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."