MYTHOS MARKS 25 YEARS
New Age band that emerged in '90s reconvenes for album that blends past and future
Bring up the music of the 1990s and you'll hear about a wide range of music, including New Age sounds.
New Age, with artists specializing in soothing, predominantly instrumental, music intended for adult audiences, encompassed global hitmakers like Enigma and Enya and a healthy contingent of local acts. There was as much variety among New Age acts as in any other genre, but one characteristic of all artists in the scene was a dedication to laid-back listening.
Among the most successful Vancouver groups in the category was Mythos, which hit top 20 on the Billboard New Age charts.
The duo of teacher/guitarist/ composer Paul Schmidt and keyboardist/composer (and future NDP MLA for Maple Ridge-mission) Bob D'eith, formed in 1996. The band released three albums in 1998-2002 and was a regular on adult contemporary radio. Nominated for a Juno Award, the band won two Western Canadian Music Awards. Having its music used in a Victoria's Secret runway event in Cannes was a highlight of those early years. It intermittently released new recordings from 2006 to 2018.
Now, Mythos has reconvened to celebrate its first 25 years with the release of a new recording, titled XXV.
Available through Adagio/the Orchard, the recording features five originals and nine remastered tunes from the back catalogue.
“Bob really pushed us to do this one, because it is a milestone,” said Schmidt. “Music had been my whole life for a very long time and now I have another job now and haven't been very involved in the business. But Bob came at it really excited to do something new and it was a for sure thing.”
Given his positions as chair of the NDP caucus and parliamentary secretary for arts and film during a pandemic that has crippled most of B.C.'S creative sector, it's hard to imagine when D'eith found the time to make music.
His dedication to music extends well beyond making it. Besides running a label and an entertainment law practice, D'eith served a decade-long term as the executive director of Music B.C. During that time, he co-created the Peak Performance Project, key to kick-starting careers of such local successes as Said the Whale, Dear Rouge and Current Swell.
“If I'm not creating, I'm not alive,” said D'eith. “If I don't have that balance, I can't deal with it. Perhaps there was a little bit of jealousy seeing two of my kids doing well with their records — Sheldon drums with the funk band Raincity and Cam has his solo career — as well. Plus, it felt great to get the old group together with such excellent players as vocalist Jennifer Scott and bassist Rene Worst.”
D'eith began his musical career a member of the twice Juno Award-nominated band Rymes with Orange. Mythos came about after that group broke up and D'eith was in a bit of a non-groovy funk.
“Paul and I got together when I wasn't in a very great place, musically speaking,” said D'eith. “Rymes was done and I was down on the industry and a bit soul-destroyed
after the whole rock 'n' roll thing. He really brought me back to music for all the right reasons again.”
A classically trained guitarist, Schmidt was close friends with D'eith's younger brother, Paul who played in a jam band of note called Mushroom Trial.
“I used to come over to the house all the time and was very close to the family,” says Schmidt. “It was actually Bob's dad who pushed us to get together because he thought that the two of us, with our classical
training, could do a project together. Without him, I don't think this would have ever happened.”
The initial idea for what became Mythos's debut was to put together some music that could be used for film and TV soundtracks. As the songs took shape, it became increasingly clear that there was more to the music than background appeal.
“Paul pushed to send some stuff to the radio because he thought it would get played, which I doubted,” said D'eith. “To our amazement, this instrumental music got picked up. But it was the era of Enigma, B-tribe and that whole ambient, New Age thing going on.”
From there, the group signed to California's Higher Octave label, which was a major player in the budding scene. The band did three records with the label and describe the experience as “beautiful.” Besides finding a home on the label, they also began their relationship with artist Gil Bruvel who has done the art for XXV as well.
The leadoff single from the new album, Legacy, features Bob's son Cam Blake on vocals. Blending elements of progressive rock, ambient electronics and orchestrations, the song is a prime example of what makes Mythos. Other highlights include Jennifer Scott's soaring vocals on Fly Away and an adaptation of composer Francisco Tárrega's composition Recuerdos de la Alhambra showcases Schmidt's guitar playing, sharp as ever.
The response to the new music from the group's dedicated global fan base has been strong. Never intended as a live project, Mythos always looked at other ways to get its name out. Over time, the duo has seen the music business go from CDS to downloads to streams and always found a place in the landscape.
“An interesting thing to see is how these songs percolate up across the world, likely because the music hasn't got any words,” said D'eith. “We're consistently getting two to three million streams a year on top of digital radio, which keeps things viable. We're happy to see what happens with this release.”
Mythos XXV was released on March 26. The members like to think of the release as a reintroduction to its past and a move into its future.