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

The guys from Toronto band Isle of Thieves describe themselves as “a fusion of energetic rhythm, textual riffs, driving power chords, catchy synth leads and memorable vocal melodies.” What was memorable for iheartthemusic, though, was their passion and drive. These are musicians who have set a goal and are going after it with full force. Japeth (vocals/guitar), Mike (guitar), Justin (synths/vocals), Charles (bass) and Matt (drums) came together to form Isle of Thieves in 2006 and self-released their debut album, Only Human, last year. Did we mention that it is a debut ALBUM as in no previous EP? That’s right; these guys skipped the opening step and decided to give fans what they think they deserve: a well orchestrated, catchy disk that emanates with their determination to succeed in a tough industry to break.

iheartthemusic: CMW showcase opening night is pretty impressive. Have you guys ever played CMW before?

Japeth: Never, this is our first time. We tried to get into it last year but it didn’t happen.

iheartthemusic: How did you come together as a band?

Japeth: Justin, Charles and I have known each other since we were in high school, we didn’t have a band though. I was working downtown at a hardware store and Matt came in and wanted to get something for his drums. My thinking was, “wow, you are really cheap and so am I, let’s start something.” So we started jamming and Justin went and got some super old Casio from the ’80s. We did open mics for a while, as cheesy as that sounds. Finally I met Mike at another job, and Charles I knew from high school, and that’s how we just formed. The interesting thing about this band is that all of us got together as friends first before we were musicians. It was more about the fact that we got along with each other and we could grow together as opposed to let’s have an all star year.

iheartthemusic: It probably helps move things along when you have known each other for such a long time.

Justin: We actually started recording only six weeks into being a band; it was really something that was very spontaneous. We wanted to go in and we wanted to record something off the floor, and our producer thought that we had something even though we were rough around the edges.

iheartthemusic: That’s amazing that you have already released an album in such a short time!

Japeth: It was around maybe January of last year that we released the album, it was not an official release; it’s not under any label. We just basically decided to make an entire album because there are so many other bands that are giving out these EPs or demos and we wanted to give our fans a real product. When a band charges $10 for six songs I feel kind of ripped off. I mean if you look at HMV, they sell CDs that cheap for big name artists. So we thought, why not make an album, which is a lot more impressive. I mean we’re independent but we’re not going to give you this half-ass product to show you how real we are – fuck that shit! We wanted to give them something that was tangible and respectable and we went with that. It destroyed our wallets, but it was worth it.

iheartthemusic: Have you received a good response since?

Justin: Pretty good. I mean, we are here playing the opening night of CMW, so that says something.

iheartthemusic: Any musical influences for you guys?

Matt: The Jimmy Swift Band I think is the most influential band for us. They are from Halifax.

Justin: Billy Talent for sure.

iheartthemusic: How would you define your sound?

Justin: I would define our sound as a mix between The Killers, Foo Fighters and Jimmy Eat World.

Japeth: We’ve started to refine our sound to be a bit more edgy. We originally wanted to be a garage band, but that didn’t end up very well. It just became more polished and poppy and it was just the direction that everyone was going. It’s strappy, but at the same time it’s clean enough that mainstream won’t think it’s stupid. I think there is that balance.

iheartthemusic: What can we expect from your live performance?

Japeth: Pandemonium! There is this drop-kick that is going to happen at some point [laughs].

Justin: We try to give it our all up there; we’re sweaty so stand back!

Japeth: We are energetic and I think it’s just part of our presence and persona. When we first started we were really boring and just stood there and regurgitated the album, so we decided to practice and play like we were playing for 10,000 people. We loved it and it changed our whole performance style. At the end of the show, whoever we play for really feeds off of our energy and they also see that we care even if we are playing in front of 10 people.

iheartthemusic: Any crazy fan moments?

Japeth: We got $100 worth of sex toys once and the cock ring vibrated my balls.

iheartthemusic: [laughs] So you are admitting to actually using the toys?

Japeth: I used it with a partner because you just flip it around and it’s a clitoral stimulator as well! She said she was my number one fan and the worst part was I was feeling around the bag and I pulled it out and I was like, ohmygawd, it’s a cock ring!

iheartthemusic: [laughs] On that note, what’s up next for you guys?

Japeth: Right now this is our life and I never thought it would happen like this. I mean, I always thought I would have a steady income and do it on the side and some guy with a big fat cheque would discover us. That’s not the way the industry is unfortunately. Those days are gone and at the same time that’s kind of an urban legend. We decided we love it enough that we are willing to rough it out and have our parents hate us for quitting school.

photography provided by Matt Vardy