Edmonton based indie-rock/ folk rock band Wool on Wolves put a lot of work into their second album, and in the process, have 
“progressed” away from the folk rock roots and more into a straight ahead rock and roll. They are looking forward to sharing the result with Lethbridge when they play the Slice, Nov. 21 with the Great Bloomers.
“We’re a five -piece who came together in fall of 2008 and spent the first year learning to play with each other,” said vocalist/ guitarist Tom Reikie.
“ We started to record in 2009, but got involved with some bad people, but we were able to salvage an Ep “Hate Is Poor.” When we decided to make our first record after that we really did our homework,” said Reikie, noting they knew they had a perfect fit when they met Shout Out Out Out's Nik Kozub, and recorded their debut CD “Grey Matter,” with him as well as their recently released sophomore CD “Measures of Progress” which just came out on Nov. 13.
“We spent two years writing. Nik was an absolute gem,” Reikie said adding engineer Paul Arnusch, who has worked with groups like the Whitsundays, was a pleasure to work with too as they found themselves immediately on the same musical page.
They also took more of a collaborative approach to the songwriting.
“We tried to create a complete separation from songwriting. It was a real communal experience rather than one person bringing in a song, it was all of us sharing ideas and if one didn’t work, we’d move on to the next,” he continued adding he let the songs themselves dictate their growth.
“ If we felt the song needed another trumpet, we’d add another trumpet,” he said, adding the first track on the CD, “Unsuspecting Ways,” had 100 tracks on it.
“The first album was pretty much recorded live off the floor and was very much in the folk rock genre. The new album is a step towards a rock and roll record,” he described.
While the CD has a lot of layers to it, Reikie said the band wasn’t concerned with replicating it note for note while on an extensive tour, which will take them across the country, beginning in Nelson, B.C., Nov. 16, all the way out to Wakefield, Quebec, Dec. 9.
“We’re actually touring as a six piece. We hired Aiden Lucas Buckland to play drums. We hung out with him, and he’s a great guy because the most important thing is to be able to sit in a van with somebody for hours,” he continued.
“ That actually frees up Kevin George, who is a guitar player. He was a drummer by necessity,” he said.
“ So he can play synthesizer and guitar and auxiliary percussion and all kinds of different things,” Reikie enthused.
“I grew up listening to people like Bruce Springsteen, who always puts on a great show. Nobody wants the show to sound exactly like the album. We put on a great, high energy show, so people will want to come again,” he continued.
They are looking forward to playing the Slice again, where they last played last September.
“We always have a great time there. The first time we played there, we had a decent turnout and the next time it was nice to see some of the same faces. So we’re excited about it,” he continued adding he is also excited about touring with Toronto band Great Bloomers.
“They really put on a great show. It’s really going to be worth the price of admission,” he said.
The show begins at 9:30 p.m, Nov. 21. There will be a $10 cover.
