A Band Called Madelines
A Band Called Madelines
By Zachary Ward
In their own understated way, Burlington’s Madelines have become one of the hardest rocking, hardest working bands in the Queen City. Another nominee for the “Hardest Band to Describe” Award. Call it “momentum music.” Their sound moves like a heavy object down a long, gradual slope toward an unknown edge. In the process it picks up more and more force until it flies off the precipice. Then it falls with grace and power a long distance. And when it finally hits, it destroys everything in its path.
I am in the basement of 69 Grant Street. Scott, Kurt, Pat and Colin are rehearsing for a show the next night in Montreal. If they sound this good tomorrow, Montrealers will be able to wrap themselves up in what Colin calls their “Ten Ton Blanket” of sound and keep very warm.
Madelines have taken their blanket on the road. Playing locales from Notre Dame to Rhode Island School of Design, UMass/Amherst, Boston and LaSalle University in Philadelphia. They have moved this heavy object down long, gradual slopes all over the country. With Colin’s full time job, and Scott, Pat, and Kurt's class loaf at St.Michael’s College, they have to travel over the weekend and make it back to town on Monday. The weekend shows are fine with the band for now, but this is a group that knows it needs to travel.
“In Burlington,” Colin said, “a lot of times you’re playing to people who just want to go out to a bar or they will come out because they’re your friends.” Although the guys really like playing in Burlington and they think that it is a very fertile ground to sow their seeds, they also realize that it is too small to play exclusively, “When you play in Burlington,” Colin said, “It’s the same kids coming out every time. You have to play out of town because you don’t want to make your same friends pay $5 every weekend to see you play.” Scott agrees, but adds, “it’s nice to play out of town except when we have a new song and we can show our friends.” The seeds which grew into Madelines were sown at St.Michael’s College in Winooski, when Pat Hegarty and Kurt Herrman were in a band called Spiral, along with Mary Beth Zambriano and current NeverOnlyOnce bass player Pat Fuller. Kurt credits Matt Hutton and Sean Toohey (now in Envy, then with Spray 9) with getting Spiral gigs at the old Middle Earth club in Winooski and getting the band psyched to play even more gigs. When Spiral broke up (amicably) at the end of their freshman year, Kurt and Pat began playing with Scott Padden on bass. Scott had lived in the same dorm as Kurt. As Scott put it “I kept writing fan mail to them, and they never answered me. So I finally threw myself in front of their car one day, and I said ‘You have to let me play with you guys.”
They did, and by the following spring they were ready to audition for a second guitar player. They put up a poster, and Colin Clary was the first one to answer. Colin also runs a record label that Madelines call home. Colin calls his label Sudden Shane Records. He’s put out a lot it really neat records (see sidebar.)
In the fall of 1993, Madelines played their first show at Club Metronome, opening up for Chin Ho! It was, by the band’s own account, a disaster.
Colin remembers: “I didn’t have any pedals, and Pat had a million pedals. We were young. I thought it was good at the time, but it couldn’t have been that good.” Over the year and a half since, the band has found its sound through a rigorous process of rehearsals and writing. “We’re a discriminating bunch of guys, and we only play songs that we can come to consensus on,” Colin explained. Describing what they do, the affable singer said, “You can hear a Madelines sound and not get it. (People) have to get their ears used to it.” Colin also offered this analogy:
Madelines music is like a bag of tea. You have to let it steep.”
Find Madelines on Brad Searles’ Sounds Around Burlington CD on Club FIb Records, their new five song cassette.
A Sudden Shame Discography
Ss001 Brian, Colin and Vince (cd)
“A bucket o’ fun n’ stuff n’ yeah”
Ss002 Snowi Springs
“Snowi Springs/yam soap”
Ss003 Emily Cassette
(co-release with rent to own records)
“Walking home on the emergency bed”
Ss004 Shameless (cassette)
A compilation release
Ss005 Chisel vs. Brian, Colin and Vince
A split 7 inch
Ss006 The Smiles (7 inch)
U.s.s felicia e.p.
Ss007 Brain, Colin and Vince
(cassette re-issue)
“Just trying to help”
Ss008 Madelines (cassette)
3 song demo
Ss009 Six Cents + Natalie/Huffy
(split 7 inch)
“Learning to share”
Ss101 Trendinsta 5000 (cassette)
Ss011 Madelines (cassette)
“Used to believe”
Ss012 Madelines (7 inch)
“Fit to travel”
Ss013 The Van Pelt + Radio to Saturn
(7 inch)