Fans & Motor Supply Co. - Quiet Dream

Fans & Motor Supply Co. – Quiet Dream

Independent – 17 November 2020

Regular Folk Radio UK readers may have noticed my coverage of Tremblers of Sevens, a unique (and gloriously loud) roots/global music duo from Victoria on Vancouver Island. (If they have escaped your attention, do yourself a favour and check them out.) One half of this powerhouse pairing is Dan Weisenberger (‘Wise’), a man for whom music stretches beyond obsession, his taste seemingly knowing no bounds. He’s a crate digger of maximal enthusiasm, so whether it be a Canadian punk rarity, a Son House obscurity, maybe a compilation of Armenian duduk music, it’s always fun hearing of his latest infatuations. He could talk music all day, every day, and doesn’t just listen to his collection, fervently researching his addiction to the Nth degree.

It’s useful to know of this panoramic view Wise has of music, because as a performer he has his fingers in pretty much every pie in the pie shop. Besides Tremblers of Sevens this consummate guitarist has released CDs of bluesy folk songs, and frequently performs acoustically; he’s a Fado devotee and skilled Portuguese guitarra player; he’s performed as a session man with dozens of artists of many sonic persuasions and, alongside Tremblers of Sevens partner Rad Juli (Steemson), is a regular member of Victoria accordion demon David P. Smith’s impeccably named backing band, the Apeshit Army.

To illustrate in his own words, back in February 2006 Wise was touring opening for the great Leeroy Stagger, a personal roots rocker favourite, and was briefly interviewed by Steel Belted Radio (2003-2017, Winnipeg, MB). Apologizing for not having ‘read the bio,’ the interviewer quizzed Wise as to what he was all about. His succinct response was this:

“I’ve just sort of been playing music for a long time, everything from backing up a champion fiddle player, a Portuguese Fado group, rock ‘n’ roll, country, bluegrass, klezmer, and just…everything, you know?”

And then, something of a Victoria supergroup, there’s also Fans & Motor Supply Co. As different from any of Wise’s projects as they all are from each other, this four-piece recalls the laidback vibes of such as The Band, Little Feat, Ry Cooder, Tony Joe White, and some of Eric Burdon’s excursions with War. It’s loosely funky, very soulful, and delivered with the seemingly effortless aplomb one would expect from four richly talented local legends.

Joining Wise (lead vocals, guitar, mandolin) are the brilliant Oliver Swain (bass, backing vocals), drummer Matt Pease (Brishen / Daniel Lapp / Marc Atkinson), and Danuel Tate (Cobblestone Jazz / The Modern Deep Left Quartet) on keyboards and Hammond B3 organ. (It should also be noted that local folk singers Danielle Lebeau Petersen and Cluny Macpherson contribute lovely backing vocals to the title track.) While all three enrich Wise’s smoky, Southern soul-infused songs, Tate’s performance, in particular, is wonderful, his shimmering Hammond acting as the perfect counterpoint to Wise’s expressive guitar riffs throughout.

Although silkily conveyed, like Wise’s voice his songs for Fans & Motor Supply Co. have a dusty, lived-in, world-weary feel to them, mirrored in such titles as Heaven, Purgatory, Hell & the Blues; Let’s Go Get Lost; Old Music Box, Wind in the Pines, and Sleeping Rough, via all of which one can sense the collective life and road experiences of these well-travelled veterans.

The band’s sole album, Quiet Dream, was independently issued locally on CD back in 2015, so why review it now? Well, Wise has long wished for it to receive a vinyl release, and just before this horror show of a year is behind us all, a little good news comes in the form of his (dare I say quiet?) dream finally being fulfilled. The original artwork by Leya Tess has been replaced by a variation on her initial concept, and one track, Lonesome Blues, has been omitted for maximum fidelity, but purchasers of the limited edition vinyl pressing will receive a bonus CD of the intact album, bearing Tess’s original sleeve design.

Despite the current pandemic-enforced gig moratorium, albeit with a slightly different line-up, Fans & Motor Supply Co. have recently reconvened to rehearse for possible-to-probable COVID-19-restricted live (and, I hope, recording) activity in an indeterminate near future. With about as many projects on the go as Wise, Swain is super-busy and unavailable at present, and although he’s still very much part of the band’s future plans Wise has enlisted bassist Scott White (The Bills / Fried Sitar / The Nobodies, inc. Pease & Tate) for the time being. Let’s hope they’re back on the remaining stages of Vancouver Island and beyond as soon as is humanly possible.

Quiet Dream is now available digitally on Bandcamp, and available on vinyl for the first time from December 11^th.

Davy & Clara (Live in 2016)