Hazed psychedelic improvisational outfit conceived in the woods west of Ottawa with occasional guests. A mind melting band!

“We just plug-in and play for the most part.”

Who’s behind Bigfoot Coroners?

Trevor: Jeff and me. On occasion, Troy (on bass) will join us for some jams and live recordings when he’s up to it, and has the time. Otherwise, it’s ostensibly a two-man show – from playing, to recording, to promotion and just about everything else. We share the load.

Here’s the break down of who plays what:

Trevor – guitar, synth, bass
Jeff – drums

Troy (part time) – bass, double bass

Would you like to talk a bit about your background?

It’s a rather unremarkable one, so I’ll keep it short. We knew each other in high school, played in a few bands (not together) and finally ended up in the same one during our twenties/thirties. When that dissolved, it was not long before Jeff and I regrouped to jam again, since we stayed in touch all along.

What’s the concept behind Bigfoot Coroners?

I don’t think musical or artistic works and/or endeavours necessarily need explanation or interpretation from the purveyor(s). It’s kind of pandering in my opinion. If someone has an idea about how the band is portrayed, why take that away from them? Music and bands are often very personal to a lot of people, and I wouldn’t want to spoil it for anybody. I know it’s a bit of a cop-out answer, but it’s the truth.

How do you usually approach music making? How important is improvisation for you?

We just plug-in and play for the most part. That’s why we thought it was accurate to attach the ‘improv’ label to our band site. To this day, neither of us has gone to jam with a riff, pattern, or even idea in mind. That could easily change at some point though, because we’re open to all possibilities, and what works for us now may not in the future.

To me, improvisation has always been integral to writing or creating music, as it can be the direct line to the unknown (with mixed results), and a lot of that is lost in repetition/recreation. Not to say you can’t get that energy back, but, nothing sounds better than the first time you play or hear a good tune. We try to capture that, with varying success.

Can you share some further details about how your latest album ‘Urban Fossils’ was recorded?

We recorded it ourselves, but don’t get me wrong, we’re not ‘gear heads’ or particularly technical people when it comes to the process. What we do is fairly minimalistic and we very much rely on the natural acoustics where we play. A couple mics on the drums, one or two for my guitar and/or synth, and one other for Troy’s bass if he’s there and not going direct-in. We’ll also mess around with mic placement, as it can have a big impact on the final sound.

<a href="https://bigfootcoroners.bandcamp.com/album/urban-fossils">Urban Fossils by Bigfoot Coroners</a>

In the live-off-the-floor studio (Jeff’s place) we recorded ‘A Telltale Sign’ all together, and in the small post-production studio (my place) I recorded ‘Boneyard Reveries’ in it’s entirety (Part I and II). As mentioned earlier, our stuff is “mostly” improv, and these were instances when overdubbing was needed. Jeff put his drum track on ‘Boneyard’ at his place, and I put the bass on both tracks at mine. The music at its core was improvised, and we added a few extra ingredients after the fact.

Where did you record it? What kind of equipment did you use and who was the producer? How many hours did you spend in the studio?

There are two home studios where recording takes place: the Almonteville Attic (Jeff’s somewhat rustic, but spacious attic), and Big Treble in Little China (my hole-in-the-wall apartment in Chinatown). If you don’t know the references, you’re just not old enough (and didn’t miss anything).

This is what we used on the album (and currently):

At AA, Jeff uses a ZOOM H6 to record.

At BTILC, I use a little Steinberg two channel recording unit.

As mentioned above, Jeff and I produced it, I mixed it, and JPM Mastering polished it for the vinyl release. They do good work.

Couldn’t tell you how many hours it took all in all, but for me, you can add up the tracks on the album, plus maybe an hour or two for the bass overdubs.

Are any of you involved in any other bands or do you have any active side-projects going on at this point?

This is it for me right now. Jeff jams with a few high school friends from time to time, and Troy is in another band.

Let’s end this interview with some of your favourite albums. Have you found something new lately you would like to recommend to our readers?

Jeff: Anything from Acid Mothers Temple, The Band Whose Name Is A Symbol and Dead Sea Apes, who are always contributing on a gigantic scale. Anything from Cardinal Fuzz, Riot Season, The Weird Beard, and Rocket Recordings are all guaranteed top notch. Of course, any late 60’s to mid-seventies Miles.

Troy: Dr. Lonnie Liston Smith is impressing me right now. The amount of varying musicality he’s covered over his huge discography is incredible. Inventions and Dimensions by Herbie Hancock was way ahead of its time; a great experimental Jazz album. Really digging Herbie right now – anything late 60’s early 70’s by him. Sextant is another great one. ‘Miles Smiles’ by the Miles Davis Quintet.

Trevor: See above. I listen to CKCU (Ottawa) quite a bit too.