LUCID FORGE

With brilliant front man Brad Germain, who is also the front man of Marble Index, and a history of album releases and international touring, in a short period of time this new band already has it made. With the help of Ian Smith, Germain is gaining new experience in a cooperative effort of writing. Of course we can not forget about Nick Skalkos who is more of the post production drummer and a major key in live performances.

This band has already been on tour with Mel C and is gaining the experience fast. Spirits are a Indy Pop band that can be compared to The Sounds with a man rather than the woman on the forefront. They already have a video “Forbidden Flame,” which is culturally diverse and will definitely gain a lot of attention from many. Spirits know how to put on a show, but then again Germain, being the front runner of Marble Index as well, has the experience and the rocker style to know how to give a show. Still on tour, with much more to come, I had the opportunity to sit down with Brad before their show at e-Bar in Guelph on Thursday June 20th. He definitely knows his stuff, enjoys his life, and told me all about it:

Lucid Forge: So this is a new project.

Brad Germain: The old one (Marble Index) still exists though, we are just writing stuff and it’s a little bit of a slower time for us. This is the project of note right now.

LF: Tell me about Spirits?

BG: I guess Spirits came together initially when Ian and I started to write together. Ian and my other bands, mine was Marble Index, his the Minatures, we were kinda pushed together and started writing songs together and over time (well over a year ago but it was so random… like 4 or 5 months) within the last 6 months we really started getting together. Things started to improve and we ended up having a batch of songs and then decided to start a band. Nick is the drummer from the Minatures, and we got him to record with us and put him in a bit and that brings us to where we are now!

LF: What other bands have you all been involved with?

BG: Marble Index. I was in a band called machine gun for 2 to 3 years, all Hamilton musicians, we were like a live improv dance band we used to do residencies at 33 Hess in Hamilton’s Hess Village, punk with computers and stuff… it was just for fun, more of a vanity project…

It’s really only been Spirits and Marble Index for bands that I have been in a lot.

LF: What do you enjoy about the rock and roll scene? BG: I don’t know that I’m even in the scene?! I think we are a bit outside of the scene. I have always sorta functioned outside of it. I don’t know if I’m too interested in the rock and roll scene, I won’t go to any show just to see rock and roll music I need to know what I’m checking out before I do! LF: What do you not enjoy about it? BG: I started going to shows and playing music when I was 14. After that amount of years I don’t have the same admiration of bands anymore. It’s different for me now. It takes a lot to ‘wow’ me, where it used to be just nothing, now it’s next to impossible! I’m a joyless old cranky… almost 30 … washed out musician…. LF: So I know you are married, do you find it difficult at all being a musician and in a relationship?

BG: It’s been easy now, it was tough when I was on the road for 9 months of the year but now I have not toured much with this. I have a cell phone now but I didn’t before so that helps.

LF: What musicians or bands inspire the music you write?

BG: I like Copy, and lCD Sound System, MIA… mostly dancy sorta stuff not so much rock. Allan Braxe has a wicked record called Uppercuts. I like a lot of indy dance… not like euro dance, it’s not really cheesy but it’s kinda cheesy. For rock music I listen to Wilco, and Camera Obscura.

LF: Where do the lyrics come from?

BG: A lot of the songs don’t come from personal experience. I have sorta always been a personal experience writer like the last bunch of songs has been diary entries. This stuff is now pretty random, personal experience, stories I read , real life non fiction , time magazine I read a lot, sometimes I’ll read something that gets me thinking about it and I’ll write a song based on that. Also characters like non fiction characters and stuff.

I’m taking it from a different perspective cause I have a writing partner now. Writing alone you know what it means but writing with someone else they need to get it too, he cuts out a lot of my lines that he thinks are stupid!

LF: You were just on tour with Mel C of the Spice Girls, how was the tour?

BG: It was fun I had a great time! It was good cause there was lots of people there every night, and being a new band it was a great position to be in. She was really nice, a very friendly person. It was a bit strange though I never thought there would be a photo of me and a spice girl in my cell phone… it’s nice … we are bro’s now!

LF: What’s Mel like?

BG: I thought she was really nice, she made us feel comfortable. We got drunk with them a bunch, Mel C likes her red wine.

LF: What is in store next for Spirits?

BG: The album is the big thing, we are almost finished the record which we are hoping to have out by the end of the summer. We are going to make another video but this time I think it will be home made.