The Dears Swear Off Playing Canada In 2004!

12/05/03 3:30pm

by Aaron Foster (CHARTattack)

"I have been terrified by the thought of losing you," is the dreary statement that Murray Lightburn — head honcho of the wonderfully morose band The Dears — sings on the epic cabaret-feedback number, "Pinned Together, Falling Apart."

Fans of the band might even be singing along with Murray on the haunting piece from their latest album No Cities Left because Canadians might not see the group take the stage again until at least 2005.

After capping off their final home turf show of the year last weekend, there's been all sorts of speculation surrounding the band's intentions for the next year or so. And given that they've seen their stock rise phenomenally in the Canadian market, can this all be true?

"Could be," says Lightburn, "It could very well be, but I can't say we're 100 per cent on that. But at least for the next four months we're not going to be playing in Canada. I think the focus is to make another album and do some shows internationally and just take it from there you know?"

With their modern rock radio hit "Lost In The Plot" making the rounds on Edge 102.1 and MuchMusic, The Dears have slowly nosed their way around the mainstream this year. But fear not, they haven't left their sense of independence behind.

"Absolutely not," says Lightburn. "We're independent as independent goes. I mean, we do everything. We're on top of everything. We pretty much manage ourselves with exception to our situation internationally, we have someone overseeing that, but we're very much on top of what we do in this country for sure. We're independent all the way. I mean, nobody's spoon-feeding us."

There's no telling what The Dears' new recorded output might result in. Lightburn's been hinting he's going to do something "different" from his epic rock. He's also long threatened to record another EP in the vein of Summer Of Protest or Orchestral Pop Noir Romantique. Lightburn says that when The Dears are in the studio (or "the lab" as he puts it), they're unaware of what impact that one song or the entire album might have on its listener.

"I think that once a song has been recorded, mixed and mastered and pressed, it's like it's officially been released to the world," says Lightburn. "It feels weird, it feels like sending your kids off to school you know? And maybe they'll get beat up or maybe they'll become the most popular kid in class."

And what sort of children belong to The Dears?

"I'd like to think our kids would be the weird/disturbed kids in class."