First, a bit about your band: How long have you guys been playing and how did the band name “The Sidewalks” come about?
We’re just a little over a year old as a fivesome. Originally we were a 4-piece with only a trumpet for brass and we played shows for 2 months like that. Once we had a blossoming fanbase in Charlottetown we enlisted Steve on trombone to make for better harmonies. We’ve been a five-piece powerhouse ever since.
When it came time to name ourselves we wanted something that you would run into all the time, something that people would relate to us. We were walking around one day, I think we may have been looking for ice cream (we LOVE ice cream!) when The Sidewalks just kind of jumped out at us.
Can you elaborate about your current album and your experience in recording it? Was it what you expected?
Definitely. Part of our story is that we showcased at the 2009 ECMAs (East Coast Music Association) without having an album released. It (the album release) was something that we continuously saw on the horizon, but circumstances would keep delaying it. Originally we wanted it out in March of 2009, then May, June, July…it wound up being September that year. It was a blessing in disguise, though: we wrote the title track only 3 weeks before hitting the studio. Our CD release party was long anticipated in town and was a huge success.
The recording process was great. We worked with Jon Matthews at Big Grey Sound Studios in Charlottetown. He’s a funny guy who likes to laugh, and we’re always trying to "out-pun" one another. We gelled together quite nicely on both a professional and “bro” level.
How do you explain such different sounds on a same album? What genre do you see yourselves as? Do you foresee yourselves experimenting with different styles in the future?
We’ve recognized that ska has been a genre that fell off the radar for a lot of people, which is sad, but we thought we might be able to remedy that on the East Coast by taking a new spin on it. Songs like
A Better Way and Down Too Fast are what happen when we just let the music happen, rather than worrying about nailing down a genre to a tune. We call ourselves “skalternative rock” which is a joke, but really, when you think about it, it makes sense. I’m the only real ska fan in the band. Jamie is a metal head, Josh is into pop and R&B, Robyn likes classic rock for the most part, and Steve is the resident classical/jazz guy. When you put five guys like that in one room, you wind up pulling a lot of different things into your music. Thankfully, it seems to work for us.
We’re always “experimenting” to some degree when writing. I say that lightly, though, because we never set out to write in any particular style. I mean, we don’t show up to jam with “I’m in a funk mood. Let’s write a funk song.” We take a riff that somebody wrote and just let it evolve. If a rock beat isn’t working, we try a disco beat. If a Motown bass line doesn’t feel right, we throw a pedal note style line and see what happens. It’s really exciting because it challenges all of us as musicians to be more versatile.
As an emerging band, do you find it hard nowadays for your music to be heard? Especially for a ska band? Or on the contrary, the mediums and technologies now available (social networks, blogs, YouTube, etc…) have made things easier for bands?
I feel that networking and the Internet are the two biggest factors in spreading your music. Both have a wealth of potential when done correctly. Most importantly, though, you really just need to play often, promote your shows, and make sure your live show is always better than the last one. We pride ourselves on our energetic live show and try to top it every time. Facebook and MySpace are our friends, too. We’ve never been good with print media, but we like to think we’re funny sometimes. Sending out an update via social networking is a viral way of getting your music heard. It’s a great promotional tool.
You were nominated for the Alternative Recording of the Year at the Prince Edward Island Awards, how do you feel of being nominated in the alternative category? Do you agree with this categorization?
We definitely do, but it has its drawbacks, too. Alternative is a catch-all term for rock music. We don’t feel that we fit many of the genres that an awards list can offer us, but we also feel that Alternative is a suitable title for what we’re doing. The downside is that it’s so subjective that you may find yourself competing with bands who you don’t agree belong in the same category. Even still, it was a great honor to be nominated from Music PEI. The exposure has helped a lot, and in many cases, the nomination is just as important as the award itself.
Did you enjoy playing with the highly popular psychobilly band from Montreal “The Brains"? What were some highlights of that show?
Our bass player has said they were one of his favorite bands he’s ever played alongside. They were a fantastic bunch of guys. It was really upbeat and fun to sing along to. Our favorite part about the show was the audience (it was our first time playing at The Capital in Fredericton, NB) and all of these fans from the punk/metal/psychobilly scene came out to see The Brains. We made a lot of new fans out of people we didn't expect to enjoy our sound.
How has the Better Late Than Never Tour been so far? Are you planning on reaching the West coast in a near future?
The Better Late Than Never Tour starts only on March 10th, so we’re still preparing for the shows. We are just plain excited to reach the masses. We’ve been playing in the Maritimes for a while now and are making fans online who live in Ontario and Quebec. It will be great to finally meet them and share ourselves with everyone that comes out. The West Coast is something we plan to hit, but haven't released any dates just yet.
You will be playing 2 nights in Montreal (March 12 and 18) can you describe the atmosphere of a Sidewalks show? Can we expect some stage antics and comedy on stage? How does your band make it an event not to be missed?
You can expect:
- A high energy show
- Catchy material, sing alongs, clap alongs
- Some really good (or bad) jokes, depending on how much sugar/liquor we’ve had
- Chris may trip and fall if he gets too excited
We push hard to make our island upbringing known. The Maritimes are known for partying and we want our audiences to experience that. We try to put on a real rock show, we want you not just to listen, but to watch and feel what we’re doing.
You have a second album coming up in July, can you tell us a bit about it, what we can expect from this second record?
We’re presently in the studio recording this second album. It’s going to be a bit more radio-oriented than the last one, but it will pull even more influences that you’ve heard on Better Late Than Never. Most of the material is being road-tested and will be played at the shows while we’re on tour, so come out and let us know what you think of the tunes!
Thanks to Chris Gallant and The Sidewalks for this interview!
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