is
one of this country’s most respected indie musicians, and has
been so for more than two decades.
Starting out as the frontman for Toronto’s seminal melodic
rockers Change of Heart (check their Smile album out if you have
never heard them) and later Blurtonia, while also playing lead
guitar in Montreal’s Bionic, Blurton has always been responsible
for making some of this country’s most compelling guitar rock.
Tricky Woo anointed him Sir Ian Blurton while others just believe
he is simply the king of Canadian rock. And while this statement
may not sit well with the man himself, being the humble nice guy
he is, it’s a moniker that fits well.
Blurton’s newest musical act is the walloping power trio
C’Mon. Formed by Blurton and his partner, bassist Katie Lynn
Campbell (who, until recently, was also a member of the
outlandish Georgia rock quartet Nashville Pussy), the band is
rounded out by former Blurtonia drummer Randy Curnew.
“Katie and I met when Bionic was opening for Nashville
Pussy,” explains Blurton when asked on how the band initially
came to be. “It was about nine months after we started going out
that we decided we had to start the band. We had the name
C’Mon first, before we started the group, then we asked Randy to
join.”
Inspired by power trios from 1969–72 — Budgie, James
Gang, Grand Funk Railroad, C’Mon’s sound harkens back to the
pre–metal sound of bands that, as Blurton puts it, “basically
unrefined rock. That isn’t to say there isn’t new stuff that we like
as well,” he clarifies. “Bands like Turbonegro, Queens Of The
Stone Age and the Hellacopters are all band favourites.”
For those who have yet to hear the band, be forewarned that
C’Mon is a different beast than both Blurton and Campbell’s other
musical acts. Not as finely polished as Change Of Heart and
nowhere near as over–the–top as Nashville Pussy, this is a musical
entity unto its own.
“C’Mon is different in that some of the major pop elements
that were in previous bands are gone,” agrees Blurton. “The clean
aspects, like the clean guitar parts and quiet vocals, don’t exist
and the songs are not as singy–singy as they were in the old
bands.”
Instead of waiting around to see if any Canadian labels
would notice, the band took matters into their own hands and
released their debut album Midnight Is The Answer themselves in
a limited vinyl run of 500 copies, which sold out almost
immediately. The album has since been issued on cd by
MapleMusic Recordings.
“We wanted to get a record out there right away, and we
knew we would have to do it ourselves. We knew that no labels,
especially in Canada, were going to want to do an album for us
that would be on record first as opposed to cd.
“The idea was to do it as a calling card for the band,
something to sell at shows and to make available on the web for
fans outside of Canada. We were very surprised, however, when
three months after it was released we had sold out of all 500
copies.”
The band have since headed back into the studio and
recorded a 4 song ep fittingly titled Blown Speaker. You can pick
it up at www.thisiscmon.com or at their show this Saturday.
C’MON
w/ Calyx
Saturday, July 30
Jimmy Jazz
www.thisiscmon.com
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