Background: I went to high school with Melanie McDonald. We are both alumni from St. Joesph's Secondary School. We both perused paths in music, and those paths crossed about a year ago, and we became reacquainted. I have a lot of respect for Melanie McDonald, I think she is a very talented, entertaining, and a dedicated musician. Melanie McDonald a singer songwriter, and she is also the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of Cornwall Ontario rock band The General Electryk. At 28 years old Melanie McDonald has played shows in Canada and Australia, and this past year The General Electryk released a full length CD, and they opened up for Chantal Kreviazuk at Cornwall's Lift Off 2010. McDonald's influences include: The Cardigans, Natalie Merchant, Holly McNarland, Blue Rodeo, Stevie Nicks, Portishead, Sarah MacLachlan, and Thom Yorke.
The Interview:
Jason Setnyk: What's the name of your band? What's the origin of that name? Have you changed the band's name before?
Melanie McDonald: The name of the band is The General Electryk, our Australian bass player Shem Aitken came up with this name in 2008 during our first rehearsal as a band. Actually, it was The General Electryks to start but we took a vote to lose the 's' at the end. Shem still call us the General Electryks to this day. It drives me insane.
Jason Setnyk: What is it like playing in Australia? Is it any different than playing here in Canada?
Melanie McDonald: Life in General, pardon the pun, is quite different in Australia. We are living in a rainforest area full of palm trees, green rolling hills, frogs, snakes, spiders, loud bats and fruit trees- but playing in Australia isn't much different from playing in Canada. Once I'm onstage, and in my zone, it's like a moving meditation. I could be on a farm or in a grocery store for all I know.
Jason Setnyk: What are your rehearsals generally like? Do you have a set time each week in which you practice or are rehearsals more spontaneous?
Melanie McDonald: Rehearsals? Funny you should ask. I'm the worst for practising or rehearsing but when the pressure's on for a big gig, we cram sessions in. In saying that, I do think rehearsing is really important but I love the rush of playing by instinct and seeing what comes out of that. We've been lucky to play with great musicians like Jason Ryan and Marc D. Muir to make that possible.
Jason Setnyk: Could you briefly describe the music-making process?
Melanie McDonald: As for the music-making process, I know it's corny to say this but I truly feel like my voice and my hands are tools for something to move through me. When I try hard to write a song and think about it too much, it stops the flow. When we wrote 'Brûlée', it was at the end of a rehearsal. We were all tired, having spent 4 hours hashing through the 'Lift-Off' set, and as we were packing up, Marc started playing this lick which I was immediately drawn to. I had lots of inspiration at the time. I have a long lost uncle who had contacted me just weeks earlier, and I knew right away that the melody would lend itself well to French lyrics. The next day, we got together and I wrote the lyrics for it in about a half an hour. We spent the next month running over fine details like the intro, pauses and breaks in the song, and the bridge and ended up with what I think is the best song on the album.
Jason Setnyk: How can fans-to-be gain access to your music? Do you have a website with sample songs or a demo CD?
Melanie McDonald: Fans-to-be can listen online at www.generalelectryk.com or on facebook under Melanie and The General Electryk. The album is available for purchase in Cornwall at Melody Music, Strung-Out Guitars, Pommier Jewellers, and at Flowers Cornwall. Ottawa fans can buy our album at CD Warehouse locations and at Compact Music locations. The album will be available on iTunes Feb 14th, 2011
The General Electryk's next show is Saturday, January 15th, 2011 at the Bangalow Hotel in Bangalow Australia.
Visit the General Electryk at their website: www.generalelectryk.com
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