Intransition
Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States | SELF
Music
Press
Reporter: Brent Hagerman
Spearheaded by Jed Campbell, an Irish exchange student at the University of Waterloo, CKMS has Studio Virgins; a compilation CD of local bands who have never been in a professional studio before. The Studio Virgins project took four bands (Favoured Whisper, Sees The Day, Pete Lippert, and Intransition) and paired them with Palindrome studio engineer and longtime CKMS airhead, Bill Wharrie. The results are as fresh and exciting as Jed's Canadian English...One of the participants in this new project, Walter Foddis from Intransition, recently spent some time telling me about his band and their Studio Virgins project.
ECHO: Who is in your band and what do they play?
Walter Foddis: Jennifer Bryan is our lead singer. She has a singing voice that turns heads and quiet crowds. She also plays keyboard and other assorted instruments, like the infamous Vibra-slap. Justin Kwitco is currently our bass player, but he will become our lead guitarist once our original bass player returns. Justin also sings, but currently he only sings covers. We'll get him singing on the original music path yet. Our bassist, Graham Hearne, is working and doing "stuff" in Ireland. Graham will be back in September. And there's myself--I play rhythm guitar and do the occasional harmonies. I also like fiddle on the keyboard.
E: Can you describe your music for the good people in Echo land?
WF: Folk rock is one way. Folk pop is another. If there's a third way, it probably has the word "folk" in it too. If I called it adult contemporary, Jennifer would kill me.
E: How did you get involved with the Studio Virgins Project?
WF: I heard about it through Angela Garabet, who has a weekly show on CKMS.
E: Did this seem like a crazy idea to you guys initially? Did you think you were up for it, having never been in a studio before?
WF: No, not too crazy. We had some previous recording at a Kitchener basement-studio. However, the songs we recorded there were incomplete. We didn't realize how much effort (i.e., time and money!) it would take to make decent recordings.
E: How did the sesssion go?
WF: It was a little nerve-wracking at the first because if we made a mistake, we had to start the song all over again. Eventually, we just went with it, mistakes and all. So the best version of each song was the one with the least mistakes.
E: Are you planning to record an album? If so, did this experience teach you anything/help you make decisions about the album?
WF: Down the road, we would like to record an album. We have about six songs that are complete and several more on the drawing board. We may start as early as the fall.We learned that recording takes time! Also, that it's never too late too change how songs are played. For instance, I always use a pick to play the intro to one of our songs. But in the studio, finger-picking the intro sounded much better. We also learned it's important to give ourselves time away from the recordings to evaluate them more objectively. After several hours in the studio, mental exhaustion takes over, you lose focus, and you're not hearing the songs as well as you can. Finally, we learned that we need a drummer!
E: Now that you've been in Palindrome studios, and you are no longer studio virgins, what are you now--studio sluts?
WF: I think recording in one studio doesn't make you a slut. Now if we recorded in three different studios, that would be different!
- ECHO magazine, Waterloo, ON, June 19-25, 2003
Discography
Intransition's first self-titled CD was released in December 2004. It can be purchased through our web page, where streaming audio of CD is also available.
Intransition is also featured on the University of Waterloo CKMS Studio Virgins, Vol I, Compilation CD (released June 2004). Their contributions include "Don't Ask", "Tidal Wave" and "About You".
Photos
Bio
Since the fall of 2001, Intransition has performed in Kitchener, Waterloo, and Toronto, including the Circus Room in Kitchener and the Renaissance Café in Toronto. Their CD line-up includes Jennifer Ahmed (lead vox), Walter Foddis (rhythm guitar, keyboard), Graham Hearn (bass), and Scott Crockford (lead guitar).
Walter likes to tell the story that he "discovered" Jennifer at house party sing-along. After hearing her fantastic voice, he realized this was an opportunity not to be missed. With Walter on acoustic guitar, he coaxed Jenn into singing at the University of Waterloo's (UWat) Grad House open stage. (Actually, Jenn didn't need coaxing. She agreed right away!) They enjoyed the experience and received a great response from everyone attending. Soon afterwards they discovered that they shared an interest in songwriting.
They've written songs many different ways. One method involved Jenn singing a melody for Walter, who then found the "right" rhythm and chording. For Walter's songs, he'd have the melody and chording, but rarely the lyrics. Jenn loved the challenge of putting words to music, so their creative approaches fit together perfectly.
Their collaboration resulted in compositions on the lighter end of the genre scale. These include the ethereal, power-folk of "Tidal Wave," the jazz-pop fusion of "Don't Ask," the 50s-retro "About You," and the tear-jerking "Regrets."
Scott and Graham brought edginess to the band's songwriting. Their deas gave Jenn and Walter new foundations for building melodies. Through this creative amalgamation, they slammed out the anger-laden rock of "How's it Going to be" and "Liar," the defiant pop-rock of "Betting to Hold," and the rock-ballad "Wild Cherry Tree."
What to know more about these folk individually? Keep reading...
Jennifer is originally from Kilbride, Newfoundland. She began writing songs shortly after first coming to Ontario in 2000, but has been singing for as long as she can remember. The artists she loves singing along to include the Pretenders, Rufus Wainright, and Nina Simone. Her vocal stylings have been compared to Stevie Nicks, Tracy Chapman, and Sarah Harmer.
As of September 2004, Jenn has moved on from Intransition (she completed her Master's in Behavioral Neuroscience at UWat), and has begun medical school in Nova Scotia. Her three years with the band are behind her, but we're sure she'll keep her passion for music alive. And who knows, she may return for a reunion show every now and again. (Let's hope so!)
Walter, a clinical psychology student at UWat, has been involved in the music scene for about 10 years. He's been in a few previous folk-rock bands, including one as far north as Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. In fact, some of the songs recorded by Intransition were originally peformed by one of his northerly bands, "Strange Things Happen to Walter." Well, not exactly; the song structures and arrangements of the recordings have changed, but essentially "the songs remain the same." These include the John-Hiatt-influenced "Hideaway," the philosophical funk of "Mind in Motion," and the folk-rock, almost-love-song "Don't Believe We've Met."
Walter's influences include Neil Young, The Eagles, Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp, Sting, and John Hiatt. He would like to say the Beatles were also influential (because it feels like a cool thing to say), but then he finds it hard to hear it in his music. So perhaps the Fab Four are more of an implicit influence.
Graham is a Canadian of English descent, Newfoundland (Newfie to Canadians) origin, Northern Ontario upbringing and global aspirations. He recently completed a BA in Philosophy at U of Waterloo. His major influences include Rush, Grateful Dead and King Crimson. Graham has also moved on...to Cyprus! He assures everyone that he has a job there. He also finds time to play his beloved bass at local jams.
Scott also grew up in northern Ontario and moved to Waterloo after high school.
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