is the rock and roll alter ego of one Mike Coleman. Also known as "The Duck That Likes To Shuck" and proprietor of Casa De Canard Studio, El Canardo has been an underground cult hero in Tallahassee, Florida since his days in the incredible malt liquor-fueled Singing Spoons. Canard continued down a twisted musical path as a member of the power trio Ultraboy and the hilarious Bacon Ray, whose debut LP The Golden Master was named Album of the Year by local tastemakers WVFS 89.7 FM.
Sometime in the mid '90s, the Duck began laying down solo tracks as only he could do it, releasing several bizarre yet heartfelt sound collages and lo-fi prog anthems on the delightfully diverse DIY label AAJ Records, which he co-founded with Kelly Shane of Ultraboy. In the late '90s Canard continued to boogie with Bacon Ray and began partnering once again with Shane as comic book rockers Newsboy Legion. The Legion laid down several hot slabs o' wax on AAJ's more experimental sister label, Smiley Jones Records. Not content with this astounding level of musical activity, the Duck also moonlighted with Invaders From A Forbidden Planet and The New You during this era, which included an ill-fated Newsboy/Invaders tour of the southeast that culminated with warm Milwaukee's Best Light in a run-down Knoxville goth club.
As Bacon Ray wound down and Newsboy Legion became more of an experimental studio project, El Canardo was itching to keep up his prodigious chops and songwriting and formed the supergroup Ancient Brain. The volatile combo didn't last long, releasing a split 7" on AAJ before calling it quits.
Canard quickly pulled together a new trio, Monocle, featuring Curt McNeal of the late great slackers Nel Aspinal, and Marc Ito, a veteran of the Pensacola music scene. Alas, Monocle was also short-lived, and a frustrated Canard stayed busy working as engineer/producer for numerous local bands and bashing the skins for the young bucks in Flotilla 13.
Deciding to once again release music under the Canard moniker, the Duck called upon Ito and ex-Bacon Ray mate (and sometime live Newsboy Legion bassist) Brent McNeal. With Ito on Rickenbacker bass and McNeal manning the drums, Canard had a new rhythm section, which he promptly dubbed The Magnetic Band.
Canard and the Magnetic Band made their live debut in September of 2001,
and it was clear from the start that this would be an altogether different
beast from '90s vintage Canard. The group's material was perhaps more coherent
and song-oriented than that on the older releases, while still possessing
the weirdness and poignance that make Canard special. The boys landed a spot
opening for Hank Williams
III that fall, and this first big show was a sign of things to come.
In 2002, Canard and the Magnetic Band played with such luminaries as Spoon
and Crooked Fingers
and released two limited edition, homemade EPs, we
love you john rutsey and The "Crumpet"
EP. The band owed much of their momentum and success in 2002 to new manager
Adam "Addie" Sterritt,
a mainstay on the local scene and all-around good American.
The band continued to gel as they headed to the deserted beach of Cape San
Blas, Florida in December to record a set of covers for what would come to
be known as the Self Portrait
sessions. This material, an odd assortment of old country, r&b, and rock
tunes, allowed the boys to tap into a more subtle, roots-oriented approach
and play some old favorites while learning to use a new digital recording
setup. The project took on a life of its own as the band realized that, more
than just an exercise as it was originally intended, this collection had grown
into something that the band would be proud to release to the public.
Overdubs for Self Portrait
slowly wound down during the first half of 2003, and the band kept up their
live chops by opening for great bands like Mike
Watt and the Secondmen, Apples
in Stereo, and Oranger.
In July of 2003 Canard and the Magnetic Band began recording a batch of songs
that would make up the bulk of their first full-length release of original
material, A Pleasure To Be Around.
The boys are extremely excited about the new material, deeming it their best
work yet. It's by turns heavy, psychedelic, funny, and bittersweet, with walls
of wailing guitars and a crunching rhythm section. Certainly a contrast to
Self Portrait...
A Pleasure To Be Around was released locally in
the fall of 2003, with wider distribution in the spring of '04. Buy one here!