It was Folly Fest 2016. The Yippee Stage emanated a sound that drew me in. It was bluesy, it was heavy, it was slow, it was grungy. It was exactly what I needed to hear. I soon found myself among many others who seemed to have been called there by the same means, all moving their bodies along to the thumping basslines. The band’s kick drum read “Janowskii.” Now, more than two years later, we are finally able to take home the music of this Fredericton group with the release of their debut self-titled album.
Based in Fredericton, the band started in 2016 when guitarist Keith Hallett and drummer Drew Budovitch began making music on Sunday mornings to curb unhealthy habits. Between then and now they have rounded off their sound and performance by adding a third member: bassist Matt Legere.
Recorded live off the floor in a barn, Janwoskii’s self-titled album keeps the same energy as the band’s live performances, and the naturally warm reverb that the barn gives the recording helps us channel that feeling. The recording style also gives the tracks a grungier quality that suits the heavy, bluesy and retro qualities of the band’s sound.
The track “Did” has long remained a strong holdover from that first Folly Fest performance and remains one of the album’s standouts. Probably the bluesiest track on the list, it reels the listener in with its heavy beat and sends them on a fast and winding journey at the bridge.
Other standouts include “Confusion Prince” and “Genocide.” Both on the more upbeat side, their extra-catchy riffs give them more memorability and keeps them looping through your head for days. “Genocide,” should be particularly fresh in everyone’s mind for its prominent placement in the Fredericton music scene The Capital Project.
As a whole, the album relies heavily on strong riffs for its punch, and administers a heavy dose of psychedelic, groovy, doomy, bluesy and retro sounds. It’s rough and Janowskii lean into it, but that’s where the good stuff is at.
“We recorded the album pretty bare bones,” says Hallett. “Drums, guitar and vocals all live in a barn straight to tape . I put a couple guitar overdubs and vocal overdubs. Other than that, no editing—just raw and dirty.”
Something remarkable about the Janowskii self-titled is that instead of being released on CD and vinyl like we would typically see today, the album is only available on cassette and digital download.
“As for releasing it on tape, we can’t afford to put it on vinyl. We recorded the album on tape and wanted to keep the analog sound.”
While we do wish we could listen to it in our cars, we appreciate that they’re living up to their retro appeal and encouraging different methods of enjoying music than we are used to in 2018. But Lord help us if we need to get out the pens.
Janowskii enlisted local-turned-Yukoner artist Bennie Allain for the album cover, employing his habitually half-psychedelic half-collage style of artwork.
“He’s a great pal of ours,” says Hallett. “He lives in Dawson city, Yukon. We sent him the album a few months back and asked him to make exactly what he envisioned while listening. He pulled through and we are super pumped to have his art to be a part of our album.”
But while we can try to lump Janowskii into any combination of genres all we’d like, the truth is that they carry their own unique sound. Maybe if they keep it up we’ll even get a CD or a vinyl next time.
Tour Dates:
09.20.18 – Saint John, NB @ Taco Pica (w/Tampa & Cassette Tapes)
09.21.18 – Quebec City @ Le Knock-Out (w/Tampa)
09.22.18 – Montreal @ Bar Le Ritz (w/Tampa & TBA)
09.26.18 – Peterborough, ON w/TBA
09.28.18 – London, ON (House Show)
09.29.18 – Sarnia, ON @ Refined Fool Brewery