MOTHER MOTHER: CANADIAN BAND DEFIES LABEL
by Jayson Stewart and Madeline Lemire of Spartan Youth Radio


Indie rock is as easy a musical genre to define as asking a beachcomber to describe the basic shape of driftwood. It is varied and ever-changing but Spartan Youth Radio reporter Madeline Lemire tried her best when speaking to Ryan Guldemond, vocalist and guitarist for the Vancouver-based band Mother Mother, who are making waves across Canada.

Lemire asked Guldemond to define the type of music Mother Mother plays but he was coy. “I don’t suppose I would [define it] if I didn’t have to because it’s not very indicative of the truth no matter how you put it,” said Guldemond. “It’s music infiltrated by a rock aesthetic. If you take anything that anyone’s doing out there and give it a different vehicle, like with cellos and violins, it’s probably going to sound classical but because we have drums and bass and it’s driven by vocals, it becomes some bastard child of rock.”

Despite not being easy to pigeonhole the band or promote to any one particular market, Mother Mother is still experiencing success and recognition. O My Heart, the band’s second album, was the #3 Best Canadian Album of 2008, according to iTunes Canada, and their song “Body of Years” won a CBC Radio 3 Bucky Award for best Vocals of 2009.

World-renowned gossip blogger Perez Hilton raves about the band, calling it “one of the most exciting bands coming out of Canada”. Spartan Youth Radio staff are new fans too and describe the sound as captivating, lyrical, energetic and sly. The band layers harmonies in such a way that each song as a beautiful cacophony unique from the next. “The first album had more eclecticism and that’s where [the song] “Tick Tock” resides,” explained the lead singer. “I mean if you look at the whole catalogue, it’s pretty spastic.”

The band’s success is partially fed by Guldemond’s dedication to his craft. “You gotta find something you like to do in life and put your blood, sweat and tears into it,” he said.

Having just finished a Canadian tour opening for fellow Vancouverite Matthew Good, Mother Mother is heading back into the studio to record their third album. “The plans are becoming more and more concrete as the days go by. I think we’re heading into the studio in February 2010 with a projected release in late summer.” Guldemond promises that the new album will be melodic, edgier and certainly danceable. “I’m pretty thrilled with the new stuff; I think it’s the best yet.”

Though the band is beginning to see commercial success, they are in it for the love of music, not for money or fame. “Music is simple. You put a song on and you get tingly or feel melancholic in a really beautiful way,” he explained. “We’re not trying to drive home some heady political message. That’s why I listen to music: it makes me feel good. It makes me feel different than who I am sometimes too. It’s nice to get out of your own skin for three or four minutes.”

If you are a fan of independent musicians with a unique sound and perspective on the world, you should give Mother Mother a chance. Guldemond warned Lemire that he could not “guarantee that we’re going to be for everyone out there,” but suggested that curious music fans “go with a whim, or not. Listen to your heart. If you heart tells you to tune in to us, then so be it. If not, then no offence taken.”