Idlers

In this town, deep love abounds for the Idlers. They are a kickin’ must-see-live band, burning up the nights with hypnotic reggae, ska and dancehall beats. They’re the best band to dance to because every song is just as groovy as the one before, and the ten (ten?!) musicians are so tight that they keep the groove flowin’ all night. Live, the Idlers blow it up loud, with the brass boomin’ out and up in ya for a change. Just back from a Canadian tour, flush with MusicNL awards, catch them on New Years at the Rock House or before then if you just can’t wait to get your lion moving to the rhythm of Zion. Love for the Idlers, love for the soul children, our hearts do better when they’re beating with the jah love, b’y. - The Scope

Since forming in 2006, Canadian east coasters the Idlers have taken their reggae ska act across the nation, performing what they call a "reggae circus." With sophomore album Keep Out, their high-energy live performance doesn't exactly translate onto disc but there are still many gems. Opener "Wonderwars" features pulsating guitar, an ace horn section and tight musicianship ? no surprise from this well rehearsed 11-piece band. The Idlers' use of falsetto backup vocals on every track gives their sound an old-school reggae feel. On "Fish 'n Rum," a ringing guitar chorus is accompanied by tooting horns making sweet harmonies. Produced by Bad Brains bassist Darryl Jenifer, Keep Out is cohesively mellow from beginning to end. Tracks to look out for are "Better Day," which gives the horns plenty of room to blow their roaring notes, and "Englishman," picking up their ska influences with danceable beats. - Exclaim!

The Idlers are an eleven-piece band from St Johns, Newfoundland in Canada. Keep Out is an album consisting of lively reggae rhythms with a pleasant abundance of horns providing a platform for harmonious, conscious lyrics. Released in 2009, this is The Idlers second studio album. It was recorded in New York and produced by Darryl Jenifer (Bad Brains bassist) and the album artwork is done by Jacob Rolfe.

The Idlers are known for their live performance, and this is not surprising as the four-piece horn section complements the tight rhythm section very well.

The album starts with an upbeat number, Wonderwars, which is sure to get people dancing. Fish n Rum provides a nice rockers, one drop rhythm and some good harmonies. The melody of Merchants is a highlight, the sparse rhythm gives a fitting background for heartfelt vocals.

Personally I found Love Moves Along not as enjoyable as the other songs. The bass line seemed to lose it's impetus and it felt as if it was hurried along in a shuffle of sorts, which in turn made the whole song seem rushed.

Better Day plods along nicely breaking into horn-fused peaks along the way. Harmonies are paramount in the heavy skanking Englishman which also harbours a grouse guitar and organ solo. You can bounce with the bass line of Small Island whilst enjoying the horns and again the organ features nicely. The album finishes with a dub of the Merchants song.

The Idlers have taken the roots music in a positive direction, adding their own flavour, they've created a lively upbeat sound which invites dancing.
- Nice Up

I’ve always found the phenomenon of dance bands with overtly political messages in their songs a little bizarre. You’ll never find an audience less concerned with the lyrics than an audience at a disco, and you’ll never find a singer with a harder job of being heard and understood than the singer for an 11 piece dance band. Is the idea to subliminally influence the dancers while they’re distracted? The Idlers new album Keep Out! seems to be circumventing these questions by being surprisingly laid back and stripped-down, and putting Mark Wilson’s voice front and center in the mix. Compared to their high energy live shows, which are full of bombast and over-stimulation, this album is a refreshingly mellow change of pace. The songs seem more like songs than musical backing for Wilson’s politics. A groovy little album that wants to give a message, but not at the cost of a good tune. - The Scope: Patrick Canning

They may not have a big top tent, a flying trapeze or a lion whipped into submission, but with 11 musical instruments blaring frenzied yet harmonious ska reggae, the Idlers “circus” tour certainly lives up to its name.

The Newfoundland band plays the Ocean Port Hotel Saturday (June 5) on one stop of their Canada wide spring tour.

From their seaside hometown of St. John’s, Idlers have been loading and unloading their green pickle-van to bring their foot-moving skank and polit-reggae-ska-rock to cities and towns from coast to coast and everywhere in between.

With anything from a seven-piece onslaught of sound to a squat and groovy 11, Idlers conscious sound has earned the group fantastic reviews for their 2007 release Corner and their latest release, Keep Out.

“The Idlers are super high energy, crazy fun and they'll make you wanna dance 'til your legs fall off,” said show organizer Paul Hudson of squamishmusiclive.com.

Hudson first heard the band while in their hometown of St. John’s. The music aficionado said he was pleasantly surprised by the band’s style.

“I expected to go out on the town hearing Great Big Sea cover songs and ended up hearing more of a Toots & The Maytals sound,” he said. “Discovering this part of Newfoundland culture was a major highlight of my trip to The Rock.”

Having already organized the Squamish Equinox Rock Festival (SERF), Hudson said he was inspired to share the Idlers sound with the rest of Squamish.

“Given Squamish (and the Sea to Sky Corridor) has a large segment of the population who are fans of reggae-rock bands… I thought it would be fun to share my East Coast experience in my own town here on the West Coast.”

The Canadian cultural experience gets all the more eclectic with the opening act, Jamatonics, a group of Quebecois ex-pats whose original songs in english and French have earned praise, as well as the people’s choice and press awards at the 2009 Pacifique en Chanson.

Hudson plans to continue bringing live musical acts to town on a monthly basis, and said it’s up to the people of Squamish to determine whether high level talent hits local stages.

“The better attended local music events are, the more likely they will continue to grow,” he said. “If you’re feeling a bit tired when there's a good show in town and you’re not sure you have the what it takes to go out for the night, remember it's you, the music fan, who really makes the show happen.

“So make the effort to head out the door. Once you are there, you'll be glad you made the effort.”
- Squamish Chief

Could it be that the spirit of Jamaican ska trombone guru Don Drummond has taken up residence in St. John’s, Newfoundland? One might think so listening to this ten piece band’s skanking debut, driven joyously by a horn section that seem equally at home offering terse shots of adrenaline or stretching their legs over long solos. Idlers offer up full-tilt energy on tracks such as the Skatalites’ “Guns of Navarone,” the quirky “Massive Change” and the Latin-tinged “Little Wood Stove.” They show off their slower reggae chops on tracks like the instrumental “Band Mom,” the thoughtful “Walk On The Land” and the wonderfully-chorused “Push Back.” Corner is doubly steeped in Brit punk and 2-Tone’s musical and political temperament. “Stanley Goes to Kandahar” might not make much of a lyrical statement (other than repeating the title) but other tracks (“Peaceful Rebellion,” “Say Goodbye,” “Little Man”) make it clear that Idlers are no idle bystanders on political issues - Exclaim!

Idlers smuggle reggae roots into Halifax's Seahorse Tavern

As quick as beer bottles and highballs hit the worn table tops of Halifax’s Seahorse Ta vern they were scooped up by smile-free bus boys making space for the next round of empty glasses. A fair effort from the opening act, The Discounts, initially brought some bodies one the stone dance floor. As empty hands befan to fill with vessels of drink, the dance florr also acquired its agents of intoxication.
Nine-piece reggae ensemble from St. John’s, NL., the Idlers, steamed and served an eclectic mix of Caribbean and Celtic influences to the party hungry crowd.
Following a couple of birthday shout-outs, the Idlers slugged back some local ale in the last music-free moments before their set.
Smoky harmonica opened the first song of the night, “Massive Change.” With a multitude of horns, the Idlers guided the crowd in the inferno. A small pause ended the soulful Caribbean vibe before an upbeat dance-a-thon. The tune from the band’s latest release, Corner, was a hit with the masses.
Halifax was the last stop on the reggae/ska band’s sixth tour. This time they traveled by van through Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick, a major departure from their early days touring different music scenes in guitar player Craig Millett’s Volkswagon Golf.
“At one stage the windshield wipers broke down,” frontman Mark Wilson recalls. “We took off Craig’s shoelaces, taking turns from inside the car manually moving the wipers.”
These humble beginnings echo the Idlers’ ethos.
“(We are) trying to really embrace how Newfoundland culture lives off the land and also the way that people associate together,” says Wilson.
This attitude coming from lesser musicians could seem like underdog rhetoric, but Wilson is sincere.
“For nine people to tour together and have fun, spend every single day, all the time basically, together and still be laughing, we are doing something right.”
Descending into the madness, the band lifted downtrodden soul with a righteous Clash cover from 1979. They shot lyrics about heavy-handed British constables while the crowd rumbled the chorus to “The Guns of Brixton” as if through the mouths of cannons.
To the delight of every patron in the Seahorse, the band had only begun its set.
The base of reggae music is an adherence to socially driven thought espoused through lyrics and movements in the music. The Idlers are no exception.
Wilson felt compelled to weigh in on the economic situation of the band’s home province.
“The whole have/have not thing has been on my mind all summer because people are talking about it in Newfoundland,” he says. “It’s bullshit. It’s not a have province because of all the cultural aspects of what we have, not because of our struggle for independence.”
Wilson says the wide class dynamics of people in Newfoundland, especially those in poorer communities, will love out on the merging of wealth into the urban areas of the province.
“People are just going to want to go to the mall more. It means having more things, materialistic possessions,” he says. “I hope what is doesn’t do is destroy what already is beautiful about Newfoundland, which is that transfer of knowledge from generation to generation and that closeness of family.”
Scaling the steel roof beam along the ceiling with his trumpet secure in his pants, Wilson too everyone by surprise as he played in the depths of the crowd.
“Every single time we make people dance like crazy,” he says.
The Idlers and their socially conscious, sonically unique music are set to return to Halifax Oct. 30 at Gus’ Pub

-Seamus Butler
- Dalhousie Gazette

HEIDI WICKS

St. John's favourite (according to The Scope) groove group is hitting NYC to record with the legendary Reggae recording god Daryl Jenifer of Dreamland Recording, who has produced Bedouin Sound Clash and plays with the Bad Brains.

This could be a huge break for the band, said guitarist/vocalist Paul Schiarelli-Earle.

"Darryl is gonna take us out of our comfort zone and force us to find our own voices in Reggae," he said. "Not to mention that the studio is amazing and the sound engineer is a Grammy award-winner." Dreamland studio has also recorded the likes of the B-52s and 10,000 Maniacs.

The Idlers are doing a fundraiser on Feb.21 at the Dock, in order to help them fund their journey - which is not easy given the band's size and their island home-base.

"There will be 10 of us going down- eight driving (in their giant 15-passenger van) and two flying. Curtis will lay down his percussion tracks from Ghana, where he will be during the recording. So we will be living in a house, cooking and taking care of one another for 10 to 12 days," said Shiarelli-Earle.

And they're hardly lying low between now and when they leave, on March 8. They've got the ECMA's in Corner Brook at the end of this month. They then rehearse for a week and play two shows before beginning their journey. They'll be recording from the March 11-21. The studio is an old church and they'll be staying in a house on the studio's premises, cooking and cleaning and taking care of each other for 10 days.

"The recording of the new album is being funded independently with the help of a number of sponsors," the guitarist said. "However, we are hoping that by the time the album is released it will be on a label. That is part of the reason for getting a producer, to help open up some opportunities. Essentially, we will record the album and start shopping it around to labels hoping they will pick it up master it and manufacture it."

The opportunity came across their plate when the band decided they really needed a producer to help launch them to the group's next phase. They contacted Matt Collyer of Stomp Records in Montreal asking if he knew of anyone who may be interested.

"He gave me a list of names and their contacts," he explained. "I contacted three of them - they all got back, two were interested, the third wanted too much money - and the band decided that Darryl was the most appropriate. So I e-mailed him on a Wednesday and within two hours he had responded saying he enjoyed our music and was very interested in working with us. He requested demos of our new stuff, so I sent him four songs that we had recorded for the purpose of finding a producer. He liked it enough to commit to recording the album and we got on with recording more demos and posting them for him to listen to."

Shiarelli-Earle said he's most looking forward to hearing the finished product.

"Daryl has already challenged our writing style, helping us grow musically. This opportunity will give us a glimpse of how you put together a professional record. And having an outside critical ear really challenges what you would ordinarily do."

Like groups before them who have recorded with Dreamland, this could be the Idlers' big break. To help them get there, head down to the Dock on Feb. 21, to fuel their fire with your feet.

The Idlers are; Mark Wilson (vocals, trumpet), Erin Best (vocals), Paul Schiralli-Earle (guitar, vocals), Craig Millett (guitar, vocals), Aneirin Thomas (bass), Luke Power (keys), Chris Harnett (tenor sax), Susan Evoy (alto sax), John Duff (trombone), Chris Power (drums) and Curtis Andrews (percussion).
- The Telegram

Despite the sludgy chill of St. John’s winters, its music scene is never without the coal for the fire. And because this province is blessed with such a scantily clad summer season, it’s a good thing there’s a band like the Idlers to make the most of the barely there high temperatures and inject some Jamaican heat into the scene..... The Idlers pairs funky brass with thumping African and Celtic beats and Wilson’s huskily driving, lullably-shanty vocals, for an intrancing, enigmatic act......working a dynamism and exuding a charisma they start each song with a teasing tickle, then lauch into a reggae-ska anthen that smacks you right in the gut, willing you to sway those hips, lift those knees and raise those arms. - The Telegram

The Idlers
Already deemed Best Live Band in St. John's recently by readers of The
Scope, this talented nine-member group of Newfoundlanders who play
reggae have just released their debut CD, Corner. They've already been
hitting the mainland, played the George Street Festival, and continue
to "groove" forward with acclaim from fans and critics.
- Newfoundland Herald

C'est plutôt rare qu'on a la chance de voir un groupe directement venu de Terre-Neuve qui traverse la mer pour venir jusqu'à Montréal. Celui-là vaut nettement la peine qu'on se déplace pour profiter de leur passage en ville car il s'agit d'un des meilleurs groupes actuellement dans la scène Newfoundlandoise. Certains se disent peut-être que ça veut rien dire, mais tenez-vous le pour dit car la scène reggae à St-John est vivante et bien en santé. Toutes les pièces sur leur MySpace m'ont hautement impressionnée. Un groupe de haut calibre que j'attends impatiemment et que je recommande fortement à tous les amateurs de ONE NIGHT BAND, EXPOS, SLACKERS - c'est certainement une musique qui va vous accrocher.

Fidèles à la vraie tradition Roots Reggae, les IDLERS combinent du reggae, du ska, du dancehall avec un assaisonnement de grooves africains et celtiques. La voix énergique de Mark Wilson est complétée par une forte section rythmique qui inclue deux guitares, bass, drums et percussions, un clavier en plus d'une belle section de cuivres avec trompette, sax tenor et alto ainsi que trombone. Ça fait dix musiciens qui se donnent à tour de rôle dans des solos et ne font que réaffirmer à quel point ils sont talentueux.

En plus de faire une musique époustouflante, ils passent un message tant politiquement, culturellement et sociallement conscient. Les paroles de leurs chansons sont un miroir sur l'état de la condition humaine. Ils parlent de capitalisme, de guerre mais aussi de difficultés personnelles. Leur premier album est sorti en décembre dernier, ils ont au moins cinq tournées à leur actif, ont figuré au Montreal International Reggae Festival et travaillent extrêmement fort.

Valerie Desnoyers
- http://punkmeup.com

THE COMBINATION of Newfoundland heritage and world music sounds comes to Nova Scotia over the next week, courtesy of two very different bands: St. John’s reggae/ska ensemble the Idlers, performing at the Seahorse Tavern with the Discounts on Friday night, and Afro-Celtic singer-songwriter Randal Arsenault, also known as Dr. Zoo, who has a series of dates around the province in October.

According to Idlers vocalist and trumpeter Mark Wilson, there’s a long tradition of reggae bands in Newfoundland, going back to bands like Pressure Drop and the late ’80s Part-Time Reggae Band. But it goes back even further thanks to long-standing commercial ties between the easternmost province and the Caribbean.

"We’ve got a song now called Fish and Rum. It’s a really nice, descriptive song, in a Steel Pulse kind of style," says Wilson from the band’s new van, named Cassandra, somewhere on the 401 between Kingston and Cornwall.

"It goes through the whole history of trade of fish from Newfoundland for rum from Jamaica. It also goes into a bit of a discussion of culture in Newfoundland and what’s going on here now."

While that history is relatively well-known, what’s more surprising is a discovery made by Idlers tenor sax player Chris Harnett that the pioneering Jamaican ska band the Skatalites formed out of a trip to Newfoundland.

"They came here as part of a Jamaican military marching band for the opening of Memorial University in the ’50s," says Wilson. "So there’s a real intriguing history of interest in reggae and ska on the island."

There’s no mistaking the Idlers’ songs as being "Rock" steady though, as original tunes like Jiggerman and Rant and Roar carry a very distinct island flavour.

"The culture of Newfoundland and Labrador is really interesting, and there’s that thread of poverty and suffering that all the old reggae songs are all about too," Wilson explains. "We’re bringing it out and keeping those topics in the minds of people as well.

"There’s hunger and needing work, but then there’s also smoking weed and drinking and having a good time in spite of it all. You want to have fun stuff in there too.

Stephen Cooke - Halifax Chronicle Herald

When you think of Newfoundland and music, the last thing coming to mind is probably reggae or ska, but that may be about to permanently change.

An 11-member "reggae-ska circus," St-John's-based Idlers have not only taken the Rock by storm, but swept audiences across Eastern Canada and onto dance floors with a special blend of reggae, ska, dancehall and Afrobeat-influenced sound, infused with a touch of Celtic tradition and lyrics speaking to the roots of Newfoundland.

Born in 2006 after a pair of Trent University pals (lead singer Mark Wilson and guitarist Paul Schiralli-Earle) went to Newfoundland for a wedding, then stuck around and started the band, the crew they gathered together has gained the love of locals. Voted Best Live Show by readers of the St-John's music magazine Scope, the Idlers are writing a new chapter in Newfoundland musical history.

The Idlers somehow make a tin flute work alongside reggae beats. Backed with horns and a ska beat, Wilson throws down lyrics sung to a fisherman from a vengeful fish, and you'll also find mention of the historical links between Jamaica and Newfoundland.

"There is one song called Fish and Rum that we've just started playing that talks about the connections between Newfoundland and Jamaica and reggae," says sax player Chris Harnett. "The trade of rum and fish was a big one. Today we have Screech and they
have salt fish. There was also a long period in Newfoundland when the merchants controlled everything and the people were pretty much like serfs. Jamaica certainly had a similar period as well."

Beyond the adventurous sound and the history lesson, Harnett does bring it back to the fundamentals.

"We're really, really high energy, really fun, and we're out to have a blast."

David May - Ottawa Express

This 10-piece roots-reggae-funk-rocksteady-bigband-punk-folk-polit-ska all-star dance band has somehow managed to distill the energy of their live shows into a replayable package. Tight enough to bear careful listens, but loose enough to be funky, Corner sounds like an album hard-earned. The band—made up of transplanted elements from town, the bay, southern Ontario, and the far reaches of the galaxy—have got an album on their hands that is true to the spirit of the band, will ring true with the dedicated fan base here in town, and will be bringing them recognition elsewhere very soon. Watch out. - The Scope

St. John’s ska and reggae band gears up for another tour

By Elsa Morena

They’ve manage to rule the Rock, but can they withstand the mainland? After a successful opening for Ontario’s Bedouin Soundclash, the Idlers are preparing to take their sound to central Canada for a two-week tour.

While they intend to promote their first album, the Idlers’ mission for the tour is to create a buzz and surprise the rest of Canada with their fusion of ska and reggae sounds.

“People are generally surprised that there is this type of music out here, I don’t know if that’s good or bad, but I think people are generally surprised about a touring Newfoundland reggae band, and people generally like it,” said guitarist and vocalist Paul Schiralli-Earle.

But it’s the local support that allows the Idlers the opportunity to tour. Schiralli-Earle says Newfoundland has been very supportive of the band’s release, Corner, which continues to rank on the top 10 albums sold at Fred’s Records.

“Locally we’ve gotten a huge, huge response, it’s been 100 times better than I anticipated, but it’s usually that way anyways,” said Schiralli-Earle.

The band, who toured last fall, already has many positive and not-so-positive memories of life on the road.

“It’s the little moments of driving on the road with nine or 10 stinky people,” said Schiralli-Earle. “Traveling with a big band can get uncomfortable at times – it can get pretty fucking cramped.”

Still, every opportunity they’ve had to tour has been a learning experience.

“This time there’s nine of us, and every time we go on tour we figure stuff out, like this time we’re going to tone down the amount of gear we’re going to take with us,” said Schiralli-Earle.

Despite their growing success rate, Schiralli-Earle says the Idlers have no intention of leaving behind their roots.

“I’ve seen a lot of bands leave to move to Toronto from here, but we don’t want to do that, because that’s detrimental.”

Even touring cities for the first time Schiralli-Earle says they’ve always received a positive reaction.

“We’ve yet to play a show where nobody’s got up to dance. Instead people are up there dancing, shaking their feet, enjoying themselves. Luckily we haven’t played a show yet where the crowd just stands around and looks at us,” said Schiralli-Earle.

The Idlers’ optimism lives in their music as well, as they combine lyrics about contemporary issues and serious topics with upbeat music.

“We strive to bring the positive to the negative. Entertainment shouldn’t make you forget, it should make you see the positive,” said Schiralli-Earle.

The Idlers will be back in St. John’s April 11 and 12 at the Dock on George Street. - The Muse