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In this section you’ll find articles from the paper and transcripts from interviews.
Dans cette section tu trouveras des articles de journal et des interviews re-transcrits.
pick one, choisis-en un:
Burnin'rubber (hour)
Montreal rockers Rubberman deliver a debut that's more than you can chew by Jamie O Meara
http://www.hour.ca/magazine/index.asp?id=629&parution=905
It's an awesome thing to see five or six hundred teenage girls consumed in a synchronicity of hysteria. There's a single mindedness of purpose, an impassioned sense of entitlement and a recklessly endangering abandon that would be the envy of any man's army. This is the power of rock, and it's plain to all in the Spectrum that the four men onstage this night are, perhaps, the most powerful men for miles.
I can see on the faces of Rubberman a goose-bump-inducing mix of emotions, as contempt cascades into wonder runs into angst overflows into horror. The crowd before them are unrelenting in their adoration and frightening in their intensity.
Only thing is, that's The Moffatts onstage. And the five of us, out of place at the back of the club, and feeling maybe just a bit ridiculous, abandon the experiment and retreat to quieter climes.
West Island high
Six years ago, earth was turned on what was to become yet another West Island success
story, and though you couldn't limit the members of Rubberman to that locale
now, the band recognize in their roots a thread of consciousness, a sense
of common purpose that links them to other Montreal formations that have
followed the same route.
"Definitely," concurs vocalist/lyricist Jonas. "Look at Slaves On Dope, look at those guys, and Shades of Culture - they're still doin', they're still pushin', they're still out there. Pigeon Hole are happening, too. Half the ska bands are boys and girls from the West Island who are out doing that thing. And the gorgeous, gorgeous women."
A light breath of serenity envelopes the band - rounded out by Keif on guitar, bassist Chris Vinson and drummer Dave Phillips - as they devolve during a brief moment of contemplative appreciation in light of Jonas's observation. This is a band of boys, after all, if not a boy band, per se. And these boys (their average age is 22) will be boys.
As a band that's claiming permanent squatter's rights at the heavier end of the musical spectrum, Rubberman are ready to take on all that rock'n'roll can throw at them. Since the band signed with Montreal-based Aquarius Records - headed by promotional heavyweight Donald K. Tarlton, aka DKD - in the dying days of '99, they've done nothing if not raise their sights.
"We want the whole enchilada; we want to be huge," says Jonas unabashedly. "We're an in-your-face thing, and you know the way it works: if you're heavy in Canada, they won't play you until you're being played in the States. Montreal is our priority right now, and Canada is a priority, but if anything is going to happen, it's going to happen in the States." (He adds cryptically, "Things are happening.")
Says Phillips, "[Producer Glen Robinson] said to me, 'You guys are good for Canada, you'd be a good Canadian band, but you're made for [fabled L.A. radio station] KROQ.'" Enter Robinson.
Rubberman vs Magicman
The Rubbermen have just finished work on their debut, self-titled album (due in stores
April 10), 12 tracks including the lead-off single More Than I Can Chew,
which was released this week. It was an experience that galvanized an already
solid working unit.
"[Shovelhead's] Marco Rakic pre-produced our stuff before Glen, and showed us and guided us on how to write songs," says Phillips.
"Initially, we didn't know how to build up the songs, go from one chord progression to another, and build it in a way that wasn't light-heavy, light-heavy," adds Vinson. "He showed us how to move things to a different point melodically."
"It was a matter of structural integrity. We wanted to have something that was solid and beefy and full in the middle," kicks in Jonas. "I think that's why we all chose Glen Robinson."
And Robinson is the master of making it sound big. With a roster that includes Tori Amos, The Tea Party and locals Voivod and Bionic, there was little doubt that Robinson could deliver the full sound they wanted without taking it into the realms of the wretchedly over-produced.
"I had complete creative freedom to do whatever," says Robinson. "There was a great connection. A lot of times you'll do a record and you'll butt heads with certain people. But, across the board, we saw eye to eye on a lot of issues. We went out to Vancouver to mix it, and it kind of mixed itself because there had been so much work on the performance and recording.
"I think it's a huge record; it's one of my finest works to date."
Pimpin' and props
Rubberman cite a number of different factors for the small measure of notoriety they
are currently hoping to expand on: winning the CHOM L'Esprit band contest
in 1999, making it to the finals of the - seriously - Conan O'Brien College
Band Search, and playing Edgefest, Summersault and a handful of other high-profile
concerts. But it's the internet that has really and truly provided them
with their proudest moments of pimping.
"We get a huge community around our website www.rubbermanonline.com, so people see our show for the first time and then they come back and check out our website," says Vinson, who though quiet - a relative term with this bunch - would appear to be the head of logistics. "It's something they can come back to. They won't forget us just because they've only seen one show."
And the band isn't about to get caught short on props for either fans or friends who've supported them.
"I'm not even remotely kissin' ass," says Jonas like a man who has just discovered a taste for cheek, "but we're grateful to the media in Montreal, cats like CHOM's TooTall, DKD, Terry Flood and our manager James Flood [who has just taken a seat at the table]. He's been pushing us in every right direction, and aside from being a good businessman."
Here Jonas's straight face collapses under the collective weight of six guys, six pitchers and a Friday night.
"... he smokes a fuckin' mean wang-diddy-dang-diddy-dang!"
Ask a silly question, get a snappy answer. L'Esprit organizer and aforementioned DJ TooTall can bear firsthand witness to the mad buzz sounding around the Rubber camp. "It never ceases to amaze me the amount of fans that come out of the woodwork when you mention the name Rubberman in this city," he says.
"I was on-air over the weekend and there were a lot of requests for More Than I Can Chew. In the past, we've had similar responses, but it's certainly been awhile since we've had anything like this."
So, the question arises, what makes Rubberman so different from any other band out there? Keif is quick off the mark.
"No idea."
"No idea," echoes Jonas. "Maybe because we're not trying to be different, we're not trying to make any political, racial, sexual statements in our songs, lyrics or vibe. The minute you try to push something ."
"And what the hell does Jonas know about politics?" injects Keif, gutting himself with laughter while the band erupts. "What the hell does he know about anything?"
Jonas good-naturedly affects his best prisoner-of-war voice: "You weren't there, man, shut up man, you weren't there!" It's true - they're not so different. And this is good. As self-deprecating as they are individually, as self-effacing as they are collectively, there is substance to their success.
"My sensibilities lie in all sorts of common things, in unstudied, common, little things," explains Jonas, pushing on. "I've never sat down and forced anything out."
"Is there any truth to what you're saying?" interrupts Keif.
"I just pretty much take the lyrics, write 'em backwards, rearrange the letters and hope that it makes sense in the run," deadpans Jonas, unfazed. "It made sense to the Beatles, and that album was good backwards, too.
"Naw," he says, serious for a moment. "For me, it's just a collection of ideas, a whole lot of bar feed. Everything I have is written on scraps of paper and cocktail napkins and shit like that. And sometimes they just cue me in on a little bit of the beauty or a little bit of the ugliness or a little bit of the being scared or wanting to fuck that makes me run back to my house and grab that piece of cocktail napkin and put it all together."
There's a school of thought that might say that their sound is firmly rooted in suburban GAP rock. They recognize the impact commercial rock has had on their writing (Jonas privately acknowledges that he sees the band as somewhere between Incubus and Stone Temple Pilots, which isn't far off, and they count bands like Limp Bizkit, Korn and Our Lady Peace among their many influences) and are unapologetic.
"The funniest part is that our fans were always our peers who were going through the same motions as us. We've for guys like Serial Joe and we've opened for The Tea Party, which are at opposite ends of the musical spectrum." As for fears of accessibility.
"Album sales aren't something we fear," laughs Jonas.
Living the rock
Okay, we all agree that The Moffatts are going to be junkies in three years.
Is Rubberman walking the same road?
"Not at all," says Jonas. "A big part of the last year has been about heads exploding, and accessibility to all sorts things and the partying, but don't peak too early. At this point we're all back at the gym and working out and trying to keep it real and stay away from the bars and not be rock'n'roll pre-ejaculators. I think the most important thing my dad ever said to me was 'Don't buzz too early.'
"Oh, and 'Shut up!' That was the other one."
RUBBERMAN LAUNCH THE SINGLE MORE THAN I CAN CHEW WITH GUESTS CLARKNOVA AND CLEAVAGE AT CAFÉ CAMPUS, 7:30 PM, FEB 8; FOR A COMPLETE LIST OF RUBBERMAN TOUR DATES, VISIT THEIR WEBSITE AT www.rubbermanonline.com
Rubberman @ The Rivoli Friday March 30, 2001 @ 11:00 AM
By the ChartAttack.com Staff
http://www.chartattack.com/damn/2001/03/3003.cfm
Band: Rubberman
Hometown: Montreal. QC
Venue: Rivoli
Date: March 29, 2001
Reporter: Keith Carman
Background/Composition: Four guys who still think that Pearl Jam and Stone Temple Pilots are "fresh influences."
Achievement of Rock 'n' Roll Expectations - Grade: 79
80-100: Band exceeds skill and knowledge expectations. Rocked us so hard we peed our pants.
70-79: Band achieves required skills and knowledge. Meets 'n' roll standard.
60-69: Demonstrates some skills. Approaches rock 'n' roll standard.
50-59: Band demonstrates some required skills and knowledge in a limited way.
Below 50: Band has not demonstrated required skills or knowledge.
World Domination Status:
-> Progressing well towards world domination
Progressing with some difficulty towards world domination
No chance in hell for world domination
Comment:
While I hated them, I can't ignore the fact that they do know their way around
a catchy riff and melody. Toss in the fact that pre-teens would think they're
cute, and the progression is like dominos.
Learning Skills: E=Excellent, G=Good, S=Satisfactory, N=Sad Really
Oral And Visual Communication
Eye Contact: G
Pronounciation: E
Stage Presence: S
Stage Banter: S
Image: S
Appearance: G
Use Of Stage: G
Strengths/Weaknesses/Next Step: These boys have to learn how to have fun. The days of "serious rock" are over. You can smile while playing your instrument, 'cause deep down
inside, we all know that you're ecstatic at being in front of us. The singer
was relatively interactive with the crowd, but his pleas for everyone to
move closer got pretty annoying after, like, four times.
Musical Analysis
Cooperation With Others: G
Level Of Participation: S
Problem Solving: S
Teamwork: S
Work Habits: G
Organization: E
Audience Participation: G
Sound: E
Composition: E
Songs: E
Strengths/Weaknesses/Next Step: Ya, it was like a big game of Name That Riff for most of their set. Everything sounded like a fucking carbon-copy of post-Nirvana Seattle bands.
To their credit, the band did play extremely tightly, meriting a few bona
fide claps between songs. Remember though kids, if it looks like a chore
for you, it IS a chore for us.
Other Skills And Areas Of Interest
Charisma: E
Sexiness: E
Haircut: E
Indie Rock Footwear: E
Nods To Disposible Fashion: E
Cool Equipment: E
Level Of Inebriation: N/A
Actual Ability: E
Strengths/Weaknesses/Next Step: With their devilish good looks and actual talent, Rubberman could do something with their career. They just gotta learn how to USE inspiration,
not STEAL it. A little too much homoeroticism on stage for this boy (that's
saying a lot, trust me), but all in all this was a great band for people
who don't like to rock the musical boat too much.
Stretching their sound
Rubberman is itching to hit the Trans-Canada and rub their rock in the faces of the nation
Thursday February 15, 2001
http://www.therecord.com/entertainment/entertainment_010215121055.html
For Nightlife
Young Montreal rockers Rubberman had an uphill battle trying to play their brand
of aggressive music in the notoriously dance-oriented music scene of their home town.
"Compared to Toronto, there are a lot less live venues. But there are more places opening here that are accommodating to live bands," says guitarist Kief (one name only, please), who brings Rubberman to Stages tomorrow.
"I can't say anything but good things about the scene around (Toronto). The heavy music scene in Montreal has got a lot better, as opposed to how it was 10 years ago. There were a lot of cover bands then dominating the live scene there, for Guns 'N Roses and Metallica. Now, original acts are getting key opening spots for other bands, and it's getting better."
Rubberman's self-titled debut will be released in April, featuring an aggressive modern rock sound conducive to today's radio formats.
The single More Than I Can Chew is currently a smash hit at Montreal's CHOM-FM, which has had a relationship with the band ever since Rubberman topped their battle-of-the-bands contest a couple of years back.
The Kitchener gig is part of their first Ontario swing, other than the obligatory Toronto industry stops.
Despite their relatively limited live experience, Rubberman is itching to hit the Trans-Canada Highway and rub their rock in the faces of the nation. The band members -- whose average age is 22 -- know they have dues to pay, and welcome the challenge their first tour will give them.
"I can't imagine a rock act not doing that," says Kief. "Every rock act has to get out there and pay their dues, and I imagine we'll be playing to 40 people in some obscure city, but that's what you got to go through.
"We're a rock band. We play our shit, and that's what we got to do, just get out there and do it, know what I mean? Play for the masses, and hopefully people will catch on at a quicker rate as opposed to a slower one."
Rubberman has the industry muscle of old school CanRock manager Donald K. Donald (April Wine, Corey Hart) behind them, and no doubt eyebrows will be raised by their official bio, which explicitly states in the first sentence that "Rubberman is the best band in the world."
When called on this point, Kief doesn't see it as boasting. "It's all promotion and marketing, Donald being the promo guy he was back in the day. Why not draw a little attention to ourselves? If it rubs some people the wrong way, we can't please everybody."
But won't you have to live up to it now? "Sure! I'll live up to anything anyone says!" Kief says, completely serious. "It's all good fun. We're just out there trying to have a good time.
"Whether people like what we do or not doesn't bother us. We get up on stage, we communicate with each other, and there's nothing more you can really ask for."
For an aggressive, youthful band, it's somewhat odd these days to see names like Robert Johnson and Taj Mahal pop up on a list of influences. Even stranger is that it's not the choice of the guitarist, but the vocalist.
"Jonas is a big-time blues fan, and that came from his father. He's still in a blues cover project with him," Kief explains.
"It hasn't really been in full force since things started happening to Rubberman. They play in a lot of blues clubs in and outside of Montreal. I think it comes through in Jonas's vocal approach. The rest of the band aren't really huge blues fans, that's why the combination of his influences and ours makes a good mix. For me, it's the heavier stuff. I listen to Korn, Limp Bizkit, Incubus. Stone Temple Pilots is a huge influence on my playing."
After four years together, Rubberman's technical proficiency has landed them sponsorships with equipment suppliers.
But within their first year together, they had a different kind of sponsor that was rock'n'roll in its own way: a condom company.
"It seemed like the natural thing at the time," says Kief. "We had a connection through an associate of ours, whose uncle works for a condom distributor. It was a small company, and not too many people knew who they were. We thought we could help each other out, especially with the band name being what it is. We got a few condoms and threw them out on stage.
"And of course, we got to use some ourselves."
CONCERT
Who: Rubberman with Sweetline, Cleavage & Clarknova
Where: Stages
Day: Tomorrow
Time: Doors open at 9 p.m.
Cost: $5 at door
Phone: 744-8291
RUBBERMAN SCORE TOP PRIZE IN CHOM L'ESPRIT CONTEST
http://www.chartattack.com/damn/1999/19990824.html#Headline4
Felicitaions are in order for Montreal rockers Rubberman! The quartet have emerged victorious in the 1999 CHOM L'Esprit battle of the bands contest, which lands them recording time, a pile of gear, a North By Northeast 2000 showcase, a mini-tour of Quebec and 500 CD's manufactured for free! The band walked away from the August 19 L'Esprit finals with gigantic smiles on their faces, after toppling runners-up Jarah Jane, Santeria and Aleister.
You can keep your eyes open for the debut album from Rubberman, which was produced by The Tea Party's Jeff Martin. Lest ye forget, Rubberman were also finalists in the Conan O'Brien College Band Search Contest this year, and won the MusiquePlus DemoClip contest the year before. There's every reason to believe that these guys could be signing their names on the dotted line within the next year! Congratulations to Rubberman, and all the CHOM L'Esprit contestants; they'll do it all again next summer.
Stretching the limits 2000-08-10
Montreal's Rubberman snap back with a show on Summersault 2000's second stage
By Mitch Joel
http://www.hour.ca/magazine/index.asp?id=389&parution=832
Rubberman frontman Jonas Tomalty is suffering from a series of pleasant surprises this year: He and his band signed a major-label deal with Aquarius Records, won CHOM's 1999 L'Esprit Battle of the Bands, were finalists in Conan O'Brien's College Band Search and have now snagged a spot on the recently established second stage at Summersault 2000.
Montreal's Rubberman will be part of this nine-hour-plus extravaganza that also features names like Finger Eleven, Treble Charger, Eve 6, The Catherine Wheel, A Perfect Circle, Foo Fighters, Our Lady Peace and Smashing Pumpkins (probably the last time you'll get to see the Pumpkins live, but the first time, for most, with former Montrealer/local darling Melissa Auf der Maur on bass) on the main stage. Also look for a new, home-grown Montreal stage (a few steps in the opposite direction) that will feature Sona, Redcore, Men O' Steel, Eric Maheu, Rubberman and Sum 41. Next Saturday will be chock-full of modern rock from every angle, corner and crevice. Bring the Coppertone (rain or shine) and soak in the tunes and, potentially, the rain.
"We're ecstatic to be playing this gig," says Tomalty on his 21st birthday (this past Tuesday). Jonas was 12 years old when Smashing Pumpkins released their debut, Gish, in 1991, and 16 when OLP hit the scene with Naveed.
"I get to party and have a free barbecue with burgers and shit. It just makes sense. Why wouldn't you have a local stage, too? Especially when there is a lot of set-up time in between the major acts. In fact, we play right before A Perfect Circle. If this is going to be an all-day music festival, I should think that there would be live music all day."
In reality, Jonas has had little time to enjoy any outdoor weather. Along with drummer Dave Phillips, bassist Chris Vinson and guitarist Keith Pun, Rubberman has been secluded in the studio this summer putting the finishing touches on their Glen Robinson-produced (The Tea Party, Tori Amos) debut for Aquarius, which is due for release in February. They've even managed to secure big-name endorsements from the likes of Marshall, Korg, Pearl drums and now Third Rail clothing.
"It would be great if you could let people know about Third Rail, because this will be the first time that we will be selling Rubberman merchandise [Ed. The band formed in 1996]. All the merch clothing is Third Rail. They've been sponsoring us for the past six months and we've been collaborating, hand in hand, on making our own stuff. These shirts are like fucking $70 in the stores, and we'll be letting them loose for way less than that," he says proudly.
Prepping for a night out with sushi and Santana, Jonas is pressed for time, but stoked about this coming weekend's rock spectacle. The advertisements for Summersault 2000 have already cautioned against cans, bottles, coolers, recording devices, chairs and even skateboards, so do your best to grab a wad of cash and some water prior to stopping at Île Sainte-Hélène's Parc Jean-Drapeau. Doors open at noon, there will be a vendor village and tons of skin, tattoos, metal attachments and music for the mood. And, if you're half as keyed up as Rubberman, it should be nearly as stimulating as a sponsorship by Crown Condoms (Rubberman's already gotten that).
Rubberman and many more on the Summersault 2000 second stage, Aug 12
music - The Keith Interview, March 2001
By Stefan
http://www.angelfire.com/sd/brossard/1music3.html
I just got a chance to do an interview with one of my buds Keif AKA Keith Pun from the band Rubberman. I met him on a ski trip last winter. What turned out to be a freak coincidence was that years ago, Brent purchased an amp second hand from a guy in the west island..and on the distortion pedal the word "Rubberman" was written accross in liquid paper..years later we meet Keif so i guess it was his...here we go:
K = Keif
S = Stefan
S - what's up dood?
K - not much, just hanging out at home. kinda bored actually.
S - want to do the interview?
K - if you want to do it now we can, i have nothing else ta do. shoot.
S - cools. ok so let's start it off with some basic stuff like name and age and where
you're from...
K - I'm Keif. I'm 25 and from Montreal. West Island to be more specific. That's
right... I'm a spoiled surburbanite
S - from the hood...cool..you've been playing for a long time right? i mean guitar...
K - Yeah.... I mean, I play with myself too, but I've been playing guitar for way longer
than that. My parents had to force me to play. They would sit down and
watch me pratice and shit, but when I jerk off I usually do it in privacy.
I feel less akward that way
S - so i'm guessing you are pretty good at solos..... your parents forced you
to play guitar? were you one of those kids that bugged their parents for
one and then left it on the side to collect dust..then you parents would
get all mad and like force you to play?
K - I started on the accordian. True story. My fingers were too small for the
guitar. I started playing on a classical guitar. I didn't study clasical
music, but I started my genral guitar playing on a nylon stringed guitar
cause it was easier to press on the strings. I never asked to play guitar.
I was totally forced. After a while I put it down and then a buddy of mine
introduced me to Cinderella and Poison when I was 14. THEN I begged for
an electric guitar. Oh.... And I suck at solos. I don't even know why I
bother putting some in our tunes.
S - cool. cause my dad forced me to play too ..he used to have a little guitar collection
but i was never interested....i eventually got into it and taught myself
how to rock... did you ever have "rock hair"?
K - Sure did. It was more like a hockey cut. Just long in the back. So bad... I
looked like a fucking dork.
S - you guys are pretty much becoming celebrities right now....lot's of fans and
a video on the way...how do you feel about all this?
K - It hasn't really happened yet so I can't really say. As to how things are
right now? Some days are shit, some days are good. Overall I wouldn't say
there's too much to complain about. Mo money would be nice. Gotta drink
and smoke weed, y'know?
S - yeah...beer money is always good! how was the video shoot?
K - It was awesome. We had such a great time. We left Montreal the day before
the shoot. We drove up in our van. We'd just bought it second hand and
named it Robert after one of the other artists on our label (Robert Vann).
We were gonna call it the Rubbervan, but Robert seemed more apropriate.
We tried to get some sleep the night before the shoot once we arrived in
TO, but we were too excited. We slept from 1 to 3:30 and decided it was
time for breakfast. We had to be on set for 6 and we wrapped up at 11 at
night. It was a lot of waiting around while the crew did all the set ups
from location to location, but it was all worth it. It'll be out March
6th.
S - sounds good, i'm looking forward to it! if i had a van i would decorate it to
look like the A-Team's van. that was one sick ass van. speaking of the
A-Team, what are you feelings and thought's about Mr.T?
K - Funny that you ask cause we had that exact conversation during our mini tour
of ONT. I brought up the fact that Mr. T had a detective show after A-Team.
It was called T and T, I think. Yeah.... He's cool. He's like a pimped
up Gary Coleman.
S - yeah TandT ..he would always wear a suit in that show...and glasses ... damn
it has been a while...gotta love those 80's shows
K - Jack Tripper from Three's Company. The almighty pimp daddy.
S - 2 chicks in an apartment...
K - yes
S - what was the deal with that show anywyas..he just lived there? and their pervert
landlord would always come chill with them??
K - 2 chicks = 4 tits He was a chef. Nothing like home cookin'. I think his specialty
was pussy.
S - hahahahah!
K - I'm serious.
S - ...yeah the last time i saw chris the bassist was at that ski trip last year..he
was bald..now he has hair...explain
K - He looked like a fucking retard so he grew his hair. Easy. I went through
the same shit with my hair. I used to shave my balls... I mean my hair
all the time.
S - haha.... yeah i was thinking of doing that too but i backed out..now it's all
in perspective...my head i mean. just gonna end it with some shout outs
..... anyone you want to thank, give props to etc?
K - Props to my rubberboys, Jimbo, and my girl, Mel.
S - coo' thanks for the interview
to keep up to date on rubberman, check out their wessite at www.rubbermanonline.com!!
L’été rock commence de bruyante façon
QUÉBEC - Avec quatre groupes à l’affiche hier soir à l’Agora du
Vieux-Port on pouvait presque parler de festival pour les amateurs de new
rock et de rock alternatif. Ce premier événement rock de
l’été en ces lieux a attiré environ 4000 spectateurs.
Un gros party couronné par les prestations de American Hi-Fi et
Treble Charger. Mieux vaut tard que jamais ! Après un été
on ne peut plus tranquille, on a rocké de nouveau à l’Agora
hier soir. C’est la formation montréalaise Rubberman qui a ouvert
les festivités. Une mission plutôt difficile car le quatuor
a dû jouer pendant que les gens continuaient à affluer dans
l’enceinte de l’Agora.
Lors d’une récente entrevue avec le SOLEIL le guitariste Keif Pun racontait
que, sur scène, le groupe parvenait toujours à rallier de
nouveaux fans peu importe les circonstances. Eh bien, si on n’a pas eu
la possibilité de voir ce dont le groupe est vraiment capable sur
scène, on peut néanmoins avancer qu’il ne mentait pas. Car
malgré une très courte prestation d’un peu plus de 15 minutes,
les quatre compères sont tout de même parvenus à maintenir
l’intérêt, notamment avec leur version de No Woman No Cry
de Bob Marley.
[...]
par Michel Bilodeau, collaboration spéciale Le Soleil, Québec
Le jeudi 16 août 2001
http://www.cyberpresse.ca/admin/article/imprime.php?
page=/soleil/arts/0108/art_201080005872.html&front=/soleil/arts/0108
Lancement 4x4: Sum41, Vann, Rubberman et Liquid
Étant en stage dans la région métropolitaine, je vais avoir la
chance d’assister tout au long de l’été à plusieurs
événements de la scène musicale montréalaise.
En espérant vous faire sentir ce qui se passe à 1h30 de Sherbrooke
et... vous donner le goût de venir faire un petit tour voir vous-mêmes
ce qu’il en est!
Hier soir, c’est au Cabaret, coin Sherbrooke St-Laurent, que ça se passait!
Le groupe Donald K Donald et Aquarius Records m’avaient convié
au 4x4. Est-ce une exposition de vhicule tout terrain ? Un quelconque
5@7 avec 4 bières pour le prix d’un ? Aussitôt entré
dans le petit bar, je me rends compte très vite que non. Les lumières
sont fermées et les yeux de toute la faune artistique (vous voulez
du cuir ? en v’là !) sont rivés sur un homme seul sur la scène qui s’époumone avec pour seul
accompagnement sa guitare acoustique. Oups, on dirait que je suis un petit peu en retard...
[...]
Sans avoir le temps de prendre une gorgée de bière, la scène
est prise d’assaut par Rubberman. Le son de ce groupe originaire de Montréal
ne m’était pas inconnu, leur pièce More Than I Can Chew étant
diffusée sur les ondes de quelques radios commerciales. Selon Donald
K Donald : "Si le Rock n’ Roll a un problème, alors Rubberman est
la solution!" Disons plutôt que sans réinventer le rock,
la formation donne un produit de qualité. D’ailleurs, leur album
éponyme n’a pas été réalisé par le dernier
venu, M. Glen Robinson lui-même (Tori Amos et Tea Party entre autres).
[...]
par François Bélanger, directeur musical anglo à Montréal
Montréal, le 17 mai 2001
http://www.cfak.qc.ca/fr/chroniques/lancement4X4-2001-05-17.html
Halifax = Hypocrites
by Jon Bruhm
November 4, 2001
http://www.aroundhalifax.com/entertainment/nov01/crush.html
[...]
Montreal's Rubberman kicked off the show with a bang. Knowing virtually nil about the group, we were not expecting all that much - yet after about thirty seconds, the verdict was in: This band is fantastic!
With a sound comparable to that of Tool or early I Mother Earth, the heavy-hitting Aquarius recording act presented a knockout set. The singer's voice is as rich as Tool's Maynard James Keenan, and his stage presence emulates that of the Stone Temple Pilots' Scott Weiland. Rubberman is featured on the latest High Times compilation disc, and isplaying with Serial Joe at the Grey Cup Kickoff in their hometown on November 21st.
[...]
Rubberman And Treble Charger, Bourbon Street West
March 7th 2002
By David
http://www.orcasound.com/reviews1.html#rubber
On Wednesday night, 300+ patrons crammed into the warm and cozy confines of Bourbon Street West for an intimate concert by much heralded Toronto band, Treble Charger, and local faves, Rubberman. Rubberman, who happen to hail from the West Island, took to the stage first and had to deal with the adversity of setting up in front of the headliner's gear...although the presence of two drum kits did limit the amount of space on stage, it by no means diminished the energy of the band, nor the stage presence of charismatic frontman, Jonas Tomalty, who leaped around the stage with reckless abandon. His stage antics/acrobatics are rivaled only by his soaring vocals which, coupled with the incredibly tight musicianship of his cohorts, always makes for an explosive live show...Wednesday's night's performance was no exception. The band tore through a set that highlighted their eclectic blend of soulful, loud and proud, heavy hitting tuneage that included "Alice's Wonderland", a song that helped "break" the group, as well as "More Than I Can Chew", the first single from their forthcoming major label release. The band also did a rollicking cover of Bob Marley's "No Woman, No Cry" midway through the set that had the crowd grooving in unison with the band. A few tunes later, a now bare-chested Jonas took to the crowd to belt out the final strains of "Sweet", a song that brought their set to a close and a raucous crowd to its feet, clamoring for more.
[...]
Rubberman
January 12th, 2002
by Chrisy Conlin and Rachelle Young, from Sonic Ottawa
http://sonicottawa.virtual.zygoat.ca/Interviews/rubberman.html
Montreal’s pride, Rubberman. With the release of their first self-titled CD in 2001, an appearance on Mike Bullard, and the recent release of their new single, Alice, these boys have been making a name for themselves in Quebec and across Canada. The band was recently in town opening for THERMOclinE at Barrymores and we had the opportunity to chat with guitarist, Keith Pun (AKA Keif).
SonicOttawa: Give us a little background about the band.
Keif: Our cd came out April 17th, and the video came out 6 months before as did the single, More Than I Can Chew. It did pretty good on MusiquePlus and in Quebec. MuchMusic and the rest wasn’t as perceptive to the song as we would have liked, but fuck 'em.
SonicOttawa: Is there a reason why you chose that song? Because it seems a lot slower than the rest of them.
Keif: You know, it was really a record label decision.
SonicOttawa: So you guys had no say in it?
Keif: Well, not really. We fought against it. We wanted These Lies to be the first single. Not to dis the record label’s decision, although I would like to, it was their call. What it comes down to is it’s really their money and they call the shots. Its just unfortunate that we didn’t see eye to eye on certain issues, and you’ll probably hear that coming from a lot of bands. Sometimes it works out that way, sometimes it doesn’t. Unfortunately, this time around it didn’t work out for us. I think next time we’re gonna up the ante a little bit, we’re gonna be a bit more demanding and put our foot down a bit more. We’ve seen a lot of shit happen in the past two years, and its been a learning process up to this point and it still is.
SonicOttawa: Do you know when you’re planning on releasing something new?
Keif: Well, we’re writing for our new album now. There’s no date scheduled, but writing songs is a constant thing with us, regardless of if there is a scheduled date to go and hit the studio, its what we enjoy doing. Writing, getting together, jamming. Whenever we jam, we don’t play our songs over and over again, not the ones we play during the set. We know those songs already, there’s no point, they're over and done with. We’re writing. Now every time we get together, its always new shit.
SonicOttawa: Will you be playing any new songs tonight?
Keif: No, unfortunately, this is probably one of the last shows we do until we release our new album. We really wanna pretty much stay out of the picture, keep a low key. But there’s a lot of things we need to sit down and discuss and make sure our shit is all together. It’s a new year, we gotta sit down and really plan it out properly. Discussions have been made about maybe moving out to L.A. We’ve got buddies out there, and maybe not even moving, but just going down there for a good amount of time. Couple months or something like that.
SonicOttawa: Like Bitterfly?
Keif: Yeah, like Bitterfly, exactly. They were just back here for the Christmas holidays, visiting family and friends. They told us all the stories. They told us before and we knew about all the stories, but its good when ya have first hand affirmation on what its really like. Cause they took nine months to settle down, get their shit together, it wasn’t an easy thing for them to do. But they did it and they don’t regret one minute of it.
SonicOttawa: Alice was recently released to radio?
Keif: It was recently released, maybe about a month or two ago.
SonicOttawa: Do you hear it a lot?
Keif: Yeah, I hear it like on CHOM and stuff like that. Just because of our relationship with them.
SonicOttawa: What was your first reaction to hearing it on the radio?
Keif: It’s one of the better songs on the album that sounds cool on radio. It gets compressed, you know what I mean? I like the way it sounds a lot better than More Than I Can Chew and Bliss. And its one of the songs that got us a lot of recognition early on so its kinda cool to actually hear it that way.
SonicOttawa: Who are you guys signed to?
Keif: Aquarius Records. This guy named Donald K. Donald was a huge promoter at one point, all across Canada. Now he’s running a record label, and we’re part of it.
SonicOttawa: Do you like it?
Keif: Um, well, we have our run-ins and our ups and downs and its not always smooth, but that’s the way it is. And its cool that way, you always need some sort of rivalry.
SonicOttawa: More good than bad though?
Keif: There’s a few things, but we’re fortunate for everything we’ve been handed. We can't really complain, though we still do, every so often.
SonicOttawa: What is one of the biggest blocks in your musical career?
Keif: The rest of the band members. They fucking piss me off every time we get together.
SonicOttawa: What’s your favorite song to play live?
Keif: I don’t play live. We have a recorded ADAT, or DAT or whatever you call it. I’m not even sure cause like I don’t really concern myself with that kind of shit. But basically we have a thing where a guy just presses play and we just move our arms and lips or whatever. So I can't really say what our favorite song to play live is cause we don’t really play live. But my favorite song on the album is The Itis.
SonicOttawa: What do you think makes you different from other bands in the same genre?
Keif: I’m not really sure, because its not as if I know other bands personally. Maybe musically I think we have a lot in common in terms of maybe our drive, our attitudes. And that even goes for people playing different styles of music. I think there is a common ground, and I don’t think there is too much that really sets us apart. Cause why wouldn't we want to be on the same level as those guys, in terms of their points of view, how they think. We don’t have a political message behind our shit so maybe with anyone like Rage Against the Machine we wouldn’t have much to talk about, but if they wanna party, we can party as good as the rest of them. If you wanna sit down and have a fucking beer, I’ll sit down and have a fucking beer with you. And if you wanna smoke drugs in the back alley, we’ll do that too. You wanna jam, I’ll jam. I think, in the end, we’re all the same. We all like to do the same things, we all like to have a good time. And I’m hoping that’s what would help putting bands like us and other bands together, either on tour, in the studio, or just as friends.
SonicOttawa: If you had to pick one song to introduce someone to the band with, what song do you think would describe you guys best?
Keif: That’s a tough one, I think the album is a bit varied. In one sense it’s a good thing, in another it’s a bad. We always thought it was good. People in the industry tend to think that its bad, cause they want one band that sounds like one band, not a band that sounds like four different other bands. Sometimes we are compared to four different bands, I don’t know… I’d say they’d have to come see us play live than to listen to the album. That’s more important than introducing them to a song. I always thought These Lies would be the first single, thinking with that in mind, that would be the song more people would first hear from the band, so I’d say These Lies.
SonicOttawa: If the world was a pizza, what kind of topping would you be?
Keif: I don’t know. Fuck, uh… Chinese sausage or something like that. If the world was a pizza, I don’t think they’d have room on it for me. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a pizza with one Chinese topping… You know what, that’s not true. I’ve seen teriyaki pizza. But that’s Japanese, and I’m Chinese. I’ve yet to see a pizza with any Chinese topping. Which, if you want, maybe one day we’ll open up a store and we’ll put an oriental flavor to our pizzas.
SonicOttawa: I just had teriyaki chicken for lunch.
Keif: Well, next time just throw it on a pizza and try it out. I think you’ll like it.
Unbreakable
Marshall Amplification, Reader's Amps Volume 8
by Keif
http://marshal1.iserver.net/marshallamps/images/extra/readersamps/rampsvol8.html
"Hey Marshall!
My name is Keif. I play in this band called rubberman based out of Montreal, Canada. I've
sent you some pics of a few shows we've done and one from the set of our first video for a
tune we call "More Than I Can Chew". Here's my Marshall amp story: Years had gone by. I had
played through various amps with various guitars. Most were limited in price due to my porno
buying habit... Wait... I mean, buying flowers for my mother habit. Anyways, I came to a point
in my life where I needed a change. Something new, something better, something that would
change my life forever. Enter the JCM2000 (TSL100). We had just been signed and some money
came our way. I guess by now you'd figure that I spent my money on my Marshall amp. What's the
point of my story? Oh yeah... The point is that since it's purchased my amp has been dropped
onto either the pavement or a concrete floor from a height of at least 3-4 feet twice and fell
down a flight of 6 stairs (along with my boney ass cause I wouldn't let it go) and it still
kicks you in the face with a wall of sound. So cheers to all of you at Marshall for making an
amp that I can't even break.
-KEIF"