FFWD REW

Theme to an imaginary western

The Dead Letters channel Morricone via Winnipeg

We’ve all done it. Hunted down and purchased the soundtrack to a favourite film in the hopes of bringing a little piece of that fantasy world into our own. And though those scores that take the inspired-by-compilation approach often stumble when it comes to consistency and their very nature presents a conundrum when sorting one’s record collection a good original soundtrack never goes out of style. From the iconoclastic kettledrums of 2001: A Space Odyssey to the tobacco-stained theme from The Good The Bad and The Ugly motion picture soundtracks are a subconscious touchstone of our collective modern culture. Tapping into this shared scrapbook of mental vignettes The Dead Letters out of Winnipeg use guitar-on-guitar dialogue to weave an atmospheric listening experience that offers more intellectual stimulation than your average audio wallpaper.

“I like to think of our music as a cinematic version of your typical song catalogue” elaborates founding member and guitarist Alex Janusz. “We’re certainly an instrumental band and we’re somewhat ethereal in nature but I like to use the word ‘cinematic’ in that we’ve created a soundtrack for a story that doesn’t exist.”

Determined to fashion a tune worthy of the images playing in his head Janusz joined forces with like-minded performers Jim Demos (guitar) and Jill Winzoski (viola). Janusz and Demos had already worked out their unique synergy as the conjoined guitarists of the rock ’n’ roll outfit National Monument. Conjuring the tension and beauty of Ennio Morricone’s masterful soundtrack compositions tailored for director Sergio Leone’s celluloid visions the trio launched its self-titled EP in the fall of 2009 and has risen to the challenge of performing live shows as The Dead Letters ever since.

“Jim and I have a long history of working together and this is the music we’ve always wanted to make” says Janusz. “Our signature sound is a mix of two lead guitars that play in unison to the point that they sound like one guitar and you can’t tell where one ends and the other begins. The viola on the other hand is like a sad violin. It adds another dimension to our melodies; it’s throatier and Jill really gravitates to those tones.”

“Lately we’ve been delving into more ghostly subjects in creating material for our new album” he continues. “We often find ourselves talking about loneliness and wise and spooky spectres floating in the forest. I like to think that we make the music but it’s up to the listener to close their eyes and go where they want. I often wonder why we don’t hear more Morricone on the radio. This music is every bit as valid as pop; you just have to listen a little more carefully.”

With a full-length CD just around the corner Janusz and company are eager to take their travelling picture show for the ears on the road again and are rallying their wagons for a summer tour. After all a pilgrimage to the new West is only appropriate for a group that has earned a reputation for laying down dark dusty ballads with hypnotic post-rock intensity.

“I’ve always loved playing rock ’n’ roll music” Janusz confesses. “But I also love those sweeping romantically innocent pieces that transport you to another time and place. When you allow that kind of visionary freedom any number of elements can come into play. For example Jim has a Greek background so that Balkan sound oozes out of him quite naturally. We’ve been experimenting with all kinds of Eastern European gypsy rhythms and scales and have even dabbled with some Mexican influences on the new album. Of course we’re best known for having a certain spaghetti western mood about us but we’re always changing gears and themes as we go. If things are just getting a little melancholy we’ll try to elate the crowd with some galloping guitars. We aspire to having highs and lows — that’s what makes great soundtracks great.”

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