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What exactly is the
SQUARE ROOT OF MARGARET?
By Anne Sulikowski
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At first pondering, one might expect a simply worded, straight-forward explanation. After all, if you have never heard of the band before, you may not know that they are five young men that met as friends while in their teenage years. Five lads heavily influenced by music that pushes the sonic envelope, and challenges compositional structure. Together they make songs of their own, and seek out new sounds, new ideas - all the while flirting with classic pop structures and progressive concepts.
Based in their hometown of Chatham, Ontario (a place which is nowhere, yet, geographically speaking, in between many other places) the friendly fellows in SQUARE ROOT OF MARGARET came into being sometime in the early 1990s - the exact date of conception is unknown. What began as instrumental psychedelic jams that would last into the small hours of the early morning has evolved over the years into a creative force.
Their music is an endeavor at which they work ceaselessly, always pushing forward, always trying something new. The result is a sound that is often described as post-pop, with elements of space rock - for the lads in SQUARE ROOT OF MARGARET , however, there is no simple, straight-forward explanation. They make music anyway.
Originally formed as a trio in the mid-90s, for years, these fellows were content to play music in a friends' basement, oblivious to the world outside. As time passed on, the band added another member, and began recording and playing out live. They wrote and recorded constantly, and toured only occasionally.
Whenever Square Root of Margaret played live, new fans and old would follow. Critical acclaim was mounting, and the shows were becoming more intense. The audiences were expanding with the music. And then, in the spring of 2002, those friendly fellows that were often referred to as Square Root of Margaret disappeared completely.
Where did they go?
A fire on Halloween of 2000 cost the band approximately $15000 - $20000 in vintage musical equipment, as well as their rehearsal space. Even though they had lost every single instrument and piece of gear in their possession, the lads recovered within six months time, and set about releasing a full-length album, titled, Endless Rotation.
Early press and word of mouth around Endless Rotation was very positive. Unfortunately, shortly after signing the band, the indie label that released the album dropped off of the face of the Earth (without bothering to inform SRoM).
Weeks turned into months, and it became apparent that nothing was being done. As a result, this recording that meant so much to the band was essentially lost in the abyss. To this day, the fellows in Square Root of Margaret are not certain as to exactly what transpired, having never again been contacted by the former labels former proprietor.
Between the fire and the label fiasco, the band decided to step back and gather some perspective. This resulted in a hiatus that lasted for the better part of 2 years.
During this time, SRoM set about quietly making music for themselves - without much thought about the outside world. They were concentrating on the music only. It was all about the music.
January of 2004 saw the addition of a new member on keys and synthesizer, and the friendly fellows set about writing and recording lots of new material. A new excitement found its way into the band, and it has become something that they wish to share with others.
A sudden flurry of activity now surrounds the music, and the next 3 months see Square Root of Margaret performing more live shows than they have in the past 3 years combined!
The interview begins...
What were you all doing musically before SRoM? Were any of you in other bands or music projects?
Before SRoM, there was.the Moby Joby's. Po Kadot (vox and lead guitar in SRoM) and Easy Reissner (bass and tape manipulation in SRoM) comprised one half of The Moby Joby's with two other fellows. Clarke Smart, "Professional Stunt-Drummer," had started drumming just one year prior to the formation of Square Root of Margaret. Joshua Brisco, esq. joined a few years later. He had been quietly practicing rhythm guitar to live SRoM music, while the band practiced away in the basement of a party house, which was lovingly referred to as The Briscotheque (which is now a Billiards and Home Gaming Retail structure. How did they ever get the stains off the walls?). Jason331/3 was just hanging around at the time. He would not join Square Root of Margaret in a performance capacity for many years. Having just gotten back from NYC, where he was interning for his favorite independent record label, Shimmy-Disc, he was looking for interesting people that were making interesting music. He had just met his musical hero, the legendary Kramer (Bongwater, King Missile, Ween, etc.) and was thinking about starting a record label of his own. But that's another story.
How did you get your band name?
It was another "Wonderful Wednesday" night at The Briscotheque. Wednesdays nights were reserved for taking lots of acid getting silly. It was a necessary step towards making it through Thursday, just to get to Friday. The friendly lads that were about to be known as Square Root of Margaret were playing a word association game at the kitchen table of The Briscotheque. They started grabbing books from the impressive Briscotheque Library, and opening these books to random pages. Next, they would blindly point at a spot on said random page, and whatever word was beneath their finger would become a contender for a band name. Square Root of Margaret was just one of the myriad names that they arrived at. Other standouts included Big Daddy Carnivore and the Little Thumb-saws, Bloated Police Woman, Evil Harassing Chickens, Hissing Milk Curd, and Mad Dog Noodle Trout, and Margaret To The Power of Two. So you see why they chose Square Root of Margaret.
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