Heavy
C A N A D A
rock outfit KEN mode . “ It ’ s definitely a lot bigger than people will give it credit for , but in terms of how big it is in terms of the overarching major populace , I think it ’ s still relatively small , statistically speaking , which is why it stays off the radar .
“ It ’ s not pretty ; it shows the gross side of what ’ s capable in this world ,” he adds . KEN mode knows better than most about the gross side . During their 16 years on the road , they haven ’ t had the luxuries of the big time touring bands . Instead , they ’ re in their van ( when I spoke to Matthewson , he was somewhere in rural Alabama , headed to the next gig ) and hotel rooms are mythical places . Instead , they crash on the floors of bands they ’ ve gigged with in most Canadian cities .
At its core , that ’ s what a scene is : relying on the kindness of friends .
“ It ’ s a tough way of life and the only people who stick it out are either desperate or just doing it for the love of music or this community ,” says Matthewson .
That kind of camaraderie is vital and it seems like it ’ s getting better , too . Both Rockman and Townsend recall going to America in their younger years to find the support that they weren ’ t getting among their peers , something that actually worked to their detriment in their native land . Townsend
says he felt like he was looked down on for moving to L . A . to seek success .
“ Except [ after ] I went to the States , it was even worse !” he recalls . “ It was like you were a deserter . It always bummed me out because I ’ d go to some party with a bunch of Canadian bands and felt like a total plebe .”
Small mindedness about “ selling out ” aside , the people who choose this lifestyle tend to stay in it , even if the economic realities of being in a band eventually set in .
“ It ebbs and flows . New people come out and bow out ,” says Matthewson . “ Maybe not all of them are playing in bands or touring as much as they used to . It ’ s kinda cool . We definitely have a lot of friends from 10 , 13 years ago we still hang out with when we tour across Canada .”
All these friendships and efforts to help each other would be meaningless without the music , if you ask the musicians . ( Except Townsend . As he puts it , “ I ’ m 43 ; I don ’ t listen to metal anymore .”) Canada ’ s heavy scene is as good as it ’ s ever been , especially compared with other countries .
“ I think in terms of actual creativity , there ’ s not a lot going on in the States within the past couple of years that ’ s done much for me , but maybe that ’ s my own personal taste speaking ,” said Matthewson . “ I think Canada ’ s always been on the cutting edge of that , in terms of pushing genuinely creative acts .”
Dig It Up
“ The scene in Canada is different from the scene in the U . S . It ’ s totally different from the scene in Mexico ,” White-Gluz agrees . “ The U . S . tends to be a bit more trend oriented , whereas Canada tends to be a little more true to metal roots . At least in Quebec , there seems to be a deep appreciation for the pio neers of metal and a classic metal sound , a deep appreciation for many kinds of metal , whether it ’ s trendy or not .”
For all its spread out space that makes touring in a van a pain in the ass , Canada is a place with lots of cultures , lots of thoughts , and lots of snow . Put all those together and you ’ re going to have a lot of people with not much in common but a desire to make a lot of noise .
“ We don ’ t have a giant population here . It ’ s gotta be a cultural diversity that you don ’ t find in certain cities in the Midwest for example ,” says White-Gluz . “ The fact that we have so many races and languages and religions all going on in this big melting pot creates a sort of almost political uprising that yearns for metal music .”
Adam Kovac is a freelance journalist based in Montreal . He is 30 but still listens to metal at a reasonable volume .
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