AA SOUND SYSTEM
Triple CD release
W/ The Doers and Devilsplender
Fri, Sept 17 (Show 8 pm)
Sidetrack Café (10333-112 St.)
$10 at the door (first 200 people receive the new DevilSplender CD)

The path to success seems to have been a lackadaisical one for AA Sound System. Their album, Lily Plain, You’re Hardly Poor has risen to number one on CJSR, and as high as number five on CKUA, despite the fact that it’s only become recently accessible. A few copies of the record made its way across the country and somehow managed to chart despite lack of serious intention on the band’s part. Along with the interest came a series of high profile gigs at North Country Fair, Waynefest, the Calgary Jazz Festival, and two supporting slots opening for Calexico.

"I’m shocked. Not appalled, but shocked," jokes singer/guitarist Ayla Brook about the interest the band has picked up with Lily Plain, which Brook attributes to percussionist Marek Tyler’s work at spreading it around at industry functions. The band has been recording and gigging under the radar for so many years that it seemed like it was more of a slack endeavor then an actual functioning unit.

"Well... but that’s changing," he states in a tone of mild reproof, if not outright disagreement. "We’re starting to take this a bit serious. Just this weekend, I think we’ve reached an agreement with the [Calgary record company] Saved By Radio people about doing some distribution. That means it’ll be on Festival Distribution, which means it’s available to the whole country. And after this bizarre charting on the Exclaim college charts, number 25, we figured, geez, maybe it’s time to get off our butts and take it seriously. We’re just figuring out how to do that. Marek has been working pretty hard at this, but it’s time for some outside help on this."

Don’t ask, and ye shall receive

That outside help has come in the form of Saved by Radio, and in a fashion absolutely appropriate to the band, which didn’t even approach the label for help.

"How was it? Oh, [friend and local producer Scott] Franchuk left a copy in [Saved by Radio partner] Owen’s car, I think. That’s how they heard us. When we were down playing with Calexico. Yeah." He stops to consider what he’s just said. "Wait. Slack endeavor–you were quite correct."

When reached by phone, label vice president Dawn Loucks is enthusiastic about the AA-ers ("Oh, you mean the twelve steppers, as we like to call them?"), and verifies the casual way in which the band was introduced to the label.

"Yes, Owen gave the record to me, and... I thought they were a funk band, I don’t know why," she says, tongue firmly in cheek. "I didn’t know anything about them; I didn’t go to see them at Calexico the night that they opened for them [in Calgary]. When I finally put the record on I was quite surprised. Of course being a prairie girl, I immediately loved all those references to Skatch, like ‘Headstrong Saskatchewan.’ I guess that ‘you’re hardly poor’ is some kind of Prince Albert slang. [Calgary singer/songwriter and former Saskatchewan native] Lorrie Matheson seemed to get it right away."

Seems like lots of people have gotten it, at least partially in spite of the band.

"In spite of ourselves," repeats Brook in a mockingly injured tone. "Yes. I guess it’s a testament to the quality of the album."

Not to mention the musicianship.

Tyler and bassist/multi instrumentalist Lane Arndt have played alongside numerous fellow musicians from local singer/songwriters Shuyler Jansen and Mark Davis, to bands like bebop cortez and the May Kings. Tyler has collaborated with the likes of Giant Sand’s Howe Gelb, while Brook has wandered through a number of projects as a respected sideman. Considering the amount of outside playing, it’s been a long time coming for AA Sound System.

"Marek and I started putting our name on the project about four years ago, but I don’t really consider the band proper until Lane joined us about two years ago," clarifies Brook. "Y’know, all of us living on the same floor of the same apartment building might’ve helped." He laughs. "We were looking for a bass player, and Lane had just bought an acoustic bass. He said, ‘Hey, why don’t I bring it over some time?’ and then he said, ‘Hey, why don’t I bring over my laptop some time?’ And suddenly the two merged, and it was the sound–the sound we were looking for."

Sounds more like osmosis then the genesis of a band.

"It was sort of osmosis," he allows. "Well, I remember standing in the hallway one day when all three of us had our stereos on at the same time thinking, ‘Hmm. That’s kinda what we sound like.’"

Which is?

"Let’s see: Lane had some kind of experimental, electronic thing going on, and I think Marek... what did Marek have on? Marek had, uh, was it Modest Mouse? Something like that. And I had Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson or something like that coming out of my apartment."

Is that then the best description of AA Sound System that we’re going to get?

"Kinda. Sometimes. I dunno. There’re lots of interesting things going on–just sort of disparate elements with common motivation."