FFWD Article

Article

FFWD (Calgary's News and Entertainment Weekly)

"Idol Hands play the devil's loud music"

By Aubrey McInnis

Thursday, Nov. 7 2002

Given the current state of Calgary radio - and the notable shortage of rock - it seems like it would be easier if all the local rock bands converted to the school of Ja Rule and Jay-Z to get some airplay. Not that there's anything wrong with hip-hop or good ol' rhythm and blues, but man, raise your hand if you think there aren't many options in commercial radio.

Sittin' Idol remain true to their hard rock and quasi-metal ways. With the exception of their drummer Stu, they're been playing together since junior high school. Now in their early 20s, they're becoming far more technical, but their idols have stayed the same: Corrosion of Conformity, Tool, Pantera, and a band that was immensely cool long before Dave Grohl joined the roster.
"It's nice to hear things like the Queens of the Stone Age on the radio," says Scott Lennox (vocals, guitar), explaining that it's the highlight of his workday. "Most of the bands we listen to aren't radio bands and we don't aim to be one ourselves. We tend to write songs that are maybe long-winded and maybe harder for someone to grasp in one listen. That's something that I don't think radio (stations) like."

An absence of mainstream radio play never stopped bands like The White Stripes and The Hives from building a hot buzz. Since they (and artists before them) eventually took the world by storm, Sittin' Idol knows it's possible to bypass radio and still be a huge success.
"I think it's very rare, but there's a few bands that do it for sure," says Rick Hatch (on guitar). "It just takes a lot longer."

"I'm not opposed to radio," continues Scott. "If I'm opposed to the setup of radio in Calgary, I know that there are cities and radio stations that would probably cater to our musical style - then we'd have no issue with someone promoting us in that setting.

In Calgary, on CJAY 92, it's not likely that you'll hear us. On CJSW, that's fine, we're all for going in and doing interviews and getting in to play our songs - if that'll help us reach people, that's a good thing."

Despite the lack of support from commercial radio, Sittin' Idol have been remarkably good at reaching people over the last year. Most recently, they won this year's Garage Warz. Before winning the intra-campus contest, Sittin' Idol released their debut CD. Quite an incredible listen, it seemed to come out of nowhere. The entire project was recorded by the band over a six-month period and released without much ballyhoo except a gushing review from metal mag Brave Words and Bloody Knuckles.

From the professional sound of the release, you would never know that they built a recording studio in their basement and simply used the gear they had laying around to record the album. Released one year ago, it was one of the better surprises of 2001 - this group is far more multifaceted than one would expect from a straight-up hard rock band.
"I think someone would be surprised if they came out and hung out with Sittin' Idol for a night," says Scott, chuckling.

"Rick is a full-on musician and he does all of the producing and sound engineering. I spend time on the halfpipe in the backyard. I skateboard, and myself and the bass player (Chris Hansen) belong to a four-by-four club, so we end up going off and building up big trucks...As far as something that comes out onstage, we let the music speak for itself."

No oversized fans to blow their hair, no Motorhead-styled strobe lights that could induce a seizure. Just the music. And sometimes, when it's done this well, that's enough.