Harrison Hennick is a man of solution, and it has nothing to do with contact lenses or science class. When word got to him that Soul Plane was in search of a new vocalist, he had someone in mind that he knew was just perfect for the sound we were trying to achieve. In his words from a voice message he left:
”Hey man, I got a girl for Soul Plane if you guys are still looking… I think she can really kill it. I just dropped her a Facebook message telling her about you guys. I used to jam with her with my own band and I’m probably going to be recording her this summer. She’s got a real smooth, soulful voice; I think you’ll love it… it’s definitely gonna fit the music. Anyway, get back to me when you get a chance and we’ll talk about it some more. Peace.”
Maybe it’s the several years of hands-on, ears-on training they receive at schools like Trebas, Harris, and Metalworks; maybe it’s the fact that they’ve worked with so many different artists and bands after setting themselves up that they’ve come to learn the secret to defining “good and bad” in such a subjective domain; whatever it is, there’s something about a qualified studio engineer’s opinion that makes it sovereign.
So get back to him I did. The result? BAM. Everyone gets it in the shorts.
Melanie is a powerhouse. I have never in my life seen someone sing so much, so tirelessly over such a short period of time. From Soul Plane practices to Machinehead recording sessions to recording sessions at Vlad’s studio in Waterloo, Melanie has more than clearly put it in my face that she is a force to be reckoned with – the last time I saw someone with this much vocal stamina I was alone in a house of mirrors.
In the three short weeks I’ve had to get to know her, she’s already done up two new radio singles with Soul Plane (“Impossible” and “Liquor on the Curb”), recorded a third track (“Life is Beautiful”), learned enough of our material to play a showcase set with us, and put the last piece of the puzzle that is my solo demo in place for the final master. Appointments have already been made with Machinehead to finish recording the rest of the vocals for the demo for when she gets back from her trip on June 1st. I can honestly say that I am intimidated, almost to the point of feeling emasculated, by her dedication, productivity, and efficiency. On the other hand, it feels good to have someone on the team as enthusiastic about the music as the rest of us are. I’m emotionally confused – this must be what pregnancy feels like.
The funny thing is that she’s been sick throughout most of these recordings with a bad cold, but the material she’s been throwing at us thus far has been nothing short of quality. This means that when she’s at 100% she will steamroll your face. Seriously, she’s recorded sick with both Dave and Vlad, and neither studio engineers really felt it was bad enough to call it an early night. In fact, they only pushed her harder to get the most out of her (but never as hard as she pushed herself), and their efforts were not in vain. In fact, her vocals for the Soul Plane tracks were so hot that it made Dave call the band back in to re-record all the instrumentals for a May 24th-25th, overnight session (join us if you have the balls) so that the instrumental caliber/tightness would match those of the new vocals. That’s how good she was. I know it’s only been three weeks, but this girl has proven time and time again that despite her current poor health conditions and despite her busy-ass schedule (during the entire 1.5hr-long ride from Waterloo back to Toronto, she was text messaging her friends to make plans for the night. She took her eyes off her Blackberry maybe once. To sneeze.), she can still come through in spades for us.
On a performance level, I don’t think Soul Plane has anything to worry about, either: Melanie is on the mainstream hip hop dance team at the University of Western Ontario, and gyrates her pelvis with them four times a week during the school year. Clearly this means she’s got some concept of stage presence, rhythmic movement, and energy – I’m confident she can bring it on if the music’s right (and I’ve been told it is).
But oopsy, there’s that whole distance thing again (the very same reason Blythe had to bounce). Fortunately, I’m able to list off a few reasons why we’re not too worried about it: she is my age, 21, going into her final year of university. Provided she doesn’t flunk out, she’s only got eight more months of being in London, ON from Sept ’08 onwards, and then she’s back in Toronto for a good chunk of time. During those eight months, she’ll be fully mobile and has already promised to come home at least twice a month for practices and any extra time that’s needed for recordings and shows. The only time she said she might have to duck out is during midterm season and exams, but even I duck out then, and I work around the clock for this band. Sure, the future’s uncertain, but based on the observations stated above, I’m going to give her more than just the benefit of doubt.
On the drive home from Waterloo, Melanie confided in me that before Soul Plane came around, she was ready to shift her life’s focus away from singing completely. That would have been the ultimate in sad states of affairs. She proceeded to tell me that the studio experiences and the practice sessions have been a crucial factor in restoring her faith in herself, and in music. I replied by telling her about how this winter has been real depressing for the band, not having shows and not having a present vocalist, that any lesser of a band would have gotten discouraged and split up. I could tell by her reaction that she knew as well as I did that if Soul Plane re-ignited the spark that would eventually build into a passionate fire for music in her, she did the exact same for us. I mean, seriously, the last time we’ve been this excited as a band, I was on the verge of punching a crackhead in the jaw outside the Rancho Relaxo after the Art Jam.
We’re coming, y’all.
