Late Loomer
Exclusive interview by Jules Brazeau (July 1, 2007)
Alt Country Tab: Loomer was formed in the spring of ’99 with two ex-Saddletramps, Andrew Lindsay and Brian Duguay. How did you all meet and how did the formation of this new band all come about?
Scott Loomer: Andrew, Iain and I were all loosely working for the same folks back then. We’d end up at the same parties, going to the same shows, drinking at the same bars, that sort of thing. At one of these social gatherings (after many drinks) guitars appeared, I ended up singing/slurring a couple of my songs, nothing I ever seriously intended for public consumption, and that started the whole ball rolling. None of us were in bands at the time and I think Andrew had a bit of a hankering to get back at it. During a particularly over-served moment at the CMJ convention in NY in the fall of ‘98 (I think) it was finally decided by Andrew that we would form a group, that it would be called Loomer (much to my chagrin), and that was that really. He cajoled and coerced Iain, John, Brian and Mike into the whole affair and I believe we started getting together to jam in the spring of ’99.
ACT: You’re originally from Montreal right? Why the move to Toronto and how long have you lived here? Prior to 1999, were you a member of another band and playing clubs in the Toronto area?
SL: I grew up on the West Island of Montreal in the 60’s and 70’s. It was a bit of an idyllic setting but it was an entirely English bastion, probably the kind of situation that sparked the Quiet Revolution in the first place. My family was part of the English exodus that left the province in 1980, something that I still regret in a way. After university, I just migrated to Toronto along with most of my contemporaries and I’ve been here ever since. Unlike the other guys in the group, I was never in a real band before this one, never had any inclination to do so and even Loomer I didn’t take too seriously until we released the first record in 2004. I’ve been playing and writing, off and on, since I was 16 but mostly just for my own gratification. Lots of bad songs that have mercifully been erased from my memory. It really took a little bit of bullying from Mr. Lindsay to get me to do this in front of others. I’m not a natural performer; I don’t get a thrill out of it. On the whole, I’d rather read a book.
ACT: Loomer has two great records under its belt in the last three years with 2004’s Love Is a Dull Instrument and 2006’s Songs of the Wild West Island, quietly released in late November of that year. The songwriting and musicianship are strong traits of Loomer. When is the best time for you to write songs? What makes a great songwriter?
SL: For me songwriting is a virtually inexplicable thing. Some songs present themselves easily, others take a great deal tweaking and fiddling, and others never come together at all. I certainly don’t approach it nearly as professionally as I should. Hence the two years between records maybe. At the heart of it I’m a lazy bugger I suppose. I do pick the guitar up pretty much everyday and have a go at it. As far as great songwriters go, well, for me in terms of the people who I really appreciate like Elvis Costello, Jeff Tweedy, Neil Young, Johnny Cash, it’s never one thing it’s always a combination of factors. It’s a boring answer but essentially I’m a sucker for a simple melody with a hook coupled with intelligent, considered lyrics. Sounds basic enough but not that many people get it right.
ACT: There is a Buffalo connection with pedal steel wizard Jim Whitford, who plays on both albums. He’s also accompanying the band on the three week UK tour in August. What is the connection with Jim and can we expect him to be playing again on subsequent album releases?
SL: Jim has been friends with Andrew, John and Brian for years. He was in a fabulous group out of Buffalo called the Pine Dogs and they played a number of shows with the Saddletramps over the years. When it came time to record the first album, well the idea to bring Jim up to contribute his delicious pedal steel was a no brainer. He’s an incredibly talented monkey and a fabulous drinker. He was just inducted into the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame this past fall which amongst other things makes him much older than he’d like to be. As far as him joining us on subsequent albums, well that depends on how he behaves himself while we’re in the UK. Really, I can’t imagine making a record without him.
ACT: Gurf Morlix, another Buffalo native, helped in producing Jim Whitford’s 2000 release, Poison in the Well. Morlix is well known in the music industry, having worked with the likes of Lucinda Williams, Mary Gauthier, Slaid Cleaves, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Tom Russell and Robert Earl Keen Jr. just to name a few. What are the chances of Loomer collaborating with both Jim Whitford and Gurf Morlix in the near future?
SL: Gurf is another Buffalo Music Hall of Famer (they’re still looking for an actual hall to put the Hall of Fame in at this point) and he and Jim have been friends since childhood. He’s an incredible producer, songwriter and musician. Of course I would be thrilled to work with Gurf, or Mr. Morlix as I like to call him, but Texas - where he lives now - is a long, long way from Lake Ontario. Mr. Whitford, on the other hand, is one short Peace Bridge away and we will definitely be collaborating with him in the future, maybe even musically.
ACT: It seems that some bands have a stronger following in the U.K. than they do back home. Justin Ruthledge and Richmond Fontaine are loved across the Atlantic. The same can be said about Loomer. Why is that?
SL: That is an interesting situation. Maybe it has something to do with the overly maudlin nature of the music. It does rain a hell of a lot over there. Seriously, I think the music gets a chance to get heard there. Radio in this country, apart from the CBC and even they have a very limited amount of air time devoted to music, is shit to be quite frank. They still have a DJ culture over in the UK, where the DJs program their own music and command a following. The BBC’s Bob Harris, who was supposed to be one of the keynote speakers at this year’s NXNE but had to pull out for health reasons, has championed us in a small way over the last few years. In fact, Bob has a huge amount of respect for Canadian music in general, sees as one of the hotbeds of new music in the world today.
ACT: Has Loomer ever played the SXSW or the Ottawa Bluesfest music festivals in the past? These two festivals would be a great way of getting your music out there. What festivals have you played in the past?
SL: As far as SXSW is concerned, we’d love to play it but we haven’t been invited. We threw our name into the hat three years ago with the first album but from what I understand there are about 10,000 bands applying for about 700 spots. It’s a bit of a crap shoot. We have played NXNE a couple of times, both great experiences but at the end of the day it’s a lot of noise you have to break though to be heard. I don’t really consider either of those festivals, more industry events. The buzz bands are established long before a single note has been played. To be honest we haven’t really looked into the festival scene and that’s probably a mistake on our part. We are definitely not masters of self-promotion. We are playing at the Belladrum Festival near Inverness this August when we’re over in the UK so we’ll see how that experience works out for us. Having said that I do like the cozy confines of a club.
ACT: What are some artists and albums you loved growing up? What are some artists and albums you currently love? What was the last album you bought?
SL: The first record I ever owned was Glen Campbell’s Wichita Lineman and I played that to death. As far as artists that mattered growing up…The Beatles, Neil Young, The Clash, Elvis Costello, the usual suspects. A record that really pointed me in a new direction was Son Volt’s first album Trace. It just opened a whole new world of music to me that I had previously ignored. Quite literally life changing without all the melodrama that statement entails. Again, boring choices I’m sure but at the moment I’m very much enjoying the new Wilco record Sky Blue Sky, the new Marty Stuart produced Porter Wagoner album Wagonmaster, and the latest fav is an old one really, Neil Young Live at Massey Hall. To be there essentially listening to the birth of some those great songs, to hear them taking shape, it’s really fascinating. You tend to picture these things coming out fully formed but even old Neil did his tweaking and fiddling.
Thank You for taking the time for this interview, Scott. Have a great time while on tour of the U.K. in August. ( Read More...)
