Question: Is it wrong for a grown man to jump up-and-down on his bed with headphones on? The answer: Not unless I get caught!
Life’s a party when you’re Suzy Sabla. With a CD Release Romp scheduled for Friday the 23rd, the Junior Major frontgal & fashionista was excited to rock the house with some frolicking fun!
“Tons of frolicking, cute dresses, heavy-duty lead-ups… Not only are people getting a dose of the album Secret Magic, but we’ll also be playing a few new tracks so people know what to look forward to!”
The new disc plays like a party. 11 tracks of pure indie garage-pop glory, from the opening track “Drunk Lip”, to the title-track/closer “Secret Magic”. A+. What’s a Drunk Lip anyway? Sounds scandalous!
“Drunk Lip is a song that Katy and I wrote after we saw some musicians onstage and we were mimicking that everybody in the band had their drunk facial expressions on. It’s just a party song, taking the piss out of that face when you know somebody’s just about to fall on their face. You know they’re making excuses and lying about how many drinks they want when they should be drinking water,” laughs Suzy.
Moving down the line, there’s a common theme with the album: tongue in cheek humour, sugary-sweet harmonies, garage-pop revenge, and a whole lotta ‘tude. Bits of grungy cacophony like “Bad Timing” and “Snake Charms” really get the blood boiling, but it was the story of “Dirty Birds” that gave a little glimpse into the Junior Major muse. The elegantly spoken Suzy explains:
“That was an angry little song that was written when a piece of information fluttered my way about some people whom I thought I trusted. I’ve gotten over the situation, but that’s why I like writing songs, because it’s so much better than having temper tantrums at people because you kind of get over it once you’re done singing it ten times.”
Secret Magic was recorded with producer and Good News bassist Hayz Fisher, who it’s also fair to add, joined Buck Cherry in a modern-Modernettes incarnation. The album will satiate most indie appetites, as you won’t find any 4-minute guitar solos, or even 4-minute songs for that matter. Secret Magic is a fun collection of sugar & spice & everything destructive.
Now onto the live show at the fabulous Biltmore Cabaret. It feels like a Vegas Lounge; a place you could find yourself hanging out at 11am on a Tuesday. As Hayz & opening act The Good News loosened up the mostly young-ish, well-dressed crowd, the promise of a great evening presented itself. Great sound from this 6-piece, and if “Our Love is a Crime”, then you can lock me up for loving this band!
In a growing trend, the headliners went on 2nd tonight. Good news for Suze:
“I remember playing at the Biltmore last year, and I tend to drink double Gin & Tonics when I play. I managed to spill one all over myself, my set list and some other people. I got another drink, but I spilled that one shortly thereafter. I guess that comes with playing last. When you’re headlining you gotta watch the amount of alcohol intake.”
Apparently there has been some lineup shuffling within Junior Major, right Suzy?
“We’ve just added a new drummer, named Tony Dallas, and thusly we have also thrown some bass into the mix. Rather than being a 3-piece, we’re now a 4-piece. Really going Junior Major Deluxe. It’s noisy, dirty & grimy, but simultaneously girly, fun and energetic!”
Damn right! The new lineup is off the friggin’ charts! The show opened with the usual sickly, baritone chug from Katy’s 6-string, and almost right away, whipped into a mad dash of energy. With Tony the Uzi-Machine Gun behind the kit and Adam Sabla jumping (literally) over to bass, this gang could very well earn the label “Most exciting local band” this year. The girly-twin vocals of Suzy & Katy remind me of when my 2 little sisters would make up songs to tease me back in the day. Ahh, nostalgia. Complete with kissing-up.
“Sorry for swearing, mom.” (Suzy Sabla)
The look. Junior Major’s wardrobe looks like a clash of the decades. Little Suzy Q in her 60’s party dress, Katy in her stylish, timeless black cocktail dress, Adam sporting a skinny-tie and Tony looking like one of the Get Up Kids. These are the bad kids who showed up to crash the debutant ball. Prom-punk! Suzy even offers fashion tips for those looking to spruce up their style:
“Here’s my fashion tip for everybody: Without sounding cheesy, don’t give a shit about anything else and if something seems rad to you, but it looks ridiculous, there’s nothing wrong with being ridiculous! At least it’s a step away from American Apparel hoodies. I look back at some of my outfits and say ‘What The Fuck Was I Thinking?’ Colour’s good. Actual patterns are good. Why the hell not? We’re young!”
You might remember a couple of years ago, “Surface Socket” brought national exposure to Junior Major via The Wedge. In the video, Suzy & Katy throw a party on Burrard Street, challenging passers-by to a dollar store version of Hungry Hungry Hippo. Now, if Suzy could challenge one artist to a game of Hungry Frog, who would it be?
“I’d like to challenge Lady Gaga. I watched Much Music for the first time in a few months the other day, and I was absolutely appalled. There were 2 Lady Gaga videos in a row. I was like; Who is this girl? What’s with the metallic hair? I challenge you Lady Gaga to a game of Frogs. Anytime, anywhere.”
With a lively live show, rambunctious record and a lavish lineup, it’s only a matter of time before Junior Major Fever spreads East, and South:
“We’re looking to potentially head on over to the East Coast, do a mini-tour like Toronto, New York, Montreal. It’s definitely on the horizon, we’ve just gotta figure out the right timing.”
You can check out Junior Major live at Honey Feb 4th for Suzy’s Beehive Birthday Bash. Dress Code: Pretty In Pink!
All that partying can be pretty exhausting, but Suzy and the gang won’t stop there. Rest assured, there will be more frolicking fun as the band heads into the studio to unleash another portion of their kajillion-or-so songs.
“RECORDING!!!!!! “ screams Suzy. “Woooohooo! Yeah, we’re going to be recording in February with our friend Patrick at Mission Shack Studios and once again with Hayz Fisher, who just did some vocals with Adjective. We’re excited to bring out some new songs that we’ve been writing and either do an EP or if we’re feeling up to it, another full-length!”
Suzy Junior, Katy Major, Adam Sabla & Tony Dallas. Punk Rock, Fashion, and Frolicking Fun. The new album is called Secret Magic. Find out where you can buy it at www.myspace.com/juniormajor
No comments:
Post a Comment