The folk/punk sounds of the Edmonton-based band Audio/Rocketry are headed to Yorkton for a show at 5th Ave Cup & Saucer Sunday, June 27.
Audio/Rocketry consists of Joe Vickers on guitar, harmonica, and vocals, Matt Murphy on bass guitar and vocals, Kevin Klemp on banjo, accordion, and backing vocals, and Paddy Sperling on spoons, tambourine, and stomp board.
"We all found our roots in the proactive approach of punk rock music, its will to create communities and moreover it's a sense of belonging," said Vickers.
The band has been together as a unit for several years, polishing its musical skills, said Vickers.
"The band formed in 2005 when I moved to Edmonton from my hometown of Drumheller, Alberta," he said. The acoustic guitar I moved with became my starting point for writing folk songs and shortly afterwards I found those songs finding life on Whyte Avenue when I made a habit of busking when I was unable to book shows."
The band came together after the individuals left their respective hometowns."Being somewhat outsiders in our hometowns, we found a connection in Edmonton, Alberta, the place where we collectively fled to after high school," said Vickers. "Through a mutual friend, who worked at all-ages punk venue called the shark tank (where our old bands separately played at on different occasions), pointed us to one another. As she predicted, a friendship between us was immediately welded together and the notion to play music with one another followed almost simultaneously."
Musically, Vickers said the band draws from a range of folk styles.
"We are inspired by everything from country-western to east-coast celtic music and bluegrass to punk rock," he said. "In the band, we all have a sincere appreciation for music and anything with a rhythmic melody tends to catch our ears.
"As for singling out bands/artists, we are big fans of the Old Crow Medicine Show, the Lawrence Arms, early Against Me!, Woody Guthrie, and Bob Dylan.
"Growing up with punk rock music as a fundamental root, I think its introduction to political content provided a bridge-like structure to folk music for us.
"With that said, I think we play an amalgamation of both rock and roots music; although people considered our style as 'pint folk' for its appropriateness to be holding a drink while listening."
Audio / Rocketry has a recent disk release Eastward & Onward.
"The album was recorded at Casey Lewis' Echo Base studio in Calgary, Alberta. I had worked with Casey before when I recorded my first demo with my old punk band when I was 16-years-old," said Vickers. "When our friends from Rum Runner (www.myspace.com/rumrunner) encouraged us to record with him, I felt immediately drawn to the option because of my previous experience with him.
"The recording sessions with him differed from our stage performance because we actually worked on a few tracks we had never played live beforehand."
The music on the disk actually came together as the band toured.
"Almost all of the songs for the new album were written during my 2008 tour across Canada to the Maritimes," said Vickers. "We traveled without a vehicle, so it was fairly stressful because a high level of uncertainty of making the shows was constant.
"Nevertheless, the stress equally matched the inspiration and degree of new emotions that were experienced at the time. It was the first time in my life I had ever dropped everything I was doing and decided to hit the road and follow my dream of playing music. With just a backpack full of clothes, my guitar case, and a dream, I trained, bused, and hitchhiked to Halifax."
The resulting CD is one Vickers said Audio/Rocketry is very pleased with.
"We are very proud of the finished product. In comparison to our first album, we've naturally matured and improved as musicians and think we've attained new personal levels with our input," said Vickers. "Also, we think the sound represents an adequate presentation of our live performances, filled with lots of energy and emotion."
In support of their two CDs, the band has stayed busy on the road too.
"The music has taken us right across the country," said Vickers. "For the most part however, we tour western Canada often but don't head out east as often as we'd like to because of its tremendous distance away and our commitments to work and school at home. We make a lot of weekend trip to various rural Alberta towns throughout the year when we aren't touring though.
"As for highlights to date, it would have to be our release show party at the Pawn Shop in Edmonton on March 5th, 2010 for our recent album release, 'Eastward & Onward'. We sold out the venue a couple hours after the doors opened and we played for the folks waiting in line outside who were unable to get in.
"The venue was surrounded by a community of friends whereby the environment possessed an exceedingly positive and welcoming energy that truly embodied a sense of inclusion and belonging. The evening captured everything we wish to accomplish with music."
