Clinical Investigator Offers Sounds That Won’t Anger

Roncesvalles & Grenadier, Toronto, Friday May 1, 2009

After years of composing impromptu non-lyrical free form neo-melodic metal ballads within the confines of a small studio space in the west end of Toronto, Clinical Investigator has decided to try things that might push a few more boundaries. Having formed it’s experimental ensemble in the winter of 1980, the members of Clinical Investigator have never been clear on what niche of the music industry they wanted to target, preferring instead to remain silent and local with their offerings, often not even playing their instruments or singing together during rehearsals over the last 29 years.

Regardless of their often insulated career, Clinical Investigator strives on, and brings us for the first time in their 29 years together their first major release called “Doesn’t Anger Me”, comprised of 29 songs for each year they have been together, playing fruitfully amongst the range of gypsy-callispo-funk, folk-rough-neo-classical to alterna-pop-swing-blues with a hidden track at the end of the record offering a dinner conversation had between one of the band members (whom will remain nameless to keep some mystery to the track), speaking to his cat. This track in particular has been receiving rave reviews across various fan blogs online, due to its often-riveting dialogue of purrs and whispers. When asked what prompted said track to be included on their first release, Leo & Eli, the two founding members of the ensemble both answer “without it, there would be no album. I mean the one thing that keeps us all, I think from getting too angry about our lives is our relationships with our cats. So at the end of the day, if we are going to put an album out there called “Doesn’t Anger Me”, then hell, we have to include the cats!”

When asked about the origin of their band name, Leo notes “We always liked the idea that one could investigate things seen as unemotional, cold and clinical, things that imply a lack of comfort. We often aim to find a lack of comfort in our music making, feeling like we hit our best notes when we are most agitated and challenged by what happens during our rehearsals. That’s how the album finally came to be really, because we’ve learned over these 29 years to find a place of peace with that discomfort we get from our music. It used to drive us crazy that we couldn’t make anything sound good, and now, well it “Doesn’t Anger Us” because we’ve made it the very basis of our sound!”

Listening to the album certainly drives this point to full fruition. There is a discomfort of sorts to their songs, one you have to sit with just long enough to find a calm, a sense of acceptance with. Once that is found, it’s hard to be angry with what Clinical Investigator is creating. This is one album that deserves more than one investigation.

Catherine Mellinger is a freelance reporter for Making Your Day Sporadically (previously Making Your Day Bi-Monthly) currently reporting from Toronto, Canada throughout the spring and summer. For more articles, please link to our blog at www.makingyourday.blogspot.com

 

The Real Andrew Westoll

Richmond & Brant, Toronto, Sunday Nov 1, 2008

It is every writer's dream to meet the author of a book that has moved him or her. It is an even dreamier dream to meet the author behind the author of said book. Recently my dream came true when I met "Andrew Westoll", the author of Riverbones: Stumbling After Eden in the Jungles of Suriname. That is, I met the real Andrew Westoll.

Elana Freeman, Toronto performer and writer has been keeping a secret. A very well written secret. Freeman and I meet at her office near Queen St. and Spadina in downtown Toronto for tea and to discuss her new book Riverbones, released in bookstores last week by McClelland & Stewart Ltd. The book tell of a journey to Suriname; "one of the least travelled countries in South America, a little-known land of myth, magic and ecological wonder." It is the story of Andrew Westoll, and aspiring primatologist of 23 years old who spent a year in the jungles of Suriname to study monkeys, then returns years later haunted by its jungles and in need of finding answers to why he is transfixed by such an unknown country. Upon meeting Freeman it is apparent that the jungle is her inspiration, as she answers the door wearing her leopard rimmed glasses, her outfit of choice, she tells me, when working. Her office is laden with tiny plastic jungle animals; zebras, tigers, rhinoceri.

"I've never been to Suriname" Freeman admits. "You know when you were younger and you played that game with the globe, spinning it dizzyingly until you stopped it harshly, thudding your finger down and landing on the country you are supposedly meant to visit when you are older? Well, I still play that game, and a few years ago, my finger landed on this tiny hardly noticeable country just north of Brazil called Suriname. I like the name, and I know there was no chance in hell I would ever go there, so I made stuff up about it." And so this is where Riverbones began, as well as the journey into the secret mind of Elana Freeman.

Reading the book, one would think it is impossible to have created such seemingly well-researched material, fine details of experiences seeming so real, so tangible. "If any of the stuff I wrote turns out to be true, it's a total fluke." says Freeman.

She is so good at creating secrets in fact that she has hired a man by the name of Andrew to take the book on tour for her, even hiring a photographer to shoot Andrew swimming in lake Ontario (subbing in for the waters off the shore of Suriname) to fulfill the need for an author's photo on the book's back cover. "I feel no need to make a big deal out of it. I didn't want to go on tour. I met this guy Andrew in Toronto at a party at the Gladstone. I think his last name was Westin, but I told him if he changed it to Westoll there could be some fame in it for him." Andrew is said to be a budding author all his own. Though he was unavailable for questioning, judging by the website up for the book, it seems he is keeping busy fulfilling the personae of the books author.

What is next for Freeman? Unlike what the website states of the upcoming work about Bolivia, which is in fact an adventure Andrew Westin (aka: Andrew Westoll) will be taking on himself in the near future, Freeman prefers to return to performance, creating an upcoming country soirée to take place in the New Year. When asked what she thinks of Andrew taking on his own book, she notes courteously, "Good luck to him. I don't see why he would actually go all the way out there to write about something, but hey, if that's how he likes to work, so be it."

So it seems this story is not yet over, but it is certain to be an adventure, whether in the real jungles, or the jungles of the mind.

Catherine Mellinger is a freelance reporter for Making Your Day Sporadically (previously Making Your Day Bi-Monthly) currently reporting from Toronto, Canada.

(for more information about Riverbones: Stumbling After Eden in the Jungles of Suriname, visit www.andrewwestoll.com)

Is Your Child an Addict?

46th & Ulloa, San Francisco, Sunday Aug 17, 2008

No one would ever expect their child to become an addict, but there is a community forming in San Francisco that is ready to make you see otherwise, and the culprit is one that many would believe to be harmless, even healthy; smoothies.

"It started for us as an easy breakfast. We're all so busy, and smoothies are just so damn simple and quick to make. We never thought it would come to this, no one would" one mother, who asked to remain nameless shared with me this past week when I attended a meeting of a new support group called SMOOTH-EEZ where parents and their children come together to support each other in overcoming their smoothie addictions. In describing how this "easy breakfast" came to be an addiction, this mother notes "when it's one smoothie a day you don't worry, when it's two you think 'Great! I'm helping them build a healthy habit,' but then you get to three or four, and you start to witness meltdowns when they don't get their smoothies, that's when you start to worry." Another mother, Sandy, whom I met at the meeting also added "When it got to it's worst stage for me, and when I knew we needed help is when she started double-fisting." Sandy was referring to her daughter Mandy, who having just celebrated her second birthday has been caught numerous times "double-fisting" her smoothies, meaning drinking two at once (pictured with this article).

Smoothies have long been the source of a healthy breakfast for those on the run, or a quenching snack during a busy afternoon. Many establishments, such as Jamba Juice have sprouted throughout California and many other states serving various smoothie concoctions to customers. Flavours range from the classic "Citrus Squeeze" blend of strawberry, banana, pure orange juice (often referred to as "OJ" by many) and pineapple juice, to more complex combinations such as the "Peanut Butter Moo'd" which combines a protein blend chocolate "moo'd" base, frozen yogurt, soya milk, peanut butter, bananas and ice.

We don't serve those under 6 without a parent doing the ordering" one store manager said in an impromptu interview, who asked that his name not be shared. "It's not that it's company police, it's just common sense" he added. Asked if they were aware of a growing problem of young addicts, the manager seemed quite surprised "you're kidding right?"

SMOOTH-EEZ meets once a month, and offers support via e-mail if needed. Though the group is in it's early stages, some have already noticed the difference in their children. Scott, a father who brings his 5 year old son Scout with him to group said "We've got him off strawberries now which is a start. Mango is another issue entirely, but at least we got the strawberries out of the mix." THis is a start it seems, once much better than waking up to a toy car being thrown in his face first thing in the morning, which was what used to wake Scott if he had not prepared and kept a smoothie in the fridge for Scout the previous evening. It seems it's one ingredient at a time for many in this group, where all can find a fresh start in overcoming this addiction.

Catherine Mellinger is a freelance reporter for Making Your Day Sporadically, currently reporting from an Francisco until early fall.

(For more information about smoothies and their various ingredients, visit www.jambajuice.com)

Bunny Sox said to harass fisherman

46th & Ulloa, San Francisco, Sunday August 3, 2008

Rumours began circulating earlier this week that a rabbit, known by locals as Bunny Sox, had become increasingly harassing to local fisherman. First spotted late in the afternoon on June 17th, Mr.Sox seemed to be a simple beach lounger who enjoyed watching as the fishermen cast their reels into the tides of Ocean Beach. Soon enough however, some fishermen became increasingly perplexed by Mr.Sox's consistent appearance on the beach and often, they say, staying for hours at a time simply sitting and "looking kinda creepy" as one fisherman was quoted saying.

"We just don't know why he keeps showing up like this, it affects my fishing having him staring at me all afternoon" one fisherman, who asked that his name not be published, told me. Three complaints have been submitted to police, but unless Mr.Sox makes advances or threatens any of the fisherman vocally or in writing, nothing can be done of this watcher.

Fishermen have been using Ocean Beach as a meeting place for decades, often casting several reels at one to ensure maximum fish catching capabilities. Many feel they have formed a community here, meeting at the same time each morning, passing off spots to those who come later i nthe afternoon, as the early risers head home. They feel it is a community of understanding and silence, where not many words need to be shared, where the catch of one fisherman is celebrated by all. The silence of Mr.Sox however has changed this community some feel, in a way that no one could have expected.

Mr. Angler, one local who has been fishing on Ocean Beach for over 10 years, having started when he bought a small house on 47th Ave. in his retirement to be in closer proximity to his favoured San Francisco fishing location shared his thoughts with me at low tide this past week; "Sure, we don't talk much, but we all fish. And sure we have people walking by all the time, but they don't sit and stare you know? At least not without asking questions about our lives, or what you are looking to catch, not without engaging with you. Sox however, he just sits there, never talking to any of us but just staring. There is something weird about that as far as I'm concerned."

No one seems to know where this will go, but Mr.Sox definitely has people keeping an eye on his watching habits. When asked for comments, Mr.Sox refused to answer questions.

Catherine Mellinger, freelance reporter for Making Your Day Sporadically reporting from San Francisco until early fall.