By Patrick Finch
THE HIGH DIALS
WAGE WAR
Rainbow Quartz, the Manhattan based label of damn near all rock
that jangles and swoons, just keeps giving us folks in Southern
Ontario the goods. Artists like the Telepathic Butterflies,
Rockfour, and Denise James have all graced local stages of late
and are all enjoying a higher profiles thanks to intensive tour
schedules and consistently beautiful releases. Montreal’s The
High Dials have made a name for themselves as a Rainbow Quartz
commodity well–worth pining for, and with the impending
Canadian release of their sophomore record, War Of The
Wakening Phantom on June 7, the former Datsons are dropping
by the e–Bar in Guelph to strum their 12–strings and sitars.
Bassist/vocalist Rishi Dhir was sweet enough to chat with me
about the new record and the tour from their recent stop in
Washington, DC.
“Basically, this is a warm–up for the upcoming North
American tour. The album isn’t out here yet, so we’re pretty much
just testing the new songs out on these unsuspecting Americans.
Seems to be going pretty well. We just had a sold out show last
night in DC.”
The High Dials got their start, and made quite a name for
themselves, as the mod–pop outfit, The Datsons, back in 2001.
Dhir, guitarist Robbie MacArthur, drummer Robb Surridge, and
newcomer keyboardist Eric Dougherty had to change their name
when a certain scrappy, punky band known as the Datsuns started
gaining international acclaim. Luckily the change was timely,
nicely coinciding with a shift in musical directions, and their aptly
titled debut record, A New Devotion. A New Devotion got them
scooped up by Rainbow Quartz and made them fast fans in lovers
of ’60s styled psychedelic rock. One such fan was the E Street
Band’s Little Steven Van Zandt, who upped the bands profile
drastically by championing the little Montreal quartet on his garage rock radio show, Little Steven’s Underground Garage.
Now, with War Of The Wakening Phantom, The High Dials are
looking to capitalize on their initial successes with a record that
jangles a little less, and has more hints of the Dears than the
Byrds. It’s a change that Dhir hopes the band’s proponents will
embrace.
“The album grew very organically,” says Dhir. “During the
whole recording process, we never felt any pressure as to whether
our fans or label would accept the new material. However, once
that was all done, we got a bit worried about what people would
think of it. There was concern that WOTWP didn’t have a very high
‘jangle’ factor. Still, I don’t feel it’s that much of a departure from
our previous material; more of an evolution. Rainbow Quartz have
been very supportive and are really psyched about the album.
We’re very proud of this record, and I think it’s the best we’ve
ever done.”
Dhir and co. are also excited to bring their show to the fans,
and to allow their new tunes the space to breathe on stage, a
place where the songs really take on a life of their own, and a
place where they can experiment even more with them, and
maybe bring a few surprises for their fans.
“There’ll be monkeys. And lots of ’em! Seriously, playing live
is different from making a record. The music becomes so much
more raw and immediate. I’m also travelling with my sitar, so if
the Guelphites are good, maybe I’ll pull it out.”
The High Dials are playing at the e–Bar on June 7. Opening
the show will be the best band to come out of Hamilton since
Simply Saucer, The Ride Theory. Doors at 9pm. Cover’s $10. But,
um, don’t mention the Datsuns...
“I actually love them! We partied a few times with them and
they’re some of the nicest kiwis you’ll ever meet. Besides, I prefer
our new name.”
Guitarist Josh Bradford, bassist Bill Hamilton, drummer Paul
Koehler, and singer Shane Todd are Silverstein, a progressive,
screamy, metal machine who’ve taken their cues from Moneen
and Grade, and their name from a legendarily dark children’s
author named Shel. The band, birthed in Southern Ontario,
released their debut ep in 2000, and after some serious touring,
released a follow–up and were quickly signed to premier American
punk label, Victory Records. Now, having just returned from a
hugely successful Australian tour, Silverstein, (and some carefully
selected tourmates), are taking Canada by storm, and are
bringing the show to the Wax in Kitchener. Joining Silverstein at
the Wax on June 5 will be Spitalfield, Sleeper Set Sail, The Turn It
Ups, and War Against Amy. This Sellout production opens its
doors at 6:30pm, and the bands start at 7pm. Tickets are $10 in
advance, (check out Encore and the Orange Monkey), or $12 at
the door. You can also check out www.519punk.com for a chance
to win free tickets. www.silversteinmusic.com

THE HIGH DIAlS
w/ The Ride Theory
Tuesday, June 7
e–Bar
Tix: $10
www.thehighdials.com
ECHO Weekly