Serial Joe has done some growing up. They can drive themselves to the studio. They've discovered humour and satire. Most impressively, they're comfortable in their own skin and have put together an album that surpasses what some bands, 10 years their senior, have been unable to accomplish musically. (Last Chance) At Romance Dance, and the twelve tracks that comprise this sophomore album merit their graduation from the kiddie's table.
In a confident headspace, Serial Joe went into Sonic Theatre studios with up & coming producer/engineer Corey MacFadyen, and took the luxury of much more time with pre-production and recording. The result was a much more unified CD; a collection of songs that the band feels is more representative of their sound and overall state of mind.
"This album is a lot more structured than our first CD or Face Down. I'm not going to say it's whimsical or happy but it's definitely more upbeat. A lot of it is based on listening to our friends and each other and painting a picture of every day life. It's all about ideas and lessons and opening your eyes to reality," ponders Ryan Dennis, whose frontman duty includes penning the lyrics. With tracks like the first radio/video single, "Completely," as well as "Committed," "You Don't Laugh" and "Unintended," the underlying theme revolves around relationships. Really getting into the record, one is bound to relate, "Mary," a tale of substance abuse and struggle. It lets you know that these guys understand the world around them.
"We were really at a good place in our lives where we could have fun and take our songs to a new place. I think our stuff has really changed, but so have we. We're not angry anymore - we're just hanging out and living," summarizes Ryan Dennis when asked about the creation of (Last Chance) At Romance Dance. "I think our sound will redefine us in a lot of people's mnds. And don't get me wrong, there's a whole conspiracy that people associate pop music with bubblegum. If that's the case then we're not pop. We're just music that's interesting to listen to and people can relate to. I think this album is much more about feeling content."
Out on the playing field, Serial Joe gave up the yellow school bus for the video arcade/tour bus and two years of ardent traveling around North America. They crisscrossed Canada as part of 1999 and 2000's Edgefest and became the envy of every teenager's garage band when they shared the stage, opening for a plethora of bands including KISS, Moist, Matthew Good Band, Live, Creed, and The Tea Party. A field trip to Rome, New York to partake in 1999's version of Woodstock remains a favourite amongst the band's collective memory. There are plans in the works for a tour of Canada this fall.
At the end of the conversation they disperse like a pack of firecrackers on the last day of school. One picks up the guitar case nestled close by, one heads off for the gym, one starts dialing his cell phone and the other asks if anyone wants to watch...you guessed it...Spinal Tap (they can recite pretty much any line from the movie off by heart). There's a burst of laughter, some jostling and horseplay and you realize you've just had a remarkably grown up talk with some remarkably interesting seventeen year olds. Wise beyond their years.
Much Music
By the way. HIGH KAPITOL is the band spawned from SERIAL JOE. so to answer all who asked if we broke up. We did. but HIGH KAPITOL is def. a band to check out. So check out HIGH KAPITOL and all the friends on our list of the SERIAL JOE myspace. ADD HIGH KAPITOL.
