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Here is a little story from one of our favourite blogs 'Extreme Nonchalance' based out of our hometown, Hamilton Ontario: Life Happens (Part 2): a discussion about, and with, Dark Mean It’s late June and the summer is off to a slow start so I’m the guy on Queen Street with a cardigan over some hazy t shirt lugging a camera bag up and down the street. Tonight Bobby is going to be shooting footage, hovering in and out of frame at the side of the stage wondering if he’s doing it right. I’ll be weaving through a thick crowd taking stills, processing happenings and quietly wondering if the girl I’ve just reunited with is still into me. Suddenly I’m surrounded by more friends from around town and the beers and shots are welcomed and the reason I’m here honestly goes in and out of focus. I’m sweating, the camera card is full and I haven’t written enough. I was supposed to interview Dark Mean before their set but couldn’t catch up with them. I have to leave Meaghan (the one I’m reuniting with) alone for extended periods of time, leaving me to explore every possibility that she doesn’t still feel the same way about me as she once did. There’s abundant entropy. I pull at the cardigan like it’s my occupation.
Finally, Dark Mean fills the stairs up to the stage of the Horseshoe with dashes of pride and uncertainty in their smiles. The crowd’s cheer is dense and feels muted only by the number of bodies that have produced it. I float my camera in and out of the crowd and between band members trying to produce something unique in the footage. There’s no method because I have no idea what I’m doing. Meaghan’s with two close friends and hasn’t left yet. Bobby’s nodding along with the music. Like these things often do, a compression of time seems to bring about the end far sooner than expected. I’m feeding off fervent fans and family and their unbridled approval and support. Outside the Horseshoe a local friend is calling me repeatedly to share a bottle at a nearby bar. Meaghan’s hanging around and we’re both stealing glances and shy laughs and stupid things that two people do after a long time apart and certain unspoken things that might lead towards a long time together. Dark Mean’s four year venture culminated in an hour long set that galvanized that night for me and will certainly be called a “breakout” for the band. A few months later, in the hotter days of the dying summer Mark Dean and I finally caught up at The Brain in Hamilton. It’s clingy hot, the fans are on, a knitting group occupies a corner and a couple of know-it-alls are talking film. The Brain’s magical fridge houses obscure beers that Mark and I decide to investigate. Mark’s wizened voice pairs well with his attitude. He genuinely seems aged in the matters of work and songwriting (something I think he’d laugh out loud about if I mentioned this to him in person). He’s humble but not misinformed and he’s pretty clear about where this band came from. He’s also open enough to where they might be going. The conversation picks up almost at a mid point, sometime after Mark met Mike Keire. Mike owns a special studio on Catharine Street in Hamilton that I recently toured. Mike’s approach is something of a Hamilton treasure that I’m sure anyone who has worked with him can attest to. “The whole way we got set up with Mike in the first place was actually through Matt Paxton who’s a pretty ambitious singer/songwriter from Hamilton,” Mark tells me. “Billy [Holmes] and I used to play sessions with Matt while he was recording his album. I was in the studio doing pianos for Matt and somehow slipped this demo to Mike of the stuff that Sandy, Billy and I had been working on. They played it in the old studio and really liked the ideas that they were hearing. Since we were just getting started and Mike and Glen were too, we kind of made this commitment to see it through to the end no matter how long it took.” There’s the slightest hint of realization that passes over Mark’s face when we both realize it took four years. Four years is a long time for a debut album. A really long time. “They didn’t see it taking more than a year,” Mark says. We both have a laugh at that. “One common thread I’ve been weaving into these discussions is how Hamilton’s been as a breeding ground for music and what the scene is becoming,” I tell Mark. “Well Sandy, Billy and I all went to Queens so university was a blast because we all had five or six bands and we played every pub in the area continuously. We were always on stage and it was just a really fun time. But because of that we were missing out on the busy school season shows back in Hamilton. But every time we were in town we’d play The Casbah and the local joints,” Mark clarifies. “We just weren’t too informed on all the happenings. We knew a lot of things were going on because Hamilton has always had a thriving music scene whether people knew it or not. I guess because we were away for school we just kind of missed that part but the city was always welcoming for us to play when we were home in the summer.” “I think Hamilton is special because of its camaraderie,” Mark continues. “I agree but I think we’ve got a treasure because of the size of the city,” I add. “Yeah because it’s not like Toronto where maybe on the hip music is getting noticed. And it isn’t so small that we’ve got no clue what is happening in the business. It really is a special kind of pocket where everyone jams together and knows each other and that’s helped develop some really interesting things right now,” Mark notes. Because I only catch up with bands that I truly enjoy I get the chance to speak quite openly about the things I like and dislike. At this point in my life I’ve become exceptional at figuring out why I like the music that I do and with these discussions I get to compare that with musicians I really admire. I guess the most rewarding part is that everyone I’ve caught up with has a very honest aura about them. For example, we both agree that the CD release show was a complete success but the actual execution of the live set was something that will still be honed and refined. “See bands like Paper Lions [who opened for CD release show] are a full time touring band and for them it’s like going to work but in the best way possible,” Mark explains. “Yeah, we jived out on their entire set. It was a good time,” I agree. “Of course because they have the performance figured out and they sound so tight on stage. For us, we’ve only ever played as a band five or six times so that’s still being figured out. I mean, this isn’t Billy’s dining room with the table removed anymore,” Mark admits. I guess that catches me off guard only because the album sounds so absolute. It’s precise and engaging and I always figured that was something that would easily translate to a live setting but Mark’s put that into perspective for me. Having all the lines of code mesh in a live setting becomes increasingly difficult when songs need to be fleshed out with keys and horns and the practice schedule has to revolve around what grown ups call life. Aside from the band’s development, Mark got engaged this year and finished law school, while Sandy and Billy are both working full time jobs. I guess that makes the entire album a little more spectacular for me. Most bands opt for the road that let’s them play a series of small shows, bundle up some money and get a record out with nothing to fall back on. Without sparing anything in the way of quality or context, Dark Mean was able to produce an album that captured the range of human emotion in superior fashion while balancing other ambitions and responsibilities. Granted, the album did take four years to finish. I think back about the performance and honestly remember how incredible it was to share this band with my friends that evening. Then it strikes me that maybe the best part of the performance was the subtle nervousness of the entire collective on stage. The repeated fill-in lines to engage the crowd. The smiles shared between band mates that passed over our heads. For anyone who’d made the four year journey with Dark Mean, it really felt like we were a part of story only shared in the wee hours of the morning between closest friends. One of those friends is Mike Keire, the producer and owner of multiple studios that Dark Mean recorded their album in. “If it wasn’t for him we never would have done this. We wouldn’t be here,” Mark helps me realize. “Mike really is just pure passion when it comes to music. It was never about the dollars. This was a project he wanted in on and he always treated it that way. He always cared about it.” “When you hit your first note that night that was the first thing I noticed from the crowd,” I tell Mark. “Mike was front and centre with this unlimited pride emanating from him.” “Yeah well I think Mike helped us realized how much more this whole thing was going to end up being. But that commitment gets noticed. Mike’s completely booked now and the people that work with him know the story. I’m not saying they’re like, ‘oh wow Mike did Dark Mean’s record’, but they definitely know how long it took and that Mike was there for the whole thing.” “When I first found Dark Mean I’d read that you were prepping these EPs for some theatrical concept series that was going to accompany a play and I was all about that,” I tell Mark. “After literally a week with frankencottage on repeat I couldn’t see the story within. I loved it because it made sense of a lot of things happening in my life but not for a play called ‘The Constant K Determines the Ultimate Fate of the Universe’. What was that all about anyway?” “Well we weren’t writing based on that play,” Mark clarifies. “We met Becky [Nata-Rajah, writer of ‘The Constant K’] through a friend of a friend. She’d won an award for the play and someone had suggested our music in a live setting to accompany the play.” Mark conveys an often hilarious attitude of sure-why-not when we talk that first becomes evident right about here. “The songs weren’t even songs yet. They were instrumental ideas and we didn’t know anything about the play and right away we were like, ‘Yeah of course we’ll do this.’” I don’t think he realizes, even now, how ludicrous that sounds but he explains the progression of it as such a matter-of-fact that I’m a little baffled at how I could think it would be so difficult. “We just showed up for rehearsal for a few weeks offering up riffs from different tracks kind of on an improvised basis until things fit,” Mark adds. “It ended up working out really well!” We move onto talking about the way their EPs came together and how the songs sort of named themselves. I meant to ask about names like “Finland” and “Smoke Lake” and Mark answers almost like a confession. “Yeah, what we’d do is just name tracks based on surroundings. Our first EP shared its name with a track called frankencottage. What happened there was we had two songs that sort of melded into one and the first song we just called ‘Cottage’. So when they combined we just called it frankencottage. We changed that to ‘Smoke Lake’ which was where the cottage was because we knew we had to get a little more serious about it at some point.” Mark laughs with a self-chastising note and admits to reading an article in which the author suggests that the band let someone else name things for them “That kind of reflects in our band name too. We were just sitting around with a bunch of friends and having stupid fun rearranging letters in our names. For some reason the only one that even turned out to be English words was my name. It was like, the second they said Dark Mean everyone just raised their eyebrows in epiphany. I was like, ‘oh no’” Mark says as he slaps his hand to his forehead. “So of course as we’re trying to come up with band names someone mentioned Dark Mean and there was this collective praise for it. I just blatantly said ‘I don’t want that’ but no one listened,” Mark admits with a chuckle. “So when the album finally started pulling together you used most of the tracks off your two EPs and three additional tracks right?” “Yeah,” Mark confirms. “Two stand outs for me are Acoustic and Old Man. Tell me about Acoustic.” “I’m actually really proud of Acoustic,” Mark admits. “That was right after I met my girlfriend [now fiancé] and the guys kind of pent me up in the sound room and told me to have at it. The song has a really weird time signature and we’d struggled at finding something for it but they had a feeling I was in the right place.” Acoustic is a gorgeous testament to falling in love. The matter’s been exhausted but here, Mark frames it as a painting, letting a fresh metaphor shed some new light on the subject. Lyrics come as snapshot ideas with the focus on two painted figures smearing their autumn colors. Mark sums up that new-found-love excitement when he sings “I hope we dry slowly.” “That was all done in one take,” Mark adds. “It’s good to get that out there finally,” he laughs. “Old Man is a brilliant closer,” I commend. “I am a sucker for instrumental tracks and that one builds to a great level. I’m surprised you didn’t close with it at the CD release.” “We would have loved to play that track,” Mark admits, “but the original version of that song is something pretty special. Sandy recorded that on an 8-track he had at his place in Ottawa and he had about seven or eight guitars looped with these really beautiful little licks. It just escalated into this enormous track and I think capturing that live would be hard but we’d love to figure out a way to do it.” “A few songs were cut from the EPs also,” I continue. “Yeah we cut ‘Piano and Beat’ from the Music Box EP,” Mark confirms. “Was that hard?” I ask. “Well that song kind of got reworked into this epic rock track but I think it was hard to cut because of the vocals,” Mark admits. “I had never really sung before this so in the beginning I had this fear that we’d have structures and ideas and plans in place and everyone would look at me for the vocals and I’d just be like uhhhhhh [Mark makes a seriously funny dear-in-the-headlights face here].” “For me that was an unnatural process,” Mark admits. “I think that might be what really grounds your tracks for me though,” I tell Mark. “There’s a weariness to your vocals that makes the songs stand out from the ideal genres that they might get clumped into with a different vocal delivery. Somehow your vocal delivery has kind of punched the songs out into a different dimension.” “Well that’s good to hear,” Mark laughs. “Seriously though, I’m always left wondering what people thing of the voice. Maybe it’s because I’m constantly trying to figure out which voice to use.” There are little moments like that all throughout our conversation, where Mark puts himself in check a bit regarding the band. I don’t think he realizes exactly where the band exists yet. Oddly enough I’ve been trying to figure the same thing out. When you listen to the album there’s not a single shred of doubt regarding their ability to write beautiful music. Mark’s voice is a treat and the songs are shaped for sharing. They want to be heard and want to be connected with. The talent is undeniable. “So now Dark Mean has made their opening statement. People are interested and they definitely want more. Tell me about how you’re approaching what comes next,” I ask. “If we could get into a room for two or three days we’d probably have enough ideas to lay out another album’s worth of songs. One thing that’s so amazing about working with Sandy and Billy is that the process is easy. I’m just so lucky to be working with the guys. I don’t think a new album is in the works just yet but there are always ideas and that’s really where the first album started. Musically I’m confident we could come up with something fairly quickly.” “What about touring? It seems like now is the time to push it, no?” I ask. I’m pushing because as a fan I’m share an interest. “We’ve played strings of small shows and clubs and we know what we want. We want to play the places that can afford the sound we want fans and people at shows to experience. I feel like we have time. We’d rather play shows that don’t spare any quality as opposed to just checking off a bunch of small venues.” I think that’s pretty admirable. We’re talking about an upcoming band that doesn’t want to play unless the show will be memorable. It’s a bold idea in a time where small venues fill their rosters nightly with hometown heroes. Seriously though, those weeknight gigs come and go. They are fun but most of the attendees are there for the drink specials and some easy to like, easy to forget music. Dark Mean does not make that brand of music, thankfully. “Offers are coming in and I think we are in a position to choose what’s right for our music. There’s been talk about soundtrack work and a tour could come knocking on our door anytime now.” After that Mark and I chat like true music enthusiasts. We excitedly recount shows that we’ve seen and realize we enjoy many of the same bands. Mark tells me about Sigur Ros tickets he received as a thank you for working on “The Constant K”, which took place in a palace in London. I tell him about nothing that comes close to the show he’s just described. As the night winds down Mark thanks me for the discussion. Now I find myself some six months after the CD release show finally letting this part of our discussion loose. I’ve constantly apologized for the delays but maybe it comes down to something like the reasons Dark Mean have bided their time with the album and upcoming tours. Extreme Nonchalance is quietly gaining some momentum. Music is being shared and people are talking intelligently about why. Not just because “the music is good” but also about the meanings of songs, where they came from and why we latch onto them the way we do. I wanted that kind of quality discussion for a band like Dark Mean. They’ve made the kind of music that feels like it was written specifically for issues I was dealing with in my own life. They’ve made a explorer of new music like myself turn an eye back on his hometown. Their live performance will always go hand in hand with the embedded nervousness of trying to rekindle something with the one that got away from me, and luckily came back. Lastly, they continue to do what they’ve always done for me. I wait eagerly for every chance to see them live, and check daily for any hint at when I can get new music from them. I suppose I’ve learned what having a favourite band really involves now. Read the post on Extreme Nonchalance. |
