Brandon Foreman’s sound has heated up into something uniquely his own
WHO: Yellowbelly
WHERE: The Boot
WHEN: Monday, July 9
"A musical landscape." I've always loved that expression, but it wasn't until now that I could use it in its fullest sense.
If the name Yellowbelly sounds familiar, it's because the band, headed up by Victoria's Brandon Foreman, has made appearances in Whistler in the past. But even if you've caught their world beat sounds previously, be sure to check them out again. Foreman's sound has evolved into something uniquely his own.
And for those who've never heard Yellowbelly, bring your imagination and prepare to let your moods run wild through love affairs, rainy nights, lazy afternoons, even the wild west.
"It's definitely been a growing process over the last two years," explains Foreman. "I grew up in Kenya, East Africa, so everything I was doing was heavily influenced by African rhythms and African guitar lines, that sort of thing. Over the years, I’ve mixed in more pop and more western influences. I'm also a huge fan of British music. So with this last album, I wanted to capture more of the mood influence common to the British music. But I also wanted to use some American funk and make use of technology, with loops, to bring it into the 21st century."
The seventh track on Yellowbelly's latest CD, Naked , could be one of the best representations of that goal. While Foreman's lyrics would tell a story of a relationship and sweet desire, the richly textured music of the song, Silent Wanting, sets a western motif, if not a slightly ominous Clint Eastwood-ish atmosphere. Is he just waiting for Miss Right? Or are his intentions less honourable? Regardless, the song raises the dust from the streets and a sweat on the brow.
Do you have 007 fantasies? Get Wired and get ready for a trip. Foreman again weaves a clever tale with his words and lets his music complete the undercover rendezvous.
"When I was young, people would say 'wow, that would be great for a movie'," Foreman laughs. "I can't say that was my intention, but I do approach my writing from more of a fully encompassed vision than a lot of people do. It's not just about writing a pop song. Three chords don't often do it for me. A simple melody doesn’t necessarily do it for me, although I struggle to maintain it so it is accessible to the average audience."
Yellowbelly's dreamy, mellow sounds will definitely be embraced by the right CD listeners, but capturing the attention of a room full of inebriated strangers may be another matter. The regular Boot mosh pit will be absent from this performance, and Foreman will be calling on past training in order to "own the room."
"With our earlier album, we were almost considered acid jazz or groove and it was all about getting people up on the dance floor. But now the passion of the music depends on how we pull it off live. And if we're having an off night, they could ruin us. We have to focus on not only if the music is there, but that it's representative of what we're trying to say," says Foreman. "We rely on our experience as players and performers.
"The group that I'll be bringing with me on this tour (David Alvin Lee on bass, Michael Monroe on drums and Ian Battle on guitar) has years of experience, both live and in studio. And I think that with our performance at the Boot, you'll find we can switch on a dime and be able to read our audience and play with them a bit. I've also been talking a lot to the band about commanding the stage, regardless of the audience."
And those theories go back to Foreman's formal schooling in the arts. It's almost rare these days to find pop artists who have actually studied music for lengthy amounts of time. His post secondary education includes majoring in music at Northwest College and Trinity Western University as well as music composition at McGill University.
As he was crossing the country to Vancouver, he also decided to cross artistic borders and venture into theatre. It was a natural progression for Foreman, who believes the thoughts and emotions he applies to his music can be re-applied in many artistic forms.
"I had some great teachers. A guy named Nelson taught me for a long time while I was in Africa. His concept of theatre was very much based on kinetic energy and filling the holes on stage and leaving the spaces empty for room to breathe. And you can follow that right through to visual arts. When you're painting something it needs enough white space to let the eye rest. You can take that right through to audio. In a song, if there isn't enough space or silence between the instruments it also doesn't breathe properly."
Foreman is confident the classic theories are still relevant to his less-than-traditional music. The realm of mainstream music continues to stretch its boundaries to make room for "projects" like Yellowbelly’s mood music. So open your ears and mind to a full length melodic experience and collage for the soul. Foreman and Yellowbelly are dressing up the pop canvas, making Naked anything but.
