April 18, 1996

Time for Watchmen
Winnipeg band is ready to break the rules
By JANE STEVENSON -- Toronto Sun

Like kids in the record store to end all record stores.
That's how Winnipeg pop-rockers The Watchmen felt earlier this year at Butch Vig's celebrated Smart Studios in Madison, Wis. They were finished making their new album, Brand New Day.
"We snuck into the vault downstairs where they keep all the masters and it was kind of funny," says amiable guitarist-vocalist Joey Serlin, on the phone prior to tonight's show at the Concert Hall.
"They had our master tapes from the last album. It was all in alphabetical order, so it went U2 and then Watchmen 'cause I guess there were no bands that started with V.
"It's kind of daunting," continues Serlin. "They had our gold or platinum award on the wall -- in Canada that's 50,000 or 100,000 -- it was right beside Smashing Pumpkins' three million worldwide."
While The Watchmen weren't exactly looking over their shoulders, they did feel some pressure to follow up the success of their 1994 release, In The Trees, which sold more than 100,000 in Canada and prompted a 1995 Juno nomination for group of the year.
"I'd be lying if I said we didn't think about all aspects," says Serlin. "Musically, there was no pressure. When we knew an exact date we'd be heading into the studio is when we really exploded with songs.
"And you seem to get so self-absorbed in your writing that before you know it, everything's finished. So in terms of the business, making it happen, you've just kind of gotta hope for the best."
Frankly, though, the timing could have been better for the Toronto show, not to mention a second concert tomorrow at Manta Sound that will be broadcast live on syndicated radio (102.1 CFNY locally) and on the Internet starting at 10 p.m.
"We haven't been on a stage in four months," the longest the band has gone with doing a live show, says Serlin.
"If we were going in cold without doing these North Bay shows first (on Tuesday and Wednesday night) I'd probably be a lot more worried."
Serlin says the group has been rehearsing up a storm and preoccupied with preparing for a European tour -- they leave for London, England, on April 29 -- after which they return for a cross-Canada trek starting in June.
"It's been quite crazy, in terms of the other aspects of our career," he says. "It's time to get on the road so we can just strictly concentrate on music."
Speaking of which, Brand New Day features more experimentation than previous Watchmen releases including more strings, harp, piano, trumpet ... etc.
"This time there was viola, violin and cello and it was great, it felt like I was George Martin or something," says Serlin with a chuckle.
"We had this real attitude that anything went on this record, it was nice. In the past when we were recording --I don't know whether we were still intimidated by the whole beast of the studio -- but we felt that we couldn't break any rules and now, this time, we just felt cocky."