By: Lianne Lahaie-Tysick

 James McKenty and The Spades’ latest CD is called Let It Grow and true to the title, the band is planting robust seeds of success in the furrows of the Canadian music sceneI always enjoy writing about James McKenty and The Spades because a) James is from Perth; b)  they’re an amazing band with a sound that will soothe your soul and rattle your bones at the same time; c) they’re a group of talented young men that is setting the Canadian music scene on fire; and d) I have a major soft spot for them because James is one of my nearest and dearest friends, as his bandmates, bassist Josh ‘Chachi’ Robichaud and drummer Thomas ‘Winchester’ Street You can imagine how thrilled I was to receive an e-mail from James’ dad, John McKenty, last week, giving me an update on The Spades and the great strides they’re making in their musical career together.

First off, Mark Rheaume, a music librarian for CBC, chose Let It Grow as one of his top picks for June 2007.

Rheaume presents his top monthly picks on CBC Radio One’s Fresh Air show, which is hosted by Jeff Goodes.
According to the show’s website, Fresh Air is a weekend audio magazine about what Ontarians are doing during their weekends. It’s a show that explores what matters to you, on your days off. Goodes is joined by a number of contributors, including Rheaume, for live music, interviews with interesting people and fresh ideas.

Fresh Air is on the air Saturdays and Sundays from 6 to 9 a.m.

In other exciting news, The Spades are July’s featured artist on Bell’s new music site, www.indiscover.net.

The website describes itself as a service designed to help bring independent music to new listeners. It appeals to both musicians and people interested in hearing fresh new music.

The Spades are featured on the main page under the ‘Get 2 Know’ section. If you click on the link, you’ll be taken to the band’s profile, which features a five-chapter video documentary called ‘In the Reeds’.

The documentary provides fans and new listeners with some behind-the-scenes insight into the band and its members.

In addition to the documentary/profile, you can also get access to James McKenty and The Spades ringtones. Please visit the site to get more information.

The boys are looking forward to a very busy summer, with shows planned in numerous cities across the province in July and August.

On July 20, The Spades will perform live on the main stage at Perth’s popular Stewart Park Festival. Following that performance, it’s off to Rotaryfest in Sault Ste. Marie on July 21, and The Dungeon in Oshawa on July 27.

The Spades will play Zaphod Beeblebrox in Ottawa on Aug. 3 and then move on to shows in Peterborough, Gananoque, Toronto, Kingston and Collingwood to name a few.

Despite all the success and demanding tour schedule, James has not forgotten his roots or what tempted him to get into the music business in the first place.

I remember asking my parents for a guitar when I was in Grade 9 or so,” he recalled during an interview earlier this year. “I don’t think they realized, at the time, that (music) was something I really wanted to pursue. I think they probably thought it was just another hobby, something I’d like for a bit then lose interest in.”

McKenty’s interest in music was piqued by one particular event – a television show featuring a comedian impersonating Jimi Hendrix’s legendary performance of The Star Spangled Banner.

He (the comedian) was using sound effects to do the impression,” he explained. “I asked my mom who he was impersonating because I thought it was amazing. She told me Jimi Hendrix and explained who he was. I asked her if we had any of his music in the house and we did. I started listening to Hendrix and I think I became a bit of a fanatic.”

Although he took guitar lessons for a year and a half, much of McKenty’s skill is self- taught. While attending St. John Catholic High School, he helped form Drawing Flies, his first semi-serious rock and roll band.

Upon graduating from St. John, McKenty studied in the Recording Arts Program of Canada for seven months, where he learned how to record sound and music.

After finishing his studies, McKenty came back to Perth, but soon decided it was time to leave his hometown behind. In the winter of 1998, he and some friends decided to move to Peterborough, a city McKenty has called home ever since.

Not long after moving to Peterborough, McKenty began to explore his vocal talent and played some open stage events at local venues.

His first effort as a solo artist was Restless Soul, an 11-track disc with songs reflecting some of McKenty’s traditional, alt-country roots. The album was produced by McKenty and Alec Fraser, of Toronto.

With one CD under his belt, he decided he wanted to play more live shows in an effort to support the album. All he needed was a band.

Although there were two previous incarnations of The Spades, Mr. McKenty said he is ecstatic about the current line-up.

We’re like a family,” he commented. “We’re great friends, we spend a lot of time together and we’re all on the same wavelength when it comes to our music. It’s awesome…I couldn’t ask for two better guys to play with.”

It wasn’t long before The Spades were ready to record an album and soon, the band’s debut album together, Burning on Fumes, was born. The album was produced by Gord Sinclair, bassist one of Canada’s best-known rock bands, The Tragically Hip, and recorded at The Bathhouse, The Hip’s recording studio, which is located just outside Kingston.

Sinclair worked on Let It Grow as well and McKenty said their relationship has grown from a purely professional one to more of a friendship.

The band’s latest CD is different from its debut CD in that it’s more mellow and, as McKenty pointed out, “less filled with teenage angst”. Of course, much of that change can be attributed to the fact that McKenty recently became a father himself, having welcomed a son, Noah, into the world 17 months ago.

“I would say Noah really influenced this album, for me at least,” McKenty stated. “Burning of Fumes was really aggressive and it served its purpose. I don’t think I have any more teenage angst inside me. Having a child really changes your perspective on things and I think that’s reflected in the songs.”

In some cases, introducing a baby into the mix doesn’t mesh well with other band members. But McKenty said Street and Robichaud were supportive of him from the beginning and viewed Noah’s impending arrival as a positive thing.

“Some bands break up when something like this happens,” he said. “In this case, the guys totally supported me, right from the beginning.”

Although Let It Grow does show a softer side of The Spades, that doesn’t mean they’ve abandoned the gut-crunching rock and roll that makes them such a treat to see live. McKenty said no one in the band has a clue what’s going to happen up on stage, which means fans will hear tunes from Restless Soul, Burning on Fumes and Let It Grow with a few Beatles, Bob Dylan and Fred Eaglesmith tunes thrown in for good measure.

“We’re just having a fantastic time right now…things couldn’t be better,” he remarked. “Every city we play, we’re starting to see familiar faces and support for the band has been tremendous. We’re in a really good place right now.”

For more information about The Spades, please visit www.thespades.ca.