by Jessica Nguyen
Marti Sarbit’s voice draws people to her. Though this is a claim many people can say about many singer/songwriters, it’s a completely true statement when talking about her band, Imaginary Cities. Just a few years ago, this indie pop-rock band was formed when Rusty Matyas, a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, heard Sarbit singing at a bar in Winnipeg. Sarbit was there to front a Motown cover band and Matyas was mixing sound that night. In between sets, Imaginary Cities was born.
In May, the band’s newest album, Fall of Romance, was released. “It took us about a year to record the album. Rusty came up with the title, but we both really liked it and it worked,” says Sarbit. “Romance is dying, we are turning into robots, but there is still hope.”
Howard Redekopp, the producer behind albums by Tegan and Sara, The New Pornographers and many more, worked with Imaginary Cities on Fall of Romance. “Both Rusty and myself were fans of his before and we really liked his production work. Rusty and Howard became best friends from the moment they started talking,” says Sarbit. “We really lucked out getting to work with him.”
(credit David Lipnowski)
The five-piece band is consistently showing the music scene that they are nothing short of hard-working, ambitious and driven. They’re wrapping up a US tour this month, then heading to Paris for a gig followed by a return to Canada to play a couple of festivals. Like most touring musicians in the summer time, there’s no rest for Imaginary Cities. “We are always working, always writing and always coming up with ideas,” Sarbit says. “Keeps us progressing.”
Imaginary Cities will be stopping in Philadelphia on June 19th. If you’re in town, head over to Milk Boy and request to hear “Chasing the Sunset”, a favorite of That Mag’s. “Rusty actually came up with the title of the song. He picked the title when purposing to his fiancé,” explains Sarbit. “He thought what if we just chase this beautiful sunset together?” For Sarbit, however, the song has a different meaning. “For me, the song is basically telling a guy off!”
Go see them and let us know what you think that song’s about.
