The big band now holds 10-plus players, including a bone-chilling, hand-clapping lady choir that will have you sharin' hallucinations with the Lord up above. Bruce Peninsula's debut independent release, A Mountain Is a Mouth, has just dropped for your listening pleasure. We caught up with Matt Cully...
Hour: How much is the band still a vision of the two founding members, and how much does the full band come into play?
Matt Cully: From the beginning, our band has been constantly evolving. While our first show was just Misha and I, our second included several people who are still involved with the band including Neil Haverty [lead vocals], who quickly joined the writing team, and Kari Peddle, who remains our only original choir member. Although Misha and I had a basic idea about what kind of music we wanted to make, the Bruce Peninsula of AMIAM has been the result of a consistently fruitful collaboration involving each new member.
Hour: The production values on the record sound almost timeless, but the music itself encapsulates sounds from the past, present and future.
Cully:I think we are living in a time that is consciously breaking down the idea of history as a linear progression. As music junkies in search of a fix, we have not only the history of recorded music to sort through, but traditions from various cultures around the world that have yet to influence what's happening locally. Throw in the sounds of the city or the aural environment of where you come from and you have all the factors available to create new and exciting combinations of form and style. For each song we try to hone in on a few basic ideas that serve as the skeleton, and then flesh out diverse ideas with all kinds of sonic experiments.
Hour: What are the membership requirements for Bruce Peninsula?
Cully: Everyone that is in Bruce Peninsula started off as a friend of ours or was in a band we admired. The real requirement is a great voice, a positive attitude and enthusiasm for the music. We're currently closed for applications however. Sorry.