May 30, 1996
Watchmen mellow out
By DAVID VEITCH -- Calgary Sun
Is it possible to mosh to a piano ballad?
The answer may come tonight when The
Watchmen begin a three-night stint at the U of C's
MacEwan Hall Ballroom.
The Winnipeg-based quartet has built a sizable
following in Canada with its muscular,
made-for-moshing, guitar-rock sound. Hence, the
band surprised many by demonstrating a moodier,
mellower side on its third and latest record, Brand
New Day.
"Holding people's attention in concert with a quieter
song that might make them think is tougher than just
playing a song that's fast and faster," says drummer
Sammy Kohn.
"We're up to the challenge."
Indeed. Brand New Day still contains some
aggressive guitar-rock, but the band mixes things
up with samba beats, harmonica and horns. There's
even a piano ballad.
"I don't go home and throw on a Green Day
record. That's starting to rear its head in our music,"
says Kohn.
"And we want to keep things fresh from album to
album. The best bands do that."
Fittingly, many of the lyrics convey a need to find a
peaceful sanctuary away from the pressures of life.
"It's not just four of us in our rehearsal spot drinking
too much beer and writing songs. There's now a
whole element of external pressures and negative
forces that drag you down -- things like record
company politics and the media."