Sadie May Crash

""Sadie May Crash cleaned up the stink of The Times and then some. They began their set amidst a flurry of multicolored lights as female vocals and theremin drifted over a haunting backdrop. After the short intro they launched in a Cramps-y camp-rockabilly groove that sounded like a full-scale exorcism put to music. Lead singer Paige Clarke made it clear that she’s the lovechild of Grace Slick and Liza Minelli, as her voice quavered over the music with no shortage of conviction. Sadie May Crash played a tight and powerful set, suitably providing a great show with a great ending." --Marc Z. Grub - www.Torontoindie.com

"If good ideas ensured a good final product all of the time, the world would be a better place. Unfortunately, this is not the way it seems to work. For the fourth consecutive year, the Toronto Independent Music Awards (TIMAs) and its mother, Daniela Oliva, made an effort to celebrate the Toronto music scene's self-determined spirit. Hosted by the undoubted illegitimate child of Jerry Lewis, Torontonian Sean Ward, the event saw performances by and awards given to folks who are, well, largely off-the radar.

Moving on, the award for "Best Indie Rock" performance, presented by our fearless SoundProof leaders, Scott McKean & Chris Stevenson, went to Toronto four-piece, Sadie May Crash. With a win at this year's TIMAs, Sadie and the other winners ensure themselves a chance to perform at next year's show - very interesting idea, and a unique way to keep bands in the TIMA circle."

By: Peter Bremner

LINK: Link --> http://www.soundproofmagazine.com/Canada/Events/Toronto_Independent_Music_Awards_2008.html
- SoundProof Magazine

For the full article please visit, http://www.thevarsity.ca/article/17748

For local indie rockers Sadie May Crash, Wavelength is the latest step on the path to success.

“Everybody in the band is an avid dreamer,” says Alex Pulec, guitarist and songwriter of Sadie May Crash, whose kaleidoscopic sound is a mixture of theatrical pop and 60s rock ‘n’ roll. “We’re obsessed with things that are surreal…we get excited by things that are out of touch with reality—it’s what we do.”

The members of Sadie May Crash played in different bands at their Toronto high school, but when each group fell apart, the four core members were left searching for musical counterparts. Pulec and his elegant lead singer, Paige Boy, were free to collaborate, meeting up with bassist Mike McDonnell and drummer Jason Cipparone soon after.

“Paige was one of the only people who listened to all of the music I listened to,” comments Pulec about their early days. “We bonded over writing songs—it’s hard to find people like that. The two of us started writing tons of songs, and Mike and Jason entered the picture later on. They’re totally creative, and we all put our own spin [on the band’s sound].”

“The name comes from a lot of things,” he continues. “We kind of had an obsession with this fictional entity named ‘Sadie,’ and Paige just put the words together. We’d write songs, and we’d want to play them—but we were so nervous. When people would ask who wrote the songs, we’d say, ‘Sadie—yeah, you don’t know her….’ We like the element of unpredictability to it, we don’t want to do anything that people have heard before.”

The band has come a long way since the days when they attributed all their work to an imaginary svengali. Sadie May Crash have established themselves as a force in the local underground scene—releasing a four-song demo, winning a Toronto Independent Music Award last summer, and headlining the Mod Club on New Year’s Eve. This Sunday, the band celebrates another milestone, playing the Wavelength Music Series at Sneaky Dee’s, an event that’s considered by many to be the height of the independent music scene in Toronto.

“We have lots of new songs—we’re constantly writing.” says Pulec. “But we’ve always been focused on our live show…there’s sort of a feeling that you get addicted to when you’re standing on stage. You work, you put your blood, sweat, tears, and energy into something—and that’s the one moment when it’s exploding out.”

The creative upstarts recently realized another dream—building their own rehearsal space. They took over an abandoned house set for demolition and, along with local experimental band London Parachutes, ripped out the carpets and covered the walls with surrealist paintings. Bursting with colour and life, the space has become an artistic haven to work and play music.

“We’re kind of like a bunch of sponges. Wherever we live, play, or hang out—we just kind of suck everything up, and then it oozes out of each of us in our own way. We’re inspired by everything that’s circling around us.”

The new studio might be the perfect place to let the surreal spin of their minds filter into the planning of their debut album—which Pulec says is the band’s next step. But the demolition date looms, and bulldozers may soon crash into Sadie May Crash—but then again, they say that conflict is the god of all creation.

--Emily Kellogg


- The Varsity

SADIE MAY CRASH AND YOUR ABANDONED HOME

I met with Sadie May Crash at their rehearsal house in Toronto. The house was abandoned, destined for demolition when the band moved in. They’ve since paid the hydro, painted the walls and kept the lawn – as they were doing when I arrived. Alex Pulec (guitar), Jason Cipparrone (drums) and Juliana Eye (keyboards) were watching and laughing as Paige Boy (vocals, synth) and Mike McDonnell (bass) took turns pushing the manual lawn mower across the grass.

Inside the house, like most places they go, Sadie May Crash has left their mark. The walls are painted vibrant shades of orange, teal, blue. Patterns extend wildly and oddly symmetrically from corners. The small living room is crammed with couches and a small coffee table. It is adjacent to where (I’d guess) the band practices, their equipment is very close by. I notice the band’s name printed white on the black kick drum.

ON STARTING UP AS A BAND...

(ALEX) I think that was almost 5 years ago, so that would have been 2003, 2004. That’s when we started playing together, it wasn't the four of us. There was Jason, Paige and myself and another bass player and then down the line Mike joined. Then as of recently, we added Juliana. But 5 and 4 years ago it was just a high school band.

(Interviewer) YOU GUYS WENT TO HIGH SCHOOL TOGETHER?

(ALEX) The four of us did, but Juliana went to another school.

ON HOW THEY STARTED PLAYING MUSIC...

(ALEX) I first started playing piano when I was 5 years old, I had piano lessons, until I was about 14 years old and then my adolescent mind told me piano was really lame and I wanted to play guitar and be in a louder band. So I started learning guitar when I was 14 and then I realized that piano’s really, really cool and kept going back and forth until now. I grew out of the whole adolescent “I want a guitar, I wanna rock mentality” So I’ve been playing for about 8 years now.

(PAIGE) Singing was always kind of just part of my childhood growing up. We were always singing. If it was with my family, my dad’s side is very musical, my dad is a musician so singing was just something that we just did. And then I had some piano lessons at a very young age. I can’t really remember them so I must have been pretty young. And then I just started writing on the guitar and playing with my synth and then it spawned from that.

(MIKE) When I was a kid I always wanted to play an instrument but I wasn’t really coordinated so I had to sing and I sang and then I went through puberty [laughter] and the coordination came into play and I started playing woodwind instruments and decided that I wanted to play string instruments and I started playing guitar, and then I started playing bass.

(JASON) A long time ago, when I was 5 my grandfather taught my brother and I how to play harmonicas. So we played that for a while, it was so early in my childhood that I remember it, but I couldn’t play the harmonica for you right now. But then in grade 7 when my Junior High introduced music to us, I actually started taking band then, I joined the marching band and then in grade 9 I met everybody here in school and I started playing rock music once I started playing the drum kit.

(JULIANA) I started playing, learning, and really got into music when I was 12 or 13. I actually started playing guitar, so I’ve been playing guitar since then. And then I picked up piano and keyboards and in the last couple of years.

(PAIGE) Juliana was really good friends with my sister and Mike’s brother, so…

(ALEX) And she played in a band with Mike’s brother…

(JULIANA) Yeah, I played in a band with Mike’s brother in school. A couple actually.

(JASON) You were actually in a band with Mike’s brother and my cousin.

(JULIANA) Yeah.

(ALEX) We stole her.
- www.torontoima.com

Link --> http://www.toromagazine.com/?q=node/475

Sadie May Crash was TORO’s first ever Garage Band – and we couldn’t have picked a better one. The young, eclectic and quirky rockers came in at noon on a cold Monday back in March. They didn’t know what to expect. Neither did we.

The band and I sat around the kitchen eating cookies, caffeinating and energetically talking about high school, Toronto’s music scene and Kurt Vonnegut. Everything about the shoot was leisurely and unchartered. After sound check, we blew a fuse. We finally started to roll. We barreled through take after take until we all got it just right. And we finally did.

I asked for “Said Me, Said You, Said We,” the track I’d recently heard and loved. They said they wanted to play us something ‘new’ instead, and are we ever glad they did. “Fix and Repair” just made it to the top five at the Oh! Henry Vfest contest – no easy feat considering over 300 bands entered. If they get enough votes, they’ll take the stage at the Virgin Music Festival ’08. You know, the same little show that Oasis and Foo Fighters are headlining. The winners are chosen by tallying up votes, so cast them one. They’re awesome.

Your new to-do list should include checking out our exclusive Garage Band performance of “Wrong Way Out,” and then listening to “Said Me, Said You, Said We.” I bumped into the gang at the TIMA’s (Toronto Independent Music Awards) last week and chatted with Alex while he peppered his arm with dry-erase marker. Not sure why. This was right after they snagged the ‘Best Indie Rock’ award. Sadie’s not crashing any time soon. --Iman Sheikh
- Toro Magazine

SHOW 1:

"This is like getting on a raving high-speed train without any stops, jackhammer drums, slashing guitars, colourful keyboards, centering on the rockabilly spirit of the 50’s, with excursions into echoey jangle of the 60’s and the New Wave 80’s. Propulsive rock and roll aerobics filtered through thrift-glam cool and psychedelic glory." (Lonely Vagabond)

SHOW 2:

"There is no finer distillation of colorful retro-rock charm, a whirling cacophony of ripping guitars, screaming organs, and bouncy harmonies that’s like traveling on a vintage hot-rod whipping up dust. Topped-off by a parading songstress with a lusty delivery that will melt your heart, the live spectacle makes you think this band is ready for a larger stage." (Lonely Vagabond)

LINK: http://lonelyvagabond.com/wpmu/tag/sadie-may-crash/ - lonelyvagabond.exclaim.ca

"After Clouds had finished their set, Sadie May Crash took to the stage and blew the crowd away. With an opener like “Fix and Repair”, how could you not get up and dance? Being a fan of Sadie myself, I had held my expectations high, knowing that they will perform well. Happily, Sadie topped my expectations and played better than I had seen them before. Their sheer onstage brilliance and charisma proved to be one of a kind. If you haven’t been voting for them to play Virgin Festival yet, get on it, because this band isn’t stopping any time soon. With up beat rhythms and versatility in songs like “Wrong Way Out” and “My Right Your Left”, Sadie brings out the inner jive and swing in all of us. Paige Clarke’s vocals ring through the club with such range and intensity that she plants a seed in your eardrums and doesn’t leave. Backup vocals and guitar work by Alex Pulec, a perfect connection was made onstage. Grooving with the wonderful array of coloured lights and disco ball, Sadie May Crash looked as though they should be playing underground nightclubs in the 60’s. With catchy lyrics, songs you can dance to, Sadie May Crash showed the audience tonight that they deserved “Best Indie Rock” last week at the Toronto Independent Music Awards. A band with so much potential, the chance that they will crash is far from happening." --Joel Chico - www.torontoindie.com