Snailhouse
Unveiling a Sentimental Gentleman
Photo by Snaihousemusic.com
My good friend W. I. Kipedia told me that in “Judeo-Christian culture, [the snail] has often been viewed as a manifestation of the deadly sin of sloth.” This can mean a sort of spiritual apathy, and it can also mean a specific kind of laziness, which is commonly the association we make.
Snailhouse, aka Mike Feuerstack, is not an exemplar of this trait. If anything, he’s the antithesis of laziness and spiritual apathy.
A current or past contributor to the work of Angela Desveaux, Wooden stars, Bell Orchestre, Islands and the Olympic Symphonium as well as the creator of his own music as Snailhouse, Feuerstack is one of Montreal’s busiest musicians. He’s also seemingly one of its happiest—specifically because of how busy he is.
“I make music with my friends,” he tells me. “It's that simple. I don't have much of a life outside of work, so I try to work always and never all at once!
“I like a lot of kinds of music, not just what comes out when I set pen to paper to create Snailhouse songs. Collaborating with other artists is a way to engage all of my diverse interests, as well as to keep learning. There has been no better way for me to learn that to follow someone else's vision and method of making music. All these experiences inform one another.”
Feuerstack’s latest release as Snailhouse, Sentimental Gentleman, might be his best. Herohill said that “Sentimental Gentleman cherry picks everything that makes Snailhouse fantastic,” and I’m prone to agree. It’s a really pleasant, agreeable album that showcases Feuerstack’s excellent songwriting and his specific way of observing the human condition.
My use of that big catch-all—the human condition—is purposeful. I suggested to Feuerstack that he writes very well about timeless ideas, and he replied that Sentimental Gentleman isn’t about anything he can pinpoint.
“I really cannot think of a specific inspirational theme for this record,” he explains.” I think what you said hits on something though; I wanted to touch on big, timeless ideas and give them the time and weight they deserve. I wanted to lyrics to be real, but not stock or pedantic. I wanted levity, sadness, cynicism, hope and fear to all swim together like they do in real conversation.”
And perhaps that’s it, how best to sum up the Snailhouse aesthetic. It’s a conversation, it’s real, and yet it’s far from banal, pedestrian or common. It’s comfortably simple and poignant.
As for the title, well, don’t assume Mike’s talking about himself.
“The title's comical, but it's also got some kind of poetic truth behind it. I'm not so sure I'm the Sentimental Gentleman though. Maybe it's just a pep talk to myself [to] unlock the Sentimental Gentleman within. Seems like a good way to be.”
Snailhouse plays this Sunday @ Sala Rossa at 8:30pm
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