Let’s Revisit the Past
It all started in the 70s, in Ville Lorraine, a wonderful suburb 30-40 minutes from
Montreal. By a curious combination of circumstances, the destinies of four families were
to intersect. Even before we were born, ties between our families already existed.
Among others, Pierre-Marc’s father had been invited to the wedding of Denise and Guy,
François’ parents, in 1964. Sometime later the two families settled on the same street,
la rue Domrémy. On the other hand, Mat’s mother and mine had met in April 1971 at
Notre-Dame Hospital in Montreal where they had respectively given birth to their first
children. At that time, my parents were already living in Lorraine, and they had praised
the town to the Joly’s. Sometime later they will move there. In short, we were therefore
a few minutes, even seconds of walk from each other.
Why am I writing this story to you? To explain that at the beginning, our relationship
was built through a real bond of friendship, enriching experiences, patience, and
support. We grew up playing street hockey, walking to school together, skateboarding,
smoking cigarettes (and other substances) and drinking alcohol. During adolescence, all
we were interested in was being together and listening to music. Believe me, there was
something special in Lorraine and for our friends during this time.
From friendship to a band
Initially there was friendship, but then it was music. How many times have we listened
to or watched Pink Floyd “Dark Side of the Moon” or “Live at Pompei”, U2 “The Joshua
Tree” or “Rattle & Hum the movie”, Led Zeppelin “I, II, III, IV » or « The Song Remains
the Same » and be in awe of these giants? Too often probably. In any case, enough
times for us to decide to buy some gear. The question was who was going to sing. Mat
had the ideal profile even though we did not know if he could sing. However, he had this
“thing”, the look, the charisma, a mixture of Jim Morrison, Bono and Eddie Vedder.
After various experiences in different formations, it was officially in 1997 that the group
became official as we know it. At the time we were called Moonraker. It was a wink to
James Bond as we often watched Agent 007 movies after our Friday night rehearsals
which we called the “Friday Night Blues”. It was at this time that Dominic entered the
band and where we developed the chemistry of the group, integrating all our influences
(Beatles, Portishead, David Bowie, Massive Attack, PJ Harvey, Pink Floyd, The Cure, etc. )
without really questioning what our style was. But we knew we had that “thing”. We
were loud, melodic, with a singer with a powerful voice like I have rarely seen.
Obviously, to be a good rock band, you need a good drummer and we had the best in
town. Pierre-Marc has this ability to adapt to any music and have his drum signature.
Success
In the years that followed, we filled most venues in Montreal, we moved to Toronto for
almost 2 years to create a buzz, polish our music and get a record deal. Afterwards, it
was the success of “Tomorrrow Starts Today”. We have been touring for almost two
years in America and Europe, winning and being nominated for Junos Awards. Anytime
we turned on the radio we could hear “Out Of My Head”, “Montreal Calling” or “See
Right Through Me”. It is an adventure that I will never forget. We had reached, in a way,
the National Hockey League, but we had a 2-way contract. Someone once said “you
have your whole life to write your first album, but you have 3 weeks to write the next
one”. The pressure that we had felt for “Tales From the City” was BIG.
No one is to blame
I won’t blame anyone for what happened next. Especially not the record company or the
industry. They have been generous with us. Looking back, I interpret it as fatigue within
the group. After two years of touring, traveling, drinking too much, and partying too
much, it wears out no matter what you say. Add to that the composition and recording
of a new album, the construction of an ambitious recording studio and there are several
factors predisposing to burnout. There are some good moments on “Tales From the
City,” but nothing out of the ordinary. This is often the case for a second album for most
bands. Fortunately, there was the single “The Killer” which to this day remains one of
our favorites to play live and for our fans. But little by little, the atmosphere
deteriorates, each blaming the other for all the problems that the band encounters. We
could draw a parallel with a love story. Who’s to blame? A relationship is played out by
two (or more) where several factors, conscious and unconscious, contribute to the
balance or to its weakening. In short, the end was inevitable. It is inevitable! Might as
well deal with it.
2011 to 2016
Secretly, I dreamed of the idea that Mobile was going to create a new project. I
developed several sketches during this period which are found on “Roadmap To
Redemption”, among others, “Surreal Seeker”, “Modern Lovers”, and Come to Where
I’m From. I had a vision for the project: to give free rein to the imagination, without
restriction and without judgment. It goes back to the saying “you have your whole life to
write your first album”. Already, there were around thirty ideas, admittedly incomplete,
which had been recorded. I knew there were magical moments that needed to be
developed. The challenge was to convince my dear lads to return to service. Pierre-Marc
has always been my best ally. He was the one who convinced Mat and Frank to let me
join the band in 1997. We were also roommates on tour and he was often the one who
listened to my sketches and advised me on the direction we could take. It was then to
him that I turned to hear his impressions. Part of my bet was won. It was necessary to
solicit the others and arouse their interest. Mat was the most resistant to the idea of
taking up the torch. So, we agreed to do a show to see if the chemistry, that indefinable
“thing”, was to be there. The timing was ideal, that of celebrating the 10th anniversary
of “Tomorrow Starts Today”. On November 17, 2016, at the Fairmount Theater in
Montreal, in a sold-out room, it was confirmation that we still had this sacred fire inside.
My bet was won, this secret that I had been keeping for a few years was about to
materialize.
To “Roadmap To Redemption”
Now that I had the support of the lads, it was now time to plan the project and bring it
to fruition. I had invested, for several years, in recording equipment, which allowed us
to develop the ideas that we had accumulated without having to go into big expensive
studios.
In March 2020, Mat and I were thinking about seeking help to get off the known paths.
So we called on Matt DeMatteo, our producer on “Tomorrow Starts Today” whom we
trusted. We had agreed that he would participate in the writing of certain songs and
that he would introduce us to ideas from scratch. Also, he strongly encouraged us to
continue towards the sound of the 80s with very Depeche Mode, A-Ha ideas, with Linn
Drums or Roland 808s. In total, five songs were co-written with Matt DeMatteo and
they are fantastic. The challenge was how to mix the sound of the 80s, the synths and
the drum machines with the guitars and the rock side of Mobile.
And the pandemic is coming, and the delays are getting longer. Despite everything, we
continued to write new songs including “In My Heart”. One of the turning points was
when we sought the help of co-producer Gautier Marinof to finalize the album. He
pulled off a tour de force, that of putting the drum machines aside. These lacked feel
and Gautier managed to make Pierre-Marc’s drum sound between a real natural drum
and synthetic sounds. “In My Heart” and “Hard Luck” are perfect examples. We also
entrusted the final mix to Gautier, because he arrived late in the project, he had a more
objective ear and he understood where the band wanted to go. His work on the album is
simply outstanding.
On March 31, we’re dropping 10 songs. This is the hardest part in my opinion. Very early
in the process, I decided to revisit the past, explore the musical library that had built and
structured me as an artist. In the end, more than 60 ideas were worked on to finally be
limited to ten. This project, I must admit, was an experience with its ups and downs, a
desire to give up and a desire to see it through. Finally, the desire to go all the way won
out.
In conclusion, I would like to thank the members of the band, François and Pierre-Marc
for agreeing to join this new project and for believing in it. Also, thank you to my dear
friend Dominic with whom I share a great friendship, who accepted that the project go
ahead despite his decision to go in another direction. Thanks to his replacement, Alex,
who brings contagious energy and thrives on challenges. Finally, I would like to thank
Mat who also had immense courage to go and revisit his life story, his moments of
happiness, sadness, anger and doubts. I know that many will be able to identify with his
words.
This album is a tribute and a reflection on our history, our city, our past…
-Christian “Criq” Brais