Creating the Slight Ethos
The swirling art-pop and psychedelic sounds of Slight will be ringing loud this Friday night, as the Montreal band performs live at Casa Del Popolo on St. Laurent.
With their new drummer Ryan White, Ontario native guitarist Michael Hahn and Danji Buck-Moore from Maine will be focused on executing their intricate tunes and three-part harmonies with a more eclectic array of instruments than you thought imaginable.
Ever heard of a 1967 Italian combo organ? “It’s kind of the heart and soul of the operation,” said Hahn.
Buck-Moore will be the one playing the instrument that he calls his “relentless electric wave of audio current.”
This alongside the bass on the organ, a 1985 chord-synthesizer, a sampler keyboard and the shared task of singing lead and background vocals.
“By playing bass on the organ, I’m subtracting what would be another person on the band,” he said.
Hahn, on the other hand, sings lead and background vocals while filling the spaces with his guitar.
“It’s logistically easier to work with fewer people, especially in a city where everyone’s overloaded with too many bands,” Buck-Moore said.
“Trying to get four people on the same aesthetic wavelength is kind of crazy if you’re not a super tight-knit group. Getting it to be coherent as a trio is already difficult enough,” said Hahn.
For now, they prefer to pull all the weight on their own. They describe their songs as being equally about melody, harmony and texture, despite being a three-person band.
With McGill music diplomas in their back pockets, both Hahn and Buck-Moore enjoy the creative process of self-producing and working on their songs in great detail.
“We’re really into the production side of things. It’s always a super learning process,” said Buck-Moore.
“Every time we go through it I just get so excited,” added Hahn.
In terms of do-it-yourself recording, Montreal has a wealth of help and resources, as the band has learned through experience.
“We really take advantage of it,” Buck-Moore said. “So many people are willing to help out and let you lend their stuff or work in their mixing studio. It’s such a good vibe.”
Their goal is to ultimately put out an album, and eventually get help to put out a commercial release. They have already started writing new material, but the thought of a full record is still something that scares Hahn.
“To have 10 or 12 songs that are all the best songs you can write and have a stylistic coherence is definitely a big challenge […] we’re working on it.”
On Friday they’ll be playing a few songs off their self-released EPs. Their favourite thing about performing live is the execution of the arrangements they put together.
“It’s a really wonderful opportunity to concentrate and milk yourself for all you’re able to do,” said Buck-Moore. “In the end, it’s about communicating to whoever’s in the room [and] performing at 100 per cent of what your ability is.”
For Hahn, performing live allows for an element of variability between the musicians.
“It’s the nights when [you’re] really conscious of each other […] and that feeling of communication.”
Slight’s music is available on their Bandcamp website : http://slightsound.bandcamp.com
*Slight Concert// Nov. 14 // Casa Del Popolo (4873 St. Laurent Blvd.) // 9 p.m. // $6 *
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