National Anthem of Nowhere provides poetry

By Joey Vergara

Published April 20, 2007

"My Sword Hand's Anger," the opening track from Apostle of Hustle's new album National Anthem of Nowhere, perfectly sums up the band. Irregular, syncopated rhythms drive the music as vocalist and guitarist Andrew Whiteman delivers his often-nonsensical lyrics like a true poet with guitars cascading forth.

Unique, yet recognizable as a project from a member of Canada's indie-collective Broken Social Scene, Apostle of Hustle was created by Whiteman after he took a two-month-long trip to Havana to visit his godmother.

"It certainly wasn't like hanging out with the Buena Vista Social Club or anything," Whiteman said. "(For) most of the regular folks there, that's old shit to them, you know what I mean? I used to wake up in the morning, and they'd be blasting Kenny G. I'd come downstairs and be like, 'What are you doing? Why are you listening to Kenny G?' They're like, 'What do you mean? Why aren't you listening to Kenny G? It's so smooth!'"

After returning to Toronto, Whiteman recruited bassist Julian Brown and drummer Dean Stone to the ranks. But when Broken Social Scene's Leslie Feist came calling exactly a year later, Apostle of Hustle was sidetracked. Whiteman joined Broken Social Scene to record the Juno Award-winning You Forgot It in People and didn't get back to his own project until 2004.

With his unquenchable passion for music at full roar, Whiteman brought in many influences, beyond the obvious Spanish-tinged ones, to Apostle's music. Both National Anthem and the band's 2004 debut, Folkloric Feel, play like eccentric compilations, something Whiteman equates to a childhood fascination with the diversity found on AM radio.

"I can't really contain myself," he said. "I'm just a music fan. I'm a world music geek, and I love it all. That's why I can't really help it."

When it came time to record National Anthem of Nowhere, Whiteman opted to switch things up. The band recorded the album at a French studio in Montreal and deep in the forests outside of Toronto for more than nine months.

It was a completely different recording process than Folkloric Feel's, which took nearly four years to complete and became a mix of material written and recorded at various locations.

National Anthem also marked a change in production duties from Dave Newfeld, a member of Broken Social Scene and the group's resident perfectionist producer, to Martin Davis Kinack, another Broken Social Scene collaborator.

Moving on from Newfeld's murky, submarine-like sound, Apostle of Hustle aimed to push both the percussion and vocals forward on its sophomore effort.

For Whiteman, who has played music for more than 20 years in various outfits, Apostle of Hustle afforded him the chance to take the creative control he cannot have in collaborative endeavors including Broken Social Scene.

"I get to be the boss," Whiteman said. "Julian and Dean, obviously, they're my guys, so we make some decisions collectively. But Apostle of Hustle is my baby, so there's a joy in that responsibility. I kind of love that."

Following tour commitments for National Anthem of Nowhere, including summer residencies in New York and Chicago, Whiteman plans to take Apostle where few bands have gone before — the desert.

"Our five-year plan basically involves moving to the north-African desert and playing some desert trance rock 'n' roll," Whiteman said.

Although Apostle of Hustle might not be the next Kenny G, it sure plays some smooth jams that would please any contemporary Cuban.