CBC Maritimes | Programs | Atlantic Airwaves

SATURDAY JANUARY 19, 2008 - A feature on the CD Turn On Your Radio featuring Sproll

Rising from obscurity to recognition in 2006, Sproll has become one of Atlantic Canada's most popular and critically acclaimed bands. However the genesis of the band has a much more humble beginning.
Some might say using the name of his high school teacher for a band name was bold. Especially, since the same teacher gave him a failing grade on the paper which discussed his vision of a band. As a teen, in small town New Brunswick, lead singer Corey Hachey would find himself inspired by the swagger of "Brit Pop" acts such as Oasis, The Stone Roses, Travis, and The Verve. Motivated, Hachey, taught himself to play the guitar and songs would soon follow. "I would spend hours strumming away in my parents' basement, and as soon as I could string a few chords together, I started scratching down lyrics," explains Hachey.
Fast forward through several years of dead end jobs, and luke warm attempts at higher learning, Hachey would soon cross paths with an aspiring guitar player, Neal MacLean. Both moved to Moncton, NB in the fall of 2003, and, after a chance encounter, began crafting songs amid winter's icy grip. "We started to collaborate and write new material from day one. It was great to finally meet someone that had the same determination to bring things to life," informs MacLean.

Driven to get the concept off the ground and armed with a handful of new songs, MacLean and Hachey began the search for like minded musicians to round out the ensemble. Finding musicians that provided a proper fit into the group's musical vision proved to be difficult at the start, until being introduced to bassist, Glen Farquhar, through a mutual friend. Drummer, Thom Cooke, who responded to a local music shop bulletin board ad, joined with the group soon after and the nucleus was right. With Farquhar's distinct approach to the bass guitar and Cooke providing the steady back beat, the band began inching closer to their present sound.

Sproll's very first studio effort came in the summer of 2003 with the now rare, 8 song demo entitled Kelly's Hill. The record was completely self-produced in Farquhar's basement studio and is a true testament to what can be accomplished with a lot of hard work and a home computer. After playing a handful of small club gigs and selling 500 copies of the demo in two months, the band cornered Producer/Engineer, Laurence Currie (Sloan, Wintersleep) to begin working on their next project.

The summer of 2005 would find the band in the midst of tracking their second release, an EP named, Soft Science. This second attempt would be produced and recorded at, Idea of East Studios, in Halifax Nova Scotia, with Currie at the helm. The success of Soft Science would enable the band to tour across Canada and into the US alongside such acts as Matt Mays, Pilot Speed, and Mobile, solidifying Sproll as one of Eastern Canada's promising new acts. With the experience of recording, touring, and a music video behind them, the band began work on their first full length recording.

The 2008 LP, Turn on your Radio, is Sproll's latest studio recording and is layered from start to finish with a fresh new sound for the band. The album's ripping guitars, electrified rhythm section, and powerful vocals will have even the hardest of hearts singing along. "I think we've done it. A record that, as fans of music - we'd want to hear," suggests a brimming Hachey.
View archives

(CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external sites. External links will open in a new window.)