Black Diamond Bay Consider Merits Of Air Guitar Solos

11/02/09 6:05pm

by Erik Missio (CHARTattack)

One could be forgiven for thinking it was a bit risky when Dears guitarist Patrick Krief left his old gig to start Black Diamond Bay two years back. Not only was he a largely untested frontman, but his brand of guitar-heavy classic rock wasn't necessarily the trend for those into irony and synths.

Now, some 200 (!) shows later, the gamble is clearly paying off. Krief's vocals and writing are tighter, the band are crisper and the audiences are more passionate. Along with ex-Dears drummer George Donoso III, keyboardist Roberto Piccioni and new bassist Alexandre Lapointe, BDB have fully come into their own.

There's a new EP, Marching Backwards, a Japanese release for debut album Calm Awaits and a string of dates in Upper and Lower Canada — all this despite playing straight-ahead rock 'n' roll.

"Our music is not hip," Krief acknowledges, on the phone from Montreal. "We don't have 17 people on stage, five playing glockenspiels. No costumes. We're just a four-piece rock band that's pretty dirty. But people are coming around."

Guitars haven't exactly become totally unfashionable in indie rock, but Krief's Fender Stratocaster solos — face-melting works of staggering genius — are rare amongst the hipster set. Could it be a certain video game franchise is helping making the axe cool again, elevating guitar heroes?

"I think so, and I hate that it's probably the reason," he sighs. "My nephew's 10 and he plays Beatles: Rock Band and now he's discovering this kind of music. I've had people say to me — and I don't know if it's tongue in cheek or genuine — that they want to air guitar to my solos."

Seeing Black Diamond Bay live is probably the best way to learn how — Krief is known for spilling off the stage into the crowd, playing like someone needing a good exorcism in a bad way. Things can get downright transcendental when the band strays into a jamming instrumental bridge.

"That solo will never be the same," he says of his various musical detours. "I've got the intro riff worked out beforehand, but then it gets me into a zone and then from there it's whatever I feel like doing. And the rest of the band does the same."

Black Diamond Bay sound more controlled on record; the songs are polished pieces of widescreen guitar rock with hints of the blues and the Brits. The band's live show is a different animal entirely. It's a big animal. With jagged teeth, sharp claws and a loud howl.

"I've always been into bands that fuck shit up live," Krief says. "[Jimi] Hendrix is one of my favourites. Axis: Bold As Love is melodic and beautiful, but then, when you hear him in concert, it's a punch in the face."

Along with Hendrix, Krief cites Led Zeppelin and John Lennon as inspirations. He also acknowledges contemporary peers in sound or spirit — Jack White, Queens Of The Stone Age, Priestess and, yes, The Dears.

While Krief and Donoso are no longer card-carrying members, both appeared on The Dears' recent Missiles as special guests. Could an "official" return to Murray Lightburn's fold ever happen?

"That door is always going to be open," he says, after a longish pause. "I fully believe I'll always be playing music with Murray one way or another."

A lot of that optimism has to do with the kinship Krief feels for the man the press once unfortunately dubbed "the Black Morrissey."

"Murray and I have a similar approach to writing. When we met, it was very much a case of like minds coming together," he explains. "At the same time, though, there's no question he's got a few years on me. When I first came in, he had already done some records, so he had a lot to offer me."

The two met years ago, when Krief and Donoso — already a Dear — would play together. At the time, Krief was a full-time student, with school being a very sensible backup plan in case music didn't work out.

"One night, I told George I had dropped out of school," he says. "He looked at me and said, 'Gimme a second,' running off to bathroom with his cell phone. Five minutes later, he came back and asked if I wanted to join The Dears.

"The tour was beginning in three days, and I had never played anything by the band. Ever," Krief continues. "George burned me a copy of the most recent live show and said, 'Learn this.' So I stayed up all night and two days later, I was soundchecking in Seattle.

"The moral of the story," he says, "is if you have a backup plan, you're going to fail at what you really want to do."

See Krief doing what he really wants to with Black Diamond Bay at the following shows (then, when it's over, email us a thank you):

Nov. 6 Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern
Nov. 7 Hamilton, ON @ Absinthe
Nov. 13 Montreal, QC @ La Sala Rossa
Nov. 28 Quebec City, QC @ Le Cercle