Interview with Dave Marshall and Brad Stanton of THWOMP

In Part One of this exclusive interview that I originally did for Suite101, Brad Stanton and Dave Marshall of the Nintendo® cover band THWOMP discuss the band's roots.

Drawn together by their passion for music and classic Nintendo® games, THWOMP has performed throughout Alberta, playing at everything from bar mitzvahs to comic-cons.

The year 2010 is an exciting one for the band, with gigs at the Calgary Comic Convention, Otafest and Animethon 17, as well as their upcoming CD release party in the fall. Suite 101 sat down with Brad Stanton and Dave Marshall before a rehearsal to chat. In this segment, they share how the band came together.

The Origin of THWOMP, a Nintendo® Cover Band

THWOMP is a six-piece progressive "prog" rock band based in Calgary, Alberta. It is comprised of Brad Stanton (lead guitar), Colin Mitchel (lead guitar), Scott Munro (bass), Scott Moffat (drums), David Marshall (keyboards/percussion) and Kirk McVean (keyboards).

Band mates Brad Stanton and Scott Munro met in 2001 while they were attending Mount Royal University (then a College). Brad recounted the first time he and Scott jammed on video game music, "I walked by his room one day and heard him playing the battle music from “Final Fantasy VI” and it was like, “That’s frickin’ awesome! Teach me how to play that.”

Writing down what he learned was the natural next step for Brad. "I went home and started transcribing for real, writing it out in three parts, for bass and two guitars. Then, I just did more and more and more tunes from that game." Eventually, Brad amassed enough transcriptions to begin jamming on the music. He called on Colin Mitchel and Scott Moffat, two buddies who play with Scott Munro in Günther, a three-piece progressive rock trio.

Classical Nintendo® games were ideal for the new band. "You can separate out the audio and it comes down to four tracks," Brad explained. "The original Nintendo® pieces work so perfectly for a four-piece band because you just transcribe every note and it sounds perfect."

However, the advent of Super Nintendo® posed some challenges for the group. "Well we wanted to do more Super Nintendo® games and they have 16 channels," said Brad. "That’s eight tracks of audio. I had to make decisions between what tracks I could do and what tracks I couldn’t do. I had to cut out stuff and give Colin a lead and me a harmony and miss this other string patch or something like that."

Dave Marshall Joins THWOMP

The group played at house parties, shows and bars around town for approximately two years. They met David Marshall at Broken City. At the time, the club hosted the Ramp Show on the first Thursday of each month to showcase new music or bands.

"We played the very first one as Günther’s side project and absolutely tore it up," recalled Brad. "The place was packed and everybody loved it. I remember you [Dave] being there and…the shit-eating grin on your face when we played Final Fantasy."

Hearing the band for the first time was a special moment for Dave. "I played that game in particular so much that as soon I heard it, I knew every note. I think that’s part of the appeal of the band too; there are lots of people who have that same experience when they hear us play. It took me a year to convince them that I was supposed to be in the band too."

Thanks to a cold snap during the winter, Dave was given a chance to play with the group. "It was about 35 below outside. It was ridiculous," said Brad. The rehearsal space didn't have heating, so Dave invited the band to rehearse in his home nearby. After jamming with the group, the decision was unanimous: "We decided that Dave needed to be in the band." The addition of Dave's keyboard and percussion skills meant that the group could explore music from Super Nintendo® games without compromising voicings.

THWOMP is a Nintendo® band that took root during an impromptu jam session between founding members Brad Stanton and Scott Munro on Final Fantasy tunes. The four-piece band became a quintet with the addition of keyboardist and percussionist Dave Marshall.

For more information about THWOMP, the band or to listen to audio clips, visit their website, BandCamp and Myspace page.

The full interview series:

Full interview series: Part 1 – THWOMP’s Origins | Part 2 – Band Names & Niches | Part 3 – Songwriting | Part 4 - Hey! Listen! CD Release | Part 5 - On Gigs | Part 6 - Convention Gigs | Part 7 - Video Games | Part 8 - Fun & Food

Hey! Listen! Album Review

Originally published on Suite101.com on July 27, 2010. Updated on March 22, 2013. All rights reserved by Rhona-Mae Arca.

Preparing for the Long & McQuade Music Education Contest

For the first time, my studio submitted an entry to Long & McQuade's Annual Music Education Contest. It's been a really neat experience for my students and I.

When I saw the poster back in November, I had a hunch that the four students I selected for the project would work well together (aged 11 - 13). Three of them had already worked together in combo classes and improv classes in previous years. I went on a hunch with the fourth member. This is her first year studying with me. However, her creative vision and personality seemed like a good fit for the other three.

In December, D stepped up to be Team Captain/Music Director. They held planning meetings at my studio, starting in January. G, the new student, wound up being the Secretary, writing down ideas and project deadlines and practice schedule on the whiteboard. E picked the song, while W brought supplies for their photo shoot.

They opted to perform "50 Ways to Say Goodbye" by Train:

They wound up practicing sometimes twice a week at my studio throughout January. They did most of the planning  by themselves. I served as an advisor, while D's mother helped supervise meetings while I was teaching.

After several discussions over their band name, they christened themselves "WEDG" (opting to use the first initial in their names). The group is comprised of W (cajón/vocals), E (lead vocals), D (vocals/keyboard) and G (keyboard/hand percussion).

I have a digital piano in my office, so I was still able to teach while WEDG practiced in the studio. At the end of the evening, I emailed the mp3 files from their practice for them to review.

There was one setback. Long & McQuade announced that the audio category was full at the end of January. The kids decided to press forward and record as they were already planning to continue working together. They were already talking about CD covers and decided they could still submit an photo entry for the contest.

We did receive good news last week though, in that Long & McQuade re-opened the audio category for the bonus prizes. Last Friday, the group recorded their entry AND posed for photos for not only the photo contest, but also their CD cover.

To my delight, I even heard a bit of their own compositions in passing. I was occupied with setting up the recording equipment when I overheard one of them say, "Let's run through our song first." I was floored as I listened to them run through a catchy pop tune that they created.

Whether WEDG wins a prize in the Long & McQuade Music Education Contest or not doesn't really matter. The moment I heard them come together as a completely cohesive unit for the recording their final take and the surprise moment when they ran through their own band songs - that's what matters. The ties created by their shared love for music, along with their shared vision. As their teacher, I couldn't be any prouder than I was at that moment. I cannot wait to hear what they come up with next.