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‘Really, the main thing was that Echo Park was really just Andrew and |," explains Horrocks. ‘‘We‘re not going to get too far as a studio group. The material‘s changed since they‘ve come into the group." The addition of Koehler and Williams to the lineup added new creative potential to the band, and made the likelinood of touring more practical. ‘‘We were signed to a record company in Nashville. It was a really good working relationship, but lan and | just had to spread our wings,‘‘ says Horrocks. Tanner and Horrocks come from a wellâ€" established stint in the recording industry, having already released two internationally acclaimed albums with their previous band, The Awakening, on Reunion Reâ€" cords in the U.S. Echo Park, consisting of Tanner, Anâ€" drew Horrocks on guitar and vocals, Glenn Koehler on keyboards and vocals, and percussionist Clarke Williams has been performing together since May 1990 and is now gearing up for more performances and studio time with the end in mind of a first group album by late 1991. ‘‘We have a lot of influences,"‘ says lead vocalist and bass player lan Tanner. ‘‘Most musicians are inspired by people, but hopetfully, if they have talent, they can find their own voice." These characters have developed such an eclectic sound, there is no pinpointing any one influence. A full range of speculaâ€" tion could end up sounding like a Who‘s Who of ‘60s pop nostalgia from the Beach Boys and the Beatles to Frankie Valli and Yes. STRAWBERRIES AND CREME Although comparisons may be odious, the desire to seek comparison in describâ€" ing Echo Park, an upâ€"andâ€"coming progresâ€" sive rock quartet from Cambridge, is almost overwhelming. Show Times By Mel Taylor ‘‘We‘re all really good friends,"‘ Maâ€" claurin adds. ‘‘We don‘t just see this as a biz. Some guys just get together to rehearse and to perform and then go their own ways. With us, we‘ve been partying together since grade 7.‘ Musically (and boy, how we hate to do the old comparison thing), the Oxfordâ€" Toyâ€"Makers Picnic comes close to a Skydiggers sound, but they‘re both folkier and rockier at the same time. No Toyâ€"Maker is really locked into any one instrument (except Baldwin on drums). They have their preferred. inâ€" sturments, but often take turns bopping back and forth. There‘s a definite ‘‘Canadian roots rock"‘ sound happenin‘ here, but it‘s a little more off the wall â€" a little jazzy thing thrown in now and then for good measure. That has a lot to do with Cull‘s funky jazz style. _ "‘He plays some pretty intricate bass lines," MacLaurin says. ‘"He won‘t just (Continued from EZ1) ‘‘We‘ve been playing together ever since we learned our instruments, so we really know each other. When we‘re playing, we know what the other guy is going to do before he does it.‘‘ Davidson says. "And | think that‘s where our original stuff will really grow. Oxfordâ€"Toyâ€"Makers Picnic Featuring This Week BfiPogular Demand e Return of the dynamic duo 12 30 5.00 93012 30 Echo Park defies labelling The band‘s aim is to not have any one member shine or stand out from the others, but for each to complement the others and bring out a good sound as one unit. â€" Vocals are important though, and the band‘s even attempted a little threeâ€"part harmony a capelia thing. "‘If any one thing shines, it would be our vocals,"" Davidson says. ‘"‘We‘re Though its members have been playâ€" ing together for several years, the Oxfordâ€"Toyâ€"Makers Picnic is still fresh and still has a few wrinkles to iron out. But there‘s no hurry â€" there‘s lots of *groundwork to lay, and these boys are looking at things realisitically. Best to secure things on the homeâ€" front before venturing off the unkown territory. Check out the Oxfordâ€"Toyâ€"Makers Picnic at the The Tin Can Jam, Saturday Koehler feels he has added a degree of objectivity as well as some new ideas into the formula, but concedes that, apart from their press kit, he is leaving the writing sit on a note. Most bass players play roots of chords, but Isaac takes it to ‘‘Yeah. He brings weirdness into the music, and sometimes we have to sort of bring him back to earth,‘‘ Baldwin adds. at Moses Springer Arena in Waterloo from 2 to 8 p.m. "I think the main thing is we‘re trying to establish Andrew and lan as a writing duo,‘‘ he says. chores up to the original duo The City of Waterloo, Attitudes Skatepark, Jaimeson‘s Wheelgoods and A.O.1. Pro Audio have joined forces to present the new festival as a way of helping to support aspiring local bands. This year‘s lineâ€"up includes Waterâ€" looâ€"based bands Beefwhistler and The Proles, the Guelphâ€"based band Geâ€" neric People:Anonymous, the Kitchenâ€" erâ€"based band The Oxfordâ€"Toyâ€"Makâ€" ers Picnic, and the Cambridgeâ€"based band The Grope Toads. > ‘"‘We‘re hoping to help promote some of the local bands that are out there,"‘ said coâ€"organizer Todd Hayâ€" den of Attitudes Skatepark. "It should be really good experience for them.‘ A similar concert was staged last Tin Can Jam‘s designed to promote local talent When you‘re an upâ€"andâ€"coming band, you‘ll play anywhere to get exposure â€" even a "‘tin can‘‘ of a joint. That‘s what five local bands will be doing this Saturday as the first annual ‘"‘Tin Can Jam‘"‘ gets underway at Moses Springer Arena â€" not that Moses Springer Arena is in the least bit tinny. ENTERTAINMENT ZONE, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7. 1991 â€" PAGE E23 Recession Special â€" Free Pool 1 â€" 5 p.m. Sat. noon till 1 p.m. FREE Battle of the Sexos Sat., Aug. 10/81 Starting at 9 p n _ festurng ._ . Fatal Aftraction . Mr. Sensation . The Tramp "It was a lastâ€"minute thing last year â€" we just threw it together,‘‘ he said But this year we have a lot of things planned.‘‘ Besides offering an afternoon‘s worth of music, the event will feature skateboard and rollerblade demos Jaimeson‘s will also have a vendors booth displaying the lastest in skate and rollerblade gear, and barbecuedâ€" goodies will be available for purchase Tin Can Jam gets underway at 2 p.m. and continues until 8 p.m. at Moses Springer Arena, 150 Lincoin Rd. in Waterioo. Tickets are $4 in advance and are available at Ticketâ€" master, Sunrise Records and Moses Springer Arena. year by some of this year‘s organizers featuring local bands like Jungle Fudge and Sing Along With Tonto. But the concert only drew approximately 100 spectators. Better planning and a beefedâ€"up list of activities will likely draw a bigger and more enthusiastic crowd to Tin Can Jam. Organizers will be happy if they break even, Hayden ‘We both sort of have abilities in ditte rent areas, says Tanner Angrew s actually a recording engineer Right ‘from scratch, we can go into the studio and put out a record Although the band has recorded more than 30 singles to date they are takinc their time working on their first album anc negotiating a record contract ‘‘We‘re not overly tast yet. but the thin is we don‘t want to make any big mistakes We want our name to go on. so it s quaity Certainly the studio keeps us busy That a gig in itself, says Tanner Echo Park can be seen and he August 14 at the Commercial Taverr Maryhill The group has the advantage of having members wellâ€"versed in the dynamics of the studio. Tanner and Horrocks have worked at the Cedartree Studio in Kitchen er for the past four years, and were involved both musically and technically in the production of Snow in June the Northern Pikes‘ platinumâ€"selling 1990 reâ€" lease Recording engineers could play any of a number of roles on any given project from backup vocals or guitar accompaniment ic programming and shaping the musica stylings, as well as engineering itselt If comparisons do come to mind wher listening to Echo Park . think rather o+ thei musical aspiration to create melodicaly based pop music with a more comple» musical sensibility We don t really like pinpointin ourselves because we sound «* ourselves, says Koehier ‘Part of it is building a relationship too We know pretty much how to work together. We‘ve all been friends for years," says Tanner "It helps you get things more in focus says Horrocks. ‘‘It‘s not as democratic as a typical band Sometimes when you have too many cooks in the kitchen it gets sort of chaotic Waterloo‘s NETWORK Open Daily Noonâ€" 1 a.m 597 King St. N.. Waterioo 746â€"5209