The Slip Take Advantage Of Video Game Guitar Heroism

03/12/07 6:00pm

by Cameron Gordon (CHARTattack)

Spanning borders, genres and all the rest of it, The Slip have managed to make the most of their basic three-man membership. The band formed in Boston in the mid-'90s and, although two-thirds of the members (brothers Andrew and Brad Barr) are now based in Montreal, they continue to churn out intricate slabs of indie rock to the delight of guitar fiends and hipsters alike.

Last year's Eisenhower is their most focused album to date, as the disc showcases the band's knack for creating unique and innovative music within the standard rock 'n' roll template.

"We've always strived as a band to really stretch our melodies and harmonies beyond what you'd find the typical rock band doing," Brad Barr says over the telephone. "Even if we do experiment, we'd never consider ourselves or label ourselves 'avant-garde' because it's really not accurate.

"We're not trying to recreate Ornette Coleman or John Coltrane, we're just trying to experiment and try something new. But whatever music we put out, it all originates from our love of Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones and other rock music."

Early in The Slip's career, the music was willfully obscure and drew comparisons to "post-rock" being produced at the time by Tortoise and June Of 44. In the years since, the band have streamlined their sound and they now have a considerable fan base that's split evenly among bookish indie rockers, grimy jam band boosters and other fans of smart, selfless rock 'n' roll.

The Slip even reached out to video game nerds with the track "Even Rats," which was included in the 2005 PlayStation 2 smash, Guitar Hero. A friend and former webmaster for the band is to thank for the inclusion, and Barr says that the tune actually fits rather well alongside more famous riffage from ZZ Top and Deep Purple.

"We began hearing about [Guitar Hero] years before it actually came out, and we were offered a spot in the game very early on. In a way, it kind of makes sense that a track like 'Even Rats' would be included because it's pretty immediate, with more obvious guitar parts than some of our other songs. The Slip didn't make any money off the deal, but, honestly, not a day goes by without somebody asking me about that song. It's by far our best known song at this point."

The Slip will spend the first half of the year on the road, including a full Canadian tour alongside electronic wackos Holy Fuck and an impressive array of festival gigs, including Tennessee's Bonnaroo and Washington's Sasquatch. While the group always welcome any opportunity to expose fresh blood to their music, these massive outdoor bookings can often be a dicey proposition at best, according to Barr.

"Playing those festivals is a necessary evil sometimes. We approach it as part of our job description. We definitely enjoy our music better in clubs and smaller rooms because that's where most of our performances have happened, but there is a different kind of dynamic and experience you get playing to a crowd that size.

"Our last set at Bonnaroo in 2003 was a perfect example of that. Everything just clicked that day and it was incredible. So basically, playing a festival can either be completely amazing or a total disaster. I guess you can say that about any live appearance, really."

The Slip's only confirmed Canadian show at this point is on March 23 at Montreal's La Sala Rossa.