Jan. 26, 2005 - Issue #484: The Hidden Cameras
Reviving Las Vegas
Hard-rocking LVCK frontman Paul Ellingham may be a dad, but he isn't ready
for the Crypt just yet
Even when your arms are a living canvas of tattoos, your nose is pierced,
your sideburns are lengthy and your fashion sense makes you resemble a member
of Mötley Crüe, only more decayed, there comes a time when every
hard rocker has to grow up. For Paul Ellingham, lead singer of
Edmonton’s own Las Vegas Crypt Keepers, that time came in June of 2003
when his ragtag gang of high-energy musical misfits called it quits after he
became a single father to two young girls. But after a short respite from the
wearying life of a working band, the Crypt Keepers got back together in May
of last year, and although he might not be the carefree partier he once was,
Ellingham says his newfound maturity suits him just fine.
This week, LVCK will be taking part in a local benefit concert to help the
Red Cross raise money for the victims of the recent tsunami disaster.
Ellingham says he knew he wanted to be a part of the concert right from the
beginning, due in no small part to the current state of his own personal
life. “I have two little kids, I’m a single dad and on the 26th I
was watching TV seeing dead kids,” he says. “As harsh as that
sounds, when I saw these kids looking for their parents, I put myself there.
I don’t know what I’d do if I lost my kids in a tragedy like
that, so I knew I had to do something.”
Of course, being a dad has influenced more parts of Ellingham’s life
than just his decision to appear at a one-off rock show. It was also the
reason the group took a break from playing, even though before their
retirement they were the buzz band at music festivals and some sort of
breakout deal seemed imminent. “On a personal level,” Ellingham
says, “I could have just bailed and said, ‘I’m going to
Vancouver, forget this, I’m done’ or I could be a responsible
father, get out of a few things that take up a lot of time in my life and get
some focus. So I did what I had to do. I don’t party any more and I
don’t hang out at the bar—I just do music and hang out with these
two girls who look up at me and say ‘dad.’”
But just because he’s spending more time watching Barney than hanging
out at the bar doesn’t mean Ellingham has slowed down when it comes to
penning gritty, aggressive rock songs. If anything, he says having kids has
made him write better songs and want to do music more than ever.
“We’re writing more about heavier subjects—things
aren’t just about sideburns,” he laughs. “It’s got a
lot more thickness to the music as well, which I really like.”
The people involved in the Crypt Keepers have also evolved since their
heyday. Erick Lavigne, who had played with Ellingham back when the band was
known as Hippie Child, came back after a 10-year break, and of course the
other members had flitted around in various other projects in the meantime.
In fact, Ellingham says the reunion was amazingly easy, and if anything the
break only made them stronger. “This band, as it stands, are 14-year
friends playing,” he explains. “We just naturally do music, and a
lot of the internal things with the band and the craziness were just
forgotten. We went on vacation for a while, and then came back and everything
was smoothed over.
“Before we know it,” he continues, “we jammed five times
and had an EP ready to go, so I thought, ‘Okay, maybe I’m not
ready to have a walker and a cane quite yet.’”
Ellingham points to the band’s recent show opening up for Mötley
Crüe as one of their best to date, and says they’re looking
forward to shopping themselves around again once their new EP hits streets.
He admits he’ll probably be wearing the same black toque and jeans to
their gig this week as he will when he drops his daughter off at school that
morning, but even if the Crypt Keepers have given up a lot of the rock
posturing of old, it’s surly been replaced with a newfound passion for
the music. “I was playing my acoustic last night at 1 a.m. and
that’s what I’m in this for,” Ellingham says.
V
Las Vegas Crypt Keepers
With Social Code, Deep Fine Grind, Marble Engine, the B-Movies and
ChySuga • Red’s • Fri, Jan 28
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