treble charger Definitly Maybe
In the beginning there was a band called nc17. Bearing in mind that "adult contemporary" sounds like, you'd think that "adult accompaniment" by association might not be the best choice for a rockin' roll call!
In this case you'd be wrong. One 1994 CFNY New Talen Search later [and one cease-and-desist order, too: seems like nc17 was spoken for], and the band known as treble charger proved that they didnt just know their music: they were well "red" too. Watch caught up with Bill, Greig and Rosie for a little bit, and found out why 1) names are for the birds, 2) formulas are for babies and 3) friends are for min-ing.
1. Greig: A name isn't an important thing. Look at the Dorrs, or the Police. "Hey guys, I got a great name: The Police!" EVERYTHING is wrong about that name, but the band was good, so the name became good. That's always the case; I mean take Pickle.
Attention future rock stars: when last we checked "Pickle" had not yet been grabbed!! Then again, Rosie added that there are a number of bands "on the otherside of the fence;" those whose names employ overused '90 trendo terms like "jesus" "super" and "Jr" (Dinosaur Jr excepted- they were original). Little known treble charger fact: after someone (from California, go figure) less mature than they had dibs on the "young nc" tittle, the boys briefly considered calling themselves Super Jr. specifically to mock the trend.
2. Rosie: Our mission statement is craft in songs, quality not quantity. We're not great players. We'll never be great players, but we play well. What we are is good players with great songs.
Greig: That's the formula. It's a comfortable collaberation, with alot of arguing, fighting and progressing. Come to think of it, formula is actually a bad word if you're talking about music or movies. It's a good word if you're talking about babies or car racing, though!
Point taken, but if treble charger were a racing car, the term "formula one" would suit just fine. This months release of the bands third album, maybe its me, definitly sees them comming into their own as a songwriting outfit. The group's repitoire remains fulled by the one-two punch of co-singers/songwriters Bill and Greig. Where Neil Young-ish hyper-twang tended to domenate on the first album and Superfriendz-ly guitar riff-o-rama tended to distract on the second, outing no. 3 finds a fine-line balance between the two approaches (Greig: "those were our salad albums: we were green.") Highlights as diverse as the anthemic mercury smile, the panegyric christ is on the lawn and the eclectic left feeling odd show a band able and eager to come into its own. And those arnt even the singles (the first single is the rockin' opener friend of mine).
Of course the band is taking one very gutsy risk on maybe its me, because theybe rerecorded the song for which they are best known: red.
3. Bill: I wrote "red" for a friends wedding. I just wrote it one night in a cottage, and I was singing it the next day. We never planed on it being "the" treble charger song.
Rosie: We didnt want to redo red. We didnt want to redo anything, but the record company had a point: no one otside Toronto really knows red, and this album's getting distributed in the States. I'm sorry for Toronto when it comes out again, I'm really sorry you have to hear it again. But its a great song, and it deserves a chance.
Quell that "sell out" shout immediately, ye of little faith! For one thing, there's still a chance that red (#2) will be a US-only single. For another, the song merits the rerecording for the production value alone - try turning your CFNY disc up to 11 and see what happens. Finally, music is something to be shared, not hoarded, and it would be a crime if a song that has what it takes to be a Billboard no 1. single in 1997 has to settle for being "the coolest song in Toronto in 1994." After all, why bother seeing red when you can hear it? Or to put it another way, turn the brooding, introspective advice of obvious single stupid thing to say on yourselves for a change "if you're so tried of you maybe its me."
- By Garfield Fibber Watch Magazine May 1997
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