Tony Barnett

"Hey Paul, I'm playing in the band tonight, The New Pornographers. My name's Kurt." Drummer Kurt Dahle of the New Pornographers, one of Canada's hottest pop-music exports (with an essential Chicago component), is talking about the band's recent appearance on "The Late Show with David Letterman" and his hallway run-in with musical director and fellow Canadian Paul Schaffer. Dahle thought he might have an automatic "in" with the musical court jester of late night. "I say to him, 'Hey believe it of not, we're from Vancouver,' and he goes, 'Oh, I didn't know that. Congratulations.' Then he keeps walking, so I kinda' got snubbed," continues Dahle. "I don't think he really meant to do that. I think he is just so tired of talking to idiots like me that come up and go, 'Hey Paul, I'm Canadian too, eh.'"

Any uncertain vibes from Letterman's veteran sidekick were washed away when, during commercial breaks, the Late Show band performed two songs by the Guess Who, a band Dahle refers to as "the quintessential Western Canadian rock band." The drummer is so proud of his fellow countrymen and hitmakers from the seventies that he included a number of Guess Who songs on a mix CD that was played before the New Pornographers' two shows at the Abbey Pub during their previous visit to Chicago. Like a father talking about his kids, he muses, "That disc featured hits and funny songs that most Americans might not have heard."

Whether or not Dahle's version of a Canadian K-Tel compilation helped get the capacity crowd at the club pumped for the Pornographers can be argued. What is without question is the sheer energy of the Chicago audience, who greeted the little pop band that could as if it were arena-rock royalty. Throughout the group's set, most of those in the sea of bodies mouthed every word to every song, and in the areas where people could actually move a limb or two, they did so with great gusto. "Those shows at the Abbey last year were insane," remembers vocalist and Chicagoan Neko Case. "We'd be on tour and hit New York, and there would be a lot of people, and it would be really great. So we wondered how a show could get any better than that. Then of course, we come to Chicago and the Chicago audience would blow all the other audiences away. They'd be the drunkiest and the most excited."

But the telltale sign of the band's far-reaching popularity was the wide range of ages that had gathered under one roof to drink in the group's music. "When I look out into the audience I see me, or a reasonable facsimile of like a hundred of me," says Dahle. "You know, 35-year-olds who go, 'hey I'm goin' out tonight. I haven't been out in a couple of months.' Then I see these younger kids, and then there are these older country fans, who are like Neko's fans. It's really kind of strange actually, the many different types of people you see. You kinda' wonder, where are some of these people coming from?"

Dahle's Canadian accent is barely detectable, but an occasional hint of the tongue Bob and Doug McKenzie made famous slips through. For the better part of a decade, Dahle and his fellow male Pornographers--songwriter/guitarist Carl Newman, songwriter/vocalist Dan Bejar (who doesn't tour with the band), bassist/studio guru John Collins, guitarist/keyboardist Todd Fancey, and keyboardist Blaine Thurier--slugged it out in the close-knit Vancouver scene. Performing in such bands as Zumpano, Limblifter, and Destroyer (where Bejar still devotes his attention), each gained indie notoriety with their respective projects, but none of them surged above cult status.

Now, with the success of the New Pornographers' two stellar pop albums, "Mass Romantic" and this year's "Electric Version," not to mention countless magazine articles and appearances on MTV and late-night talk shows, life isn't what it used to be for the members of the band. "When I am walking my dog in my neighborhood..." Dahle starts off, explaining how he has gone from just an average Joe to someone who is now stopped on the streets by strangers. "It's weird because people that I don't even know, or people who I thought had no idea about what it is that I do, are coming up and going, 'Hey, I saw you on Letterman!'"

Unlike her band mates, vocalist and lone female Neko Case is an American who has received critical acclaim for her solo musical endeavors, including column inches in Time, People, Esquire and Playboy. Hefner's online edition even bestowed upon the redheaded siren the distinction of being "Sexiest Babe of Indie Rock," a title that Case initially found flattering, but now wishes to put the honor to rest. "I thought if I said no to posing, people wouldn't make it a big deal, but... ."

Ever the humble realist about her musical accomplishments, Neko puts her career-to-date into perspective. "I'm on a very small level in the world of music, fame, and who is a star. I'm a little speck, she says. "Since I don't care to achieve any of that, my world is wide open. I don't have be the best new country star or pop diva, because that's not what I'll ever be. I have a career in music that I built alongside my friends and I haven't had to fuck anyone over to get it, I've never had to be on a major label to get it, and I have built up an audience that is very kind to me. That makes me feel good."

In recent years, she has become one of Chicago's most beloved adopted daughters. In spite of reports to the contrary, Case says she still spends half her time here and that she has an apartment in the city. Due to an outrageous schedule, which includes time spent with The New Pornographers as well as on her own music and other projects, she keeps a travel schedule that would make Colin Powell weary.

Before her move to the Windy City, Case spent the better part of the nineties in the great white north. After spending a chunk of her childhood in Tacoma, Washington, Case landed in Vancouver and it wasn't long before she was drumming and singing with the peppy, pop-punk, all-girl trio Maow, which released "The Unforgiving Sounds of Maow" in the States in 1996. The following year she recruited a backing band she dubbed the Boyfriends, which occasionally included the vocals of Carl Newman, and explored country music. The albums that followed, 1997's "The Virginian" and 1998's "Furnace Room Lullaby," received attention from pop-culture pundits and were embraced by indie-rock fans as well as non-Nashville country listeners alike, and propelled Case from obscurity to having one foot in the limelight.

In 2001, with the release of an EP titled "Canadian Amp," the majority of which was recorded in a kitchen, it was obvious she was once again evolving. Singing two of her own songs, with the remaining six tracks being covers, Case's voice was placed amid sparse instrumentation, which allowed the singer the room to express an emotional strength and grace that was breathtaking. The EP opened up the door for her coup de grace, "Blacklisted," an album that proved there are few boundaries for Case when it comes to interpreting a number of genres. "Blacklisted" was hailed by fans, and more than a handful of critics, as being one of the best albums of 2002.

Which brings us full circle to a project that has given Case a forum for applying her precious pipes to pop music. When asked to participate in Newman's project, she relished the opportunity. She's more than happy to do her part, and just as happy to let Newman and the rest of the band steer the course of the music. "All the decisions about aesthetics and intent were all Carl, John, and Dan," says Case. "One of the reasons I play in the band is because I don't have to think about anything like that. Whenever anyone interviews me, I think they're fairly disappointed because I don't have much to say about it. It's just fun for me and I like being with them."

The only real aggravation for Case, and a running joke for Dahle, is the media's insistence on referring to Neko as an alt-country chanteuse. "That really bothers me, and no matter how much I say 'Don't call me that,' people call me that, anyway," bemoans Case. "That's why I don't do interviews for the band. I absolutely refuse, because that's what happens. I don't think alt country exists! In fact, everyone that gets called alt country hates it so much. It sounds like a website. It doesn't sound like somebody who is working on a lasting career. It sounds like somebody working on a fad. I feel offended by the notion that you have to qualify playing country music by calling it alt-country music. There's no fucking way that anybody is going to mistake what I do for Nashville country. I don't spend that much time reading it, but the guys will point it out to me: 'They called you a chanteuse again,' and I'll be like 'fuck.'"

"Neko is an alt-country chanteuse. Fuck, you see that everywhere," laughs Dahle. "I don't know whoever started it, but everyone uses it. We just kinda' go why? It drives her crazy, I think."

Apart from the irritation surrounding the labeling of Neko Case, the major obstacle plaguing The New Pornographers--the lack of visible success--was eventually overcome with a little time and luck; the talent was always there. It would be an understatement to say that an idea given birth in the mid-nineties by Carl Newman had an uncertain start and an ambivalent maturation process. With the constant urging and guidance of Newman, and the prodding of Bejar, the core of what would become the New Pornographers--Newman, Bejar, Case, Collins, Thurier along with original drummer Fisher Rose--came together in 1997 to perform the songs penned by these two primary tunesmiths, Newman and Bejar. Tagged The New Pornographers, an über-pop band evolved, kind of. For close to five years, they remained a loose-knit pack of friends making music, sporadically doing live shows, having fun, and shopping their demos. They were not on the clock, wondering whether or not there even was a clock.

"I didn't know we would end up touring," says Case when asked about the embryonic days of the band. "Basically, we spent so long doing the first record, I didn't know if it would get done or not. I'm glad it did. I've always been such a fan of Carl and Dan. It's really nice to finally see their songs respected like I always thought they should be. Carl and his band Zumpano were a big influence on me when I was younger."

"Things come really easy to us." Dahle explains about The New Pornographer's good fortune. "With the other bands all of us have been in, there's been this climb. People just seem to throw stuff on the table for us now. 'Here you go, have some more of this.' Everything has gone really well." So, does Dahle pinch himself to make sure he's not dreaming? "I don't do that. Just because I don't get that excited about anything."

One thing that did get the lackadaisical drummer's blood pumping was the music of Newman and Bejar. Coming on board after the initial lineup was thrown together, Dahle had originally approached Newman about the possibility of drumming with his new ensemble after one of their early shows. "I liked Zumpano a lot. I thought those records were brilliant," remembers Dahle. "This new band--it was hard to tell live--I didn't know if the songs were as good. I saw them a few times and their drummer was really annoying, because he really didn't care about the songs. I just approached Carl and said, 'If you ever need a drummer...'"

Any doubts that Dahle had about the quality of the music were immediately erased when he heard some of the recorded demos. He knew he had to grab a seat on this pop ride, driven by magical, memorable melodies, honeycombed harmonies, and the insatiable songwriting talents of Newman and Bejar. "I was really impressed by this little demo Carl had given me. I just learned all the songs and came to a rehearsal. It wasn't like they tried me out or anything. We just played through the songs, and they're like, 'Hey, when do you want to rehearse again?' I thought to myself, 'I guess I'm in the band then, eh.'"

Finally in 2000, just as Newman was on the brink of throwing in the towel, one of the demos landed in the right lap. Canadian label Mint, which has been home to Cub, Huevos Rancheros, and Case, became smitten by one of the tracks, "Letter From An Occupant." Complete with short catchy guitar riffs that would make Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick blush, a bouncy, eighties new-wave keyboard running underneath and the soaring vocals of Case in the chorus, the adrenaline-pumping ear candy was chosen by Mint for inclusion on a compilation. Faster than anyone could say "Hey, you hoser," a number of Canadian radio stations were bombarding the airwaves with The New Pornographers.

The group jumped on the moment and quickly released their official full-length debut, "Mass Romantic." In addition to praise from "Spin," "Rolling Stone," and a Partridge Family bus full of music scribes, "The New York Times" hailed "Mass Romantic" as one of the "Worthwhile Albums Most People Missed" in 2002. Listeners agreed.

Words proved to be reality at the 2001 Hideout Block Party in Chicago. Dahle remembers the performance well as it took place right when the record was breaking. He recalls the enthusiasm of the Hideout audience. "That was a turning point. You gotta like it when people dance or sing along, it's the most rewarding part of playing live." And sing and dance they did, as a mass of people squeezed into, and swarmed around, the main music tent to get a slice of the band, many for the very first time, but not the last. Many of the same faces at the Hideout Block Party resurfaced at the aforementioned Abbey Pub concerts.

That same year in Austin, Texas, after what has been described as a less-than-sober but entertaining and productive conversation between the booking agent for the New Pornographers and the manager of Ray Davies, it was decided that the elder statesman of the British Invasion would join the band on stage.

"We went and grabbed "The Village Green Preservation Society" CD and we all kinda listened to it and went, let's do "Starstruck," Dahle recalls. "I wrote the lyrics out. Backstage, his girlfriend introduced him and it was kind of awkward and silent. So we were like, 'Hey do you want to play this song?' Davies was like, 'Starstruck?' I don't think I have even played that song before, I don't even know the words.' I was like, 'Well, I have them written out right here for ya. He told me that they had only played it on a German TV show."

"It was so bizarre that I blacked it out of my memory, immediately," laughs Case. "I was like, 'this is too good for me. I don't know what I am doing here.'"

In addition to their experience with Ray Davies, the band has also received spectator visits from Ian Hunter and Peter Wolf. In regards to the former leader singer for J. Geils' presence at a show in Boston, Dahle shares, "He actually showed us how to get out of town, drove us to the freeway. I was asking him about his marriage to--what was her name?--Faye Dunaway. He says he still talks to her."

Three years later, The New Pornographers have released their second full-length, "Electric Version." This sophomore disc shows no signs of slumping and includes "All For Swinging You Around," which gels eighties new-wave keyboards with the bubble-gum flavor of Spanky & Our Gang; "The New Face Of Zero and One," combining the rhythmic snap of Adam & the Ants with a sticks-like-glue chorus; "The Laws Have Changed" a song that packs the Beach Boys, GBV, the Cars, and Liz Phair into one 3:26 package of pop goodness; and "The End of Medicine," a song that should find George Martin rubbing his chin with satisfaction. "Electric Version" proves that Newman, Bejar, and company didn't spend all their stored-up talents on "Mass Romantic." Even though the band's previous endeavors didn't grab the attention of millions, the strength of the first two records by The New Pornographer have given rise to the band being referred to as the first true super-group of the new millennium. Move over Audioslave. The mention of the label strikes a chuckle from Dahle, who then mockingly questions, "Are we a super-group?"

Either way, with the accolades pouring in from around the globe and a tour that will keep the band busy for most of what's left of this year and possibly into the next, the long-awaited fruit of The New Pornographers has finally ripened and fallen from the vine. What is there to look forward to, besides enjoying an overdue bounty?

"Doing Conan would be cool," admits Dahle.

The New Pornographers perform at The Metro on July 6 with Organ and I Am Spoonbender.

(2003-07-02)

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