Imagine 20 people on stage, accompanied by more guitars, drums,
horns and instruments than the traditional rock quartet. For the
Canadian collective Broken Social Scene, strength in numbers has
always added to its unique brand of rock music.
Merging the experimentalism of Radiohead with the rawness of
post-punk and influences ranging from bossa nova to U2, Broken
Social Scene has created one of the most original sounds of the new
millennium. Members of the band’s rotating cast are veritable
indie rock all-stars, including Emily Haines of Metric, Evan
Cranley of Stars, Charles Sperin and Kevin Drew of Do Make Say
Think, and solo artist Jason Collett, all of whom contribute to the
band’s studio work and live performances.
“There’s always ways to make things work, with
Metric or Stars or Jason Collett … because we’re all
fortunately in the business of playing music rather than something
else (where) we can’t meet up as a team,” said Brendan
Canning, one of Broken Social Scene’s founding members.
While last year’s U.S. tour finished with a free show at
Hollywood’s Amoeba Records, the band will be kicking off a
new tour at the massive Coachella festival after stops in Seattle
and here at UCLA. Broken Social Scene will be playing a set to the
largest crowds of their lives, alongside giants like the Pixies and
Radiohead.
“The way things have developed for this band in a
year’s time is really encouraging,” Canning said.
“We’re selling records down in America which is
great.”
The group’s recent success has come on the heels of the
release of its sophomore album, “You Forgot It In
People.” The album garnered them a Juno award (the Canadian
Grammy) for “Best Alternative Album” as well as a place
in the influential indie-rock webzine Pitchfork Media’s 2003
year-end top 10.
Though Broken Social Scene started as a side project, the
band’s newfound success now overshadows that of its
creators’ “real” bands. With this success,
though, have come changes in the band’s dynamic.
“We weren’t a touring band. There’s been five
of us that toured consistently last year,” said Canning.
“It’s still the same, it’s just slightly more
formal.”
Keeping each and every musician healthy and happy throughout the
long and somewhat crowded touring has had a positive influence on
the band’s noisy live shows. The group’s musical
repertoire changes and develops along with its revolving
membership, and fans can expect to see anything from the jazzy
instrumental “Pacific Theme” to the pop balladry of
“Lover’s Spit.” With as much diverse material as
it has musicians, Broken Social Scene can do just about
anything.
“We can churn out a couple of heavy rockin’ numbers,
and we can also make something a bit more oblique or a bit more
downcast,” said Canning. “It just depends on the mood
of the day, I guess.”