“We’ve made it our mission not to take any of this seriously,” states Space Elevator singer/guitarist Scotty Karate. A Toronto-based band that are sick of taking calculated steps towards the brass ring, Space Elevator are all about the enjoyment.
“We’ve all been in bands that were driven to excel to the point where it wasn’t even fun anymore. This time around, we’re just doing it for the pure fun of it.”
Comprised of Karate, bassist/singer Mad Dog and drummer Jesse 2 Times, Space Elevator have been bringing their brand of high-energy pop rock n’ roll to ecstatic crowds for almost two years. Celebrating the release of their self-titled debut last month, they have been performing a select number of shows around the city, accepting only those gigs that offer the fewest hassles.
“You reach a point in your life when you realize that maybe you aren’t going to be living the high life off your music,” deadpans 2 Times. “It’s this strange realization that over the years, you’ve forgotten how to enjoy playing music for music’s sake, ’cause you were so wrapped up in ‘making it.’ With Space Elevator, we all just realized that you should be getting everything you need from playing, not worrying who’s in the crowd watching or how many people showed up, or ‘did anyone hear that mistake?'”
Of course, this doesn’t mean success is an enemy, as Mad Dog relates. “No one in their right mind would turn it down if they had a record deal offered to them. I mean, hey, why not let someone else pay for your fun. But with this album, we just wanted to do our best, make it the way we wanted and hopefully some people will enjoy it. It’s that simple. Anything more is just icing…”
Hearing even one song is enough to know Space Elevator is touting something unique. Their ability to bring a fresh sense of enjoyment to the stage permeates the crowd in a heartbeat. Similarly, having been in various incarnations of the band over the past 13 years, Karate and 2 Times carry with them a strange form of musician’s ESP: they follow one another in the blink of an eye. There’s an old joke about bandmates knowing each other better than their own spouses. Space Elevator make it fact.
“Sometimes I know where Jesse is going with a song before he does,” jokes Karate. “Someone needs to finish your songs,” is the quick retort.
And what do those songs sound like? Imagine the swagger of Elvis, the energy and vitality of James Brown, the simplicity of the Ramones and the twangy strut of Southern Culture On The Skids, and you might be close. Might be.
“It sounds like a cliché, but I have to say that we don’t generally enjoy comparisons and classifying,” says Karate.
“I know that you have to do it in order to give people an idea of how bands sound, but it just seems so limiting. Then you’re expected to stay in that frame. Not that we’ll do that, though. We’re all about keeping people guessing.”
“But if we had to be compared to anybody,” adds Mad Dog, “I suppose we could have worse company!”
