The Origins Of Ladyhawk

10/28/08 2:27pm

by Quinn Omori (CHARTattack)

Good Kelowna boys explain how they got their Shots

While Ladyhawk officially formed in Vancouver, you can trace their
beginnings four hours north up the Coquihalla Highway to Kelowna, a city of about 150,000 nestled in British Columbia's interior.

"It was just high school kids, but everyone had a band and everyone had a 'solo project' and everyone had an 'experimental side project,'" says Ladyhawk singer/guitarist Duffy Driediger about Kelowna.

"Ryan [Peters, drums] was in a band called Alpha BMX and we used to go see his band all the time. I played in a band called Filler. And Darcy [Hancock, guitar] had a band — he had a few bands. We used to all play shows together."

Those friendships set the foundation for Ladyhawk's eventual formation once the trio (along with bassist Sean Hawryluk) found themselves living in Vancouver.

"I was thinking of moving to Vancouver because my buddy Jon Rae [of Jon Rae And The River] was playing music down here and he was like, 'You've got to move down and play music.' But then he moved to Toronto right before I moved," says Driediger of what, at least at first, seemed like some unfortunate timing on his part.

"Darcy and Ryan had been playing in The River here, and so they were band-less. And Sean — who was playing in metal bands in Kelowna — moved to Vancouver and we were living together and it kind of just all came together."

After forming, and quickly becoming a favourite amongst local music fans, the foursome recorded what they thought was going to be their debut album.

"I'd never really recorded in a rock band before. I'd never even really played in a rock band before," says Driediger about the band's first attempt at putting songs to tape. "We had three days and all these songs. We were like, 'Let's go in and let's record it live and let's try to get this really raw sounding live record.'"

Rather than shop the album around to multiple places, the record was sent to one label. And while Jagjaguwar ended up putting out their debut outside of Canada, and will release their new record, Shots, everywhere, they weren't so enamoured with their first introduction to Ladyhawk.

"We sent it to them and they rejected us: ‘This isn't something we're interested in.' But after both Black Mountain and Magnolia [Electric Co. leader, Jason Molina] told them to check us out, I had to send them another copy," says Driediger, explaining how a little help from their friends convinced the label to give their songs a closer listen.

They liked what they heard the second time around, but still didn't feel that the final product did the band justice.

"They said they were into it, but they didn't think the recording was good enough, which was fine, you know? So they gave us a bit of money and we re-recorded it, which was hellish," says Driediger. "I think the label was really worried that they really bummed us out by making us re-record it, but in the end it all worked out fine. It wasn't a pleasant experience, but I think the album turned out better."

That experience also left the band better prepared when it came to recording Shots.

"I think we were all a lot more relaxed. We went in and we knew exactly what we needed to do," says Driediger.

This time around, the band also returned to their old stomping grounds to record.

"We wanted a new space and a new vibe. We looked around [Vancouver] and couldn't really find anything. And then we had the idea of recording in Kelowna, because that way none of us would be working, and we'd just have time to focus on the album," explains Driediger of the decision to return home to work on Shots. "Some friends of ours were running a little gallery space in an abandoned farm house right behind a shopping mall. They said that we could record it there, and it turned out really well, I think."

Shots sees Ladyhawk improving on the no-frills rock ‘n' roll that they showcased on their debut. It's the kind of record that hints at big things on the band's horizon, although, in some ways, Driediger would be fine if the band stayed exactly where they are.

"I like playing in places like this or the Astoria better than playing somewhere like Richard's or the Commodore," he says, motioning to the stage at Pat's Pub, the East Vancouver watering hole that we're seated in. "I like playing in houses and basements — playing on the floor. It's more fun. It's more immediate, you know?"

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Backward Town

Ladyhawk managed to score a cameo on Shots song "Faces Of Death" from fellow Kelownan and Can-rock vet Kevin Kane of The Grapes Of Wrath. Here's what Duffy Driediger said of the experience:

"That was in one of the first batches of songs that we ever started playing, but we just never recorded it. I still don't really like performing it for some reason, because it seems really over-the-top… but we got Kevin Kane, who was in the band The Grapes Of Wrath and lives in Kelowna to come in, and he did these sort of atmospheric lap steel guitar sounds on it. It was cool to have him contribute something to it because we're all Grapes Of Wraith fans, coming from Kelowna."

The following feature is from the March 2008 issue of Chart Magazine. To purchase the issue, head on over to the Chart Shop.