Stickybuds delivers subtly political messages

The West is becoming increasingly 2 divided along political lines. Discussions of administrations dominate dinner tables and school campuses, and everyone has an opinion about how to change the status quo. Canadian producer Stickybuds—also known as Tyler Martens—is no exception.

With more than 10 years’ worth of glitchy electro-funk releases in the bank, the producer has written a number of tracks that broach controversial political topics. None, however, has come close to expressing an opinion as overt as his latest release, “Crooked Politicians”.

“I watch a lot of independent journalists, and I’m pretty in tune with the political spectrum,” he tells the Straight on the line from his home in Calgary. “I think that song just came out of the frustration that I feel for where the world’s at right now.

“Over the past eight years, I’ve been interested in learning about geopolitics and how the financial system works,” he continues. “Thankfully, I’m an independent musician, and I have a decent amount of time to listen to lectures and read things. I can take parts that are important and put them into the music I make. When I’m old and grey and sitting on a porch somewhere with some greatgrandkids, I want to be able to say, ‘This is how it was back then.’ ”

Despite the song’s message and Martens’s history of remixing tracks with ecologically minded lyrics, though, the artist makes it clear that he’s not trying to turn his feelgood, party-funk brand into a political one. Aiming to counterweigh his tracks’ heavier content with upbeat songwriting, he places as much focus on the music as the words.

“I’m not trying to force politics on anyone,” he says. “I’m not trying to turn my shows into political rallies. The message is probably the most important thing in that song, but it’s a balancing act. The landscape of politics and the social consciousness is very intense right now. People are firing on all cylinders and it’s really full-on.”

The producer’s party reputation got a boost last year when his track “Clap Ya Hands Now”—a modern take on the Meters’ classic “Hand Clapping Song”—was selected by Sony Pictures to soundtrack the trailer for Spiderman: Homecoming. The achievement crowned a new era for Martens. Eschewing samples in favour of session musicians, and licensing the track from the original band, the producer integrated his electronic production with recorded instruments.

“I have an album coming out over the summer,” he says. “I’m pushing myself to do more challenging things, like hiring guitar players, singers, and horn players. The record is full of electronic funk music, and electronic reggae. It’s been a great learning experience, working with artists that I respect and making music with them, and working with all these different session musicians.

“There’s definitely some more politics on the record, though,” he continues. “I’m trying to make music that’s not totally disposable, like some club banger that’s played for three months and everyone moves on. My next single is called ‘The Firestarter’. It’s one of the more banging ones, full-on drum and bass, and it’s about profiting off war and the corruption behind it. You can play that at peak time in the club, but the message is still there too. I hope that it resonates with people.”

> KATE WILSON

Stickybuds plays the Imperial on Friday (June 1).

Pioneering guitar wizard Satriani talks amplifiers

When Joe Satriani phones the 2

Straight from his home in the San Francisco Bay Area, he apologizes right away for being a few minutes late with the scheduled call. He explains that he was playing his guitar, composing a song, and lost track of time. That’s when it’s my turn to feel regretful, because what if I just dragged the pioneering guitar wizard away from creating his next masterpiece?

“I had one of my new chrome [Ibanez] guitars that I was plugging into two very old Fenders,” notes Satch. “One a 1960 Fender Deluxe, which has got quite a growl to it, even when you just set it on, like, 4.

And then I moved into a ’63 Fender Princeton amp, which is a little cleaner, with a bit more bottomy sound, a little less midrange. And I was just writing something that was sort of classic-rock-sounding. I was getting lost there, but I’ve got a job to do, so I’m back on the phone.”

Sitting in his home studio, the acclaimed picker starts counting off the amplifiers he’s got at his disposal. “I have about 20 amps just within about 20 feet of me right here,” he declares, “and boy, if somebody said, ‘Hey, you’ve got nothing to do today,’ I’d just be down here playing all of them and making mental notes, like ‘This is good for this’ and ‘This is good for that.’ ”

While Satriani’s in the mood to chat about gear, I wonder aloud which prized amp was the one used to help concoct the killer sound on his latest album, What Happens Next, a thoroughly rocking tour de force featuring drummer Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Chickenfoot) and bassist Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple, Black Country Communion).

“Oh, we had quite a few,” he replies. “You know, each song is like a funny story about what amp wound up being the one that was, like, the melody amp or the main-riff amp or the solo amp. And it’s always a bit of a discovery, because you don’t know what’s gonna be the ultimate complement until you have the bass and the drums really sounding the way you like. And then you go, ‘Oh, okay, that 1970 Marshall is, like, the right amp for the riff.’ Or you take an amp out that you haven’t played in 10 years and it’s the perfect thing for the solo.”

Satriani was not alone when choosing which equipment to use for his latest batch of mind-boggling instrumentals. He got a lot of help on What Happens Next from Langley studio ace Mike Fraser. “Fraze” has worked with him in various capacities since 1998’s Crystal Planet, but on the new disc he earned credits for recording, engineering, mixing, and producing.

“Mike is really amazing,” raves Satriani. “I don’t think there’s anyone quite like him in the world. He has the perfect set of ears, and a real creative temperament. He has that incredible technical background and facility, but I think one of his best traits is that he can handle a room of crazy musicians, you know what I mean?

“He can handle a group, and then he can sit with you in a room for hours and, in a reassuring way, get the best performance out of you. Mike’s got that ability because he’s just a really cool guy, and he never stands in the way of something good happening— even if it’s completely unplanned. And I have to say, he gets the job done.”

> STEVE NEWTON

Joe Satriani plays the Commodore Ballroom on Friday (June 1).