The music of The Shanks exists in a perpetual struggle with itself. It is at once unsettling and familiar, dark and soothing, heavy and pretty, while managing to remain cohesive. This Orangeville-area twosome take a White Stripes-minimalist approach, crafting tunes on just drums and bass, but managing to create enough dynamics and layers to keep the listener engaged — no easy feat, but made less painful by vocalist/bassist Ian Starkey’s haunting, at times operatic voice.
The waves of post-punk bands like The Smiths or Wire run deep through The Shanks. Their records make great companions in a low lit room with a glass of red wine; inject that with a healthy dose of esoteric, cryptic, lyrical imagery and you’ve got an idea of what The Shanks are all about. And while it may be hard to pin down exactly what that is, it sure makes for a fun listen. We caught up with Starkey to talk about architecture, farming and rock music.
How did the Shanks come in to existence?
I left Toronto and moved to a farm in 2004 to — among other things — leave behind rock ‘n’ roll and the death of my old songwriting partner and band mate. Once I got out to the countryside, I realized that the music was all around me and that life was better with it than without!
Was there a specific sound you were looking for when you got together or did it just come naturally?
Not knowing any musicians in the Hockley, I worked out a way that I could sing and play the electric bass with a capo to cover chord structures and rhythm so that I could make a full-sounding band with only a drummer. It is a style of playing which has evolved over time for me.
Why do you dislike guitar players?
I don’t dislike guitar players but I guess it was just that in my brokenness, I learned to do something in a different way. Looking back on it now, I was really just trying to protect myself from having my band ever break up again over the loss of a member. It is probably akin to a dog learning to walk on three legs after an accident. I feel kind of ashamed now, as I have realized years later that, in some ways, while I was trying to be free to play music again, I was also building walls. Still working that out.
You’ve got a fair number of albums under your collective belt already, and all without any label support. Is remaining independent important to you or is it just easier for you to do it yourselves?
Well, I guess that for the way that the band has been going for the last few years, it has been possible to make recordings here at the farm for minimal cost. We have relied heavily on the goodwill and generosity of producers and engineers such as Arthur Sadowski, Kirk Starkey and Rob Sanzo. Not having to worry about answering to a label on creative issues has been very important, but with the types of endeavours we are moving into now, it is definitely a priority for The Shanks to find financial support. With a 19-year marriage and four children, there is only so much rock ‘n’ roll in the household budget these days! But I feel absolutely blessed to be playing music at all. Many musicians I know end up having to leave their dreams behind once the realities of life catch up to them. And their women!
You’ve been known to use some pretty cryptic imagery and language while promoting the band. Are you trying to deflect attention away from the deep personal meaning behind your lyrics, or is it just that you think it’s funny?
Good question. I think that the trans-historicism, the dark barbarism and the culinary absurdity are all facets of the intense level of theatre that always seems to go hand-in-hand with great rock music. Grand tyrants and executioners facing the divine in some eschatological aftermath of massive errors in judgment, et cetera, that is ultimately about an experience with God. I think I have very often feared being misunderstood and/or mocked for having my faith so I have turned to subversion in my artistic presentations. But that is a serious question and one that needs to be answered fully.
You work as an architect during the day. Is designing a building similar in any way to writing a song?
Yes it certainly is! Space, composition, rhythm, meter, colour, texture… these are terms common to both pursuits. Songs and architecture both happen within the temporal realm, and to my mind, have many things in common.
How has Shank Fest been going? Are you going to keep doing that every year?
This is the happy time in the year when we get to invite the musician folks we have met up with out on the road back to our home base at the farm and share some experiences. We hope to always be able to continue setting that table. It is totally incredible to create diverse show bills and put a whole bunch of different people together for an event. Always trying to change the focus from heavy drinking and drug-using to a more relational and community-based experience of the celebration of music.
What’s next for the band? Are there any plans to tour or release a new album?
We are playing tour dates in Canada and the US this fall in support of our May 2011 release Skordalia which features the inspired playing of the new SHANKS drummer Jody Brumell. We’re working on a video for the track “Tenderizer” with Scott Montgomery, as well as enlisting a UK press agent in preparation for some European tour dates. It is one of the great joys of my life to be able to share the music I have been given with people, so I keepon praying that we will continue to do just that!
Recommended track: Ring Around the Rosary
The Shanks are:
Ian Starkey – vocals/bass
Jody Brumell – drums
Ty Trumbull is a Toronto writer. He works as an editor at 680News and can be seen playing banjo with his band, The Sure Things, every Monday at the The Dakota Tavern.