ENTERTAINMENT
From Issue #4
COVER STORY
THE MOFFATTS
Perfecting the art of evolution
By Maya C. and Shaun Lowcock
Evolution.
It's an unavoidable force that affects us in so many ways. We're
all hit by change, yet it's usually quite subtle - a ripple
effect. The Moffatts are almost like poster children for change.
The whole reason you see them in a different light is because
they are in a new light - their light.
I'm sure you've seen them; the four brothers that crank out
the pop/rock tunes. With guidance from mega-producer Bob Rock,
the Moffatts released their latest effort, 'Submodalities'.
It's no 'Miss You Like Crazy' album. Not only is it evident
in the music itself, but also in the lyrics. Dave, Scott, Clint
and Bob touch on issues such as drug addiction in 'Anti-Freeze
& Aeroplanes' and the teen anthem of 'Just Another Phase'.
If
you actually spin the CD, you'll realize that this group has
grown a lot over the past 3 years, and naturally, they've changed.
"When you've got four guys, who are very different, collaborating
together - you get a very diverse record," Bob explains.
While initially facing flak for their age (or lack thereof),
the Moffatts are showing critics that they can really play -
and this album backs them up. Not only are they keeping the
'Moffatt' sound, but they've started to experiment with their
instruments and their voices. You have the tight harmonies,
but also the yodelling-kinda noises Scott tends to emit - which
helps give the songs a different flavour, like the trippiness
of 'Life On Mars'. They are so in sync not only on the album,
but also when playing live.
This
album is far from the stereotypical boy band image they're successfully
shedding. Although their fan base predominantly consists of
teenage girls - this new sound is attracting more males and
adults. As Clint puts it, "It's pretty amazing to have
thousands of screaming girls when you go onstage, but we would
like to broaden our fan base."
They're
also taking more controlof their careers (the guys wrote or
co-wrote 10 out of the 12 tracks on Submodalities compared to
4 out of the 13 on Chapter 1: A New Beginning). Not only have
the Moffatts started experimenting with their potential, they're
also successfully bridging the possible market gap that this
risk could have posed.
Faze Writer Maya with two of her subjects
They
are very aware that some fans may have beendisappointed by the
new direction of their music but they realized that this was
a natural progression. They felt that it's something that everyone
goes through; the process of change is inevitable, "sure,
we might have started with country music then moved to a more
pop sound and now we're really into rock. That's not to say
that country music is bad, it's just that we wanted to move
on," says Scott. Bob feels the same and adds that they're
like everyone else, "our likes and dislikes have changed,
what we're interested in is always evolving, but everybody goes
through that. It's the same with friends, you lose some along
the way but you're always making new ones."
They
knowingly acknowledge that if they weren't open to self assessment
and subsequent growth, they wouldn't be where they are now -
they would never have left the safety of their friends and fans
in the country music world if they weren't willing to be true
to themselves. And it's paid off.
While
Submodalities is the indicator as to where they are now, there's
no telling where they're headed. "It's a snapshot of where
the band was at that time. Between Chapter 1 and Submodalities,
people didn't see the progress we were making between the records,"
says Clint, "we could become a formula band and put out
stuff that you know has worked previous times, but we're gonna
be a band that believes in what we do," he explains. "We
wanted to do something that we could put in a CD player in 5
years and be proud of," Scott adds. They're experts at
transcending time, and when asked about moving forward, Bob
says, "I think it's all about how you present yourself.
We carry ourselves differently and you have to if you want to
be taken seriously; if you want to shed the 'kid' image, you
can't act like a kid anymore."
After
speaking to the brothers Moffatt, you can really sense their
distinct personalities and the dynamics between them. With such
different personalities, you wonder how they manage not breaking
into fisticuffs at the drop of a hat. Luckily, they don't pound
each other - but rather discuss the possible glitches (which,
for example, occurred when it came time to selecting songs to
go on Submodalities). "All four of us are so opinionated,
you know, sitting there and seeing a song that is my personal
favourite not making the album feels like it's gonna kill me,
but we work through it," Clint shrugs.
This
is yet another indication of their maturity and understanding
of the process of growth through resolution. Each one of them
has an equal voice in the band and is given the opportunity
to use it. The discussion is open and democratic. Personal feelings
and opinions are considered and respected. "It's good to
have those arguments, those conflicts, because it makes the
band stronger. It's taken time, but we now have more of an appreciation
of what each of us wants in the band and what we can offer as
individuals," Scott says.
Dad
Frank has seen it all. "Parentally, what I'm most excited
about is that they've become very independent and their individual
personalities are starting to find their own mark." To
the casual spectator, this whole "evolution" may be
unbelievably sudden - although it's actually taken 3 years.
They've
come a long way from singing on piers in cowboy boots. The realm
of personal change has so many extremities; it's just how you
react that makes the difference. Change is essential and how
you perceive yourself and others is what change is all about.
"I have the tendency to not care what people think about
me and I just do what I want," Scott grins. "If people
don't appreciate you for who you are, just keep on doing what
you wanna do. You don't have to care about what other people
think as long as you know you're doing what's right for you,"
advises Dave.
What's
their plan to continue their emerging success? Keep the music
evolving as they themselves push their boundaries and challenge
themselves to grow.
Our contest winner Megan hung out with the Moffatts for an hour
backstage at their last show (ever?)
