Where The Waters Meet

April 6, 2005

Where the Waters Meet

By Rick Coates

Every so often a band comes along that plays music, really good music, stuff that the critics can’t define. When a band escapes typical musical definition, they have delved into the deep depths of harmonious waters that Jacques Cousteau couldn’t have imagined reaching even if he had Bach as his diving partner. Ticonderoga, hailing from Raleigh, North Carolina by way of Grinnell, Iowa, is one band currently exploring these post-rock waters.
The band is made up of childhood buddies Phil Moore, Mark Paulson and Wes Phillips, who have been playing music together since the 6th grade. They just released their debut self-titled album (they had been previously releasing their material on the Internet) on the 54º40’ or Fight! label and will be performing in Traverse City on Saturday, April 9 at the Masonic Hall. The evening will feature three other bands: Tanooki Suit, Victor! Fix the Sun and Bleak Hotel.

POST-ROCK
Post-rock is a new category being bantered about by music critics, so is this how do you define your music?
“We really don’t define it,” said Mark Paulson. “It is really an amalgram of several elements. We listen to a lot of different styles of music and draw from it all. We don’t try and force anything; we just let it come out. We prefer this type of creative process.”
Okay, if someone were to go into a CD store, what category would they find your CD under?
“Well we are not folksy enough for the folk category, so I would say under rock,” said Paulson. “Being new and with an indie label there is a pretty good chance that our album isn’t in stores.”
Without the luxury of big label dollars behind them or the backing of radio airplay, Ticonderoga is pursuing the grassroots avenue of getting their name out and getting their music out to the masses. The group is currently on a 30-city tour performing primarily in college towns
“It is hard because no one has heard of us. We played New York City and that is a tough town because there is so much going on,” said Paulson. “A great stop has been Providence, Rhode Island. They are huge supporters of creativity and have a special place that is affordable for artists and musicians to perform at. Our label has also been helpful in the process of getting our name out.”

COPPER PRESS
That label is Acme (near Traverse City) based 54º40’ or Fight! founded by Copper Press publishers Steve Brydges and Royce Dean. The magazine has a worldwide readership and explores music, art and photography that travel under the radar.
“Steve Brydges was writing an article about our friends Schooner. They had a link from their website to ours and I guess he liked our music,” said Paulson. “He started calling us and asking us to sign with his label and we did. So we are looking forward to performing in the label’s backyard.”
Paulson has been to the area before. As a junior in high school he spent eight weeks at the Interlochen Arts Camp. His parents were originally from Michigan and he spent his summers north of the Mackinac Bridge at his grandparents’ summer home.
“I came for the summer to Interlochen and had a blast,” said Paulson. “I didn’t study music though; instead I studied photography and theater. A big shocker to my parents since I started playing the violin at the age of three and the piano at the age of five. Yeah I had those kind of parents, but I am eternally grateful to them for having me start playing music so early in life.”
Growing up in Grinnell (40 miles east of Des Moines) Iowa must have been a challenge from a musical exploration standpoint?
“Actually the opposite was true,” said Paulson. “The town was very progressive musically. Grinnell College is located there and they brought a lot of alternative bands to town. In fact in high school we would scam our way onto the bill of several shows to perform. We were way underage to get into the clubs and for that matter play in them, but we pulled it off and saw a lot of great music.”

WORLD OF MUSIC
So your musical influences were alternative bands?
“Well at first we were into Kiss, Van Halen and Aerosmith,” said Paulson. “That was when we formed our first band in the 6th grade and we quickly came to the conclusion that that music lacked substance. We began searching and found a world of music out there. Phil was a jazz major in college and built quite the diverse collection and we have been inspired from a wide range of musical influences.”
After high school Phil and Wes headed of to the University of Iowa while Paulson remained in Grinnell to attend college. After college Phil moved to Raleigh looking to get involved into the music scene. Finding one he called his childhood buddies and convinced them to move. They formed Ticonderoga just over a year ago and while making music has come easy to them they struggled to come up with a name.
“It is one of the worst parts of forming a band,” said Paulson. “That painstaking process of coming up with a name. We picked Ticonderoga because it was the least offensive of all the names we had come up with. I guess we got the name from the pencil and the fort. It also comes from the Iroquois word cheonderoga meaning ‘between two waters,’ or ‘where the waters meet.’ It has an evocative ring to it.”

ROTATING INSTRUMENTS
Ticonderoga is a definitely a band where the waters of spontaneity and creativity meet. Band members take turns playing a range of instruments and share in the vocal responsibilities. Instrumentation includes drums, guitars, bass, clarinet, violin, accordion, keyboards and the contrabass. During their gigs they rotate between instruments several times.
“We each play the drums, guitars and sing,” said Paulson. “We believe that it is important that everyone’s creative voice is heard.”
It is that collective creative voice that has been attracting people to their shows. Ticonderoga is tight knit group, where members share equally in the songwriting. If you are looking for something beyond the three-chord rock scene you have found it. Check out Ticonderoga, Tanooki Suit, Victor! Fix the Sun and Bleak Hotel, Saturday April, 9 at the Masonic Hall located on West Bayshore Drive at the base of the Leelanau Peninsula. The show starts at 8 p.m. and tickets are available at the door for $6, or $5 if you bring a canned good for the local food bank. For sound samples of Ticonderoga visit their website at www.ticonderobics.com and for additional information on the other bands visit www.tccellardoor.org or contact Jason Timm at (231) 883-9474.