Tele's Vision Involves Recording An Album

11/24/06 6:00pm

by Jen Zoratti (CHARTattack)

Known for tearing the roof off many a venue in Winnipeg, one of the city's must-see live acts are finally ready to channel their ass-kicking energy on a record.

Tele will be holed up in the studio this winter, working on what will be the quartet's first studio album. After working with Grammy Award winner David Botrill on a demo in the spring, the band have their sights set on the Muse producer to work with them on their full-length record.

"We want David to be involved somehow," frontman Matt Worobec says. "He's been booked up for the last six months, which is usually how long it takes to make a record. Hopefully he'll be with us in some aspect of the process."

Botrill isn't the only one to have his ear tuned to the keyboard-driven, angst-ridden wail of Tele. The four-piece have made some serious noise among scenesters and industry types alike, scoring showcases at North By Northeast, Juno Fest, the Western Canadian Music Awards and Canadian Music Week. More recently, the quartet have attracted the attention of Coalition's Rob Lanni (who manages Simple Plan and Finger Eleven) and Warner's Steve Blair. The pair will be flying in from Toronto to catch Friday night's set at Dylan O'Connor's.

"We have faith in our live performance," Worobec says, simply. "And we've had positive feedback from these guys before."

Still, as sonically powerful as a Tele show is, there's only so far the band will get relying solely on their stage prowess. According to Worobec, the pressure from fans and press to get a record out has been good for the band.

"We're at the point where it's time to release a real album, with real tour support and a real label behind it. I think the people who have seen us are intrigued. We're at that place now where Tele can either explode or flop. We're hoping it's the first."

The quartet also hope a record will help expand their fan base by getting some exposure outside of their hometown.

"We're excited to release a piece, a cohesive unit that we can show people and say, 'This is Tele,'" Worobec says."It'll be a tool to tour with. You can't tour on T-shirts. People want to take a piece of you home with them."

Business aside, the quartet hope to make a Tele record that does what its live component so effectively does: resonate with listeners.

"We want this record to have those moments on it that will make people say, 'This is what makes this band great,'" says Worobec.