Take the... Easy Way Out Podcast: Episode 2

Friday April 18th, 2008
the
Annex Wreckroom

Featured artists: Borealis, The 13th, the Rails and Easy Way Out
Promoters: Wishjar.ca and Adrenelinemedia.ca

At the very last minute Easy Way Out was asked to join the lineup and the show ran smoothly with the help of some amazing promoters, a great lineup and some wicked die hard fans. Listen to the Podcast for all the details.

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Borealis

The 13th

The Rails

Rob (wishjar) & Jay (Adrenaline Media)

Paul (Indie Love Radio)

Zeke (Indie love Radio)

Easy Way Out fans: Lisa & Nicole with EWO's George Reefah

Easy Way Out Fans with EWO's George Reefah & Mauro Cecchi

An Interview with... Indielove webradio host Zeke the Freak

So tell us a little bit about your show and what you do over at Indie Love Radio.

My weekday 5-7pm show is very tame compared to The Sunday Night Freakshow, but the constant is always great Canadian Indie Music. I talk about current events and whatever info our bands send me. The Freakshow is something completely different. Irreverent, irrelevent and not for the weak of heart, The Vixen and I talk about whatever is turning or burning our cranks. Also, we now feature one Hard, Hot and Heavy band every week, with one of my favorites, Easy Way Out, coming in on Sunday May 4th.

Nice... who is this Vixen you speak of? Sounds soooo... uh... Super Villain-esque!

The Vixen Meaghan, is my not so new anymore co-host on The Freakshow. She's hot, open-minded and the yin to my yang. Since her arrival, things are a tad more freaky (if that was ever possible), much more interactive and funny as hell. We have a blast and really don't care if anyone else does. We even hang out aside from the show as much as we can, and things just carry on. I can honestly say that I've never laughed as much before her arrival.

Can you give our readers an example of freaky?

An example of me eh? Well, I re-wrote the lyrics for the Twelve Days Of Christmas to The Twelve Days of Freakmas. The partige "in a pear tree" was replaced with "A finger up my pooter". Also, The Vixen and I are re-working a clssic film genre, PORN. We are currently working on a Super Hero Porn Blog cumming soon to the Freak Show. On top of this, I think the freakiest thing is the way I have inspired those around me to freakiness. One of my many, many, many talents is being able to turn any comment sexual. Now it has gotten to the point where I do not even have to comment, or even react and Im being told to shuuuuuuut up! Everyone else is now thinking what I would think, before I can think it!

Do you have any off air plans for your show, maybe a Freak Festival of some kind?

Plans, plans, plans. Halloween is a big night for me, and The Vixen as well. With her announcement that she is with child, another Freak in the making, we will be dressed as pregnant nun and her priest. Indie Love Loud is still in the works. That would be a showcase for all the Hard, Hot and Heavy bands. I'm just need to find the right venue. Freakmas was a big hit last year and that will end up being the first tradition for The Freakshow.

What are the top 5 bands your spinning right now on your show (excluding Easy Way Out)?

My top five is hard, but here it goes. In no particular order:

Warmachine
Virtue & Vice
Aberdeen
Dame
Fake Reality

You can learn more about Zeke the Freak at: http://www.myspace.com/thesundaynightfreakshow
and sign on to hear his various radio shows at indielove.ca

Venue Review: The Annex Wreckroom - Shock and Awe

Let's explore shock and awe for a moment. For me, it's a level of surprise that grabs a hold of astonishment by the balls, looks it square in the face and says "dude, that f'n rules! Everything about you makes me wanna squeal like a squirrel on crack!"

I experienced a sincere feeling of shock and awe on Friday April 18th when I arrived at the Annex Wreckroom for sound check. An impressive collection of imagery, sound and comfort washed over my soul in the span of a second.

This was my first time at the Annex Wreckroom. I'd heard good things and was looking forward to soaking it all in first hand, but that's usually when I get let down. But I'm here to urge you, dear readers, if the opportunity arises, plan to spend an evening at the Annex Wreckroom.

After stepping through the threshold and walking up the stairs, a guest of the Wreckroom is greeted in the foyer by a glass encased Elvis bust beside a ukulele and, on my visit, the original stylings of Dread Zeppelin emanating from the main ballroom.

Once through the foyer, the room expands into a gargantuan playground of style and rock luxury. The Wreckroom is deceivingly huge, from the outside, one would never expect the sheer magnitude of the space. A massive paisley shaped bar, adorned with a drunkard's trove of bottles, rests in the centre of the room as if it were a pivot for the rest of the Wreckroom to revolve on when the bands start rockin' out. The walls are lined with custom teardrop cushioned seats resting in rot iron stool frames and matching booth style couches. Ahead of the bar sits a generous stage seductively waiting to lay underfoot of the evening's noise and talent. To the left of the stage resides a makeshift games room, open concept, with coin operated standards like foozball, pool and a Michelangelo Portrait machine, and retrofitted with table hockey and a Pac Man aracade. Beyond this area is a VIP lounge complete with even dimmer lighting than the rest of the club and lower, more inviting couches that beg to be made out on. The entire atmosphere describes rock n' roll... even the bathrooms are labeled with the visage of Iggy Pop for the men's and Deborah Harry for the Ladies'.

The sound offstage is full, even and powerful. The sound onstage is clear, brilliant and balanced. The shock and awe here is not from the quality, but the discovery that our sound man is the very same gentleman, by the name of Aaron, that had previously provided killer sound at the Reverb, seemingly, for ever.

The Annex Wreckroom is definitely deserving of your hard earned dollars. Let's face it, music fan, after a long day of work it's time to kick back in a cool place and listen to some killer rock, might as well be the Annex Wreckroom. I can't promise you that every band that graces their stage will provide you with that feeling of shock and awe, but the Wreckroom itself certainly will.

An interview with... EWO Guitarist Mauro Cecchi

List the gear you use and describe the desired sound you like to hear blasting back at you from your cabinet.

Gear:
Ibanez SA
Epiphone Les Paul
'66 Fender Telecaster
Mesa Boogie Sinlge Rectifier Head
Marshall Cabinet
Line 6 Floor Pod Plus

Desired Sound:
Well, it always depends on what the song is asking for. For example, on a heavier track like Beat Down or New Age I like to hear a perfect blend of sustain and presence in my leads and a thick, chugging pound in my rhythm. When it comes to the tracks that are a bit more laid back, let's say, Leave the Bottle or Perpetual Blue, I want to hear a warm, ambient sound that sets a mood of comfort.

Mood and comfort are certainly awesome bedfellows. Describe the ultimate setting or mood for writing music or jamming out new tunes.

There are many different moods that can define the outcome of a song. Any mood that you're in is perfect. New songs depend on moodswings in my opinion. Anger tends to bring out a more aggressive sound while anguish may bring out a bone chilling power ballad. Happiness will always give you those songs that you can dance to.

Jamming out new tunes always depends on how everybody in the room is feeling. Sometimes its just good to let everyone do their own thing for 5-10 min and see what kind of creation we can come up with together. You never know what off note or off time fill can do for a song.

In point form, name 5 bands/acts that have influenced your songwriting the most.

In the beginning I would have had to say:
Black Sabbath Santana Metallica

...now I would have to say I'm steering more towards:
Incubus Rage Against the Machine

...while keeping that same feel from previous years

I'll pluck Incubus from the lot for this next one... what, specifically, about Incubus do you find most inspiring?

There's nothing bad to say about Incubus, especially their album S.C.I.E.N.C.E. Their style is like no other. Mike Enzinger aka Fabio Fungus Amongus (no joke) is a hardcore guitar player who has all kinds of trippy loops and riffs with sci-fi sounding movie effects. He has influenced me like no other guitar player. I try to create songs with the same dynamic feel that he does. He has a funky side to him that I love and, in my opinion, are some of the best riffs of all time. I would love to steer into that direction of sound for EWO. Alternative Rock with a dash of funk and a hint of down right dirty in yo face heaviness.

At a recent show, you had some technical difficulties that, unfortunately, ended the set early. From what I understand, it was like lightening hitting twice. Can you lay it all out for the readers?

Don't remind me. I had nightmares of that happening and it finally came and bit me in the ass. From the minute I woke up that morning, things were just not right.

Anyways, we get to The El Mocambo to play some soup kitchen benefit. We all thought we were gonna be late because we were suppose to be on stage at 11:00. Once again EWO's set time was pushed back. The place was almost empty that night and none of us were really pumped to be on stage.

Finally, 1:00am rolls around and the venue was actually looking pretty good. The audience was all warmed up and ready for more. So, EWO hits the stage..

1,2,3, DANANANA DA, DANANANA DA (we opened with See What I See). Not even 30 seconds into the song, the tuning is out of whack. I look down only to find my D string dangling from my guitar. Lucky the song kept on going and we were not booed off the stage. Next song, I had to borrow a guitar from one of the other bands. So, we start the tune and guess what, the same string on a different guitar pops off.. I guess that we were not meant to play that show or maybe I should have just slept through the whole day. That was the shortest set in the history of performance, not a fact but I'm pretty damn sure.

So that was a rough experience, tell us about the opposite end of the spectrum. From what I understand you're having a blast with street level promotions an sales.

Oh yeah.. Grindin on the streets is my favourite part of this whole music thing (besides playing of course). Rain or shine I'm out there hustling EWO discs with all I got. My strategy is pull up, swing open the doors of the Dodge, blast the music and make sure every single person that passes by hears the name Easy Way Out. No matter who it is is, I will try and get them to buy our disc. 1 out of 5 or 6 will stop and buy one which is even more of a reason to do it. We got a good product. Sales are doing great, by the way, people. If you don't have "Steal the Show" I would advise you get it while it's HOT!!!

So where are the corners you can most likely be found selling "Steal the Show"?

We can most likely be found on Queen and Spadina, Yonge and Dundas or around Ryerson. Those are probably the best areas. Next, we'll be hitting malls like Yorkdale and Dufferin Mall. It's a long summer and there's a lot of sales to be made. Hope to see some of you out there.

EWO The Next Big Thing - Exposed & Podcasted to the World!

Now fret not, dear reader. You may be scratching your mellon, wondering what the hell a podcast is and how you, an indie music fan, will benefit from it's existance.

Essentially, a Podcast, is an audio blog or a single downloadable internet radio show. Podcasts have grown exponentially over the years and is now considered one of the many effective ways to reach the masses with a message and, for EWO, our music. You can listen to these pirate radio session on line or you can download them and drop them onto your mp3 player.

With that, may I present to you, the 1st Easy Way Out appearance on a podcast. The good folks at "The Next Big Thing", an indie music promoting and reporting organization, have been kind enough to include us on this week's cast.

http://nextbigthing.libsyn.com

Click on the POD icon and you'll be brought to a screen where you can listen or..
Right click the POD icon and choose "Save Link As" (alt+click for Mac users) and the podcast will download to your desktop. Then drop onto your mp3 player using your choice of mp3 file management software.
A little bit about "The Next Big Thing":

Martin Smit, a musician himself, along with NBT sincerely believe that "there are NO borders, no place in the world where Independent music cannot exist."

Podcasting from across the pond in Germany, Martin and his co-conspirators have set out to break the boundaries of how, you, the music fan is exposed to music. You won't always like every band they feature, but from my experience, there is always a gem or 2 that fits my personal taste. I know that you will find tunes that suit yours as well. "From Unsigned debut recordings in countries like Norway, Israel and Canada to Artists that have had million selling hits in the UK and Grammy Nominees in the USA, NBT is all about those who seek an alternative to the bloated boring mainstream and the companies dedicated to trying to implode the music biz." NBT also has another podcast focusing on the darker side of the music realm called Bullets From The Belfry

http://nbtdarkelectric.podomatic.com/

I sincerely hope you enjoy this weeks The Next Big Thing Podcast and that you feel free to check out podcasts all over the web. Let us know if you find one that you think Easy Way Out should be on.

Check out Martin and NBT on the web:
blog: www.nbtmusic.wordpress.com
Myspace: www.myspace.com/martinnextbigthing
Official Website: www.nextbigthing.co.za

Here's a list of Podcast search sites so you can start finding new music in all the nooks and crannies of the free thinking world:
www.podcastpickle.com
www.podcastalley.com
www.odeo.com
www.apple.com/itunes/store/podcasts.html
http://podcasts.yahoo.com

EWO fans win big at Clinton's show!

It's true! In an effort to give back to our loyal fans, EWO has created opportunities for audience members to go home with some killer prizes when they come out and show support at an event we book and run ourselves.

On Friday March 28th at Clinton's Tavern, as fans arrived in droves, they were given 2 such opportunities with the price of admission.

1) A raffle ticket for a shot at a fold-up, felt top, padded, poker table top

2) A feedback form, which upon return, automatically entered them into a draw for a $20 credit at the bar

The giveaways were a great success and certainly raised the anticipation level of the night so you can count on EWO doing much more of that in the future.

Up 1st on stage was local arena style rock group ADA. As fans entered Clinton's killer back room venue, they were treated to a heavy and trippy array of tunes overlaid by singer, Jen Mahone's, power wailings. Evoking the power of Audioslave, the progression of Yes and the spirit of both Chrissy Hind and Stevie Nicks, ADA's short set was both awesome and explosive.

Easy Way Out took the stage next. Ripping through the first 3 songs without a break as if ramping the audience up for some kind of release, EWO delivered with 2 new tunes: This Ol' Phantom (easily a crowd fave about a destitute homeless man who's clearly gone bat-shit) and Princess Parasite (an other worldly tale of prostitution and lust) The rest of the set fired off like a rocket and exploded when the crowed holla'd for an encore. Perpetual Blue and High Life were returned to help satiate the audience.

All the way from Windsor, On., Evelyn Falls took the stage 3rd. Updating the dark heart of grunge and evoking the ghost of Layne Staley, Evelyn Falls represented Windsor as if on a mission. Certainly an act to listen for.

Who could ask for a better closing set than the one performed by Toronto's own Dub / Ska / Rock collective Street 66. Sans horn section, Step and crew carved off all the fat and showed the audience the bare bones truth behind their sound. Charisma, character and killer songs filled the room and before long folks were cuttin' rugs like ... well like rug cuttin' bugs. Dig? The second set of encores for the night came and went and it was time to head home.

All and all the night was a real success, the bar made money, the bands made a little cash, the audience got a bunch of free stuff and went home with some great memories and a feeling, one hopes, will stay with them for a long time.