Machete Avenue Origins and Touring
Scotty Scheid from the Canadian Indie Band Talks to Suite101
With a distinctive and beautifully sparse sound, Canadian indie band Machete Avenue are preparing to release their second album. Here Scotty Scheid discusses their music.
- Genre: acoustic / ambient / folk
- Chad Michael Stewart (vocals / guitar), Scotty Scheid (piano / keyboards)
- Sounds like: Runrig / Sigur Ros
- Home: London, Ontarion, Canada
- Machete Avenue
Breaking Down The Barriers
Whenever a band with a new or distinctive sound comes along, it can often be all too easy to bracket them as to who they "sound like". It's difficult to do so with Canadian indie band Machete Avenue, because they have a genuinely unique sound, thanks in no small part to vocalist Chad's distinctive voice, as well as the ambient sounds that keyboardist Scotty elicits. The closest comparison would be Scottish band Runrig, as well as Icelandic purveyors of ambience Sigur Ros.
However, this would be purely from an aesthetic view, as the songs of Machete Avenue confirm. Tracks such as Crosses and Cut to Pieces, from the upcoming second album The Art of Carving (their debut The First Cuts was released in 2005), exhibit a haunting depth that many contemporary bands fail to grasp. Here, in part 1 of our special 2-part interview, Scotty discusses where the inspiration for the deep lyrics come from, as well as the band's special live experience.
Scotty Scheid Interview Part One: Origins And Touring
Suite: You have a very distinctive sound from other bands. How do the songs come together?
Scotty: Originally, Machete Avenue was just a side project Chad had been doing by himself when he was playing in a band called Blue Skies At War. Actually, The First Cuts was already recorded when I joined, and I added piano on a couple of tracks while the remainder of the piano had already been recorded by Corry Van Spronsen from a London (Ontario) band Shotgun Rules. In terms of the upcoming release, we always try to keep the acoustic piano sound at the forefront and the mood consistent from song to song. There are some full band tracks, and there are some stripped down tracks. In the end though, it's Machete Avenue at its finest!
Suite: You've toured with Dallas Green under his City and Colour moniker. Do you ever feel tempted to have a full band, heavier offshoot yourselves like Alexisonfire [Dallas Green is also a member of this Canadian rock band]?
Scotty: Actually, for this tour we have brought a drummer and a bass player along with us, so maybe we're getting a little heavier (laughs). As I said before, some of the new songs are full band. When it comes to creating the songs though, it's still just the 2 of us that work away at that. Chad's the mastermind behind it all really. He comes to practice with the rough outline of a song, then I just try and add piano to set the mood and bring some lead melodies to the song. I don't think that will ever change. We have great chemistry together when it comes to creating the songs, and as they say 'if it ain't broke, why fix it?'
Suite: You've mentioned before that touring is what makes everything worthwhile for you. What would you say has been your best and worst gig?
Scotty: From a band standpoint, the best gig would probably be the Myer Horowitz theatre in Edmonton, a 1000-person soft seater venue on the City & Colour tour. The venue really allowed us to set the mood well, and people just 'got it'. I remember going out to the merchandise area after and seeing our merch guy Nam with a frantic look on his face, as he stared down the line that must have had at least 300 people in it - I actually have a picture of him (laughs)! For me personally I would say that Guelph on the same tour was a personal favourite. Another 1000-person audience, and I walked out and sat down at my piano to start the set, and when I looked out at the audience they just roared. My mother was in the crowd that night, and it just felt great to know she was a part of something so special to me.
Suite: That must take some topping.
Scotty: Definitely, and it's up there at the top with the best so far. With regards to the worst gig... I'm not sure if there is such thing as a worst gig -more likely there are good nights and bad nights. In the early days of the band we used to party a little too much, and there were definitely some shows where we didn't go out there and give people 'Machete Avenue'. As we've grown though, we've learned to keep the partying and performing separate. You wouldn't go to your office job drunk, and this band is our lives.
- Scotty Scheid Interview Part Two: Inspirational Songs
- Where To Buy The First Cuts
- Contact Machete Avenue
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
