Kevin Drew Revisits Teenage 'Anthems' With K.C. Accidental Reissues

Before Broken Social Scene broke away from the confines of Toronto to become worldwide rock sensations, founder Kevin Drew recorded two albums under the moniker K.C. Accidental. Alongside fellow BSS member Charles Spearin, Drew laid the groundwork for what would eventually morph into the indie collective as we know it today. Once long out of print, those first two albums are getting the reissue treatment this week, bundled in one package as 'Captured Anthems for an Empty Bathtub + Anthems for the Could've Bin Pills.'

Drew met Spearin at an art school in downtown Toronto, where he decided to go to learn music production instead of the four-year university route. "When I got there, it seemed so difficult, so I thought about learning the business side," Drew tells Spinner. "My father ran his own company, so I thought it was something I knew after listening to him rant and rave over my 19 years of living. There I met Charles Spearin and Ohad Benchetrit, two major players in my life musically."

Spearin was already becoming moderately successful with his post-rock act Do Make Say Think, while Drew had simultaneously latched on to bands like Dirty 3, Tortoise, Aphex Twin and God Speed You Black Emperor.

"It was just something a lot of us gravitated towards after the grunge died down," Drew says. "1994 through 1998 was some of the most exciting times for my life in going to record stores, discovering bands and buying music and relying on the indie record stores. Before the Internet, this is how you had to do it. You met so many people by what music you listened to and defined who you were."

The two decided to set up a makeshift recording studio in Drew's parents' house, with his childhood bedroom becoming the spot where they hashed out the tracks that make up 'Captured Anthems for an Empty Bathtub.' They recorded for five days and mixed for just two and the first K.C. Accidental album was "accidentally" born.

"We brought an 8-track to my folks' old place. We set up in my old bedroom and they had a nice big back room, where we set up some drums and some amps," Drew recalls. "I said to Charlie, 'Let's make these our calling card for music for film.' I'm still very obsessed with film and do a lot of soundtrack work."

Those fond of Broken Social Scene's more anthemic songs might be surprised when listening to the K.C. Accidental material. Tunes such as 'Them (Pop Song #3333)' certainly hint at the sound to come, while songs like 'Silver Fish Eyelashes' and 'Residential Love Song' retain a heavy post-rock influence. The latter two aren't as much concerned with overt pop wallops, but instead try to work with a melody over longer periods of time without confining themselves into four-minute spaces.

Drew reveals that even his parents got on board with turning their house into a studio for a week. "I went to art school in high school, so I'd already gone to hell and back with my folks at that point," he says. "I retired my drug-fused art phase by the time I was 17. We'd pretty much been through everything we could've gone through. My folks were always very supportive. They knew music was something I needed to do."