Edmonton industrial band Sangsara opened for Vancouver's Left Spine Down back in March at New City in a well anticipated gig. Heavy guitars with hard beating electronics accompanied by uncompromising voice of band’s lead Shane shook the walls of “The Suburbs” as fans were shaking their heads with approval. It comes as no surprise that Sangsara was invited as support act to join LSD in the same venue again. The band has been rehearsing so there’s a lot to look forward to. Alberta Stars has caught up with Shane H, lead singer and guitarist of Edmonton’s own industrial act to ask what was new and what was old in the world of Sangsara. The interview is after the break:
Alberta Stars Exclusive Interview with Sangsara Frontman Shane H
What are you currently up to?
I just finished moving houses and I'm setting up a new studio in Edmonton.
Tell us the brief bio of the band, who are your influences plus the style of music you play.
Sangsara was a natural evolution for me. I've played in several other bands over the years and Sangsara was reserved for my deeper personal expressions. I performed my first shows as Sangsara in 1998 at Discotheque 109 and 1999 the Fox and Hound pub in Edmonton. Shortly there after I moved to Toronto where I stayed until early 2007. It wasn't until 2000 that I put a more concentrated effort into Sangsara and maintaining it as my main project.
What do you think of the current state of Canadian radio and the live music scene? How easy/hard has it been to get exposure for the band?
On Canadian radio... I listen to CBC, does that count? Seriously, I don't really pay a lot of attention to radio, but we do have some pretty good University stations and programs in Canada. I've actually received SOCAN money in the past from airplay.
As far as exposure goes, you get back what you put in. There's been a few dips over the years in my consistency, but we're cooking with gas right now.
What have been the highlight(s) and lowpoint(s) of your career to date?
Playing New City in March 2008 was important for me. I'd been away for a long time, the band and sound had evolved, and I wanted to put that out there to my long time friends and the great bunch of people that go out to shows here in Edmonton.
Other notable moments would be playing the Bovine Sex Club in Toronto and being released on compilations in Germany and the States.
Low Points: Drugs are bad.
How did you come up with the band's name?
I was looking for a name that was somewhat dark and represented human suffering. I was doing a fair bit of reading on Eastern Philosophy and came across Sangsara - exactly what I wanted. It's the opposite of Nirvana. You can read the full description on original.sangsara.ca
Also cool and kinda dorky, is a friend of mine pointed out that it could mean Blood Night.
Sang = Blood in French,
Sera = Evening in Italian
What gigs do you have coming.
We are currently seeking out a new bass player and guitar player. While we do that we're working on new material. We're not in a rush to play any shows until the new line up is solidified and we've got some new material to promote. That said, we hope do play a few more times before the end of the year. 2008 marks the 10th anniversary of our first show July 4, 1998 at Discotheque 109 - Edmonton.
How did you guys find each other?
I met Dave Rebus (drummer) through a friend. I'd seen him play a few times and liked his style. Apparently he liked mine as well because we're getting along pretty good.
Right now Dave and I are the core of the band.
Michael Fuccaro is on keys. Check out his project :Hael: on myspace.com/format21
How much vocal processing do you use?
Touch of distortion, pinch of delay. Depends on the song. Live it's pretty much the same throughout but we're working on having our sound guy handle effects and offer us more dynamics.
What CD's do you currently have available and where can they be purchased from?
I've discontinued releasing older material. Our sound has evolved considerably and I want that to represent us. So right now, we're not selling CDs. However, you can hear our older and upcoming releases on
www.sangsara.ca or
www.myspace.com/originalsangsara
We also have merch available through CafePress
Message to your fans...
Thanks for listening! It's only going to get better.
~Shane H
