Good Hustle!

There was a time when bands were bands, and if a given one was extremely popular, maybe the singer put out a solo record here and there. These days, if you don't have a band, two side projects and a solo career, you're slacking. This is especially true among Canadians for some reason. Witness the myriad offshoots of The New Pornographers, Wolf Parade, Arcade Fire and Broken Social Scene.

True, Broken Social Scene is such a loosely strung together collective that it begs the question "Can the group of artists brought together to sing 'We Are the World' be considered a band?" In any case, core BSS member Andrew Whiteman does have a band of his own, called Apostle of Hustle, that ostensibly allows him to explore his Latin roots within the indie rock aesthetic.

I've only heard a handful of Apostle of Hustle songs, but it seems to me that the inspiration is drawn from several far-flung genres with a consistent focus on rhythm, and a reliance on a variety of percussive sounds, which lends a Cuban flavor to the music. Judging from the well-baited hook, driving rhythm and dynamic harmonizing of My Sword Hand's Anger (on the new album, National Anthem of Nowhere) and the off-kilter bass-and-percussion-infused electronica of 24 Robbers, as well as the globe-trotting, seven-minute island opera that is Folkloric Feel, Apostle of Hustle is as versatile as its singer.

Why am I writing about them you ask? They will be playing the Mohawk day show at SxSW with Annuals, Imperial Teen and Shearwater on Thursday March 15th. And I'm still knee-deep in my extensive South-by-Southwest preparation.