APOSTLE of HUSTLE

 

Apostle of Hustle only released 3 LPs and a few EPs over the course of their existence, and they are all worth hearing! They were a Canadian "indie-rock" band formed as one of the many side projects growing  out from the Toronto "supergroup/collective", Broken Social Scene. Apostle of Hustle was the brainchild of Andrew Whiteman formed after he had spent some time in Cuba learning to play the Cuban tres, sometimes thought to provide the defining sound of Cuban son. Wanting to create music inspired by the instrument and the music he heard in Cuba, Whiteman recruited Julian Brown and Dean Stone to form Apostle of Hustle, playing Brazilian and Cuban folk songs, covers by folk such as Tom Waits and Marc Ribot, as well as originals. 

I discovered their first CD, Folkloric Feel, at the late and deeply lamented Soundscapes in Toronto (where I discovered so much awesome Canadian music) soon after its release in late summer 2004. I'd been staying at the Toronto Zen Temple, where I did most of my Zen training, which at the time was on College, just down the road from Soundscapes. Guests appearing on that debut album include Feist, Brendan Canning, Kevin Drew, and Amy Millan, all from Broken Social Scene. The title starts off with some tenuous scratching, and grows into a stron rocking tune, evidence of the way they would interweave their influences. Other strong standouts include "Energy of Death", and "Dark Is What I Want/Strutters Ball" which plays with some jazz chording. There are quite a few soft-whispered ballads as well.

Three years later, they released their sophomore effort, National Anthem of Nowhere  featuring Liam O'Neil and Lisa Lobsinger as guests. Overall, I find it a more cohesive and rewarding album to listen to. The link provided brings you to most of the album, missing only the opening "My Sword Hand's Anger" and "Fast Pony For Victor Jara." The title cut and "The Naked & Alone" are strong rockers, followed by the jagged "Haul Away" and "Cheap Like Sabastien". "Rafaga" is a frenetic piece that moves through some interesting changes. "Jimmy Scott Is The Answer" tags the wonderful Jazz vocalist Lou Reed was a huge fan of. The album ends with the dark-hued "NoNoNo".

Later that year, the band released an EP of three different versions of "My Sword Hand's Anger". And one month later they recorded with Tanya Tagaq who they then joined with for a tour. 

In 2009, they went on tour with Gogol Bordello. I got to see them here in Tucson when the tour stopped at the Rialto. Everyone I went to the show with were familiar with Gogol Bordello and went to see them while for me, the thrill was to see Apostle of Hustle. Afterward, my friends all agreed that while Gogol Bordello put on a fine, fun show, they pretty much put on a one-note vibe, playing all their songs at the same high-energy and volume level while Apostle of Hustle showed themselves to be more varied and interesting. 

Their last album, Eats Darkness, featuring the loon on its cover, was released in mid-2009. The link offers a look at an intimate live performance of "Eazy Speaks."