The Uglysuit find a definition for their sound

By: Matthew Hadley

Posted: 3/2/10

"We can't wait to see Toronto," said Dustin Maynord, guitarist for The Uglysuit, of his band's upcoming performances at CMF.
"None of us have ever been [to Canada]," continued drummer Crosby Bray.
The Oklahoma-based band are making up for this lack of travel north of the border by performing five times over the course of their three days in Toronto, two of which are for Canadian Music Fest (CMF).
This is the sort of reality that a dedicated, hardworking band like The Uglysuit has to live in. But while many bands will find fault and frustration in this kind of tour itinerary, the members of The Uglysuit revel in it, following their CMF schedule with six shows at Austin, Texas' South by Southwest festival.
"Most bands will go out for just like three big dates, and we're playing three shows in one day sometimes," said Bray. "You just got to do what you get handed to you, you know? Make the best of what you get, that's kind of what we did.
"It's like, most people have to pay for that crap [festivals], but we just get to go and play and hang out at the festival. It's kind of just like a dream for all of us, because a lot of us in the band really love attending festivals. Basically, it's nice to get paid to go to them."
With the type of talent that a band like The Uglysuit has in each of its members - Maynord and Bray are joined by Israel Hindman, Kyle Mayfield, Jonathan Martin and Colin Bray - finding different ways to perform the same material night in and night out becomes easy. The Uglysuit have taken to performing acoustic frequently, including one of their CMF performances.
"It's kind of fun to do the acoustic shows because it's something different," said Maynord.
"And we get to pull out some cool hand drums and some more interesting instrumentation," agreed Bray. "And you really get to showcase the vocals a little more, which is really cool because we've got a great vocalist."
What The Uglysuit bring to the stage, whether electric or acoustic, is a level of musicianship unmatched by their contemporaries. Their self-titled debut album, released in 2008, combined countless instruments with stellar performances to create an unforgettable listening experience.
Songs like opener "Brownblue's Passing" and "Everyone Now Has A Smile" build and break numerous times before song's end, while other numbers like "…And We Became Sunshine", "Happy Yellow Rainbow" and "Chicago" are perfect pop masterpieces.
"We're major practicers of dynamics. That's what we truly believe in - music is the truest form of dynamics," said Bray. "We just really try to accomplish the dynamic theme to our music. We like having different tones to really make people think about what they're hearing. For me, it's more fun to have to think about what you're hearing, rather than, 'oh, I'm hearing a song'."
Trying to find a definition for the band, who are currently working on their follow-up album, is about as difficult as they come. While many consider them a cross between psychedelic and shoegaze, Bray explains that they've come across a new genre title in their touring travels.
"We had a guy tell us the other night after a show, he's like, 'I've come up with a new genre name for you guys. If anyone asks me what you guys sound like, I call you Soft-Loud'. That's kind of a cool new genre name, Soft-Loud. Basically what it is is just soft and loud, going from extreme soft volume to soaring walls of sound that are really, really loud. I think we'll always practice that in our music, it's the only way to make someone feel something."
The Uglysuit play an acoustic set on Thurs., March 11 at Library Bar and a full-band set on Fri. March 12 at Lee's Palace as part of Canadian Music Fest.