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FOAM LAKE

A BAND OF BROTHERS

Barrett and Paul Ross. Photos by writer.

First published in The Sheaf student Newspaper
05 Feb 2009
Pg B2

I'm sitting on a couch in a small, warmly lit church in Saskatoon's west side, but this is no ordinary church. Packed wall to wall with a variety of both modern and vintage musical equipment, it's more like a place of worship for music-lovers.

I'm at the residence of Barrett Ross and Amber Kraft, which doubles as a jam space for their various musical projects (currently Foam Lake, The Peacoats and The Ultimate Power Duo).

Foam Lake front-man and creator Paul Ross is twiddling away on a guitar, almost subconsciously, as he tells me about the highly fluid and adaptable nature of this project du force. It originated as Paul's solo project after the recent split of Saskatoon pop-rock group The Blood Lines, and was joined shortly thereafter by brother and co-Blood Lines member Barrett.

It wasn't long before the two-piece became a four-piece with Tyler and Kalen Ross: members of the hard and dirty guitar-driven rock outfit The Warbrides, who recently made waves that rippled across Canada with a show during the Canadian University Press conference.

"I really love playing with my brothers," states Paul, explaining that the social harmony of a band is easier maintained when the members are people you grew up with.

"It's kind of a healthy-dysfunctional way of doing stuff," Barrett adds.

What's unique about Foam Lake, besides the band-of-brothers aspect, is it's ability to exist in so many settings and sizes. With the Warbrides currently recording their debut album, Tyler and Kalen "have their concentration elsewhere," as Paul puts it, with a hint of brotherly pride. All members of Foam Lake will be featured on the album, but the size of the group and the set list are adaptable to sonic environment; be it big, loud and in your face, or smaller, quiet and more intimate.

"(Paul) can still do acoustic shows, or he and I can do a show; or the whole band," Barrett explains. "Not every song is appropriate for every band member and we have a couple collaborated songs."

Two-piece configurations are not even limited to Paul-Barrett, as each member possesses a wide range of instrumental capabilities. Paul is coherent on drums and bass, expressive on guitars and keys and thoughtful in vocals. Barrett is equally as comfortable on keys and bass as he is drums, providing him the opportunity to break out of the drummer mould he held in his previous band, and become more involved with vocals. Even Tyler learned music first on guitar, though his skills have become highly adapted to technical drumming.

The youngest, Kalen is a guitarist, bassist, and vocalist, and has been playing the piano since early childhood, having taught himself at age five.

"He took lessons for a short period I think, but his style is his own," says Barrett. "like with guitar; he doesn't really play like anybody else."

The simple melodies and smooth but invigorated vocals become complexly layered in a sound heavily influenced by Paul's electronic experimentation: an element void in any of his previous bands, for lack of opportunity.

"Bands fall into a reliance on the same old formula, and they never get out," he commented.

Experimentation and progressive development are a focus in this project. The possibilities are endless for a band too free-spirited to be restricted.

"We want to make it so that it's not stopped by anything," states Paul. "It sounds indefinite, but it's really not. It goes beyond people's sensibilities of what a band should be."

If the ability to adapt and change according to environment is as key to survival in a band as it is in the scientific world, this is only the first you'll hear of Foam Lake; a band who's veins run thick with pulse of music.

Foam Lake will be performing with opener These Hands - also a solo project with full band performances - at Amigos Friday Feb. 6th. $8 - show starts at regular Amigos show time (10:30 p.m.).

-S