It’s The Summer Of Soundclash
Bedouin Soundclash’s frontman is still giddy from his band’s opening slot on No Doubt’s recent tour
BEDOUIN SOUNDCLASHw/ Ben Stevenson and DJ Degree. Starlite Room (10030-102 St). Thu, Aug 13 (8pm). Tickets: $30, available through Ticketmaster, Blackbyrd, Brixx Bar & Grill
You’ll often read about veteran bands who are less than excited about what their first album sounded like. Perhaps it’s a form of modesty, or maybe they just like to have a laugh about how far they have come as a band. Bedouin Soundclash is no different: their 2001 disc Root Fire was recorded for $300, and frontman Jay Malinowski seems to cringe a little when I even mention it.
“I don’t actually like to listen to that first record,” he says. “If someone ever does play it for me, I think, ‘Wow, we definitely have come from somewhere.’ I mean, that record was done on nothing.” He laughs. “But I’m definitely not embarrassed of it — if anything, I can hear where we were going. That period was very fruitful and exciting for us.”
Where they were going turned out to be an opening slot for megastars No Doubt during this summer’s concert tour. “I remember when I first met Gwen, I was like, ‘That’s Gwen Stefani! I used to watch her videos when I was a kid!’”
But after that starstruck feeling wore off, Malinowski embraced the experience. “Those guys and girls are just so down to earth, it’s really an inspiration to us as a band — they really just took us under their wing. It was a really great experience, they are great people. They really helped us on that tour — we’re really inspired by that.”
Still, he couldn’t help but be a bit blown away by the popularity a band like No Doubt still commands after all these years. “In Chicago,” he recalls, “they did, like, 30,000 people — it was insane, an insane amount of people.”
Malinowski, still giddy from the huge summer tour, clearly loves every moment he’s having. His band won a Juno for Best New Band in 2006, and they’re striving to reach greater heights.
“We’re always pushing it for where we want to be,” Malinowski says. “I’m so proud of what we’ve achieved. But yeah, it’s been a really great summer.”
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