Wheel You Still Love Me?
Text by Dave Devoe | Photos: Josh Stevenson

Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre - 07.21.00

The power of the song … So many bands quest for it, but few seem able to consistently deliver. The Catherine Wheel has striven for almost a decade now to deliver precisely that power. The band that many dismissed with the remnants of the shoe-gazer scene from the early 1990’s is still crafting important, powerful music. Their 5^th studio release, this year’s "Wishville", is a masterpiece of poignant emotions, and challenging musicianship. The wonderful thing is that The Catherine Wheel can still make that music come alive on tour. This tour is being heralded by the fans of the band as one of their finest yet. With the inclusion of many back catalog songs in the set list, there is certainly something for everyone who has ever delightedly listened to the ‘Wheel.

The Catherine Wheel has overcome many changes this past year, including replacing original bass player Dave Hawes, and inking a new deal with Columbia records. There are high hopes among the band, and the fans, that Columbia will deliver where their former label fell somewhat short. The Catherine Wheel lineup is Rob Dickinson (vocals and guitar), Brian Futter (vocals and guitar), Neil Sims (drums and vocals), and Ben Ellis(Bass and vocals). While many fans mourn the departure of Hawes on bass, his replacement, Ellis, has done a wonderful job not only filling in on bass, but becoming an integral part of the band’s sound. Also included in the touring band are a keyboard player, and a percussion assistant. One of the most pleasant things about the ‘Wheel is their ability to surround themselves with good people. Their tour manager, Kevin O’Dwyer, is a pleasant and professional man, just as concerned with the fans as the band is. I would like to extend a personal thanks to him for his graciousness.

All that said, The Catherine Wheel retains its ability to transcend the categorization so often placed on British bands. Wishville has all the elements of a classic rock record … Songs that make you step your foot down on the gas pedal, as well as songs that make you weep for the tragedy contained there-in. Part of the process for this new record involved Rob and Brian writing separately, and then coming together with almost finished songs for the final recording process. This new approach led to the freedom to use the drums as an instrument in the songs, rather than as a time keeping device. "I just think that rhythmically this is our most interesting record. The drums do a job which is different than the job they’ve done on previous records ... There is an element of groove on this record, that was perhaps absent on some of the others," Rob states. "There were some very delicate ideas which got onto this record ... songs like All Of That, Crème Caramel … Idle Life maybe. I don’t think [the songs] would have necessarily made it through a sort of band rehearsal type writing." Hence the large and fresh sounds on the record, vaguely reminiscent of Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin, but maintaining their own identity. Identity has always been a major component of The Catherine Wheel’s music … an altruistic approach that has never sacrificed its integrity to the demands of a top 40 radio culture or a fickle record label. In keeping with that individuality, The ‘Wheel has recorded a concise 9 song, 40 minute album, bucking the current trend towards longer albums where songs may get lost in the crowd.

The continuity of the entire album, visually, as well as musically, is very important to the band. The band has worked for the 5^th time with Storm Thorgesen (long time artist for bands such as Pink Floyd) in creating an album package with visual, as well as aural impact. The visual representation of the album is of great consequence to The Catherine Wheel, and much time goes into conceptualizing and creating artwork for the records. "Storm listens to the music early on, while we are rehearsing or recording. And then I talk to him about what I think the record is about, and he talks to me about what he thinks the record is about. And then we come up with principal ideas of the themes on the record, and he goes away and comes back with a load of boards with potential images that somehow represent certain aspects of the record. Then we home in on a couple of them and he develops them. Then we kick them around some, and finally we home in on one." Brian adds, "There are massive arguments, sulks and events… " Rob continues, " I think a lot of bands overlook a potential of illustrating the music, and just shove some library photograph on the cover. I think Storm comes from a background of wanting to make people think … and I kind of like that."

They may expect a lot from their listeners, but The Catherine Wheel is very good to its fans, and actively participates in the fan email discussions, mostly via their manager Merck Mercuriadis. They believe that the internet serves as an important tool in the development of a fan base and in keeping fans informed on what is going on with the band. " I think it’s been quite a useful way of sort of corralling support for the group. I think at last people can keep in contact with, and they can talk about aspects of the band with people … And it sort of helps to spread the word. I can’t say it’s anything but a good thing. It does have its downside … It’s very difficult to have any surprises at any of the shows, because every show is detailed on the web 20 minutes after you come off stage. Which is a shame."

The show in Denver was fantastic, and ended with a grand finale of their cult hit Black Metallic. Road manager Kevin explained to me that tonight must have been a good show for them, as they had not been playing it every stop on the tour … I hope more of you got to hear it than just the Denver kids.

Take a moment or five out of your cyber-time and check out the official Catherine Wheel web site at: www.catherinewheel.com. And certainly do yourself the favor of picking up their latest release, Wishville … Tell them you heard it here.

— David Devoe