Aardvarks Aattic Blog

The Change

The Change are Marcus Adrian - Vocals, Acoustic Guitar and Harmonica, Gregg McGean - Lead Guitar and Backing Vocals, Matt "Mars" Finbow - Rhythm Guitar and Backing Vocals, Kevin Pogue - Bass, Roy Bartell - Drums and Percussion. With influences as wide and varied as Aerosmith, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, REM and Buddy Holly (to name a few), their sound is at once very unique and most familiar at the same time.

With one EP and one full CD of original compositions, under their collective belts the first year as a band has seen a lot of firsts for the Change. To mark the relase of their first full length CD, "Roll Y' Tongue", the band played a showcas gig at one of Toronto's prestigious rock clubs, The Horseshoe Tavern, a stage whose boards have been trodden by The Rolling Stones, The Police, The Ramones, Blue Rodeo, The Tragically Hip and Our Lady Peace (again, to name a few). The night was hosted by Toronto radio station 102.1 FM CFNY. This is a band on it's way up folks, make no mistake. One of those rare instances when five distinct personalities get together, strap on their instruments and gell in a way that, if it was easy, everyone would be doing. But it isn't, and so The Change are another comparatively rare instance.

I had the pleasure of catching them live in the kind of venue that you can only ever hope to catch a rising star in it's infancy. An acoustic gig at a coffee shop, For The Love Of Jo's in Port Perry; a location that had seen a number of the members performing solo as part of the usual open mike Friday nights. A kind of payback to Gabby, the owner to be sure. Call it The Change's Cavern Club; the comparison would not necessarily be that far off the mark.

For an aging music aficionado such as myself the pursuit of new music that actually speaks to me in a meaningful way is not as easy as it once was. How can one claim to be a lover of music when the majority of new music just leaves one cold. I will be the first to admit right here and now that I have just never, ever gotten rap, hip hop or techno. Valid musical styles I'm sure; just never for me. To me that music just sounds unabashedly derivative.

While I do hear the seeds of a number of artists which I grew up with and grew to love in their music the thing which sets The Change apart is the fact that they wear their influences on their sleeve for all to see. Marcus Adrian's vocals defy any kind of easy categorization. Kind of an unique amalgamation, if that makes any kind of sense. Marcus's overall range is most impressive.

Gregg McGean, with his bone white Fender Strat, adds tasteful, strident fills, while his solos hearken back to old Slowhand himself; not trying to flash with sheer speed (although he can when he wants to) but rather adding just the right kind of musical punctuation required to drive the song forward. Stratocasters have a very distinct voice, and Gregg takes full advantage.

While watching The Change on a small stage may not have given a true and accurate instance of their individual onstage personas I was still, none the less, drawn back to the energy that Matt Finbow consistently radiated. Playing rhythm guitar and singing backing vocals his energy was infectious. While I could sense the same kind of energy from the other band members, most demurred to the small stage which they occupied. Even Matt himself... but only for so long. Eventually he just could not contain the energy any longer.

There has never, EVER, been a band that I have admired that did not have a solid, killer rhythm section. The Stones with Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts, Aerosmith with Tom Hamilton and Joey Kramner, the mighty Led Zeppelin with John Paul Jones and John Bonham; a strong rhythm section

does any number of things. They anchor the beat, giving it continuity and presence. They allow it to expand beyond the norm; all the while keeping up and keeping pace. They provide a solid bedrock to allow the lead vocalist and guitar players to stretch out and let loose.

Kevin and Roy are just such a rhythm section. When all else seems to be coming apart at the seams they are capable of bringing it all back in focus. Kevin plays bass guitar almost as a lead instrument. He put me in mind of Geddy Lee in that respect. While the coffee house show pretty much limited Roy to a pair of bongos, I none the less had to check from time to time that he had not somehow snuck a full set of drums in, such was the beat that he was able to lay down.

And their CD? I like it; very much. The tunes are catchy in a way that stays with you even after a single listening. The harmonies are as tight as any band with five plus years of history; never mind that The Change have had, pretty much, one year to hone their skills. All original tunes I might add; which takes a certain amount of hutspa unless, of course, those original tunes can stand up on their own. Which, trust me, these songs not only can, but do.

A personal favourite of mine is "Her Revolution"; a tune which showed up both on their demo EP and their new CD "Roll Yr' Tongue". "Hit's The Spot" is another fave. "Citizen Of Grace", "I Feel Fine" and "The Change" all resonate with the same, true energy.

I hope that people who know me and know of my passion for music also know that I would not be touting these five young men if their music had not made me sit up and take notice. Trust me folks you owe it to yourself to check The Change out; you will not be disappointed.

Don't we all need a Change from time to time.

The Change - Roll Yr' Tongue is available on Amazon.com and iTunes (too name just two).

Links

The Change on Facebook

 The Change on MySpace