With a three-year wait between albums, Canadian pop-rock
band Sloan are touring like crazy and promoting their newest
creation: Never Hear the End of It.
Because of the big wait, fans of the quartet are in for a
treat as the new album is packed with 30 songs.
Guitarist Patrick Pentland, who can't remember the last time
Sloan played in Sudbury, he says the album features songs
written by all members of the band and while it is a departure
from their previous releases, in a lot of ways it's similar to
what's been done before.
Pentland, along with bandmates Chris Murphy, Andrew Scott
and Jay Ferguson, will be in Sudbury Oct. 17 playing at the
Towne House Tavern downtown.
"Initially we were going to record it quickly and have it
out last spring but one thing led to another and we ended up
not making that deadline," said Pentland, who originally hails
from Northern Ireland.
"Because we couldn't get it out in the spring (2006), it
fell to the fall so we had the whole summer to keep recording.
Instead of picking from those songs, we decided to put as many
as would fit on one CD."
From arenas and outdoor festivals to smaller bars and clubs,
if you can book it, Sloan will play it.
"We get to perform in a range of venues, as opposed to just
playing in small places or being stuck playing big places,"
Pentland said, adding a venue like the Towne House should be
perfect for the show.
"For the feel of this tour and this record, it's kind of
nice to be close to the audience. It's a bit of a "listen to
this" album, as opposed to a rock event. It's nice to have that
intimacy," he said. "We're not rushed off-stage into a limo or
anything, we're just hanging around. We like to sign stuff for
people, not everyone is in the mood every night but it gets
done."
At this stage in their career, Pentland said Sloan really
isn't a household name anywhere and even though they've
achieved success in certain parts of the United States and have
toured internationally, he describes the group as a working
band that just goes out and plays.
"We've been playing together for 15 years so we know how to
play live and how to play to an audience, which is something
you gain through experience. We don't want people to just
listen to a live representation of a CD. There's a band there,
and there are personalities. This tour we're doing a lot of
songs from our new record and a handful of older songs to
create a show."
As for the show flyer that reads, "Canada's all-time
favourite rock band," Pentland said the band isn't that vain.
"I only like to back-up claims that I've made and I don't think
we've made that claim," he laughs. "I think who ever is
promoting the show has done that.
"We might say it in an interview or something but it's just
silly boasting. You've got to say something. We're certainly
not going to come through town and say, 'we're alright'."
For an "alright" evening with "Canada's all-time favorite rock band," check out Sloan at the Towne House Tavern Oct. 17. Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door. Phone 674-6883.
