The Plaid Tongued Devils really, er, got into the groove with their second CD. The VOX article below gives some great context of the alternative scene in the 90's - both in terms of bands like the Devils holding their breath and hoping to get signed, as well as the inexplicable explosion of Celtic music in Canada. [center][img width=231px]//7ca49eb9f67ba1319ef136f9d52cd8b8.cdn.bubble.io/f1772684313116x299454212650878140/richtext_content.png[/img][/center] [center][/center] [h2]Devilish Intent[/h2] by Katy Philpotts Never bite the hand that feeds you the old saying goes. For bands like The Plaid Tongued Devils, who just returned from their first showcase at Music west in Vancouver, any bite will be a rude awakening for those big haired A&R reps who neglect to see new talent because the bite will come from independent artists who are able to make it on their own. Not to say that the Devils might not lick a hand that's feeding them but they still realize that, regardless of label interest or possible bookings, for most Canadian bands its still DIY all the way. A limousine, given on loan to the band, could've impressed anyone with its long black exterior and twelve foot wide wheel base but Vancouver was an absolute zoo so the Devils didn't get the opportunity to really exploit its use. "Vancouver was a blast," comments Ty, lyricist and guitarist for the Devils, ''We were lumped together with a bunch of other Celtic bands at the Blarney Stone but some of them commented we were at the wrong showcase." The Devils are trying to shake their purely Celtic image for one that suggests the diverse nature of their sound as it is now. There might even be a name change in the future as for some reason people see the word Plaid and think Celtic, maybe they'll become the Bad Tongued Devils . While they play in a manner that may invoke Celtic music through instrumentation or vocals they incorporate punk rawk, and pure pop into their songs, so maybe they're 'peptic rock'. "We're not doing the specific Celtic thing," acknowledged Ty, "but for the sake of marketing, especially in the University circuit where Celtic music is really popular, it's OK to be lumped in with other Celtic bands because in the end all we want to do, with the audience, is have fun." By attending Music west the Devils were able to open a few doors for themselves though they went to Vancouver without expectation. Warm fuzzies were exuded by Azimuth Records out of New Zealand who represent Banshee Reel, The Devils may soon be booked for a tour in that Kiwi realm. Representatives from Network also schmoozed with the boys. "There's a whole lotta 'luv you's' and stuff," witnessed Ty, "but nobody actually does anything." All the Calgary bands that went out showed up at each other's gigs to support each other, except for the Devil's. Ty attributes the lack of local support to some issue around the wristbanding, rumour has it they stopped letting bands in for free who had them. A&R reps were few and far between at many independent showcases, though more should have attended. Ty's only real complaint about the whole event is that the larger acts that were booked, Jann Arden, Spirit of the West, and Eddie Vedder's new band, kind of overshadowed the independent talent and was detrimental in their efforts to find new connections. A lot of A&R reps chose to go to these larger gigs and their own talent presentations rather than venture to see the new emerging Canadian talent. "The purpose of Music west should be to find fresh talent, new art," suggests Ty, "The A&R reps just chose to hype their own, signed, product." Expecting nothing The Devils were able to establish a network for themselves nonetheless. Riding on the strength of their second CD release Tongue and Groove the band realizes that despite a hand offered for distribution or promotion if they don't do their own marketing and promotion, nothing will happen. Ty observed at Music west that it seemed, on the surface to be pretty 'Junoish', or ARIAish, in many ways all hype and little substance. "The Canadian music industry appears to be copying the US scene," concludes Ty, "All the reps patting each other on the back, buying each other beers." But while the higher end reps, leather clad and big haired, make the big picture industry run, they're going to lose a lot of their fuel if they continue to let Canadian talent down by not giving them the due they deserve. Each band is their own entrepreneurial machine, as fuel for the Canadian scene, they plan to control their own resources. The hand that's bitten will be that of the Canadian music scene, only because they bought generic rather than the real thing.
