Contemporary music- It's an unforgiving bitch that knows no bounds to say the least. First musicians had to worry about relevancy and changing tastes, and then the whole interweb came gallivanting into existence like an unplanned pregnancy. Mucking up the good thing the industry had going and creating worry and fevered promotion meeting discussing the threat of P2P sites, and the downloading of leaked albums. The test of strength and in kind relevancy for any form of music is adaptability coupled with intuition. Metric, have had to flex this flux muscle, but have taken an actionary's position, instead of reactionary, and as a result is creating a change they wish to see in music.
Fresh from a shower, and eager to find some decent fried eggs amidst Detroit's legion of restaurants and eateries, Metric guitarist Jimmy Shaw is, if anything, passionate about his craft and conveys this to Gigwise before playing Saint Andrews Hall. His passion is amplified by the love of Metric as a unit and their collective love for the environment in which they have distinguished themselves. "With these four people, there is nothing we'd rather do than make music."
With a musical atmosphere such as the one we live in, comprised of contributors and increasingly grabby and impatient consumers, there really is nothing a developing band can afford to do aside from make music, ad nauseum, to expand their reach. "Right now is the wild west. Make up your own rules, you're only as relevant as you make yourself. We can't be so concerned with the old school crap. If people want to download a new song every week, write a new song every week. It's really the only way to do it. Don't fight change, just roll with it. Every and any option is viable."
Metric seems to be defined by change. They once were a two piece (Shaw himself & Emily Haines), and are now a healthy foursome. Their music has always been about evolving and changing habits. Or at least so it seems to Jimmy; "We make a change in the people who come to the show and lower their inhibitions. I'm not sure how they are changed once they leave the venue, I'd like to think it’s sustainable. In the very least, for they time they spend with us, they react."
The sound, synth, dynamic, and structure of Metric music is also changing, which in retrospect is a important key in assessing the value of any band. "The band is more cohesive as a unit" but interestingly, this cohesiveness is not the melding of four into one. "We're writing more together and sharing ideas and getting along better. We are more the expression of four individuals- four people's energies moving forward, and as a result, we are more unified."
This singular, four pronged voice, is currently being focused toward Metric's third proper album (not counting the release of Grow up & Blow Away). "It's not entirely written. The topic is more or less a commentary on what we hope to see out of the present- the world we want to live in. ‘Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?’, was our search for a missing aesthetic, while ‘Live It Out’ was very much about how we interacted with the world around us. This next album we hope will be a blueprint or projection of what we hope to see. We want to plant the ideas with hopes that the future will manifest them."
With this constant turn around, guest spotting on albums (Emily's appearance on Kevin Drew's new project), touring and those other pesky realities of what some call "day-to-day life", it can become increasingly difficult to avoid both burning out (growing up) and fading (blowing) away. "It's hard sometimes. We don't all live in the same city, and we all have projects we work on passionately aside from our dedication to Metric. It's hard- but if you really want to be in music- you have to be consumed by music. It's simple."
Lastly, Shaw provides some key sagely wisdom to the fold for all those fearful of the affray. “It’s just about finding the things that keep you going. Personally, I built a studio, and am doing work on Sebastien Grainger's (Drummer/ Vocalist from Death From Above 1979) upcoming solo album. You just have to keep redirecting, and changing that energy. What goes for my personal level is the same with the rest of the band, recoiling that energy from all of our tasks. Bluntly, every way that people wish their relationships worked, but can't grasp- We have that." And long may it continue.
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