Guest interview by Elizabeth Hirst: Garner
When I sat down with Garner a few weeks ago before their performance at a benefit show, they had a lot to tell me about the past few months. Lead guitarist James Bloemendal, Keyboardist Matt McKenna and Drummer Matt McFarland are eager to talk about their new album, It’s About Time.
As we get into the interview, I start to realize that underlying the positive attitude of Garner is a streak of successes that would give just about anyone reason to grin. According to both McFarland and McKenna, their journey toward creating It’s About Time began about a year ago, when the band first developed the unique sound that’s been steadily attracting fans ever since.
“We didn’t really have a sound at the beginning, and when we did start to acquire one we had this kind of more folky thing happening with our first EP,” Says McKenna of their progression as a group.
McFarland adds in that, “When we (Garner) started writing our own music, McKenna brought in this jazzier funk and soul thing that really opened doors.”
The influence of jazz and funk is definitely evident in It’s About Time, especially in the flowing lyrics and fast-paced guitar work of “Slow Down” and the more mellow feel of the album’s title track. The album has a nice blend of funky, catchy tunes that mix jazz licks with a sound similar to that of Barenaked Ladies in the late nineties and tender love songs that accentuate McKenna’s soulful vocals. The lyrics, especially on the opening track, You Were Right, are skillfully written and blend nicely with the instrumentals.
According to the band, Garner’s new sound brought even more successes. On a chance encounter, they ended up at the Canterbury music company in Toronto, famous for its production of Chantal Kreviazuk, Raine Maida and even one of Garner’s major musical influences, the Barenaked Ladies. I ask the guys about their experiences working with Canterbury, and what it was like in the studio producing It’s About Time.
McFarland says that working with their producer in the studio “Was really fun. Sort of like a kid in a candy store. We had all these new things open to us and at the same time it was our first big experience with a studio, so it was a bit of a crash course on how the industry works.”
They are also thankful for the added diversity that they acquired in the studio.
“The producer that we had encouraged us to go in places that we thought might not fit and just try them out,” says McKenna.
According to Bloemendal, Garner ran into some surprises on the way to finishing It’s About Time, as well.
“We had a bass player named Marc Rogers just kind of wander in and we found out later that he played with Nora Jones, The Philosopher Kings and Nelly Furtado, and he was willing to perform the bass parts for our album. Those circles are so open. I was expecting the artists to be a little more exclusive, but they’re not.”
It really has been a year full of successes for Garner, but they tell me that they’ve still got more planned for the future. Rather than rest on their achievements they would prefer to continue writing and getting their music out to the public. Last month, It’s About Time became available for download on iTunes. This month, they have an ever-widening array of concerts as scheduled on garnerband.com geared toward reaching out to new fans. The guys even admit that they’ve been writing more songs and integrating all the members of the band into the songwriting, something that has been challenging for Garner in the past.
In addition to the old standby of world domination, McKenna says that “We just want to get our music out to the people. We’re looking at trying to get out to the east and west coast, and we’re also trying to hit at least two new cities a month in Ontario.” which means that pretty soon, Garner will have the chance to put a smile on your face, too.
-Elizabeth Hirst
