By Jill Schettler
After three years of gestation, Catcher's newest album light & shadow has been unleashed into the masses, and with great reviews, we might add. Undeniably, the Newfoundland rockers have developed a sound all their own, one that frontman Trevor Bennett describes as "emotionally engaging sturm und drang." If you think that is creative, check out their blog!
Beneath the seemingly serious exterior complete with suits, wine and high-profile gigs, the guys from Catcher definitely can not be accused of lacking funny bones. Like all good musicians, these boys also like to throw a bit of fun into the mix, a process that seems to create a sense of brotherhood amongst the group. Music East sat down to chat with Trevor, the band's mastermind, about the song writing process, recording light & shadow, and the latest with touring.
Let's talk Catcher for a moment. Trevor, you've admitted that the band's name is inspired by J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye. What was it about this book that warranted a band name?
Catcher in the Rye was one of those books for me, as I'm sure it was for a lot of people - there was an immediacy to the storytelling, and while Holden is a deliberately and obviously flawed character, he had a start on some of the right kinds of ideas.
On your website, you state that the purpose of your music is akin to Holden, the book's protagonist, and his desire to keep people from slipping into 'phoniness.' Could you elaborate?
Honesty and integrity are a bit of a big deal for me - Holden equates phoniness to the loss of innocence and the transition into adulthood, but I see it more in the sense of honesty and accountability. Innocence is the absence of experience, and that's not a state to be artificially extended - the crux of the thing is in being presented with a decision and making the right choice.
The debut album light & shadow was almost entirely a solo plight. What made you decide to take on all the parts (minus drums) yourself?
I had done the band thing in the past, in terms of the creative process - and I'm not sure that I play that well with others when it comes to the birthing and sculpting of material. I've written the songs the way I wanted them written and laid them out the way I hear them in my head - it relates to what I'm trying to do with the project, as much as is humanly possibly of what you hear is me, for better or worse - these are my songs, from lyrics to music and arrangement, performance and production, and I'm standing accountable for them.
Bass, electric and acoustic guitars, piano, assorted keyboards, synths, sequencing, drum programming, samples, auxiliary percussion, trumpet, and vocals: Am I missing any other of your multi-instrumentalist talents?
(chuckle) I think that's most of it. I'm a singer, first and foremost, really, but I manage to make a bit of noise on a couple more instruments.
Trevor, are you a self-taught or schooled musician?
Both, sort of - I've just about finished an undergraduate degree in music, and I've studied in a few different capacities, but I maintain that I've learned more about what I want to do and how best to do it by listening and by getting my hands dirty.
How does your multi-instrumental background cultivate the songwriting process?
Playing a lot of instruments and having a few different lenses to examine a song with mean that the arrangements and production ideas come along almost in tandem with the writing of the song, itself - it's easy to flesh out a demo and start getting a sense for how the whole is going to flow, I can't remember the last song I wrote alone on an acoustic guitar. I get caught up real easy in where the piano line's going to come in and where everything drops out for the synth interlude and things like that.
How would you describe the band's sound in five words or less?
Emotionally engaging sturm und drang.
On light & shadow, you contracted a drummer who flawlessly recorded most of the tracks in one take. Where did you find such a talent?
Such a talent came to me, which was a real honour, really. Jamie had been floating around a songwriter's night I used to frequent, and he eventually approached me and offered to play if I was putting a band together to bring the tunes to life. By the time I was ready to record, he knew the songs inside and out, and he stepped right up to the bat, like he always has.
Introduce us to the members of Catcher live.
My band at home is an old friend of mine, Zach Hall, playing bass, Jamie March on the drums, and the dashing and talented Sam Murphy on guitar. I've just finished a real quick little tour of eastern Canada, and a couple of my regular crew couldn't get the time off school, so I had Rob Pittman on the kit, and the finger lickin' Chad Murphy playing guitar.
How did you all come to meet? Any crazy stories there?
Nothing too crazy - I've had the good fortune of being able to play the songs with people who want to play them with me, by virtue of having heard the material and feeling they could add something to it. It's important to me that there be camaraderie between band members, a personal and professional chemistry between band members that can really bring the performances to life.
Will fans see the rest of the members collaborating on future albums?
I still can't drum to save my skin, so the plan right now is to have Jamie lay down the drums for the next record, but the intent remains the same, that on the record, it's going to be my performance wherever possible - again, that level of accountability and honesty in conveying the songs as directly as possible.
If you could collaborate with any artist, who would it be?
I've got a shortlist (wish list, really) of a couple names I'd love to be able to work with on the next record, in terms of co-production and guidance - Jag Tanna (formerly of I Mother Earth) would be incredible to get to work with, and I think I could learn a lot from Devin Townsend - both Canadians and both phenomenal musicians and big-picture thinkers. If either or both were at all interested in helping me get the most out of my next batch of songs, I'd be positively beside myself.
How has your family supported your career?
This isn't always an easy business to understand and to get behind, particularly from a parental perspective, and I appreciate that they've had the
trust and the confidence in me to let me do what I love and to see it through. I do take any chance I get to thank my family for putting up with me and being as supportive as they've been.
What does Catcher have coming up in the next few months?
The next few months are getting a little bit cold, so we may well stay put in St. John's for the most part - we've the MusicNL awards show gig coming up soon in November, and we'll be scooting out to Corner Brook for the ECMAs in the new year. There's a couple tours, smaller, and larger, on the books for the springtime, though, and summer 2009 ought to see a couple big shows around the province, and a fairly extensive tour into the fall.