Laura Power
Northern News Services
Published Friday, September 28, 2007

YELLOWKNIFE - Esker hasn't played publicly since the Spring, but in recent weeks, the band has been busy recording a new CD.

"We were on hiatus until we got our funding sorted to make this CD," said Sean Best, the group's drummer.

Esker guitarist/vocalist Steve Whittaker sings as the band opens for Kim Mitchell at the Yellowknife Community Arena last year. The band is recording its first CD. - NNSL file photo

"We've basically done everything in town that we wanted to, and everyone wanted to go in different directions.

Like the other members, Best has been playing with different Yellowknife bands. One of these bands for Best is Transience, which has also recorded a CD this summer at Sound Extractor Studios in Edmonton.

"Steve started writing a whole bunch of different stuff on his own," he said, referring to vocalist Steve Whittaker.

"We still jammed on again off again once a month," he said, but said they haven't been as serious.

The funding came in and the guys took the opportunity to get some of their original songs laid down.

The 10-track album, which doesn't yet have a title, was done at the same studio that did Transience's CD 'Water.'

Steven Whittaker, vocalist for the band, said the new album is expected to be finished by Christmas time, which is when keyboardist Patrick Duxbury will be getting back from Europe.

He said a formal CD release party may happen in January, which, as Best added, could turn into an all-ages event.

"We want to get it out to everybody, and the kind of music we play, it appeals to all age groups," said Best.

But the creation of a CD is not about selling them, according to Whittaker. He also said it doesn't necessarily mean the band is going back to playing around town regularly like it used to.

"It's just kind of like we wrote a lot of cool songs and we're trying to close a door on this musical chapter," he said, adding that if it happens to open other doors, that would be great.

"Even if we go our separate ways, we still have this CD that we made," he said.