| I
first heard of the gritty, urban, electrifying guitar rock band that is
Coppermine in 2003 when I met its lead vocalist and guitar player, Jonathan
Buck, in Toronto through my ex-boss. The band’s sound has evolved
into something very different from that of their 1998 three-track EP simply
entitled Coppermine and the members have changed. Jon used to be
in a jazz group called 21st Century but Coppermine is as far from jazz
as you can get, in fact it’s closer to metal. He also played with
The Bourbon Tabernacle Choir for a couple of years ending in 1989.
Jon is a very industrious, ambitious and personable man who has been giving
his all to this Brooklyn, New York band for years. The hard work
is obviously paying off as Coppermine has almost 143,000 friends on their
MySpace list and they are currently working with veteran studio producer
Ron St. Germain whose credits include Soundgarden, Tool and Creed.
There’s an interesting article about MySpace Music and Coppermine with
quotes from Jon at http://msnbc.msn.com/id/11114166.
I don’t know how he deals with the adulation of all those women who have
commented on his photos either. It’s no secret, he’s a handsome guy!
That being said, he is backed up by a formidable group of talented musicians
including Tommy on guitar and back up vocals, Josh on bass and back up
vocals, and Andrew on drums. I couldn’t find last names for these
guys so I guess the band isn’t worried about press for individual members
but is concentrating on being a collective.
Coppermine
has some eclectic and wide-ranging influences but if you’re a fan of Metallica,
The Tea Party, Soundgarden, or Rage Against The Machine you’ll enjoy this
band. I have been most disappointed that I haven’t been able to see
Coppermine live yet because they mostly play in the New York area and other
parts of the eastern United States. I keep asking Jon when they’ll
be doing a Canadian tour, but so far, no answer on that. This is
the kind of band that I believe must be experienced live in order to grasp
its full impact.
Coppermine’s
“Suffocating” CD is a collection of pounding electric guitar rockers dealing
primarily with frustration in almost every area of life. Some of
the tracks sound quite similar to each other but there are a few standouts
including the radio friendly upbeat rock ballad “Guiding Light”; “Out of
Time” is my pick for the hit; “Nowhere” has a Pink Floyd ethereal quality
in its intro that I really like; the more mainstream rock of “Don’t Let
Go” showcases some excellent drumming; the vocal performance in “Showed
Me The Way” reminds me of my friend Andres Acevedo of Toronto’s Defy The
Element and I really liked it; and “I’ll Be Waiting” gives us a peek into
the softer side of Coppermine and is also one of my favourites. The
title track “Suffocating” is a full on metal rocker with lyrics that most
women would cringe at because the last thing we want to hear is that we’re
suffocating our lovers and not allowing them the freedom to be who they
are. “Don’t Take Your Love Away” is another heavy rocker following
through on the meaning of its title with somewhat clichéd lyrics.
Overall I would rate this album with a solid “B” and suggest that it’s
likely going to appeal more to the male population although I can guarantee
that women will love this band too, especially those who have had the good
fortune to see Jon Buck perform live. I hope that I will be joining
their ranks soon.
You
can buy “Suffocating” through www.amazon.com
and keep up with Coppermine at their official website at www.coppermine.com
or through www.myspace.com/coppermine.
Christine
Bode
c.bode@partyinkingston.com |
