It is difficult to say exactly how long it took Siskiyou to record
their debut, self-titled album. It was during downtime from the
ambitious tour schedule of his former band,
Great Lake
Swimmers that Colin Huebert began unofficially recording
‘ideas' at his home in Vancouver, British Columbia. It wasn't until
his final departure from said band in the summer of 2008 that
Huebert found the time and energy necessary to begin crafting
Siskiyou's forthcoming album.
Never one to unconsciously adhere to rules and standards, Colin
approached recording somewhat differently than others. In an
attempt to remove ‘the brain' from the song-writing process, the
core of many songs were recorded, using whatever means available,
often within ten minutes of their conception. Without any idea of a
final product, these rudimentary recordings were shared with former
band mate, Erik Arnesen, and together they meticulously built
strange and lush arrangements to surround these charmed moments.
Employing various locations (beaches, stairwells, bathrooms, etc.)
throughout the Vancouver area, Siskiyou proceeded to balance the
energy of an epiphany with a modest, methodical attention to
detail. This tension, apparent throughout Siskiyou's self-titled
debut full length has been described as perfectly capturing the
lush, yet often-chilly landscape of the Pacific Northwest. To
accompany many of the songs from the upcoming release, Huebert and
filmmaker Karolyn Keir are currently in the process of preparing a
number of short videos (Super 8, 16mm, and digital).
Yet to perform live, Siskiyou is currently planning a European and
western North American tour to support their
debut release in the autumn of
2010. With the help of two other multi-instrumentalists from
Vancouver the four-piece will translate the recorded material into
a live performance that should fall somewhere between the Jesus and
Mary Chain's
“Psychocandy” and
Simon and Garfunkel's
“Bridge Over Troubled
Water”. Or something like that.
Siskiyou has already finished the bulk of recording for its
sophomore album, during sessions in a century-old community
hall located in rural British Columbia.