Mael Thebault
MAEL THEBAULT
SUN K
He adds that often there are both keys and trumpets on the studio versions of the songs , making for an interesting time on stage . “ For ‘ Sweet Marie ’ and ‘ Let It Grow ,’ I play the trumpet with my right hand and keys with my left ,” he says . “ The hardest part is thinking in the key of B flat with one hand and C concert with the other .” That ’ s led to his experimentation with the Korg nanoKEY MIDI controller , to manipulate the keyboard from the horn .
On the note of pulling double duty in Sun K , Retallack says the trumpet has had a greater influence on his keyboard playing than vice versa . “ I often play organ or synth chords as if they were a horn section ,” he says , “ with melodic and harmonic movements that are more related to horn arrangements than traditional keyboard styles .” As an example , he says that when playing the B3 , he uses the volume pedal as though he ’ s controlling the volume of a horn with his air stream .
Sun K are hard at work on the follow-up to Northern Lies , looking to release some new music before the end of 2016 .
THE BRASS ACTION
Mael Thebault
The Brass Action
Selmer 1984 Super Action 80 Tenor Sax Otto Link Super Tone Master 7 Mouthpiece Rico Royal 3 Reeds Shure Beta 98H Clip-On Microphone
With their tight but energetic take on third-wave ska in the vein of Reel Big Fish and Less Than Jake , Vancouver ’ s The Brass Action get crowds shaking and skanking with ease , in large part thanks to the tenor sax of Mael Thebault .
Thebault ’ s initial relationship with his horn was love / hate , as while he loved playing music , the idea of practicing alone in his room never appealed to him . “ It ’ s only when I formed my first band in high school that I really understood that playing music with others is what it ’ s all about ,” he recalls . “ At the time , I was listening to a lot of Nirvana , The Offspring , a French rock band called Noir Desir , more on the heavy side of music and far from the jazz classics I used to play on the sax in music classes .” That set him on his search for an outfit where he could play his sax while getting his rock on , and led to his discovery of ska bands like Madness , The Specials , and others .
He played with a few different ska outfits throughout his teens , eventually joining a reggaetinged group called Irian Jaya . “ For the first time , I played with a legit horn section , including a trombone , trumpet , alto sax , and me on tenor , and learned a lot about music composition and improvisation ,” he shares . “ We had a lot of influences from different genres that we incorporated into our songs – jazz of course , but also Cuban and Balkan gypsy music , where horns had a very important place . It really opened my mind to what I could do with the sax that wasn ’ t just jazz or classical music .”
The Brass Action ’ s latest album is 2015 ’ s No Soundcheck , though they ’ re already underway with LP number three . Thebault says the band ’ s approach to writing – and how the horns fit into the process – depends on who ’ s bringing the song to the table . “ We ’ re lucky that we all write songs in this band . We ’ re currently working on a couple of new songs written by Ryan [ Clare , guitar and lead vocals ] and he would write the song without horn parts , then we would see where we could add some horns – basically jamming all together until something comes out .”
Contrastingly , Thebault says his approach is to come up with lyrics and a basic chord structure , then write and harmonize lines between trombone , trumpet , and sax . “ And from early on in my writing process , I already have a good idea where each horn part would go ,” he says .
Regardless of how and when the horn parts are born , Thebault says the “ question and answer ” structure is one that works well within the context
of The Brass Action . “ So for example , the trumpet plays a line that the trombone would finish , forming one single line ,” he explains . “ I find it more interactive for the public – looking at two musicians playing one after the other is more entertaining to watch and it ’ s easy to appreciate .”
And consideration for the crowd is paramount to the boys in The Brass Action . “ I ’ m conscious that the majority of the public coming to our shows don ’ t really care if I ’ m playing a third while the trumpet is on the fifth , and don ’ t really hear subtleties like that ,” he muses . “ I believe they come to our shows to have fun and enjoy the music . I guess that ’ s why they ’ re coming to our shows instead of jazz concerts .”
On stage , Thebault mics his instrument with a Shure Beta 98 clip-on for increased mobility , clipped to the side of the bell but directed towards the bottom of his left hand . “ That way , I get a wider range of tones ,” he explains . “ A common mistake when miking a saxophone is to direct the mic toward the bell , like you ’ d do for a trumpet or trombone . By doing that with a sax , you get very loud bass notes but much quieter higher tones .”
While The Brass Action ’ s third release is still in the works , the band is set to drop some cover songs in the fall of 2016 from bands whose influence they incorporate into their signature sound – Rancid , The Planet Smashers , and Scofflaws among them .
Andrew King is the Editor of Canadian Musician .
CANADIAN MUSICIAN • 47