Microphones Sheathed In Gun Holsters? | No, no, that was the Primrods. Long, long time ago.
Paul James Coutts and Chains
w/ Ghostkeeper, Smokey. May 16 (8pm). Teddy’s Palace (11361 Jasper Ave).
Edmonton has always been the kind of city musicians move away from, so it’s a rare and pleasant surprise when our city gains another heart. Relocating from Calgary to Edmonton is like moving out of one frying pan and into... well, another frying pan, and unless you’re here to reap the sticky rewards of our fleeting oilsands, it’s hard to imagine why anyone would chose the City of Champions over our more progressive neighbours to the west.
Well, maybe Calgary ex-pat Paul Coutts can shed some light on the situation. Years ago, during our late-night drives, Bryan Kulba would regale me with all sorts of stories about “Crazy” Paul Coutts and his time fronting Calgary post-punks The Primrods: these were tales of human skin masks, microphones sheathed in gun holsters, and $150,000 recording contracts.
“The Primrods were a band that needed some kind of tension—it was very spring-fueled music,” Coutts (or P5, as he was then known) tells me. “They were so ahead of their time it was retarded. Those guys, they hated everything. That was their motto: Hate Rock Is Great Rock. We were like the premiers of hate rock.”
Geffen Records picked the band up in the late ’90s, and then dropped them, making them one of the many casualties of the Polygram/Universal merger. After their demise, Coutts went on to form bands like XL Birdsuit, The New 1-2, beloved local outfit Twin Fangs, and most recently, Paul James Coutts and Chains.
“I wanted to make the songs important instead of the concept of the band,” Coutts explains. “It’s a different approach, where the lyrics are what’s important; you aren’t really focusing on the riffs. It’s like the blues or folk music, but it’s not formatted like those commonly are.”
And the blues come pretty easy to Coutts these days. With the record industry drying up, independent bands are under constant financial strain. Throw the rising cost of living and skyrocketing gas prices into the mix and it’s a miracle that young bands are able to tour at all.
“You can play Guitar Hero all year and download 8,000 songs and you think you know music, but it’s hard to find the true believers.” Coutts laments. “None of us are getting gold teeth. You play a show and get 50 bucks gas money, and hope you don’t get your windows smashed or your gear stolen.”
Despite the hard times, Coutts accepts his status as a rock ’n’ roll lifer. “You just do what you’ve gotta do,” he says. “I love this. There’s nothing else I’d rather be doing. Planning tours, getting rejected for grants: I love it all. I feel more comfortable onstage than I do at work or out on a Saturday night.”
With a handful of shows scheduled throughout the summer, including this weekend’s all-your-friends-are-gonna-be-there show at Teddy’s and a coveted spot in his hometown’s Sled Island Festival, it looks like Coutts will have plenty of time to do what he does best.
“I’m kinda proud that I’ve been unmedicated for 37 years, and I think that music has something to do with it.” he says with a smile. “But other times I’m just like, ‘Bring on the medication.’”
