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The Manitoban (U of M, Winnipeg, MB) - March 8, 2006
TRAVELLING TROUBADOURS
The Dust Poets release third CD
Spending an absurd amount of time on Google's search engine. Sitting in front of a computer and chatting incessantly on messenger. Eating crunchy, homemade granola for breakfast. This is all in a day in the life of Corey Ticknor, a member of the roots band the Dust Poets.
Formerly known as das macht SHOW, the quintet — composed of Murray D. Evans (lead vocals and guitar), Karla Ferguson (accordion), Sean McManus (percussion and clarinet), Gord Mowat (bass) and Ticknor (mandolin and trombone) — felt they needed to change their moniker. According to their website, the group believes their new name better reflects their "artistic growth as a band and . . . [will] assist our continued efforts in reaching new audiences."
"Well, that's the official line," said Ticknor with a laugh. And unofficially?
"No one could say [our name] properly," said the mandolin and trumpet player over the phone from Saskatchewan. "DJs would slaughter it. Our fans couldn't even say it."
Ticknor said they had to make a firm decision about their name, especially with the release of their third and latest album, Lovesick Town. The band originally started out more as a hobby, so they didn't take their original name seriously. The process for conceiving a new identity was gruelling; they sifted through hundreds of names before they unearthed a winner. It was a procedure Ticknor would gladly never do again.
"I've blocked it out of my memory," he said jokingly. "It's been a horrific era.
The band opted for Dust Poets, a name that hints at the band's "prairie kid" backgrounds, said Ticknor. (Murray is from Brandon, MB, and Ferguson hails from Saskatchewan.) But even though the band finally chose a new name, all five had to spend a lot of time swapping long distance calls, as not all of the musicians dwell in the same province. Murray still lives in Manitoba, Ticknor lives in New Brunswick and the remainder live in Toronto.
"There were lots of video up-links," joked Ticknor.
Although many of the songs on Lovesick Town muse about living in a small city or town, Ticknor said that Evans, the primary songwriter, didn't intend to create 11 songs that focus on small town concerns.
"It's just reflecting where we're from, and the good and the bad that go along with that," said Ticknor.
Known for delivering a medley of genres on a single CD, the band produces wild concoctions of bluegrass, folk, rock, pop, roots, roots, jazz and swing as a way to keep from becoming bored, said Ticknor.
"We're too musically restless," he said. "We want to jump around . . . We play bluegrass .... We like to mix it up — do a country torch song and follow that up with an Elvis Costello tune."
So with a name their fans can pronounce and a brand spankin' new CD fraught with a mishmash of genres, the Dust Poets are hoping their unique sound will reach new fans.
"The response has been great. We've been getting a lot of spins," he said. "We're thinking it's going to be a great year."