Stereos: Misery Signal

Stereos is an anomaly in the music industry, that much is certain, and to some their success is even confusing. Even their name itself is disorienting. Stereos used to be Turn It Up, and The Turn It Ups’ biggest influence was The Stereo. See, you’re confused already, aren’t you? Even they were surprised by that playful connection when I mentioned it to them. "That's like some Nardwuar shit right there," they half-joked in response.

Yes, this band is huge today, but just a few short months ago they were nobodies. “We started out by touring B.C. and Alberta but absolutely nobody would travel out to those shows. To be honest, even in our hometown (Edmonton) we were having trouble getting even one hundred kids out to a show,” lead singer Pat Kordyback confessed to me, in a heavily guarded-off, intimidating gothic-styled basement room after his band had just performed an outdoor concert. The window curtains were closed tightly to prevent passersby even a glimpse (even outside of the windows there was a security guard), and the room stunk of dozens of half-eaten bags of chips and rotting dips and salsas. Yes, this band has come a long way.

But not without controversy, and lots of it.

“There’s definitely a stigma attached to the fact that we had a reality show,” Kordyback notes in reference to the MuchMusic program DisBAND, Stereos’ big break. “The thing is, we did not win the reality show. It wasn’t a competition. There was no guarantee of anything. We had the same shot as every other band.”

However, it isn’t how Stereos was discovered that bothers most critics as much as it is their music, especially in regards to their image. They look punk, but they sound nowhere near it. Kordyback laughs it all off with a shrug. “I write music that I want to hear. What band doesn’t write what they want to hear? I think that’s the great thing about us, is that we don’t sound like we look, and because of that people are either going to love us or hate us. I’d rather be a love/hate band than just kind of be in the middle.”

Matt Wells, DisBAND’s resident punk rock judge, was the first in a long line of critics to attack Stereos’ music: “It’s like punk-rock Jonas Brothers and I fucking hate it.”

Kordyback was quick to point out though that Wells’ personal opinion wasn’t what mattered. “The question was whether or not we have a chance, and in his speech he gives about five reasons why we do. So he didn’t really answer the question properly.”

The band’s use of Auto-Tune, the audio processor that automatically corrects pitch, primarily in vocal performances, does seem to add fuel to the fire, especially considering how much of a hot topic Auto-Tune has become in the music world.

“Well we use it as an effect, we don’t use it to cover up anything,” Kordyback says to defend himself. “What people don’t know is how much harder it is to sing with it live, because it’s a pitch corrector, and if you’re pitchy, it will make you sound that much worse. We have a few songs that have Auto-Tune, but we also have just as many that don’t have Auto-Tune.”

For a band that has been in the spotlight for such a short period of time, it is almost extraordinary how much debate they have been able to rack up, and one incident in particular had a lot of online message boards fuming: the so-called Misery Signals Rip-Off.

“Yeah, we’re really ripping off Misery Signals,” Kordyback chuckled sarcastically.

Not long ago, Stereos released a t-shirt design that looked similar to the Edmonton Oilers logo. Problem is, the post-hardcore band Misery Signals did it first.

“Look, I’m a huge Misery Signals fan,” explains Kordyback. “But, it’s hilarious, I mean, we’re from Edmonton, and Misery Signals is from Wisconsin. We are hands down the biggest hockey fans and sports fans you will ever meet.” Perhaps he makes a good point, but, although most of Misery Signals is indeed from Wisconsin, Kordyback shares the same hometown as one of their guitarists: St. Albert, Alberta.

All misery aside, Kordyback tries to focus on the positives, such as the touring success of his band, especially without an LP or even an EP. “The crowds’ response has been crazy. (The music industry’s) almost gone back to when it started, you know, bands in the 1950s would have one song and would put out a single, and they toured off that. It really opens your eyes to how the industry is becoming cyclical. We’ve got two singles out right now and I can’t wait to drop the album.”

The band’s debut, self-titled album is due out Oct. 20, and they worked with Juno award-winning producer Gavin Brown of Billy Talent, Three Days Grace, and Metric fame. Yes, Stereos really has come a long way.