By Pete Nowak
Get yourself a big pot. Throw in a couple of groovy guitars, a bass and some drums. Look in mom and dad’s closet for some outfits from the ’60s, then throw them in too. Toss in a pharmacist, a part-time magician and a couple of kids from small-town Ontario. Add a few of the best voices in the city and you have Spin the Susan, an eclectic hodge-podge of musicians who invade the Edge tonight.
“We play the type of music that would never offend anyone,” says singer/guitarist/part-time magician Jason McConnie. “Punkers, metallers, old ladies and families can show up and have a good time,” he says.
Driven by “groove-rock” guitarists and a solid rhythm from bassist Mark Linton and drummer/pharmacist student Robin Lane, the music provides the launching ground for the band’s real power: the vocals. Shared by McConnie and former choir and opera-trained singers Rebecca Gould and Barbara Vermeulen, the band’s harmonious vocals have often drawn comparisons to the B52’s.
“We don’t necessarily strive to sound like them at all,” says McConnie. “I think we have…better singers than them,” he says. Gould adds that they dress up in vintage clothing like the B52’s, so the similarities are obvious. She says, however, that Spin the Susan is unique because of their wide variety of influences and differences.
The band’s name comes from Lazy Susan, an appetizer tray usually found on a coffee table. The tray spins and offers a wide variety of goodies. Kind of like the band.
Leave a Reply