I Heart the Music: Your Online Source for Live Music Reviews and Interviews in Toronto!

Releasing an album can be nerve wracking and exciting for anyone; releasing an album and doing it independently magnifies that feeling even more. But for the guys in Toronto-based band Arietta, they appear to have a calm, cool and collected attitude towards the whole process. Meeting and chatting with the six-piece at The Hideout on a Sunday afternoon left everyone laughing out loud and excited for what’s to come for this young group of guys. The band is made up of Tyler Johnston (vocals), Sean Ramesbottom (guitar), Brian Craig (guitar), Kyle Smith (bass), Shehzaad Jiwani (drums) and Patrick McCormack (multi-instruments). Their sound is something that really can’t be defined, nor do they want it to be. Having formed a tight-knit relationship with fellow Toronto musicians, these guys have surrounded themselves with a musical community that consists of some of the best talent this city has to offer. Arietta is on the forefront of many music critics’ radars. iheartthemusic spoke with all six (yes ALL six) members about the release of their debut album, Migration (which is out TODAY), and how they are one of the hardest working bands out there.

iheartthemusic: How did Arietta come to be?

Sean: A few of us grew up in Scarborough, and Brian, Tyler and I more or less started the band because we knew each other in high school but we were never in the same friend circle – we were just acquaintances. In the latter years of school we started to play and jam together and thus formed the start of Arietta.

iheartthemusic: How long have you been this six-piece for?

Sean: This six-piece is pretty new; I’d say just over a year.

iheartthemusic: So with six people in the band what is the writing process like?

Tyler: Originally, when we first started, Sean brought the main chunk of a song to the table and then we all kind of welded it down, switched some stuff around and everyone put in their parts. With reviews for the album so far, everyone is saying that it sounds really eclectic with regards to instrumentation and genre. I mean, we’ve got so many different instruments on this album, and I think with the new members, and a lot of them being song writers from different bands, that’s going to be good and a little tricky. But we will have a lot more to work with and I think it might come a lot quicker than we would think it would at this point.

Shehzaad: It’s also kind of cool because everyone plays, or at least attempts to play, different stuff. The last few times we’ve jammed, we’ve all done switches. It’s a lot more fun!

iheartthemusic: That’s so cool!

Sean: I think it has helped my writing style a lot, having other guys to depend on who can fill in the gaps and that I trust because their writing is just on par. I know that if I’m stuck, they are right there to fill out the space. We work really cohesively.

iheartthemusic: That’s pretty incredible that you guys are all on the same page in that way.

Shehzaad: It also helps that we are not on the same page a lot of the time. It sometimes takes a while to kind of make everybody see.

Tyler: I think we understand where everyone comes from, yet we all come from different places. Whereas one guy might play a riff to one drum beat, another guy may sound totally different playing to the same riff and it all depends on who picked up the guitar.

Shehzaad: It’s like a gradient from being Sean, on the one hand, who is really technical and then me and Pat being the opposite and having no musical theory background.

iheartthemusic: With this album, you spoke about how the reviews have been all over the place with regards to trying to fit you into a certain genre or sound, but what would you like people to take from this album musically?

Shehzaad: The big thing is equal balance of melody and technical musicianship. The reviews so far have nailed that and everyone who has heard the record has honed in on that too, which we were surprised with.

Tyler: Yeah, that was surprising because it’s quite easy to write it off as pop. We come from a place where being slightly different or technical goes a long way. A lot of us listen to music that isn’t even in the pop genre at all. We listen to all that kind of stuff and have such an appreciation for it, but at the same time we also have a very big appreciation for pop music all the way up to Fall Out Boy. So I think trying to mesh really technical parts where everyone [listening] is satisfied as a musician, with parts where we’ve taken it to a level that has challenged them, has worked for us and a lot of people are picking up on that. They hear that we’re testing our own limits, but at the same time we aren’t catering to one specific market.

iheartthemusic: Do you think catering to all these different sounds and styles will confuse people or turn them off?

Sean: I think right now we’ve definitely come across a long road of proving to people that we can have a very wide spectrum of songs and influences and I think, at first, it is one of those things that a lot of people don’t know how to take. Then once they do, they really enjoy it. So I think people may be hesitant at first, but so far with reviews we couldn’t be happier and people have understood that we are a progressive pop/rock band. Since we started doing this, people were finding it hard to swallow and not really getting it. However, with [the release of] this record, people are falling into it right away and understanding it. If things go the way they have been, I don’t think we’ll have a problem.

iheartthemusic: I was told by a close source that I am supposed to ask you about Weezer?

Shehzaad: We don’t know what you are talking about!

iheartthemusic: All I heard is that I have to ask you about Weezer, so come on, spill it!

Patrick: The Waking Eyes were coming through town and they are known for every now and then playing the Blue album in its entirety. So, Travis Porter came to us and said that they were going to come this night and play and asked us if we wanted to do Pinkerton. For quite a few of us, that is one of our favourite albums, so there was no question that we were going to do it.

Tyler: However, we had how many days of practice before we were going to perform!? Travis called us and expected Arietta as a band to go up on stage and play the Pinkerton album. Well, instead of doing that, we kept it a secret and decided that four of us in the band would, instead of coming out and playing the instruments we normally play, switch instruments and learn the album front to back in three days with only three three hour practices. We’ll say we had about 10 to 12 hours of learning an album on instruments we don’t play.

iheartthemusic: That seems like a really smart idea! [laughs] Did people enjoy your rendition?

Shehzaad: People liked us more than The Waking Eyes.

Tyler: Not me!

iheartthemusic: Well good for you for braving that crowd! You guys aren’t signed to any label, so what was the process like getting this album out without any major backing?

Tyler: Hard and extensive. We had help from different sources; from ourselves and the bank, but at the same time it also benefited us. There are positives and negatives to being on a label or not being on a label.

Patrick: Part of it is money and part of it is legwork.

Tyler: Right now we are self-sustaining; we book all our own tours, we get press, we’ve done everything ourselves, which isn’t as hard when you have six guys in the band. We are our own label, band, management company – essentially we are everything.

Sean: It makes you understand the industry and the process. We’ve been doing this for a little while now and, through different bands, have been part of the industry. Without everyone’s hard work and determination it never would have happened. That literally is the only thing that got us through. With finances, if you work hard enough you will find it and you can work with someone that will support you. If you don’t do it yourself then it’s not going to happen.

Shehzaad: Right now, more than ever, there have been opportunities for bands to do that, whereas before it was really hard to succeed without a label.

iheartthemusic: It seems like you almost don’t need one now.

Shehzaad: Yeah, exactly. You can totally just do it on your own. Bands that we know can get by on their own with maybe just a publicist or a booker for tours.

iheartthemusic: Are you striving to get signed though?

Tyler: Yeah totally. It helps when you have a lot of friends in the industry too. So we do have an advantage in that way in terms of hookups with a lot of promoters, bookers, publicists, managers, a lot of these people who may not necessarily be able to help us at this point in time, but will point us in the direction or put in a good word for us, whatever they can do which is really great.

iheartthemusic: Speaking of friends, there seems to be a love triangle going on between Arietta, Dinosaur Bones and Great Bloomers. Where did that come from?

Tyler: And Oh No Forest Fires!

Sean: We are trying to start a new community.

iheartthemusic: Actually?

Patrick: It’s not a conscious effort.

Tyler: Essentially, what’s happened is this city has had for a while now this cross-armed, look at the ground, unless-you-make-it-big-somewhere-else-piss-off kind of attitude, which is fine because it happens in big cities and you can’t let it get to you. At the same time, through having a lot of friends in bands that are very talented and seeing them push really hard and getting no response, we’ve almost created this community. Usually these communities start where it’s like five bands and they are all hardcore or metal or punk rock. But with us you’ve got like a prog/pop band, you’ve got a country/alt band, all these different bands that are doing very well in their respective genres, which is very odd to see.

iheartthemusic: Did you guys all know each other before the bands started?

Tyler: Yeah, I’ve known Branko, the bassist in Dinosaur Bones, since I was about three years old. That’s probably the oldest friend I have. I met Ben, the singer, through him years ago because we used to go to concerts together.

Sean: Two of the Great Bloomers members, the drummer Andrew and the bassist Ty, used to be in our band. They were our original members.

iheartthemusic: No way! So that’s why there is so much love there! Do you think that sense of community is a Toronto thing?

Tyler: I think it’s a big city thing. The whole idea of making it somewhere else and then coming back rings very true, especially in this city. I’ve seen bands play here for years, pushing tons and then all of a sudden someone in Japan likes their band so they go over there and tour for a few months and then come back and they are the biggest band ever here. We are a very ‘turn your back on your own kind until someone else shows some interest’ city, which is a very vicious thing to say, but I think Toronto has been like that for a while now. So we will be going to the UK for a few weeks!

iheartthemusic: [laughs] I was going to say that! Have you guys had any performance mishaps?

Sean: This band is notorious for faulty gear. Brian’s amp blew up once!

iheartthemusic: What do you do when that happens? Smile and hope no one notices?

Tyler: He sings all the guitar parts!

Sean: We’ve had friends lend us gear. I couldn’t even tell you the number of times that we’ve had to share gear. We run a pretty large pedal board, so if something goes wrong with that you are spending like 10 or 15 minutes trying to figure out where the problem is. When you have a band with six people and a lot of gear, it poses a lot of issues!

iheartthemusic: I can imagine! So you guys play Horseshoe this Thursday for your CD release, will this be your first time playing at Horseshoe?

Tyler: Yeah, actually it is.

iheartthemusic: That’s amazing! After the album drops what’s up next?

Tyler: Ontario/Quebec/East Coast tour in the summer. We are pretty much ongoing for the rest of our lives.

iheartthemusic: Where can people get the album?

Tyler: All those online retailers like iTunes or Amazon. You can also get it at Sunrise Records and all the local stores. Hopefully you come out to a show and see us and then you can get it there. That’s the best way to do it and you can get it cheaper and a high five!

iheartthmusic: I’m sold on the high five! If there was one thing we should know about Arietta, what would it be?

Tyler: We are very handsome.

Patrick: When you’ve got six guys in a band there is probably more than one thing you need to know!

Brian: You have to know your Simpsons references!

Well there you have it! Be sure to check them out this Thursday, May 7th at the Horseshoe, pick up the album and of course get that high five!

photography provided by April Day

It is becoming ever more apparent that the Toronto music scene is popping out talent like nobody’s business. As the talent gets stronger, the competition becomes fiercer as to who will win in the album and tickets sales race. One band that should have no trouble landing in one of the top spots is the fivesome that make up Great Bloomers. These young twenty-something guys come at you with their folk rock/country infused sound that leaves you hungry for more. iheartthemusic’s caught them twice already, and both times we were left with a smile on our faces and a catchy tune stuck in our heads. When we heard that they were set to release their debut album, Speak of Trouble, we knew we had to have a chat with them before they were swallowed up by the hungry media monsters out there… oh wait, that also includes us… Either way, it’s always nice to come into contact with genuine Canadian talent and that’s exactly what we got when we spoke with them during International Record Store Day in Toronto.

iheartthemusic: It’s a big time for you guys! You have gone from self-producing your EP, to signing to MapleMusic, to now having this amazing debut album just come out. What was the recording process like from your EP to this album?

Lowell: Well, with the first one, doing it in the comfort of your home, I really enjoyed making it. We kind of just wrote the songs as we recorded them, more or less. Whereas when we recorded this album [Speak of Trouble], we had been developing the songs for about a year and a half beforehand, so we went in more ready and it was nice to do it in an actual studio.

Andrew: The biggest difference was that we hadn’t even played one show when we were recording the first EP. At that point it started out with just Lowell and I and then Nate joined through that process.

Lowell: We played one show before it was released, but it was recorded before we played any shows.

Andrew: Making this record we had the unit all together and so it was much easier to go into the studio as a band. I guess before, with our EP, we were recording each part individually. I think this album has way more of a unified feel to it because of that.

iheartthemusic: Did you find that your sound differed between the two albums

Lowell: Yes, very much so! We recorded the EP with one microphone!

iheartthemusic: Let’s chat a bit about your musical background, because if anyone has ever seen you guys live they may have noticed that Andrew and Shawn have the habit of switching instruments halfway through the set!

Andrew: Yes, Shawn and I are the most talented in the band! [laughs] It’s funny, actually, because in some articles or blogs or write-ups about us they say that we have professional training, “classical training,” actually.

iheartthemusic: I did read that somewhere, so which instrument did you start with?

Shawn: For me it was the drums.

Andrew: Yeah, drums for me too. I took lessons for drums, but I wouldn’t call them “classical”. I think a lot of us actually grew up listening to music that lent itself to playing music, which then lent itself to playing in a band. All of us are multi-instrumentalist but don’t get to showcase it like Shawn and I do.

iheartthemusic: I think it’s great and definitely adds to your live performance.

Andrew: Yeah, it works out and it’s fun.

iheartthemusic: So when did MapleMusic come into play?

Lowell: It started off with Dave Porter. He has been in the record industry for so long and he came out to a show. We started talking pretty much from there. We signed to Grifter Music, which was going to be Dave’s own label; his own branch of MapleMusic. One thing led to another and we ended up getting swallowed by Maple. I think it turned out to be a good thing, but we owe that to Dave. Dave’s the one that saw the potential and signed us.

iheartthemusic: Would you say that being signed is a defining moment for your band, or is it more so coming out with a full length?

Nate: I don’t think it [being signed] has defined us musically but it gets our album out to places that maybe it never would have gotten to. So I think that part is really cool.

Andrew: I think they work together. I think the album for us is sort of defining our place right now because it allows us to go on tour, but we couldn’t have made the album without Maple because we had no money and we had all these expenses. So Maple allowed us to make the album, which is now allowing us to pursue this upcoming tour.

iheartthemusic: So we can expect a tour this summer?

Lowell: Yes. Maple’s also backing us up quite a bit with a team and has also allowed us to get our van, which is going to get us to the shows, which is pretty important. Another defining moment for us has been deciding to work with Lauren Schreiber as our manager. Basically we were at a point where our album was done and we were treading water just waiting for it to come out, but then we started working with Lauren and the wheels started turning and everything happened really fast. That’s been a big thing for us.

Andrew: What’s interesting when you start a band is that your team is the band and then eventually your team expands to people like Lauren and Carly [MapleMusic] and they help you get to those next places. The extended team is essential to growing as a band. They are the ones behind the scene, but they are doing great work. We owe a lot to them!

iheartthemusic: Big ups to them then! With the market being how it is, are you nervous at all about album sales?

Lowell: No, it’s not really something that we think about. We love making music and we do it because we want to have careers in music. We wouldn’t have done it any differently.

Catch these boys this summer as they cross the country in support of their debut album, Speak of Trouble, which you can pick up now at your local record store. For those of you lucky enough to live in Toronto, be sure to hit up The Horseshoe Tavern this Saturday, May 2^nd for their CD release party!

photography provided by April Day Photography

Toronto indie band Make Your Exit are five high school friends who are doing what they love most: making music. These guys decided to start a band after pushing the nine-to-five grind and deciding that it was (literally) time to make their exit from the corporate ladder and follow their passion. The fivesome, which includes Jeff Buckley (vocals/guitar), Mike Dellios (bass), Mike Thomson (drums), Mike Denby (guitar) and Oliver Pauk (saxophonist), have been playing the Toronto music scene hard and are eager to branch out and let the rest of Canada hear their soulful sound. iheartthemusic spoke with Mike Dellios and Mike Thomsen about the band, their EP and recording a new album.

iheartthemusic: Explain the story behind your name: Make Your Exit?

Thomson: The story is pretty stupid really. We were all working in offices just doing the career thing and then Jeff, the lead singer, and I were talking over email one time and we were saying, “let’s make our exit,  let’s quit our fucking jobs and be a band”. It’s just about making your exit out of whatever bullshit you are doing and then doing something you are passionate about. Too many people are happy just sleepwalking through everything.

iheartthemusic: I think that’s a great mantra to live by. How did you all meet?

Thomson: I’ve known Jeff the longest because we met in elementary school and we have been playing music since we were 13. Then when Jeff went to high school he met Mike (T) and they kicked out their current drummer and we know Oliver from my high school. So we’ve all known each other for a few years and knew each other as friends before we knew each other as musicians.

iheartthemusic: Does it help to be friends first?

Dellios: It helps with the writing process for sure. We were just away for a week writing songs at a cottage and, I mean, five guys at a house for seven days and not wanting to kill each other is important. We all get along, we all can read each other like family.

Thomson: As much as it is supposed to be a job, even though it is way more fun than a true job, it’s still nice to get along with the people you are playing with.

iheartthemusic: So in terms of the writing process, is that collaborative?

Dellios: It’s an interesting process.

Thomson: It totally depends on the song. Jeff usually comes up with most of the songs and riffs. We usually jam around on it, but about 90% of what we start with never gets finished.

Dellios: We have some songs that are strictly from Jeff’s mind and then we also have music that has come from jams where we have been like, “that is wicked, that’s going to become a song”, and so in that sense it’s collaborative. We all work together with what Jeff originally comes up with and we try and keep it loyal to that.

Thomson: That’s why we call Jeff the tyrant and you can print that!

iheartthemusic: I will for sure!

Dellios: We all kind of pitch in, but it’s been interesting too because we’ve had Jeff for only about a year and a half as our lead singer.

Thomson: You need someone to take the reigns or else nothing will get done and especially because we are a five piece.

iheartthemusic: Your sound is definitely more developed than only having a lead singer for under two years – that’s amazing!

Thomson: Jeff has only been singing as our frontman for a year and a half, so that’s started to help define our sound and mature us. We are anxious to get back into the studio and record again and refine our sound to how we feel we want it to be now.

iheartthemusic: So are you looking to be signed to help fund the recording process, or are you comfortable doing your own thing?

Thomson: I think it’s important, but only if you can find the right fit. Too many times bands will jump into something that seems like a good idea at the time. Getting signed for a lot of bands feels like that’s the end, but to be honest, it’s not a big issue with us right now. We would be more willing to keep playing the way we are playing and to write at our pace and what we want to write rather then be constrained in any way. Not that record labels are by and large out there to take what you are doing and rip its heart out, but at the same time it’s like anything else; when you are signing a contract you are signing some part of yourself away. So we are a little weary of that, but that being said, getting signed is great for playing shows.

Dellios: I think the quality of shows is something that we have started to realize is really important, and in that sense a booking agent would be great. Getting in with someone who can help us get in with other bands that are on a similar commitment level to us. We want to play music with other people who like music and have a similar vibe.

iheartthemusic: You guys touch on the importance of live shows, especially today with not many people buying albums, do you try and push your live show as much as possible?

Thomson: We definitely pride ourselves on live being the most important facet of our whole band experience. What it comes down to, not having a lot of money to record and, like you said, not a lot of people really buying these days, it’s not like you are going to get your money back. Where people are discovering bands now is live, and unfortunately there is so much music out there now, that when people hear a band that they don’t know it’s not like they are going to go, “oh I’m going to go check them out”, it’s more like, “I’m not going to go to this band because I’ve never heard of them”. So if you try and treat every show like it’s the most important show, then hopefully eventually you will hit the right audience.

Dellios: We treat our shows like it’s a fun thing to do. We have a blast and I think that that really comes out when we are on stage. I think people have a good time.

iheartthemusic: What has been your favourite show that you have ever done?

Dellios: I think my favourite show I’ve ever played was probably our last show at Rancho [Relaxo] during Canadian Music Week, just because it was our first time playing CMW so we were very happy about that. It’s a stepping stone for us as musicians and it was great and lots of people were there.

iheartthemusic: What’s up next?

Thomson: We are looking to get into the studio hopefully in two months or so, we are literally just saving up funds to record. We pretty much have the tracks down and we are at the point now where we are playing and people will listen to the EP and be like, “where were the songs we heard?”. It’s almost like we have a responsibility to record. We are also hoping to get in NXNE. If it happens, it happens and if it doesn’t, we aren’t going to let that get us down.

Dellios: We’ve got our one year plan, I guess. We’ve thrown around the idea of doing maybe a bit of a tour – either do the whole cross Canada thing or stick to Ontario or Quebec. We are fortunate because we’ve got a lot of markets to hit in Ontario and close by. We are just trying to work through that. Also, playing with bands like tonight [The Paint Movement], it’s a great opportunity to line up other shows, maybe in Toronto or out of town with other bands.

Thomson: If we don’t blow it, they might ask us back!

iheartthemusic: So what would you want someone who has never heard of Make Your Exit to know about you?

Thomson: I can guarantee you that if you come to our show, if nothing else, you will leave with a smile on your face because smiles are infectious and that’s all we do on stage. This is what we want to do and we couldn’t be happier.

 photography provided by April Day

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