Canadian Psycho Folk

I

t was all gravy for us; we had no plan, we had no idea that we would make a record," says Laura Hubert, lead singer of the Leslie Spit Treeo, Canada's raucous declaration that maple-leaf rock is alive and well. After three years of working as street musicians -- routinely kicking into a raw, revelatory cover of John Prine's "Angel From Montgomery" to attract tourists and the late-night club crowds -- the band released its debut album, Don't Cry Too Hard, and won Canada's 1991 Juno Award for Most Promising Group.

The Leslie Spit Treeo (from left): Jack Nicholsen, Laura Hubert, Pat Langner and Tag

The Treeo balances itself on the exuberant, near-messianic stage presence of the husky-voiced Hubert, along with the hypnotic harmonies of lead guitarist Pat Langner and acoustic rhythm guitarist Jack Nicholsen. The band explores an emotional tapestry of self-described "psycho-folk" -- from the explosive wail of "Real" to the Jefferson Airplane-like mantra "Like Yesterday."

Although Hubert admits that she's tired of answering to "Leslie," the band christened itself in organically incorrect fashion after the Leslie Street Spit, in Toronto, a landfill site where the three members would walk Tag, their dog, and rehearse.

"Tag would roll around and chase snakes while we were out in the garbage, pretending we were rock stars," says Langner with a smile.

Recording Don't Cry Too Hard in a two-week kamikaze session wasn't easy for a group of free spirits that, as Langner says, "never had a leash on before."

"It was guitar hell, and when there was time, we'd get to sing," says Hubert with a sigh. Yet they're coping as best they can. "We're a song band," she says. "Whatever the song dictates, that's what we do."