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It was not the proper beginning of the year.
On January 1, 2023, longtime musician and producer Dave Alcock died in Calgary.
The outpouring of grief and support from the local community was immediate and genuine, and everyone who knew him, played with him, taped his recordings, and even those who were in his circle of friends. I was devastated by this news.
Perhaps none other than his partner Kim, who supported Dave in his fight against cancer.
You never know what someone is going through.
So all you can do is listen and be there.
Interestingly, Dave’s name and his recent affiliation with alternative rock artist De Arks will be doing just that at Palomino on May 13 to mark the release of their new album, Masques. become. drums before his death.
But more than that, a band featuring Travis Davis, Mark Rudd and Dave Anderson and a collection of the city’s best acts will celebrate the life of a friend who left too soon.
Ahead of the show, theSCENE spoke with Des Arcs vocalist Davis.
Q: It’s bittersweet. You’ve got this, you’ve got this great record, and it sort of has this, so it’s clouded over? Or is it like celebrating what you guys did?
A: No, you can’t say it’s cloudy. The timing was so strange. And part of my mind is, if Dave had done it for a few more weeks, we would have had this record under us…of course you can’t think of it that way. But as you know, it came literally a week after he died. yes. So that part was very bittersweet. We didn’t know what was going to happen to the band or anything like that…we were like, look, we want to play, Dave would want to play too, Dave loves that record. I felt like I was there. We love records. So let’s do this anyway… and get down to finding a suitable replacement for Dave, which has been very difficult. But we got really lucky.
I mean, it’s one of those too, right? So it’s someone you meet once every week who understands this dense struggle to make art together. And it’s actually more about fit, camaraderie, and trust than that this guy has the chops to play the drums. And thankfully, we found the perfect fit in Brendan Derrick Tincher…he has the skills to do it. But more than that, he is just a kind and gentle human being. And it was the right, the right kind of character to come in that difficult situation, right? So why not play these songs especially with his 3 other guys who just lost their best friend. But for me it was a gift.
Q: We know the show itself will be a blend of celebrating the album and celebrating Dave’s life.
A: Yes, of course we will release a physical copy. It’s a really fun, really cool package…and it’s exciting. But so is the band playing this, and it’s going to be a lot of fun. I mean, folks, Dave touched them in some way… In terms of quality and kind, it’s only natural that we’d want to share an evening like that, yeah, that’s pretty awesome for us. .
Q: I think it’s going to be a pretty emotional night.
A: Yes, of course. Well, that’s a good thing, right? It’s just like emptying yourself. And it’s like the band’s attitude has always been, like emptying yourself all the time. That’s part of the reason we formed the band in the first place, yes, to have that outlet. I’m sure it will get better.
Q: Still, it’s totally awful because people don’t know what they’re going through up until this point. Until sometimes it’s too late.
A: I didn’t get a chance to talk about it personally. I mean, it was the hardest thing I’ve ever been through. It was a complete devastation because no one expected it to come. We talked to him that morning… 45 minutes or so before he jumped off, I got a group text message to the band and a message saying “Happy New Year.” So it was just a disaster. And for (his partner) Kim, she went through hell and continues to go through hell. She’s going through a really tough time.
We are not avoiding the fact that he died by suicide. I know it’s okay, but I think not talking about it makes things worse and makes it harder for other people who might be hurt to talk about it…no one covers it up. Is not … It is common for young women and young men to die.
All bands play for free. All doors open to his favorite charities.
Q: Sorry, I’m going to do my awkward segue here. I don’t want to say it shouldn’t overshadow the album, but I hope it doesn’t lose the fact that it’s just how good it is. And I hope this is so, maybe… this is a hard one to dance to. I hope that in this way, his work, his last work, and the work you guys have done as friends and as a band.
A: Yes, I hope so too. And I feel the same way… I’m always like, ‘Oh, well, there’s definitely more attention on this and this record, what happened as a result, and Dave’s death? I understood it better than I could have otherwise.” But he worked so hard on this album that you’re going to be like, ‘Yeah, that’s great. In other words, the drums are insanely good. He entered OCL because he wanted it to be big. And it has a great open room sound.
Q: He definitely left an indelible mark, not only on his performance. Let’s talk about the album itself. Do you have a theme? Is there anything you want people to take away from this record?
A: Well, I’m not sure if you can call it a theme, but there are some elements that drive it, and it’s a record in my head. I’m in rhythm. And it’s that kind of drive, perhaps the chunky, rolling feel on every song that works as an album. We recorded 14 songs and cut them down to 12. And the two cuts weren’t because they were good songs, they just didn’t have that certainty that the other songs had. It’s a little hard to explain, really. We call it “Hunka Munka”. That’s the name of the drive and kind of rhythm that echoes throughout the record. And the core concept is just as important as the approach of playing the song at the tempo that drives it all together. It’s funny because we have two songwriters and we take turns, but we still managed to maintain a consistent sonic approach that ties it all together. But I also think we have a differentiation, a different vocal approach, and a different, less varied lyrical style. There is also some diversity.
Our other albums were rather different collections of songs. However, this work had a completely different atmosphere. And, perhaps, you know, I would be foolish not to say that this might have something to do with the era in which it was written. And it was the time of coronavirus and we were in isolation. But hey, as long as everyone was healthy, we huddled together like we still practice. And this was for Kim, who is undergoing cancer treatment. She was immunosuppressed, so we had to be very careful.
Q: What are your expectations for the record?
A: That’s strange for many reasons. But you know, we’ve been working on this for years, so we’re really proud of it. Dave was proud of it…we’re not going to put on the iron wheels and go on tour in North America. But in this day and age, you can set things like micro-targets to know where things went well and where records are playing. And maybe book some shows at such a place and go do some shows just once. I think we would be happy with such an approach.
De Arcs will be celebrating the release of his new album ‘Masks’ on May 13th at Palomino with Pussy Monster, Vilehalen, Rambling Ambassadors, Night Committee and other special guests.
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