Who Is Dr. Draw?
According to an article originally appearing in Newsweekly, Dr. Draw is “a young violinist – an attractive guy who goes by the moniker Dr. Draw – stole the show with his infectious performance of high energy, piping out a mix of classical and house musical sounds from his electric violin. The show allegedly literally brought some to tears.”
Spellbinding. Mesmerizing. One to watch. These are just some of the descriptors that come to mind when you think about Eugene Draw, tour de force behind his band, Dr. Draw. The ‘Beethoven of Beats’ hasn’t quite slowed down since first landing on the Canadian music scene a decade ago. His high-energy performances, complete with his trademark, mile-high jumps, have won Draw critical acclaim among his musical peers and international regard.
During the World Expo in Shanghai, China in the summer of 2010, Eugene was asked to represent Canada, his current home stay, at the Canadian Pavilion. His performances wowed audiences there, and translated to a major success for Draw while furthering his exposure worldwide. Since returning, Eugene is focusing his new-found energies on co/self-producing two new albums for a winter release date of this year 2011. Both of these projects are a part Draw’s ever-expanding repertoire. His first project, something he calls, “intelligent dance music”, goes by the name Meta Meta – a collaborative quartet, that includes [but is not limited to] Jeff Cote drums, Eugene “Le Russe” Fedorichine electric cello, Eugene Draw electric violin. Newly added to the roster is an old band mate and acclaimed guitarist, Pierre-Luc Rioux, who was part of Draw’s original ensemble in his Montreal heyday. The connection makes the project a Montreal/Toronto collective, as raw tracks are sent back and forth during production.
Meta Meta’s mission is to bring live music to a myriad of venues – nightclubs, concert halls, bars, theatres – big and small scale, transforming four walls into a bonafide Dr. Draw experience – always different, yet consistent in delivery, passion and performance. Their use of real instruments brings a different kind of energy to the scene, one that a DJ can’t provide. Above all, Meta Meta’s dedication lies in creating mind blowing, high-energy sets, and making music that’s danceable. “Danceable music has always been my passion,” says Draw. “I wanted to unite some amazing performers who share the same raw energy that I do, and just explode on stage together, producing the most wild music we can think of.” Draw is constantly on the hunt for a new element, whatever the song calls for. Draw steps up as director for his musical ensembles, ranging anywhere between 2 to 22 people, that together, create an orchestrated energy. Why such eclecticism? Not that Draw is unsure of what he wants or where he is going. He’s simply catering to the songs needs. And each one is different. “Maybe a song needs keys, or bongos, or some electric harp, even unicorns – whatever it may be, we’ll find it and make it work. The right additions bring the song to life.” Throw in some super talented visual artists and dancers [all of which Draw can call ‘friend’] and you have an idea of what kind of party Dr. Draw and his Meta Meta project intend to create.
And on that note, don’t bother asking the genre. As always a little difficult to categorize Dr. Draw’s music, Meta Meta is no exception. “This is not single genre based, it is a combination of Funk, Tribal-house, Power pop, Classical and Rock – all in one.”
And while you’re thinking of a new genre to pin down the Distinctively Unclassified Draw, you can also sit tight for a much anticipated studio album, Draw’s fifth of his career.
But who’s counting? We just want to dance! Yet to be titled, it is the brainchild of Draw and his newly acquired writing partner, electric-cellist, Eugene “Le Russe” Fedorichine. The two met quite serendipitously in Toronto only last year [2009]. They would soon discover they had lived mere minutes away from each other, and played in the same playgrounds, in their native Moscow.
Draw and Le Russe have since collaborated to flesh out a softer, more meditative side of the Dr. Draw project. Their one on one jam sessions of violin and cello [both electric], allowed for them to really play what was in their hearts and heads, at any given moment in time. The creative process behind their album is especially unique, taking place in front of a live audience. Always crediting those around him, Draw says the album would not have been possible without the help of his many friends, among them, his father. This diverse community gathers at “The Theatre” – a self-professed art club on Bloor St., [downtown Toronto]. Draws’ grass-roots approach of hosting open events where he and special musical guests would perform live for a lucky, in-the-know audience meant they would literally be witness to the process of creating a tune. What started as jams would ultimately become Draw’s unique approach to album writing, resulting in many fully developed compositions that, as Draw insists, “wrote themselves when the minds of artists came in contact with the energy of a live audience.”
THE BEGINNING:
For Draw, his musical talents are that of a prodigy even though he picked the violin around the age of 11. Draw never had to “think” or formulate his talent. More organically, he discovered it though acting out on his impulses. Not an approach to music, but rather, an honest expression of himself. Born in Moscow to a family immersed in classical music, as a young boy, Draw learned the power and drama of performance from his ballerina mother. He practised his beloved violin sometimes up to six hours a day, hardly willing to stop for breaks, a work ethic that still holds true today. Encouraged by his Junior High teacher his parents enrolled him into the prestigious Royal Conservatory of Music [RCM]. Ultimately constrained by the school’s formal approach to music, Eugene left the institution in favour of the street where he was free to improvise and experiment.
It takes a certain kind of person, an artist, to pick up an instrument and start wailing on busy downtown street corners. Brandishing his beloved violin and an unlimited imagination, the teenager threw himself into his music like never before. With a marked passion and unmistakable gift, Dr. Draw’s performances drew growing audiences and he was soon “discovered” by Canada’s largest newspaper that enthusiastically declared him one of the country’s most promising young performers.
There is no single word that will do justice to this performance artist, violinist and potential rock star Eugene Draw. But “intense” comes close.”Stephen Pedersen, The Chronicle Herald, Halifax
Where does the Moniker “Dr. Draw” come from?
When Dr. Draw was still busking for a living, people working in nearby offices often called the joyful musician “doctor.” He had the ability to cure the common blues and uplift the spirits of even the most cynical passerby. This infectious positivity and his genre-bending became something of a trademark, throughout Dr. Draw’s career.
Influences?
Citing such diverse influences at Chopin, Charles Minges, David Bowie and Pink Floyd, with elements of African percussion, Indian ragas, North American folk music and reggae all finding their place here and there throughout Dr. Draw’s compositions. Draw comes by his unique musical masala with honesty. When various traditional melodies from around the world are added to the mix, it becomes easier to find both something familiar in his music and at the same time be intrigued by what is unusual and novel. Though his genre is not so easy to determine, Dr. Draw’s style is all his own, emanating in his performances, and flowing through each of his albums. Setting the example that music has no limits, Draw continues to explore all kinds of musical avenues, and quite like a mad scientist, blends seemingly ill-fitting combinations – Classical, Rock & Roll, Russian Folk, Electronica, Jazz, Hip Hop , Blues and others – into undeniably brilliant compositions. Guitar, electric harp, bass, keyboards, and drums back up Dr. Draw in an extraordinary band.