Do you hear a transfixing howl set to an odd orchestra? It's most likely Ben Welland barking at the moon.
Lone wolf Welland plus an ever-changing troupe of support players make up Sadie Hell, the hard-to-classify ensemble that compels as much for its manic edge as its hauntingly beautiful rock arrangements.
Performing for five years now with a throw-your-head-back intensity, singer-songwriter Welland seemed perfectly content to let Sadie Hell fans wait an eternity for a first album. But two years ago he started to record, taking his time—
really taking his time—and finally
Sadie Hell the album will appear on vinyl and CD at a Saturday, January 2 launch gig at Club SAW.
“This album took a long time because of a couple things,” explained Welland. “One, I'm a retarded perfectionist.” Welland cites a high tolerance for “listening to my own songs over and over again, obsessing over the ridiculous minutia that is audio production.”
There was also the fact that as Sadie Hell's only permanent member, “I didn't have anyone to yell at me about how any given part was good enough ... That meant that I could always call folks back into the studio, a year after they'd tracked a part and ask them ever so nicely to track it again!”
Yet there was method to this seeming madness. The resulting eight tracks on
Sadie Hell offer a disarming mix of musical energy, by turns punk, abstract, melodic and orchestral—all tied together with Welland's impassioned vocals and distinctive guitar. You can hear and admire the meticulousness in
Sadie Hell.
No fewer than 17 musicians contribute: Welland (lead vocals, guitar, bass, organ), Sean Laframboise (drums), Dave Halabisky (saxophone), Luke Welland (vocals, bass), Sam Welland (vocals, guitar), Mallory Giles (vocals), Peter Jurt (vocals) Rich Aucoin, (trumpet), Jacquie Neville (viola), Liam Jaeger (guitar), Dave Secretary (drums), Christian Yurt (guitar), Glenn Nuotio (piano), Angus Cruickshank, (drums), May-Jun (vocals), Cindy Olberg (cello), and Philip Shaw Bova (drums).
Engineered, mixed, and mastered by Phillip Shaw Bova, the rich, layered tracks were inspired by a dizzying range of topics, including suicide (“a cautionary tale for parents who behave like assholes,” explained Welland), fall outs with friends, lovers, and band mates, a triumph over cancer, a love at first sight, condemnation of the modern world, the U.S. bombing of Iraq, and a day in the life of a werewolf.
“He's a troubled beast who wishes he could leave it all behind,” says Welland of the werewolf. “He's a metaphor for any kind of change one experiences in life. But he's also a wicked excuse to wear big, white wolf masks on stage!”
The
Sadie Hell vinyl and CD release show on January 2 will include performances by The Love Machine and Wuhan Lipfight. The event is also a fundraiser for SweatFree.org. Club SAW, 9 p.m. Cover charge is $5.
