Welcome to the weekend. The music never stops and neither do we…
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
I live in Hamilton, ON Canada while the rest of the band lives close by in Toronto, ON.
How did you meet?
We all met through different bands – the music world gets surprisingly small once you’ve been in it for a while. Our drummer Peter’s partner was actually in a Single Mothers music video way before we knew him.
How long have you been playing as a band?
About 2 years now.
Before you get sick of being asked… where does the band name come from?
In one sense this band was kind of the ‘foundation’ for growth I needed at the time. I was in a mess of alcoholism and depression with my other band Single Mothers and I needed a change. This band gave me a new foundation to build on, dig into my other inspirations that I didn’t get to use for SM and grow with the songs as we wrote them.
What are your influences?
Growing up in the late 90’s I loved bands like the Gin Blossoms, (early) Everclear, Oasis, Limblifter, Old 97’s – bands with hooks and loud guitars.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
I’m not trying to re-invent anything or push guitar music to it’s limits by any means. I just love writing – and I’ve been lucky enough to have people want to put out my records. I do though have a certain story and experiences that are uniquely mine, and these songs project that voice. We all have a story to tell that’s interesting and unique – some people just have a louder voice than others.
Do you have any particular lyrical themes?
This record focuses a lot on self-reflection, loss, change and hope. All things that I happen to have been going through – and relying on, over the course of writing it. “Stay” and “Broken Window” are very much about losing someone and realizing they aren’t coming back and dealing with it. “Pace Yourself” is about learning to… pace myself.
What’s your live show like? How many shows have you played?
We’ve been lucky to play with a lot of great bands so far like Pup, Dave Hause, The Dirty Nil, Bob Mould and every show has been unique. It’s often a mix of chit chat and song and we just want to entertain.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
A guy recently got 10 stitches in the back of his head for jumping into a crowd that didn’t want to be jumped on. It was very disturbing all around. Blood everywhere. That happens more than it should. Read the room, people.
What kit do you use / guitars do you play / etc.?
I use a Gibson Les Paul Classic generally – it’s a special edition in arctic white with black binding that I found really cheap at a pawn shop a few years ago. It was so cheap I thought for sure it must be fake, but I e-mailed gibson customer service with the serial number and it turns out it was just a special edition run and the pawn shop didn’t want the inventory. I swapped the pickups out (it had emg’s) and I’ve been using it ever since.
For amps, I either use a 90’s Blue’s Jr. or I have a Matchless SC30. Our other guitar player Mike has a Grecco Lawsuit Les Paul and also uses a Matchless SC30 combo.
For bass, we have a Traynor Monoblock B head and a 4×10 cab.
I have no idea about drums other than they’re gold and look nice.
What, if anything, are you plugging/promoting at the moment?
Our debut record came out Friday Sept. 6th on Dine Alone Records and we had a release show at The Baby G that night in Toronto to celebrate.
What are your plans for the rest of 2019 and into 2020?
We’re going to be doing more and more shows and hopefully releasing a lot more music.
If you were second on a three-band bill, which band would you love to be supporting and which band would you choose to open for you? A chance to plug someone you’ve toured with, or a mate’s band we’ve not heard of before!
J.R. and Dave Hause and The Mermaid
