Category: Features
Solving the skills shortage
Published in OE Magazine, December 2012
For years the oil & gas industry has faced a looming skills shortage: older, more experienced personnel are leaving the business while an influx of new blood with limited experience is coming onboard. Finding solutions for this skill shortage was on the minds of attendees at the Galveston forum. Audrey Leon reports.
Charlie Williams, executive director of the Center for Offshore Safety (COS), acknowledges that the skills gap is an industry-wide problem; however, he doesn’t believe the situation is dire.
‘We’ve been talking about an age gap for 10 years,’ Williams says. ‘The fact is, a lot of people have stayed a long time in the industry and people are staying longer and longer.’
Williams spent 40 years at Shell, most recently as chief scientist for the company’s well engineering and production technology division, before moving into his new role with COS in March. The organization, created in the aftermath of the Macondo disaster and supported by API, has focused on a number of safety-based initiatives regarding well control and completions as well as third party auditing.
Williams sees COS as an industry resource that can help bridge the skills gap through programs such as its contractor competency assurance plan, which measures and monitors
contractors’ training and mentoring systems. Learnings from this program will serve as a template that can be applied to other parts of the industry, not just contractors, Williams says. He sees the transition from an older to younger workforce as a gradual shift with older workers opting to stay on as consultants.
The industry is ‘not going to fall off a cliff like people thought,’ he says. ‘We’ve been good at recruiting people.’
However, Williams notes that some workers right out of college lack the necessary math and science skills and technical degrees to do the work. Companies are finding they must go to high school age and even younger to draw young people into those fields. ExxonMobil, for instance, sponsors a series of programs aimed at middle-school aged children, such as ‘Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day’ where company employees can serve as on-site mentors.
A renewed focus on mentoring and training will help solve this problem, Williams says. Some companies are hiring professional mentors or competency coaches who can observe workers and decide whether a trainee would benefit from running the module again, Williams notes. More could do this internally, he says, but there is a difficulty in finding coaches and mentors. Williams believes the competency assurance program that COS is running can have a positive impact.
With the looming skills shortage and a serious need to reduce human error in the field, many presenters are addressing the topic of automation with a renewed interest (see lead
Analysis). The oil & gas industry, Williams says, should take advantage of automation and instrumentation to present information more effectively.
‘It’s gotten so complex that helping humans make better decisions, helping humans understand the information that is available and get better information is a challenge,’ Williams says.
See the pdf of this article by clicking here.
Black Elk fire victim dies
Originally published at OEdigital.com on November 26, 2012.
A second worker has died of injuries sustained after a fire broke out on Black Elk Energy’s production platform in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, the Philippine Embassy in Washington D.C. announced on 23 November 2012.
Baton Rouge General Hospital said 49-year-old Avelino Tajonera passed away due to complications from major burn injuries. Tajonera was one of four Filipino workers employed by Grand Isle Shipyard who had been hospitalized following the 16 November blaze on Black Elk’s production platform 18 miles offshore Grand Isle, Louisiana, in shallow water block West Delta 32.
Three workers remain hospitalized at Baton Rouge General; two are listed in critical condition and one, identified as Wilberto Ilagan, remains in serious but stable condition. Ilagan received burns on over 35% of his body.
Tajonera, of Dinalupihan, Bataan, is the fire’s second victim. The body of Elroy Corporal, 42, was recovered near the accident site on 17 November. A third worker, 28-year-old Jerome Malagapo, has not been found.
On Wednesday, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement issued a strong rebuke of Black Elk Energy’s safety record. BSEE said the Houston-based company has until 15 December to submit a performance improvement plan detailing the steps it will take to comply with federal regulations. If the company fails to do so, Black Elk stands to lose its ability to operate in the Gulf of Mexico.
‘Black Elk has repeatedly failed to operate in a manner that is consistent with federal regulations,’ said BSEE Director James A. Watson. ‘BSEE has taken a number of enforcement actions, including issuing numerous Incidents of Non Compliance (INC’s), levying civil penalties and calling in the company’s senior leadership to review their performance and the ramifications of failing to improve.
‘This is an appropriate and necessary step as we continue to investigate the explosion and fire that resulted in the tragic loss of life and injuries last week,’ Watson said.
Black Elk Energy spokeswoman Leslie Hoffman said the company appreciates BSEE’s perspective.
‘Safety is a high priority for Black Elk Energy and we will continue to work cooperatively with local and federal agencies to understand exactly what happened with the incident at our platform in the Gulf of Mexico,’ Hoffman said.
Black Elk’s platform was undergoing maintenance at the time of the fire and was not in production.
Rig deployed for Funiwa relief well
Originally posted at OilOnline.com on February 3, 2012.
Citing improved conditions at the fire-damaged K.S. Endeavor rig offshore Nigeria, Chevron has opted to drill a single relief well to plug the still-burning Funiwa Deep 1A gas well, the company said 2 February 2012.
Transocean’s GSF Baltic jackup rig, on loan from ExxonMobil, will drill the relief well, Chevron said.
In a statement to OilOnline.com, Chevron spokesman Sean Comey said dimishing intensity of the fire and a decreased flow of natural gas were factors in the decision to drill a single relief well.
Chevron Nigeria Ltd. ‘has assessed the conditions and drilling plans with a third party well control firm and has concluded that deploying a single rig to drill the relief well allows us to focus our efforts, providing the quickest and safest way to put out the fire and permanently seal the well in an effective and expedient manner,’ Comey said.
The company has not put a timeline on well control efforts.
‘We cannot predict how long it will take to put the fire out and permanently seal the well, but we will do so as quickly as possible while continuing to maintain safe operations,’ Comey said.
The company disputed reports of serious environmental damage related to the fire, including a local environmental group’s allegations that thousands of fish have washed ashore.
‘We continue to monitor the well and the surrounding area for impacts to the environment,’ Comey said. ‘Tests of the air and the water and constant monitoring of the beaches show there is no evidence of significant impact to the environment or the shoreline communities as a result of the incident.
‘We have encountered some dead fish, which may have swum into the hot water surrounding the fire. We have taken samples of the fish and are attempting to analyze the cause of death.’
The fire erupted on 16 January 2012 while the K.S. Endeavor jackup rig was drilling the Funiwa Deep 1A exploration well. The fire destroyed the rig and an associated barge, the Hercules Mako. Two contract workers were killed and another 152 workers evacuated.
The Funiwa Deep 1A well had been drilled to 12,945ft at the time of the fire. The well is six miles offshore in water depths of approximately 40ft..
The Funiwa field is located in Nigeria’s oil mining lease 86. Chevron operates the lease with 40% interest on behalf of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corp., which holds 60%.
Two missing after Funiwa fire
Originally posted at OilOnline.com on January 16, 2012.
Two workers are unaccounted for after a fire erupted at a jack-up rig located at Chevron Nigeria’s Funiwa field, the company confirmed 16 January 2012.
‘Search and rescue has successfully found 152 of 154 personnel,’ said Scott Walker, spokesman for Chevron Africa and Latin America, in an emailed statement to OilOnline.com. ‘We expect all of those rescued to be onshore and checked medically by 8pm. The fire is still burning. Early well control activation is ongoing.’
According to a release by Fode Drilling, the fire is thought to have broken out around 5 or 6 a.m. local time on the K.S. Endeavour jack-up rig, which was contracted by Chevron from Fode. Chevron said that rig and support barge personnel were evacuated to nearby North Apoi platform for medical assistance. Production at Apoi was halted due to its proximity to the fire. No cause has been identified.
‘We are still investigating the incident and are working to fully understand what happened,’ Walker said. ‘Our primary focus continues to be the safety and security of our workforce, including employees and contractors.’
Chevron initially reported that no spill occurred during the fire, but the company has now confirmed that sheen has been noticed in the vicinity of the gas well.
The Funiwa field is in Oil mining lease 86. Chevron operates the lease with 40% on behalf of Nigerian National Petroleum Corp., which holds 60%.
Living Art: Chicagoans celebrate Dia de los Muertos
Originally appeared in the October/November 2011 issue of Time Out Chicago Kids Magazine.
Click here to download full article.
Be Kind Rewind: The Cassette Tape Strikes Back
This article was originally published by LoudLoopPress.com on March 25, 2011.
By Audrey Leon
In the age of the incredibly shrinking, high-capacity mp3 player and numerous online music stores, independent artists are flocking to an unthinkable medium to get their music to the masses: the cassette tape.
Chicago is at the forefront of a subculture that is hitting the mainstream after an explosion of local cassette labels in town.
These labels serve as curators by catering to audiences and artists alike with eye-catching visuals and high production values that can only be rivaled by the original preferred format, vinyl, but at a fraction of the cost.
When it came to releasing its first EP “Sarcastic Summer,” the Chicago post-punk trio Rodeo turned to cassettes as an alternative option to digital downloads.
“While it is easy to throw some mp3′s on our [Bandcamp.com page], it doesn’t feel real unless we have something tangible to give,” said Rodeo’s vocalist Jordan Sirven. “Releasing a cassette allows us to create a unique product for our fans that hopefully will be played more than once.”
Rabble Rabble frontman Ralph Darski agreed stating that the cassette’s second-coming is tied to its tangibility as well its ease of use.
“It’s easy to lose that fulfilling connection to the music you love,” Darski said. “So people start reaching for something tangible and collectible to fill that void of connection, especially for local or indie music.
“A lot of people I’ve sold tapes to have said, ‘awesome I have a tape deck in my car. Now I can jam to you guys when I drive,’” Darski said.
Hollows lead singer Maria Jenkins echoed similar sentiments concerning why people racing back to cassettes.
“Tapes had never officially disappeared in my book,” Jenkins said. “They’re more fun to collect than CD-Rs.
“We grew up with cassette albums and cassingles, and even got a few love mix tapes from admirers in our day,” she said. “So it also seemed classic and somewhat nostalgic to release our first recordings this way.”
Rabble Rabble and Hollows are two of several bands to release its music via the cassette-only label Plustapes.
Dustin Drase, the label’s co-founder, said that originally he wanted to start an all-vinyl label with friends but they initially lacked the funds to do it properly.
“Cassette tapes were the easiest option since neither of us liked CDs,” Drase said. “CDs are bullshit,” he said of why the label concentrated on tapes only.
Sharing a similar distaste for the medium is Columbia College graduate Brett Naucke, founder of the Pilsen-based Catholic Tapes.
“I always disliked CDs,” he said. “I grew up with tapes and I always respected the aesthetic.
“I’ve always owned vinyl, but you can do more with the [tape’s] packaging.”
Naucke said that while he isn’t fond of cassettes as a fad, he isn’t entirely bothered by it.
“Four or five years ago there weren’t half as many tape labels – good or bad,” he said. “And now there’s tons of stuff coming out on cassette and I’m down with that.”
Memories of growing up with cassettes and the mixtapes friends would make for Drase emboldened him and Plustapes to turn audiences onto the bands they saw and enjoyed all over Chicago.
“We’re finding bands in their raw state,” Drase said. “For them, a tape is a low-risk way to give people a view of what you’re doing right now.”
Drase said he has seen orders drop over time, but he insists Plustapes is still steadily selling through runs as the label offers companion digital downloads with certain artist’s tapes.
“I’m not saying tapes are over,” Drase said. “But maybe they’re going back underground where they came from.”
Ambient pop artist Lindsay Powell, who also performs under the name Fielded, has had several releases with Naucke’s Catholic Tapes, including a recent full-length vinyl album “Terrageist.” Powell, 23, said she believes the cassette has staying power.
“As long as people want to make and buy them, they will be around,” Powell said. “It’s a beautiful thing.”
Behind the Scenes with Fugscreens
This article was originally published on LoudLoopPress.com on March 18, 2011.
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| Zissou Tasseff-Elenkoff and his newborn son Inka stand in the back office of Fugscreen studios on 1735 N. Ashland Ave., in Chicago. (Photo by Audrey Leon) |
By Audrey Leon
The building that houses Fugscreens Studios may be nondescript amongst the many sterile office buildings and schools that surround it on North Ashland Avenue, but the work that goes on inside is anything but.
The silk screener’s name isn’t as recognizable as Jay Ryan and Spudnik Press, but its gig poster handiwork can be seen around town at clubs like Schubas, The Empty Bottle or The Hideout on any given night.
“It snowballed a lot in the last year and a half,” said Fugscreen founder Zissou Tasseff-Elenkoff, a 2006 graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, of the studio’s visibility.
Tasseff-Elenkoff attributes this new found attention to his studio partly to moving into the commercial space on 1735 N. Ashland Ave. nearly two years ago. “It opened us up to professional contacts and enabled us to have interns and resident artists,” he said.
Plenty of up-and-coming bands such as Radar Eyes and Ornery Little Darlings, as well as underground ladies’ wrestling league the Mudqueens are repeat customers for Fugscreens’ designs and print work for their own promotional needs.
When Tasseff-Elenkoff talks about his studio’s success – such as landing big clients like Corona or the Jack White-helmed super group Dead Weather – he mentions luck. However, Mudqueens’ founder Meg Bell attributes it to talent.
“Zissou’s screen prints are amazing, unique and Chicago-centered,” Bell said. “I haven’t found anything else like it.”
Bell and the band Radar Eyes were turned on to Fugscreens by Dumpster Babies drummer Paul Puschautz.
“Paul would design our fliers and he found a guy (Zissou) who would print them for a reasonable price,” said Radar Eyes guitarist Anthony Cozzi. “We did a bunch of them and they turned out great.
“I always really liked what he was doing,” Cozzi said.
Retro rocking duo Ornery Little Darlings didn’t come to Zissou, he came to them, frontman Jason Ewers said.
“We were playing a Lincoln Hall show (last May) and he asked to do the poster for it,” Ewers said. “We had a cool response and we’ve continued and continued.”
With Fugscreens having printed or designed many of Ornery Little Darlings’ posters, Ewers hesitated to pick a favorite.
“My favorite poster is always the new one and always the next one,” he said.
Tasseff-Elenkoff started Fugscreens out of his apartment over three years ago as a way to further his own art. Tasseff-Elenkoff said he began teaching by chance after a potential roommate inquired about lessons after seeing his home set up.
He soon began taking on students such as long-time patron Louie Russo. Russo, his sister and mother all came to Tasseff-Elenkoff to learn silk-screening to further their own artistic creativity.
“It was a nice outlet for me,” Russo said. “I realized what screen printing was and what I could do with it.”
And now it is even easier for those interested in screen printing to take classes at Fugscreens. The studio began working with Groupon to offer large group (10-14 people) classes starting Thursday, March 24 and continuing for the next five months.
“It’s going to be intense,” Tasseff-Elenkoff said. “People tried to advise me against it, but it’s good for the shop.”
The 28-year-old father of a newborn said ideally he would rather focus on his own fine art prints and gig posters, but believes teaching has its own rewards.
“I like teaching, especially when you get someone who’s interested and really loves doing it,” Tasseff-Elenkoff said.
For those looking to get into screen printing on their own Tasseff-Elenkoff said it is tough, but doable.
“Chicago has one of the strongest print communities in the country,” he said, “It has a long history so there’s a lot of equipment hanging around that you could get inexpensively.
“Have confidence in what you do and go for it,” Tasseff-Elenkoff said.
Livin’ La Vida Language
Originally published by Today’s Chicago Woman magazine on January 1, 2011.
Multilingual professionals are highly prized, so why not be one?
While English may be the most commonly used language in the global business world, not everyone prefers to speak it. For this reason, bilingual or multilingual speakers are highly coveted by employers. Luis Larrea, a DePaul University professor who specializes in international business and marketing, believes the benefits of being a multilingual professional are endless. “The more you know about the country (language and culture), the better position you’re in to do business,” he says. “It’s all about relationships.” Several foreign language academies around town offer a variety of classes for professionals with busy schedules.
By Audrey Leon
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Multilingual Chicago
2934 North Milwaukee Avenue, Suite C, 773.292.7676
Nestled between numerous banks and furniture stores, on a bustling stretch of North Milwaukee Avenue sits the foreign language academy Multilingual Chicago. The center grew out of owner and linguistic anthropologist Jill Bishop’s primary company, Workforce Language Services, which provides language training and translation services for many businesses such as Orbitz and Lou Malnati’s. Mrs. Bishop turned her attention to providing language-learning classes to both adults and children in her Logan Square offices. Multilingual Chicago – only 11 months old and still expanding – offers the traditional weekly class in Spanish, French, Mandarin Chinese, Arabic, and more. A two-hour, eight-week class starts at $299.
For those with less time to devote to studies, Multilingual Chicago also offers a seven-hour boot camp ($150) on Sundays to quickly expose students to a language through vocabulary and practical applications; students will visit neighboring restaurants in the area during lunch break.
In addition to classes, Multilingual Chicago cooks up fun cultural events for the center’s students and casual observers. “Culture is a very important part of language,” Mrs. Bishop says. “In order to ensure that we’re exposing our students not just to verb conjugations but the real world, we try to include culture at every step.” Attend one of Multilingual Chicago’s cooking demonstration at Real Tenochtitlan (pictured above) to practice your newfound skills with other students.
If you find that you learn better privately rather than sitting with strangers, Multilingual also offers private tutorials both at its facilities or your location. The center also offers a 10 percent “transitional” discount to those who are currently in-between jobs.
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Brazil in Chicago
2212 West Sunnyside Avenue, 312.284.1737
Behind an animal hospital and across the alley from the Bad Dog Tavern sits a charming three-story home with the green Brazilian national flag hanging in the window that doubles as a learning center.
Marcelo Jarmendia, a native of Sao Paulo, founded Brazil in Chicago four years ago, originally in Uptown. Mr. Jarmendia and a team of four other language teachers (three raised in Brazil, one in Portugal) continue to offer private and small class instruction in Brazil’s national language: Portuguese.
Assistant Director Victoria Carmona believes learning Portuguese is extremely important because of Brazil’s growing economy. DePaul University professor Luis Larrea agrees. “Brazil is on the cusp of doing big things,” he says. “It’s the largest economy in Latin America; it’s trade partners with Asia.
“Every global auto company is located there,” Mr. Larrea continues. “It’s a country to keep an eye on.”
And Brazil in Chicago offers a variety of ways to learn Portuguese. The center offers a 12-week, two-hour level one class beginning at $475. The center also offers private tutorials in-house or at your location; the price is determined by the center on a case-by-case basis.
Brazil in Chicago also offers non-traditional events such as happy hours, often held at the Brazilian steakhouse Texas de Brazil, to converse with other students in Portuguese and help build community. Additionally, the center offers an immersion cooking class ($75) where attendees are divided into a five-person team to prepare a six-course Brazilian meal. The event also includes three hours of language practice.
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Alliance Française de Chicago
810 North Dearborn Street, 312.337.1070
The Alliance Française de Chicago is a beacon for all Francophiles. More than a century old and counting, the organization offers classes designed for both children and adults with busy schedules. A 10-week, level one course starts at $340 for non-members and $305 for Alliance members.
Classes at Alliance focus on real world experiences, says Gaël Crépieux the director of Alliance Francaise de Chicago’s learning center.
“We use a functional approach, with an emphasis on verbal skills, so students have the chance to speak about situations that reflect their own experiences,” Mr. Crépieux says. “We also use various teaching strategies to help students use grammar in context: for example, students ask questions of their classmates, then share the responses with the class, which allows them to conjugate verbs in action.”
This interactivity is at the core of Alliance Française de Chicago’s philosophy.
“We have Alliance students who have studied with Rosetta Stone who seek the human, interactive experience in our classes,” Mr. Crépieux says. “You might be able to focus on a specific skill, such as grammar, with Rosetta Stone, but you do not get the cultural references and the contact with a larger community, which the Alliance provides.”
And the Alliance Française de Chicago offers a number of cultural events for those who crave immersion in French traditions, like “Wine and Gastronomy” events led by French chefs. Currently, the Alliance is featuring a year-long retrospective to French actress Catherine Deneuve as a part of its Cine-club film series.
A yearly adult membership for the Alliance Française de Chicago is $90 and includes discounts on both events and classes; it also grants Alliance students access to its vast multimedia library.
48 (Not So) Angry Minutes with Scott Lucas
Originally posted at LoudLoopPress.com on October 19, 2010
I’ve never had the pleasure of visiting the Flat Iron while it’s busy, but Scott Lucas — frontman for Local H and Scott Lucas & The Married Men — assures me the place is packed after 2 a.m.
We’re sitting in the heart of Wicker Park not far from the hustle and bustle of six corners. The area is not only Lucas’ home base in the city, but where he works; Lucas played a headlining show a few feet down the street at North Milwaukee and Honore during Wicker Park Fest and across the street at the Double Door this past New Year’s Eve, both with Local H. Lucas also played an in-store with his solo project the Married Men at Reckless Records back in February.
However, we find ourselves sitting at a tiny table in the darkened bowels of the Flat Iron because Lucas has, not one, but two EPs releasing on Tuesday, October 19. The first being Local H’s Awesome Mix Tape #1 with his hard rock band of over 15 years Local H and the second being Absolute Beginners with his romantic folk-rock solo project Scott Lucas and the Married Men.
“I’m psyched because I can see everything coming into focus for both bands,” Lucas said. “It’s sort of stunty but it means more to me to put them out on the same day rather than one EP.”
The EPs do share one common thread, the songs could all be viewed as covers. While Local H’s samples the wares of other musicians, The Married Men (with the exception of “Absolute Beginners,” originally by David Bowie) sample Lucas’ catalog: two re-worked versions of Married Men songs from their debut George Lassos the Moon and a cover of Local H’s “Hey Rita.”
“These (Local H’s Awesome Mix Tape #1) are just songs that we’ve been playing live for the last decade,” Lucas said. “There wasn’t a whole lot of thought behind it.”
Lucas said that Local H’s Awesome Mix Tape #1 (the title a reference to the film Boogie Nights) was an idea that had been batted around for years. Releasing covers isn’t a strange move for Local H. On its 2003 No Fun EP Local H recorded versions of The Ramones “I Just Want Something to Do” and The Godfathers’ “Birth, School, Work, Death.”
“We didn’t think about the songs (structure) too much,” he said. “That’s the spirit of the EP.”
The one exception to this would be the EPs bonus track, an acoustic version of the Misfits‘ “Last Caress.” Lucas took a different approach to the song because Metallica’s cover was so well-known.
“U2 said, ‘Charles Manson stole ‘Helter Skelter’ from the Beatles – and we’re stealing it back.’ We had the same attitude,” Lucas said. “If you do a cover of a cover, it’s like putting instant coffee in the microwave. You might go back in time and nobody wants that to happen.”
Local H’s Awesome Mix Tape #1 includes a number of songs from TV on the Radio’s “Wolf Like Me” to the Jesus Lizard’s “Puss.” However, Lucas said that there’s one track Local H won’t play live: “Spider Bite” by the UK band Winnebago Deal.
“I think it’s too hard,” Lucas said. “The riff, I don’t have the technique to play it. That’s why we played it on a keyboard.”
Lucas said that he believes just because you can’t pull a song off live doesn’t mean it should stop you from getting creative in the studio. “You don’t want to think like that,” Lucas said. “I don’t like when people think, ‘Oh, I’m not going to make this song so hard because then it won’t be so hard to play live.’”
Lucas cited “24 Hour Break Up Session” from Local H’s 2008 album 12 Angry Months as an example. “It’s really hard to sing,” Lucas said. “It’s tough, but you don’t think about how you’re going to do it (live).”
While Local H’s EP had no thought behind it, The Married Men’s Absolute Beginners EP grew out of a need to measure the band’s growth as performers.
“It was important because we had rushed into the studio (for George Lassos the Moon,” Lucas said. “The band barely knew the songs and if they fucked up, that was the take.
“I wanted to see if we sounded different and capture the energy coming straight off the road,” he said.
Everything appears to be aligning for both of Lucas’ projects. He is currently working on new Local H and new Married Men material simultaneously.
The two bands are mirror opposites, even Lucas testifies to that fact. Where Local H may take the angrier and harder rock route, the Married Men aren’t afraid to slow things down and add a couple of strings and accordion into the mix.
For Lucas, the creative process for both bands comes down to one thing: lyrics.
“When I’m writing a song and the riff comes out, if I can picture it with Local H it goes that way,” Lucas said. “The most obvious is if it’s soft it goes with Married Men, but that’s a boring way to work.”
Opting to shake things up for both bands, Lucas said he is working on a country song with Local H and a song that he describes as “an eight minute epic with a Black Sabbath middle section” with the Married Men.
“The new Local H is sort of snap-shotty, like a document or a state of the union,” Lucas said. “This is where we are and what’s going on around us. We’re trying to talk to people, but not in a cheese ball way.”
To say Scott Lucas is a busy man is an understatement. Before our meeting he told me that he was running late (about 10 minutes) because he came straight from the studio where he was working on new Local H material. It is easy to imagine that he enjoys the lifestyle. With just a mere mention of his electro-rock group Prairie Cartel, Lucas’ face lit up with the possibilities of getting that band back together.
“A couple of people were asking about Prairie Cartel, it kind of made me want to record a new single,” Lucas said. “I kind of got inspired, as if I needed something else to do.”
Lollapalooza Artist Discovery Series: Metric
Originally published by Lollapalooza.com on August 4, 2010.
Melodic dance-rockers Metric work hard and play hard.
Since self-releasing their acclaimed 2009 album Fantasies, the members of Metric (singer Emily Haines, guitarist James Shaw, bassist Josh Winstead, and drummer Joules Scott-Key) have been locked on a speeding train of touring and press junkets. Yet, somehow the band takes comfort in festival gigs and the hope of someday getting back into the studio.
With the digital age encouraging artists to shed record label dead weight and go their own way, Metric decided that the timing just made sense when it came to self-releasing Fantasies.
“It was just painfully apparent,” said James Shaw in a telephone interview. “It just seemed like we’d learned too much about the record industry and we knew what the risks were going to be and what the pay offs were going to be (of self-releasing).”
The road to Metric’s success was paved with building a more intimate relationship with its fans. That meant producing extras such as music and behind-the-scene videos as well as connecting with fans via social networks.
While music videos are not his preferred method of self-expression, Shaw said that an artist’s role is to create art.
“Your artistic output is the thing that keeps people interested and involved,” Shaw said. “It keeps a dialogue and it keeps your life interesting and the fans’ life interesting.”
Shaw said that Metric’s videos allow fans to get to know them by using an element of humor.
“It’s as entertaining to watch a band make a video as it is to watch the video itself,” Shaw said. “I like a little sense of humor and self-deprecation. Self-deprecation is probably the strongest influence that Canada could offer the rest of the world.”
While Shaw admits that touring can be an alienating experience, it is the festivals that give bands a chance to relax and hang out.
“The only real connection you have is via the stage,” Shaw said. “Festivals are fun because you get to hang out with like-minded people and everyone just has a good time.”
Shaw recounted an experience at this year’s Ottawa Blues Festival where Metric came back to its dressing room to find Wayne Coyne holding two shirts from Metric fans he had met on the festival grounds. Shaw was impressed with both Coyne’s lack of ego and his prowess as a live performer.
“What [Coyne] does as a reverend of love is completely out of control,” Shaw said. “There isn’t one out of 30,000 people that isn’t smiling beyond ear to ear.”
Lollapalooza 2010 will mark Metric’s fourth trip to Chicago since the release of “Fantasies” in 2009. While Metric returns frequently, Shaw said that Chicago remains a daunting city to play.
“There’s a lot of real music fans in that town (Chicago) and they’re really listening with all their ears and all their hearts,” Shaw said. “You can feel that as a musician and it’s a very different experience.”
This year’s Lollapalooza will be Shaw’s first since playing the festival in 2006 as a member of Broken Social Scene.
“That (Lollapalooza) was one of the – probably the pinnacle Broken Social Scene performance in the last seven or eight years,” Shaw said. “We were right before the (Red Hot) Chili Peppers and the crowd was not wanting to turn around and it was just one of those magical, magical shows.”
Shaw is excited to return to Lollapalooza not only to play onstage with Metric but to see The Strokes.
“The Strokes, to me, are absolutely seminal, a very important band in my own life as a musician,” Shaw said. “I think they are awesome; I’m really happy they’re playing.”
After Lollapalooza Metric will join British alternative rockers Muse on tour in October and November. Shaw speculated that more tour dates may be on the horizon but his wish is to dive back into the recording studio as soon as possible.
“Records are made very meticulously by us and they take time,” Shaw said. “So I want to get back in and start working.”
Make sure to catch Metric at Lollapalooza before they speed off into the sunset with Muse. Metric will perform on the Playstation stage on Saturday, August 7.
Written by Audrey Leon
// Audrey Leon // 