Scatterheart

Wikipedia:

Scatterheart is a Vancouver, B. C. (Canada) band formed in 2007.

Genre

Branding itself as The Love Rock Revolution, Scatterheart's music is edgy and heavy without being angry or self-absorbed. Their Queen-inspired glam/punk rock is uplifting and infectious, with a high energy positive vibe that strives to make rock and roll fun again. Lead singer Enright's voice has been described as "somewhere between Perry Ferrell's Jane's Addiction and Geddy Lee's Rush" while Mike Southworth's power drumming and Wes Deboer's frenetic bass playing is the perfect foil for the guitar artistry of Doug Fury (Bif Naked).

Live Performance

Feathers are a trademark of Scatterheart shows. Lead singer Enright struts the stage in one of two sets of brightly colored feathered wings, and the audience often gets the opportunity to share in the fun, as described on Lanarama's Bizarre Stage Antics: “Scatterheart had a feather cannon that would shoot feathers out over the crowd at their album release party” Scatterheart publicist Cristy Laubman, in conversation with Georgia Straight writer Adrian Mack speculated that the man might actually use his wings to fly. Ronatron had this to say about the group's performance at a legendary Vancouver venue: "After the bricks have fallen and the lights turned off, I want to take a moment and step back in time and relive one of the best shows I have ever been to at Richard’s on Richards. . . on that normal night, when no one actually believed that this venue was actually going to torn down, a local band by the name of Scatterheart utterly blew my mind with their amazing showmanship and tight instrumentals. I can honestly say that this was one of the best shows I have ever witnessed at Richard’s on Richards." Regarding an earlier performance, Cordmag stated: "This was the highlight of the festival so far. Scatterheart made it worth it if nothing else." Spun concedes: "If you weren't dripping in loverockrevolution by the end, there is something wrong with you. Scatterheart is a positive, high energy, rock n roll show that DEMANDS you be entertained." With regards to international performance, the challenges of performing at a festival half way around the globe are defined thus: "Fury mentioned that learning to say “Scatterheart loves you!” in Korean was the first order of business, along with a couple of radio and TV interviews." Rob Michaels of Mountain 102.1 FM Radio in Whistler/Squamish, B.C., became a Scatterheart fan after hearing the group at the 2009 Telus World Ski and Snowboard event [1]. Intrigued by the sight of a man wandering around Whistler wearing multi-colored feathers, Rob later invited the group to his studio for both an extensive interview and an acoustic performance of the song Beautiful. Scatterheart guitarist Doug Fury regaled Michaels with stories of the group's festival experience in Busan, Korea: the initial ecstatic reaction of the crowd of 25,000 as the group came out on the stage led Doug to comment to Mike, Jesse, and Wes that “Dudes, this is going to go off!” and, later, to note that a crowd of that size felt “just about right!” During the interview, Rob also reminded his listening audience about the upcoming First Night 2010 [2] show in the outdoor stadium at Whistler Olympic Park, at which Scatterheart was a featured group.

Scatterheart Personnel

Jesse Enright: lead vocals. Jesse has trained with yoga gurus in India, and is a master yoga instructor in Vancouver.Doug Fury: guitar and back vocals. Doug is a recording engineer and producer in Vancouver (Fortissimo Sound [1]), and has toured as Bif Naked's guitarist for over 10 years. Doug was born in London Ontario Canada.Mike Southworth: drums and back vocals. Mike is a recording engineer and producer in North Vancouver (Creativ [2] ) and producer/co-writer for the Motown-inspired artist Warren Dean [3].Wes Deboer: bass and back vocals. In real life, Wes is a computer software designer and recreational hockey player.

Music videos

The 2009 video for the song Beautiful [1] features an innovative script written and directed by the group members themselves. Billed as 'One Camera, One Shot, No Special Effects' this video is an antidote to the expensive and over-produced music videos that have become an expectation of the industry. Singer Enright performs in his characteristic wings, while feathers, balloons, hearts, bubbles, and other paraphernalia float upwards as if by magic. Occasionally, the other band members appear, apparently playing their instruments while upside down. The companion video Making Us Beautiful [2] reveals the secret: Jesse is hanging upside down, suspended from a scaffold while wearing a climbing harness under his feathers. With the camera also positioned upside down, friends tossing various flying objects from the scaffold, and the rest of the band sneaking into the shot with instruments in hand, the effect is complete. The 2009 video for the song "More Than A Man", which features typical Scatterheart antics with the stunning Vancouver skyline as a backdrop, is currently in rotation at MuchMusic [3]. A third video, based on the song "The Free" features concert footage from the 10th Annual International Rock Festival [4] in Busan, South Korea.

Influences Queen Police David Bowie Foo Fighters Kings of Leon Red Hot Chilli Peppers

Uses/Origins of the word scatterheart The first noted usage of the word scatterheart appears in 1995 as the title and lyrics of a song by Icelandic musician Bjork. Scatterheart is also the name of an ambient-music album by UK musician Heqq, and the 2010 debut album by London pop duo, Bim (band). As well, Scatterheart is the title of a recently published book for children.

In examining separately the two words that make up the word scatterheart, the word scatter is thought to have originated as scatere in Middle English, with influences from the Dutch word schateren, meaning “to burst out laughing”, while one of the numerous definitions of the word heart is: “2. the center of the total personality, esp. with reference to intuition, feeling, or emotion. . .” The meanings of both these words have significance for the group, influencing their style and musical direction. Incorporating the meanings of both words that make up the group's name, Scatterheart's live shows evoke strong feelings and emotions, but do so in a light-hearted and entertaining manner.

Photo credits 1) Martin Prihoda [5] 2) Busan International Rock Festival [6] 3) Sara Sturrock