Back to Main Page
Scrapegoat hit the Yellowknife music scene with a bang about a month ago. So far, they've played the Bush Pilot's Brew Pub, Raven Mad Daze, the Float Base and now will play Beach Bash '95 and the beer stage at Folk on the Rocks - not bad, for a band that has only been together for three months.
Who are they and why are they so popular?
For one thing, they write their own music, getting inspiration from everything from the band's mutt mascot Jack to broken romances. The band's popularity stems from the fact that they are having a great time on stage and making music their fans love. "Scrapegoat's music has a hard edge, but it's totally melodic," says fan Leela Gilday. "They rock because they're a tight band." Becoming a tight band takes lots of practice, about four times a week. The guys have to rehearse especially hard because - although lead guitarist and vocalist Brahm Taylor has played in his basement for seven years anddrummer Dave Evoy has been a musician for 15 years - Mike Marykuca and Travis Armour are novices.
The guys met through Cindy Crawford - not the model, a woman who works at a downtown bookstore. It was a rough begining. Taylor was particularly unimpressed with the quality of sound at the first few practices. But they persevered and and, after a few months, the guys took a deep breath and played the Brew Pub. "Everyone had a great time and it was a real rush to seeing people dance to our music," Armour said. "The performance was the scariest thing in my whole life," said Taylor, who has been in theatrical productions for years but had only been a closet musician before Scrapegoat.
Marykuca feels the band's success is due to two things: sthey're good and they fill a niche in the city's music scene which has been empty since Small Town Rhino left town. "our music isn't alternative, it's not rock and roll, it's sort of Tragically Hip but it swings in different directions," said Evoy. Marykuca describes Scrapegoat's sound as a naked tribal rock and roll with an alternative swing. Whatever it sounds like, audiences are loving it.
But what will be on the band's agenda when Taylor goes to school in Vancouver this fall? "The real key is getting a CD done, sending it to Vancouver and Toronto. If they like it, who knows? Taylor may have to quit school," Armour said, smiling.