Friday, February 9 10:45pm @ horseshoe tavern
Purveyors of: Type Rock 

ETAOIN SHRDLU might sound like some sinister character right out of avant-garde theatre, but in this case it’s an instrumental post-hardcore band from Toronto. Together its four members create an aestheticized and refined hardcore sound that’s somehow almost less than the sum of its parts. Musically and conceptually it’s dense and compact, defined and driving and disciplined, even while exploring and emanating electrical sparks in many directions. Uncompromising but unassuming, obtuse but open, fun and friendly yet belligerent, the band expands on its creators’ attitudes towards art and design and music in general. Alex Durlak and Demian Carynnyk exchanged information and opinion over the Internet.

ETAOIN SHRDLU has been around for a year and has played four shows. And you’re already starting to seem pretty popular and respected. Has it been a good year?

Huh? You are quite flattering, sir. Yes, it has been a good year. The bulk of our energy has gone into learning how to play with one another and developing a concept for the music. The shows have gone well, but it’s not like we’ve been stumbling upon kids with our name carved in their arm. We still feel pretty under the radar.

Who are the human beings/personalities in your band? Who brings what to the band?

us Weinkauf plays the drums in the band and is by far the most vocal of the group. He is very stubborn about doing things in multiples of four. Samir Khan plays bass guitar, although we often joke that it sounds more like a buzzsaw. He is the optimist of the band, a melody-maker despite the trees falling all around us. I play guitar and find great pleasure in watching the rhythm section battle it out, although I don’t actually listen to them. I enjoy plotting and scheming. Damian Valles also plays guitar, while standing quietly in the corner listening. He speaks only when an impasse has been reached, his solutions always finding the perfect resolution for all parties. He is the band’s pagan idol, a sun god.

How would you describe your music and energy? How do you conceptualize it?

Originally the band was conceived of as interpreting various classical compositions that we felt sounded incredibly relevant to contemporary music. Now we sound like the post-hardcore/math/punk equivalent of a dance band. There is nothing fantastic about it conceptually except that it is played with robust vigour and expertise.

Is your music “meaningful” without vocals? Are you content without them?

ur music is inherently meaningful regardless of vocals. Our songs deal with the throwing down of the master’s chains, love lost, Faustian temptation, and nature’s fury. We are content, but no else seems to be. It seems that the contemporary rock audience feels either threatened or let down by a lack of vocals. We understand the argument but have a hard time conceptualising what they would even sound like.

A lot of your affiliated projects (I Can Put My Arm Back On, Feuermusik, listofcontents.ca) have had a consistent aesthetic/ethic/attitude. It’s almost an anti-aesthetic, emphasizing deconstruction and demystification. How do you imagine ETAOIN SHRDLU evolving, visually and conceptually?

I think we all treat making music as a serious artistic undertaking and believe that intellectualising our work is an inherent part of that process. With the empowerment of independent models of art production I believe that how one represents themselves is more important than ever. It has been a hot topic within the band, but has produced little results. We haven’t had the gun of an album put to our head yet. Knowing the boyz, Gus will probably push for a Germanic Romanticism, Damian a tasteful Minimalism, Samir will want autumn colours, and I’ll wax poetically about things being evil. I give us three years before we follow the same route as Wire and end up a purely electronic project.

What are your thoughts on the Toronto indie scene’s past/present/future?

Past: Lots to do. Present: Lots getting done. Future: Even more to do. Don’t stop! As much as Toronto’s ego may have been stroked lately, we’re still babies and need to do a lot more growing. More infrastructure!

By DemIan Carynnyk