Bend Sinister

by Erinn Fortson

If Daniel Moxon and Brittany Howard recorded a song together, I would be among the first listeners purchasing a copy. I become immediately excited when Moxon confesses during our interview that he would like to work with Howard and I try to picture the duo performing together on stage. These two musical powerhouses would do any song justice and then some. Both lead singers bring the vocal intensity to a song that lingers in your ear long after the music has stopped.  “She’s got a great voice”, Moxon simply says, and I wholeheartedly agree when he tells me this.

Big things are happening for Bend Sinister. An experimental project that began 12 years ago in Vancouver has fostered into an incredibly talented band, ready to embark on a North American tour. Promoting their new album, Small Fame, Bend Sinister will additionally be playing at CMJ this year on October 17th and 20th. The band is currently performing shows in Canada before coming stateside. I was able to squeeze in time with Dan Moxon during Bend Sinister’s busy schedule.

The release of their first LP in almost four years is what motivated Bend Sinister to visit the United States. This time around, the potentially drawn out and expensive process associated with obtaining a visa seemed worth it for the Canadian band. “We just never had the cash to want to drop to make it happen. But now with this record, it’s released in both the U.S. and Canada, so it gives us the push to get down there and start touring”, says Moxon. I’m not surprised to learn that the band is especially excited for their show in San Francisco, as Moxon has compared some of Vancouver to this California city. “I’m looking forward to doing the West Coast because we haven’t done that part of North America before”, says Moxon. “It will be nice treat to just drive down, if we have a bit of time, and do the Big Sur or something like that and take in scenery at the same time”.

Prior to the band’s newest album, Bend Sinister was still swimming in the success felt from their 2010 EP, Spring Romance. Howard Redkopp who has worked with such bands as Tegan and Sara and the New Pornographers produced the group’s fifth studio release. “Working with Howard was really fun and a good experience”, Moxon tells me. “He’s a nice guy and he knows what he’s doing behind the board. Howard really likes to get stuff live off the floor”. “Things Will Get Better” was the most popular track from the album. It reached number 2 on the CBS Radio 3 chart.

Small Fame is another home run for the band. Produced by Shawn Cole, the album is absolutely electrifying. Bend Sinister’s writing process has changed a bit over the years. Previously, lead singer Dan Moxon brought a lot of ideas and melodies to the table, which were structured specifically to the band. The group has since developed another strategy that promotes more of a collaborative effort. “We’re trying to write more songs together, from the starting process as well, so there is more of that cohesive vibe instead of just singer-songwriting piano stuff that gets turned into rock and roll”, says Moxon. This new formula works well for Bend Sinister. Each band member showcases a unique musicianship that shines throughout the entire album. From upbeat piano melodies to metal inspired guitar rifts, Bend Sinister delivers bars of energy by producing the sound that makes them such an entertaining band. Capturing elements of “strong rock and roll” and producing songs that really exhibit “what the band is like during a live performance” were some of the goals behind the creation of Small Fame. It seems as though the band accomplished this without any difficulty.

Bend Sinister’s American tour begins November 6th and will end in Boise, Idaho on the 18th of the same month. Unfortunately, Philadelphia will not be a stop on the band’s North American adventure. I was sure to express my disappointment to Dan Moxon before our interview ended. Bend Sinister will undoubtedly give stellar performances in every state they visit, blowing audiences away one show at a time. For now, I remain optimistic about the possibility of a performance by the band in Philadelphia one day soon. I hope the rest of the city’s welcome signs will be as big as mine.