The Wet Secrets Are All Grown Up

Everything in life is more fun with costumes, and the Wet Secrets are no exception to this rule. Edmonton’s reigning rock quintet (Lyle Bell, Trevor Anderson, Kim Rackel, Emma Frazier and Paul Arnusch) play all their shows in snazzy red and white marching band outfits. When you see the Wet Secrets perform you feel like you’ve just walked in on a brass section throwing a rock party in your basement. Their lyrics are sassy, their sound is original, and you can’t help but want to dance up a storm when you hear hit songs like “Get Your Own Apartment” and “Grow Your Own F***ing Moustache.” The group was at the Palomino this week to show off their new album, Free Candy, to Calgary audiences. We chatted with bassist Lyle Bell before the performance and talked about the band coming off a several year hiatus, the making of the new album, and the story around the off-the-wall costumes.

Are you excited about playing the Palomino tonight?
This is our first show where we get to play all the songs off our new album, so yeah we’re pretty pumped.

You guys have been on hiatus for a while now. What inspired the Wet Secrets to start playing together again?
Our last show together was back in 2007 and everyone just seemed to get busy with life and other projects. Despite our busy schedules, we were really encouraged to get back together. Musician Chad VanGaalen and Lana Gay from CBC Radio were two big supporters of the Wet Secrets re-uniting. Eventually we collectively decided to go for it. We really committed to making a new album and it all came together in a short period of time.

How does your new album differ from your last album, Rock Fantasy
Free Candy was recorded in the same studio where my other band (the Shout Out Outs) made their last album. It would be fair to say that our new album is more adult than Rock Fantasy. When we recorded Rock Fantasy we were five years younger and we recorded in someone’s house downtown. Rock Fantasy had a fuzzy quality to it and the whole album was really a booze-fuelled process that we probably couldn’t replicate again.

The making of Free Candy was more methodical and the result was an album that was less obtuse. Our lyricism has evolved from stories of drunken hilarity to covering topics that are about real life issues because we’re all in such different headspaces now. This doesn’t mean the new album is a downer; there is lots of fun material in the mix.

What’s on your playlist and how would you describe your sound?
Definitely synthesizers and I’m a sucker for pop music, dirty punk and garage rock. I’m a big fan of JJ Burnell from the Stranglers. The Stranglers’ sound is clanky punk pop and that’s definitely how I would describe the sound of the Wet Secrets. We always strive to create music that’s familiar without being cliché.

Ok, now, what’s the deal with the marching band costumes?
It’s actually a funny story. Our drummer Trevor Anderson grew up in Red Deer and used to be a member of the Red Deer Royals marching band. When the band decided to sell the costume, Trevor’s mom brokered the whole deal and was able to secure 25 marching band outfits for a price we couldn’t refuse. The uniforms pay tribute to the history of Alberta and reference the history of the band. It’s just so wild to imagine Trevor as being a gay teenager in Red Deer of all places and being part of that marching band.  It’s like Glee with attitude!

What is the general reaction to the costumes?
Actually, the first time we ever played a show together we showed up at Broken City and this grumpy bartender that we referred to as “Rockabilly Frankenstein” took one look at us and huffed something along the lines of “Ugh, costumes. Why don’t you guys try talent?” We ended up writing a song about that bartender called “Needles In My Salami.”

For the most part, people are really into the costumes. The ladies are over seven feet tall with the boots on. I’ve watched Kim and Emma get mauled by crowds who are fascinated with the sight of super tall women.

What would you wear for costumes if you weren’t wearing the marching band costumes?
Matching Snuggies.

Who would be your dream audience? Rockabilly Frankenstein?
Ha, good guess but no. We actually had Bill Murray and Woody Harrelson in the crowd for our show at the Beauty Bar during SXSW (Austin, Texas). Unfortunately someone announced their presence and the two celebrities made a quick exit because the crowd was suddenly way more interested in Bill and Woody than us.

What does the band do in their spare time?
Kim and Emma run a burlesque troupe called Capital City Burlesque. Paul, our keyboard wizard, makes films, and Trevor and I have other bands. I also work with an inner city project called the “Chimo Music Program,” which focuses on teaching kids to play music. We just had our Christmas concert, which was a blast, and the kids can always rely on having a dynamite squad of local musicians showing up to teach them music.

What’s in store for 2014?
We are returning to SXSW and will be doing a tour of Eastern Canada. We’re really just starting to pick up steam and coming into our own. I’d say that we’re playing better than ever.

Whatever the future holds, everyone should have a listen to Free Candy (Due out February 4th) and look out for more Wet Secrets shows next year. 

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