"Anybody who really likes music likes more than just one style," said Dennis W. Lee, drummer and composer of the new Montreal band Kids Eat Crayons. In Lee's case his musical loves were jazz and metal, a pairing that seem like they would mix about as well as pickles and peanut butter, but Kids Eat Crayons are quick to demonstrate that they're more like PB&J.
"I always wanted to mix jazz and metal but didn't have the vocabulary," Lee said. "I saw that they would work well together because they're very similar; they both have a jagged sound… but you can also accentuate the differences by using more straight ahead jazz, swing or bebop styles, right next to heavier stuff."
Lee moved to Montreal from Edmonton six years ago to attend the Jazz Performance program at McGill's Schulich School of Music. Three years ago he started Kids Eat Crayons with his roommate, tenor saxophone player Ben Henriques. Eventually they were joined by five more Montreal musicians, most of whom studied music at McGill as well. "I thought it was going to be hard to find other musicians to put together a band like this," said Lee, "but it was actually really easy."
With their debut Kids Eat Crayons Is For Lovers, featuring jazz keyboard, a horn section, and electric guitar overlaid with metalcore yells and indie-rock chants, the band's sound is perfect for the listener who finds metal too angry and jazz too boring. Kids Eat Crayons play music that taps right into the vein of the Montreal music scene.
"Montreal is such a great city for jazz," said Lee, whose appreciation for the post-bop jazz of Steve Lacy and Wayne Shorter can be heard in his music. "There are so many great jazz bars and festivals. There's also a good underground metal scene with so many unknown bands." Kids Eat Crayons unite these scenes in their music. Thick, dirty guitar chords common in hardcore styles are blended with rich, jazz piano chords to make the harmonies clear and layered, while Steve Reid on alto sax and Henriques on tenor breathe fresh life into the songs.
The album is more than just a composite of various influences,
however.
"Even though the opening may be jazz and the chorus may be metal, the songs are cohesive," Lee said, although the diversity means that each song on the album sounds nothing like the one before. While their distinct sound may link popular genres, the band is bringing some original ideas to the table. Kids Eat Crayons Is For Lovers includes songs such as "Masturbation Day Parade" and "Conversations with a Firstling," the latter inspired by the Biblical story of Jacob and Esau.
"It's kind of about that bible story where the two brothers are out in a field and one of them sells his birthright to the other for a bowl of red stew," said Lee. "It's kind of funny actually… There's some sexual imagery in there, but I'm not trying to make a point."
But a point has been made. Kids Eat Crayons have shown that there's new music in Montreal that doesn't sound like the same old indie-pop fluff. Onstage, lead singer Jean-Philippe Major sways his hips like a Bossa Nova jazz singer and bangs his head like a heavy metal god, all in one song. Both titles are deserved.
To check out Kids Eat Crayons, and for info on upcoming shows, check out www.myspace.com/kidseatcrayons.
2008 Woodie Awards
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