They got a girl thing going
By T’Cha Dunlevy
Montreal Gazette, May 25 2006

Sunday Sinners rose from the ashes of Montreal retro-garage bands. A new six-song EP shows them reaching for balance and a wide audience

"I think maybe our plan was to start a band with reasonable people," said Sunday Sinners singer Jena Roker, suppressing a smirk, "and we didn't know any guys (who fit the bill)."

Roker and keyboardist Annie Laurin were answering the question most oft addressed to the band - why all girls? Or almost all. The rotating position of bassist has always been filled by a guy, the latest and best fit being Kieran McNamara.

"I think it's a hormone-balance thing," Roker said, referring to the Sinners' string of token boys (five in three years). "Another chick in the band might, I don't know, it might screw up the balance."

The Sinners emerged from Montreal's retro garage and rock 'n' roll scene, from the embers of the Sexareenos and the Del-Gators - bands that each ended with their share of drama.

"Our other groups finished rather badly," Laurin said. "There were bad memories. For us two, especially. We wanted to change things completely, and be with just girls."

"A lot of those (above-mentioned) bands didn't have a long shelf life," Roker said. "We were much younger. So much of it was about being in a band. It was more than just the music. It was about the lifestyle, the parties, hanging out, being part of the scene, who you knew. We were into that at the beginning. Now it's about the music."

With their new six-song EP The Sweet Jam, the Sunday Sinners are ready to stand up and be counted. Having been brought into the Pop Montreal fold, the band is finding a broader audience, outside of the incestuous circles of old.

The Sweet Jam finds the group channelling the classic R&B sounds of the '60s, mixed with dirtier garage rock and psychedelia. Roker's voice - deep, easy and soulful - is the beacon, evoking Neko Case kickin' back with the Supremes, or Chrissie Hynde singing for the Staple Singers.

"Most of the stuff I listen to is from the '50s and '60s," Roker said. "I really got into Motown, the Kinks and Pink Floyd."

To merge these disparate influences, they turned to producer Jace Lasek (of the Besnard Lakes - profiled, coincidentally, in last week's column).

"Do you know him?" Laurin asked, wistfully. "He's the best."

"I can't imagine it getting any better," Roker concurred. "He knew what he was doing, what we liked. He knew the equipment. He knew exactly what we were talking about and how to do it. He didn't turn his nose up at anything ...

"He was the trip master. He was there to make everything psychedelic - that's his specialty, and it's what we wanted. If it wasn't gnarly, it wasn't good."

The combination of church-like organ (a farfisa, to be exact), reverbed vocals, breezy harmonies, twangy guitars, roving bass and thumping, shimmying drums is fused into a lively, leisurely synthesis. Again, it's about balance, said Roker:

"I think it's what's most interesting about us as a group. Nobody wants to step on anyone's toes, or be super extravagant, to take over the song. ... In a lot of bands, there are egos competing. You don't find that with us. I guess it's because we're all shy on stage. Nobody says, 'I'm going to put a two-minute wailing guitar solo here, followed by a drum solo.' "

" 'And then I'm going to pass out,' " Laurin added, laughing.

The Sunday Sinners perform Saturday at Club Lambi, 4465 St. Laurent Blvd., with guest BJ Snowden. Tickets $7 at the door.