By Graeme Cuningham
Caution: Beware of surly old women and flying speaker cabinets. Ah, the memories! Indeed, it was all action and adventure back in the ’80s when Toronto band Change of Heart embarked on its first tour ever. Now a decade or so later, with seven albums to their name, it seems they no longer have to worry about hazardous aging females hurling P.A. equipment. Last summer, opening up for the Hip at the Another Roadside Attraction festival where Daniel Lanois was assaulted by all means of projectiles, verbal and non-verbal, they were one of the few bands who were not viciously heckled by maggoty front-row Hip fans.
Now they go at it again with the Hip, beginning a country-wide tour here at Maple Leaf Gardens on Friday. The band has just recently released its newest CD Tummysuckle on Virgin records but has only been selling it sidestage at shows. Its wide release is forthcoming. The album is quite a leap from its predecessor, Smile, with largely improved production and what appears to be a larger degree of conviction and energy in the performance of the tunes. Maybe they’re pumped from all that money they recently won from the CFNY’s $100,000 Discovery to Disc contest.
So guys, whatcha doin’ with all that cash? Apparently the band has, after the obligatory guitar and amp shopping spree, “invested it.” The investment turns out ot be in a studio which should, the feel, make consequent albums cheaper to produce. At the same time, returns from the studio are looking good. I raised the question to them about whether the big prize money would be better split amongst ten winners, rather than (pardon my grandma’s expression) putting all the eggs in one basket. “I agree,” said guitarist Chris Topping, but he didn’t mention any donations to their other less fortunate competitors.
So guys, where will the music go after Tummysuckle? How will Change of Heart break new ground? “Well, we’ve been listening to a lot of hip-hop,” says Topping. HUH??!!!?? After dewaxing my ears, I found out I had heard correctly. But I thought you were, like, one of those Canadian rock bands. Apparently the band is going that extra mile or twelve for uniqueness. And the influence comes out effectively if only subtly at the beginning of Tummysuckle where for a minute or two samples abound.
Change of Heart opens the show on Friday with the Odds, at a venue where one can enjoy the concert without fear of scary old women chucking monitors.
Leave a Reply