Due to our current (Covid) situation, the vast majority of us here at Bent River, and more broadly throughout the University and beyond, have been working remotely since last March. Judging by the recent jump in Alberta cases, it is unlikely this will change any time soon. When one adds to this the impending darkness and isolation of an Edmonton winter, times ahead can seem a bit less than bright. Given these challenges, it is becoming increasingly important to seek out different kinds of connections and kinship networks that can help sustain us through these unprecedented times.

One such network for me (Catlin), has been the Bent River team! Through our weekly meetings with faculty, label associates, and interns I’ve had the opportunity to put my energies towards something truly rewarding: helping raise the voices of other Artists while learning the ins-and-outs of the recording industry. Though there have been limitations on our activities this year, the team has been keeping very busy working on post-production for a number of albums, collaborating with the Design department for an album cover competition and revamping for our website, as well as submitting Juno nominations for a number of our amazingly talented Artists.

We certainly miss having the chance to hold live concerts, (or even our weekly meetings in person for that matter) but we are currently researching and planning for upcoming online events. Though we may not get to shake hands this year, knowing that we’re all still working towards bringing good music to the world does offer this intern some solace.

This past Saturday (Hallows’ Eve) we stopped by Studio A for Roya’s second recording session this term. Her entire band was in attendance; recording bedtracks for drums, bass, guitar, piano, santur, and voice.

After a few passes at a particular song, Producer, Professor and label head Paul Johnston made the decision to mute the ever controversial “click-track” or metronome, mid-way through the tune. This seemed to be the magic touch that was needed, as the bridge that followed was full of liveliness.

Although the team spent many hours in the studio, the day flew by thanks to a great group of musicians. As the session wrapped up, Roya gave us some insight into the recording process. She explained that the bulk of the material needed for her album has now been captured. As some of her compositions have been in the works for years, she finds it extremely satisfying to finally reach this recording milestone!

This week we spoke with Allan Gilliland to catch up and discuss his new single “Perryscope” and his brand new album release Dreaming: The Prague Sessions. He talked about his inspiration and what to expect from his new album. 

The song is very dynamic and fun; what was the recording process like? 
Because there were 70 musicians in the room during the whole process, it was a real test in organizational skills and making sure we had what we wanted before moving on. Kudos to conductor Raymond Baril for keeping it all together.

What was your inspiration for the single? 
This entire piece was originally going to be a concerto for saxophone and piano. Unfortunately, Tommy Banks had to withdraw from the project when he got sick and eventually passed away.
So, I was thinking about the balance between the piano and saxophone, and it’s one of the reasons there is a prominent piano part in this and the 2^nd movement. I knew I wanted it to be up-tempo and virtuosic. I also wanted it to have a set of chord changes that PJ Perry would have fun improvising on the track. Finally, as I was writing, I thought a lot about the key as I knew PJ would be playing the alto saxophone.

What was the writing process like? 
This piece came quite easily. I have a very strict writing process. I get up every morning at 5 am and write until around 8. With that schedule, it takes me 4-6 months to write a concerto of this scope.

What was it like recording in Prague?
A complete dream! It was a very complicated project to put together, nine people traveling from Canada plus a 65-piece orchestra. Still, it all came together so much better than I hoped, and I’m so proud of everyone who took part.

This past weekend, we visited with Roya Yazdanmehr in the studio while she and co-writer & guitarist Justin Khuong recorded overdubs for the first four songs from her upcoming album. The session was led by Producer and Professor Paul Johnston, with assistance from a number of recording students. 

We asked Roya to reflect on the session, and catch us up on what she’s been doing:

“The project has been on pause for a while so it was exciting to get back into the studio and resume working. It was my first time in the new studio (Studio A in Allard Hall), and it was a beautiful experience. I felt at ease and calm in the space — recording can feel stressful for me, feeling the pressure to get things just right, and I’m grateful for such a supportive team. I have also resumed rehearsals with my full band, in preparation for recording the remainder of the album at the end of October! It feels great to be creating again.”

Roya’s vocals possess a purity of tone that demands attention, dynamically weaving their way through her compositions. Blending the sounds of acoustic guitars, folk rhythms, and jazz infused melodies, Roya encaptures her audiences with direct but poetic encounters.

Watch out for more exciting updates on Roya’s album!

We checked in with bandleader Jemma from Jemma & The good Thing after the release of their first single, “Side of the Road”. She told us the inspiration behind the song, and explained her songwriting process from her home on Cortes Island.

How does it feel to finally release your first single, “Side of the Road”? Has the band celebrated in any way?
It feels super exciting. It’s just nice to have that digital support, especially right now during the covid era. We also had a really nice band meeting the day of the release…we got on a couple radio stations in Edmonton and in Vancouver, which is really nice. We’re kind of aiming to have one foot in both Alberta and BC because of my musical communities and I think that we’ve sort of succeeded in that sense, so that was a celebratory band meeting.

The song really speaks for itself story-wise, but could you explain to us the inspiration for this tune?
There’s kind of a multi-pronged meaning behind the song, but the main driving inspiration was that I grew up on Cortes Island and did a lot of hitchhiking when I was younger. Recently, since I now have a car and licence, I try to do as much picking up of hitchhikers as I can. A few years ago there was this young, kind of eccentric looking duck farmer. She knocked on our window and asked us for a ride. We were on the way back from Cortes, and so we drove her across the big island on a really long kind of rambly route and we didn’t realize until about forty-five minutes in that she had two little ducks tucked under her arms. They were alive and quacking…and yeah! But the other side meanings are that I did a lot of growing up on the side of the road. And my last prong in the multi-prong meaning is that I just really like picking things up off the side of the road. I’ll ask my partner to screech our car to a halt, and be like, “Stop Dan! I need to pick up that sweater.” Or I’ll find like, dirty scarves on the side of the road and give them a new home. Haha. So it’s a personal story-song.

What was your songwriting process like for “Side of the Road”?
This one was just one of those really satisfying songs that just tumbled out of me. I usually write on my ukulele and guitar, but this one came out on a piano, which is unusual for my songwriting. I guess I had these chords and this rhythm that I was playing with…and the lyrics and the melody all came at the same time. You know, kind of slowly. I’ll have a lyric with a melody and then it just snowballs into fruition. I think I had the whole song in under two hours probably. It was just there. It was so satisfying.

What was the recording process like?
We did a big chunk of the recording in one day, for both songs, and then I think Gareth and I went back to the studio for either one or two days to either track vocals or tweak things. It gave all of us a window into how long it actually takes. We were there really early in the morning and we didn’t leave until really late at night. I know that all of us had had experience with recording students before, but we’d never been in there for fourteen hours in a row. It was really long, and all of us were so happy-tired by the end of it. It was a really great feeling. And then we went for beers. Happy-tired beers. I think for me I felt both supported and pushed in the studio, which I had never felt before. I realize that’s my favourite place to be, especially creatively.

Have you been finding new ways to engage with the music scene both in Edmonton and locally from your home in Cortes Island?
Well, my big engagement was releasing the single. My band and I are hoping we’ll be able to organize a backyard tour next summer. My bandmates were planning on coming out this summer to the island, to do a B.C. – Alberta tour. A big ‘ol road trip together. And that obviously got quashed because of Covid, so we’re hoping we can do sort of a modified version next summer.

Has music always been a large part of your life?

Yeah totally. My great grandmother was a music teacher and my grandma was a professional singer and my mom has a beautiful voice and was always singing around me. I’ve always been seeped in music and I went to alternative schools that always really supported my music. Only in the past ten years have I been actively writing and that’s become a really big part of my identity as a musician.