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Soul Decision keeps
pop simple |
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Daphne Gordon |
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They may be boys, and they may be in a band, but the three guys
who make up SoulDecision insist they're more than a boy band. The Vancouver-based trio was in town recently to promote its
first album, No One Does It Better, which has been labelled a ``Heatseeker''
- in other words, a hit in waiting - by Rolling Stone magazine. The three
will also play a gig at the Danforth Music Hall tonight, as part of an
eight-city tour of Canada. The guys are battling the assumption that they're Canada's
answer to the Backstreet Boys, probably because they're young, cute and have
a strong following among young women. Plus, they've just come off a tour with Christina Aguilera and
'N Sync, which doesn't help. When asked how they feel about the perception that they're a
manufactured hit machine, Trevor Guthrie, Ken Lewko and David Bowman bristle.
``That's not how we think of ourselves,'' says Bowman, the
28-year-old vocalist, over lunch at Lettieri on Queen St. W. ``As soon as
people hear the album and as soon as they see us live, they get over that. I
mean, we play instruments, and the songs were written by us.'' ``If we were ugly and playing rock, it wouldn't even be an
issue,'' adds guitarist Guthrie, 27. And it's true, SoulDecision's sound isn't as predictable and
mechanical as, say, the songs of 'N Sync or O-Town. SoulDecision has no
problem with admitting to playing plain, unpretentious pop. With influences such as Duran Duran and Abba in their CD
players, they make music that gets airplay on the radio and appeals to a wide
audience. ``We've sold out shows that aren't all-ages shows, and the Moms
are rockin' out,'' says Guthrie, the most talkative of the three, and also
the most heartthrobby, with his spiky bleached hair. ``The majority of our audience is girls, but by the end of the
show, the guys are givin' us the `rock on' sign.'' The band has earned Juno nominations for best single, best album
and best group, and will perform in the televised presentation of the 30th
annual Juno Awards at Copps Coliseum on March 4. ``We're proud to be a Canadian band,'' says keyboardist Ken
Lewko, the more thoughtful, quiet member of the band. ``We are who we are, but the music stands up around the world.''
They compare themselves to the Barenaked Ladies, the quirky band
from Toronto with big time fame in the U.S. Their success was hard-earned,
though, a result of years of gigging in small venues, building a following
from the ground up. And SoulDecision has spent considerable time on the road lately,
which prevents them from writing songs for a second album, though they say
there is one in the works. ``It's going to be a bit more rockish, more funky,'' says
Bowman. ``But still something you can whistle to in your car.'' |