A Touch of Jazz

Ester's experimental streak was forged long before the release of their debut album, Default State. Guitarist/vocalist Paul Garvey had toiled around his native Toronto in a smattering of punk and metal bands, but it was the jazz music that his father refused to listen to without headphones that seeped into his subconscious and influenced the odd rhythms and stream-of-consciousness lyrics that define Ester. As one might imagine, it was difficult to find a home for this offbeat melange of musical styles in Canada, so Garvey high-tailed it to the more receptive environs of Los Angeles in 1991. "I was having no luck at all with my music and painting," says Garvey, who designed the Salvador Dali-esque cover art for Default State, "and I thought there's all kinds of competition in L.A., but at least it's warm there and I'd have a chance."

Hell-bent on getting signed, Garvey headed to a friend's house and recorded a demo, playing all the instruments to the beat of a drum machine. He sent it along with a fake bio to bamboozle A&R folks into thinking that there was a full band called Darkroom. When an A&M rep showed interest in seeing the band play live, Garvey stalled him, saying they'd set up a showcase in a month. He scrambled to find musicians to perform his songs, including percussionist Ian Brumbaugh. "I just thought the songs were basically up my alley," recalls Brumbaugh. "They were eclectic and completely different from most of what you hear on the radio." Garvey echoes the sentiment: "From the word 'go,' we were trying to put together some sort of off-the-wall music."

Indeed, Darkroom's brooding music was so non-radio friendly that, although they were signed for a demo deal, A&M declined to pick up their option. Disappointed but undaunted, Garvey put together a three-piece band with Ian and bassist Mike Renninger and dubbed it Cul de Sac. He wrote a slew of new songs, still as difficult to define as before, and made another demo that wound up in the hands of a Geffen A&R guy who immediately signed them.

It looked like Garvey had finally found a home for his introspective, jazz and funk-infused melodies. But only months later, Geffen was downsizing its roster and Cul de Sac got the pinch. "I was putting the slug in [the gun], ready to go," Garvey jokes of that time. "I was ready to quit ... but I just couldn't do it."

Instead, fate intervened. Garvey received a call from the president of Thirsty Ear Records, a label that embraces experimental music. Saying it already had a band called Cul de Sac, but that they dug the group's groove, the label said Garvey and Co. need only change their name in order to sign on the dotted line.

As Ester (a name inspired by the organic compounds Garvey studied as a chemistry major in college), the trio welcomed guitarist Cosmo Jones to record new songs. Mixing some old Darkroom tunes with the new tracks, they created a record teeming with refined musicianship, boasting three instrumentals and the sort of mood-enhancing music one would find on movie soundtracks. After the album's release, Renninger was replaced by Bob Tiezze, who will join the group on their imminent tour.

With the issue of an employer out of the way, there's still the issue of selling records, a decided chore for a band who's sound could be Kryptonite to radio. But, Garvey, like any indie artisan worth his salt, doesn't care. "If I can make a half-decent living at it, doing the tunes that we're coming up with, I'd be happy." He pauses, then adds with a touch of chagrin, "Of course, I'll probably be eating those words five years down the road."

ADRIANNE STONE
(March 26, 1999)