Fort Smith (May 16/05) - State of the Art hopes to aid the state of the arts in the NWT with the new recording company Slanigiro.

"There's a lot of talent in the North," said Brandon Kikoak, a guitarist in the Fort Smith-based band.

Brandon Kikoak, guitarist for State of the Art, thrashes at Folk on the Rocks 2002 with his Fort Smith band, then known as Mother Divine. - photo courtesy of Ed Hardy

"I've seen a lot of good talent go unrecognized," added Aaron Kikoak, the second guitarist.

Together with their drumming brother Jamie Kikoak-Chabun and bassist Craig Allard, they have now recorded the premier album for both the band and the record label.

They hope to use their self-titled, debut CD to exemplify the capabilities of their home recording studio.

"Our business hinges a lot on the success of our band," Brandon said.

Ideally, the band members would like to be full-time musicians, as well as providing that opportunity to others.

Their music has its roots in rock and metal, but they would be willing to work with "anybody who's musically with it," Jamie said.

A handful of artists have already expressed interest in recording with them.

The current band has been together since December of 1999, when the three brothers, originally from Inuvik, convinced Allard to switch his guitar for a bass and play some gigs in Winnipeg night clubs.

The arrangement worked well.

Under the name Mother Divine, they covered a variety of rock and heavy metal songs z we thought, damn, we need a CD," Brandon said.

They have not toured since 2003, but after a quiet year in the studio, they are ready to hit the road again.

The band plans to head south with a crew of nearly 10 "helping hands" after the release of their CD in July.

"You really have to play a lot of shows if you want to pull ahead financially," Aaron said.

Often they play every second night, not an easy task when the gigs are in different towns and the band has to transport its own equipment and crew.

Playing live is what it's all about, the musicians said.

"That's what it takes, being a good live show," Jamie said.

Though they prefer performing live, the quartet plans to return to the North by early 2006 for more recording.

They already have some new material written for their second album.

A dynamic beginning

Their record, the "flagship" of Slanigiro, combines "old school" and "modern" musical styles, for an album with many different dynamics, the band members say.

The 48 minute, 10 song album is tentatively scheduled for a June 17 release.

The first single will be released Friday to for airplay on radio stations throughout the North.