By Nick Laugher , Staff Contributor
“Even if we hate each other, at least we love turtlenecks,” says Josh Salter as he bites into a bacon and egg sandwich, shrugging his shoulders at fellow bandmate Cailean Lewis. Salter and Lewis are just two parts of the boisterous and quirky local quintet known as The Gideons. With their personal cocktail of twisted, jangly psychedelic pop, The Gideons have been trudging it out as a local Halifax band for over two years.
Unfortunately the absurd humour and poignant, self-deprecating jabs are coming to a close. To mark the end of an era, the band is releasing their last – and technically first – album, a double LP entitled Oxford Street with 150 copies pressed on vinyl. It’s also a free download.
“We kind of did an album before and it had nine songs,” says Salter, tongue in cheek. “But we barely knew them when we recorded it. I guess it was more of an EP.”
The band is calling it quits despite playing a plethora of shows over the years and garnering a dedicated fan base. The catalyst of the split is Lewis’ imminent move to Toronto, but the band admits it’s not the sole reason.
“We’ve got four songwriters in the group now,” explains Lewis. “We’ve come to the point where we all want to start our own little vanity projects.”
The band members also cite their workhorse mentality as somewhat of a downfall, claiming they oversaturated the Halifax scene and played themselves out.
“I think (Halifax) can definitely still sustain bands, that’s not what (this is) about,” says Lewis, citing Dog Day as a prime example.
For budding bands to make it in the HRM, they have to be willing to put in the time. Unfortunately, in a university city like Halifax, you also have to deal with the perpetual in and out of your fan-base.
“Honestly, we just thought it would be best to quit before all of our fans finished their degrees,” says Salter slyly.
Before they flee the scene, the band members are eager to go out with a bang. Upon receiving a grant from FACTOR, the group scrambled to release the double vinyl LP version of Oxford Street, referring to it as “self-indulgent” and “obnoxious.”
The title of the record comes from the legendary Oxford Street residence that has been passed down through the ages of indie in Halifax. Lewis recalls a New Year’s Eve party the band once played at the residence, during which Salter drank a bottle of absinthe and wound up in nothing but cut up underwear on the floor, unable to play an instrument.
“I originally wanted to call (the album) ‘Let It Be’, but none of the other guys found it that funny,” Salter jokes. “Then it was something like ‘100 per cent Crap, Zero Effort’. That or ‘Japanese Democracy’.”
Before The Gideons ride off into the sunset like the desperados they are, they’ve got two last shows up their sleeves. Aside from playing another New Year’s Eve bash – this time at Gus’ Pub – the band is also playing a show in support of the release of the album on Nov. 13 at the Khyber Club.
Salter is quick to mention that they haven’t practiced in nearly six months. The last time they did, there was actual fighting.
“At the show you’ll get the possibility of a live fight,” says Salter. “We’re like the Kinks, except we’re not brothers, so I might actually kill them.”
As for what’s on the agenda after The Gideons, Salter assures fans the band was merely a launching point for his brilliance.
“I’m positive my next band will absolutely eclipse The Gideons.”
While it’s hard to know if Salter is ever truly kidding or not, it’s pretty easy to see that anything involving The Gideons is nothing short of a riot.
Head over to www.myspace.com/getthegideons to grab their new album as a free download and keep your eyes peeled to www.hotmoneyrecords.com for the physical release. Be sure to catch them live before they’re gone for good.
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