Standard Form Archives - Kreative Kontrol

The excellent Toronto record label Idée Fixe celebrates its fifth anniversary this week with two hometown shows. On Thursday February 25, established and gifted artists like Jennifer Castle, Bry Webb, Alex Lukashevsky, and Schmidt’s solo outlet, Fiver, play the Horseshoe Tavern. The next night, Friday February 26, newer additions to the label like Bart, Doc Dunn & Co., Mauno, and Schmidt’s other band the Highest Order will play a show together at the Garrison.

Idée Fixe is owned and operated by Jeff McMurrich and Alex Durlak. McMurrich is a seasoned and well-respected recording engineer and producer who owns and operates a studio called 6 Nassau St. His credits include albums by Constantines, Alvvays, Bruce Cockburn, Rockets Red Glare, Fucked Up, and many more. Durlak is a musician and designer who founded Standard Form, a print shop and occasional label and publisher.

Here, they along with musicians Simone Schmidt of the Highest Order and Fiver, and Christopher Shannon of Bart, a new addition to the label, discuss the history and significance of Idée Fixe and celebrate five years of high quality work and mutual R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

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Related links: ideefixerecords.com vishkhanna.com

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The following piece was published in truncated form on CBC Music. Here’s the full version.

In the summer of 1995, the Super Friendz released their debut LP, Mock Up, Scale Down on Sloan’s murderecords imprint. At the time, Mock Up, Scale Down seemed like another exciting document from a prolific Halifax music scene that launched Sloan, Thrush Hermit and Joel Plaskett, Jale, Al Tuck,Buck 65 and more into the national consciousness. But over the years, as young bands like Zeus and the Bicycles touted its influence, the record’s status has grown further.

The three-headed songwriting democracy of Charles Austin, Matt Murphy and Drew Yamada inspired legions of fans and younger musicians with their skillfully crafted, explosive, thinking man’s pop-rock balladry. Drummer Dave Marsh, with his enigmatic, occasional membership, gave them the perfect rhythmic foundation they found so elusive in an oddly Spinal Tap-ish way (no drummers were harmed in the making of this band but they sure didn’t stick around for long).

The Super Friendz played the Halifax Pop Explosion this past October. Their last release was 2003’s Love Energy and, before last month’s show, they’d been quiet for about nine years. On Friday, Nov. 16, they play Toronto’s Lee’s Palace and, to mark the return of one of the greatest North American rock bands, an oral history of their formation and first album seemed in order. This is it, here we go.