From the Sidelines to Front and Center
The names Rick Haworth, Mario Légaré, and
Sylvain Clavette are not well known outside of Quebec.
However, in that large Canadian province, these guys are
some of the most sought-after sidemen for major musical
acts like political singer-songwriter Paul Piché,
Mexican fusion artist Lhasa de Sela, and
Louisiana-by-way-of-Montreal Acadian performer
Zachary Richard.
Together, Rick, Mario, and Sylvain come out from
the sidelines and move front and center as the
band Magneto. Released on the major Quebec
independent label Les Disques Audiogram, known
for signing both influential Quebecois musicians
as well as experimental World Music albums, the
band's self-titled debut contains 11 instrumental
pieces featuring unusual soundscapes of bass,
percussion, guitar, and a host of other instruments.
The songs are laced with World influences and transcend
boundaries of jazz, folk, pop, bluegrass, and techno.
The album came together over a process of four years, as
guitarist and producer extraordinaire Rick Haworth hung
out with musical friends Légaré, a bass
player noted for his work in the 70's progressive rock
band Octobre, and drummer Clavette in Clavette's
home studio. "We could only get together every
now and then," explains Rick from his home in
Montreal. "We were all touring and doing other
projects. It took basically about three years of
serious recording. We did a quick demo for
Audiogram and they accepted it. Literally a
year passed and they kind of said to us, 'How's
the album coming along?' Then we really buckled
down, and it only took another three years to
work on it," he adds, with a laugh.
Bring three of the busiest session players in the
Montreal music industry definitely added to the delay.
"It was just finding a day here and there. I think
the most extended time we ever worked on it was about
four days in a row."
The process of getting the songs together came
about through jamming together. "There were just kind
of made up in the studio. There wasn't actually any
writing process at all," Haworth says. As a result,
many of the album's songs have a free-flowing,
improvisational feel. "For me, the whole thing
was just approached as if we were just doing more demos.
I never really thought, 'OK, now we're making the record.'
None of us did - we were just goofing around."
Album cover courtesy of Les Disques Audiogram.
Next page > Magneto: Part Two >
