Melodime

Check out a Q&A to learn more about the band then head to the sites in the links below to support them.

When did you first start playing together and writing music as a band?

Bradley: We formed seven and a half years ago in the Spring of 2006; Ty and I got introduced our senior year of high school, and Ty and Sam are brothers so that's sort of a package deal, and we played together but we hadn't really decided on formally becoming a band until then.

How would you describe your genre of music? Are there any artists/bands which have influenced your style of music?

Bradley: We're terrible at that question; we never really decided on a sound, it just sort of happened organically. I guess it would be closer to alternative country rock. We all grew up listening to classic rock and singer/songwriters like Tom Petty, Bob Dylan and Led Zeppelin and that influenced our sound.

"Halo" has touched many people emotionally; what was your inspiration for the song? Was it meant to be a meaningful anthem for others, or was it written for more personal reasons?

Jon: The song was written for personal reasons, but with the intention of resonating with all of our fans. I guess it's a song you can listen to on a broad scale and get whatever you want out of it.

Bradley: It was written one year ago during a retreat to Northern Pennsylvania; we just spent a week writing songs and that's where we settled on the theme of redemption for the album. Sammy, who plays keyboards for us, was going through a divorce at the time so the song sort of speaks to that.

Is there a song from the album which you would say is your favorite?

Bradley: It keeps changing. "Little People" is, at least, my favorite to play live.

Jon: "Little People" is my favorite to play live. "Two Strikes" is my favorite to listen to.

You wrote fifty songs for this album before narrowing it down to twelve; are there any that you are interested in resurrecting for future work?

Bradley: We have this series that we started a while ago called The B Room Diaries and that's been our avenue to record every song we write or produce. We're hoping to release them all as B-sides or all on a third volume which is cool; that allows us to not have to say goodbye to songs.

Is the song writing process a team effort or does it start off with individual inspiration?

Bradley: It's definitely a team effort. It's difficult going into the album because it's hard to choose which song, as the writer of the song; since we all spent time writing them, a lot of them are closer to us and it's hard to get perspective. The producers have sort of the final say in what goes in the album. It's a team effort to make the final product.

One hundred percent of the proceeds from Where the Sinners and the Saints Collide has gone to providing instruments to those in need; how did you come up with the idea?

Bradley: Sam and Ty's great grandfather grew up in a poor family with five brothers. An anonymous person dropped off instruments at the front door and they went out and each chose an instrument and that led them to improving their living conditions because it gave them a sort of way to provide for their family. We want to continue that story with this. We always wanted to do something with the music we create; sort of 'practice what we preach' on this album.

How could your fans help to support the program? Is there a specific school/organization which is benefiting or does it just go to anyone in need?

Bradley: Every album that's bought, all that money goes towards instruments. There are still some details that we're working out in terms of instrument donations but it's really just word of mouth. When the website gets up and running there will be a form to fill out for candidates. The website is nowiplayalongtoo.org and there's a Facebook page but, for now, the website is just a splash page; it's still under construction.

Jon: We definitely have some stuff in the works; we're going to be going to Haiti for a week or so and that's going to be a pretty big delivery.

What is the main thing you want your fans to take away from your music?

Bradley: I guess.. We pride ourselves in being a band that kind of wears our heart on our sleeves with the songs we write with the hopes that people can have the lyrics and music resonate with what they are going through. Sort of like having a soundtrack for their lives and finding comfort through the songs.

Anything you want to say to your fans now that the album has been released and you're starting to head out on tour?

Bradley: We would love to see each and every fan out at the show. We're hitting a little in December and then a whole lot in the winter months. It's just a different experience when you hear these songs live and it would be great to just shake the hands of all our fans.

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Julian Taylor

Catch an interview with Julian Taylor and head to all the sites below for more.

When did you know you wanted a career in music?

Julian Taylor: I knew that I wanted to play music at a very young age; probably around four. The first person to inspire me to play was my father who is an accomplished classical pianist himself. The next artist that really made me want to do this was probably Michael Jackson; I was gaga for Thriller when it came out. My father took me to see the Victory tour three times. Later on, I fell in love with The Stones, Tom Petty and The Grateful Dead. After that I went through a pretty big Alt-Country phase. My old band even made a record with ex-Wilco member the late Jay Bennett. Now my taste is all over the map. I love indie stuff like The Arcade Fire and The Weeknd, but Jazz seems to be a huge thing for me now.

That jazz influence seems to be prevalent in your most recent singles. What made you come around to this change in sound that's so different from some of your previous albums?

It was part inherent and part accident. My Grandfather loves jazz, blues and soul music. I was raised on it from a young age as well as the Motown and Stax sound because of my mother. Four years ago I was working as a bartender when I decided to get back to playing music. In order to make a living my band had to play covers; we decided to perform all these old tunes that I had grown up listening to. It seemed to feel real good and audiences loved it. By coincidence, a buddy of ours was tinkering around with the same sound in his home studio; we connected because he had this jam that he need a melody and lyrics to. That's how "Never Gonna Give You Up" was born. Since then we've stuck with that sound. It seems to work. On my own I do a lot of folk music stuff, but the band has found its niche with soul, jazz, reggae and a rock tint.

So you took a break from music after Staggered Crossing broke up? What made you decide to start making music again?

I did. Staggered Crossing was my life for close to 15 years. We had tried so hard to break the band and came so close but so far away at the same time. It became real difficult to keep pressing. The band was tired and not focusing on the music so I became a bartender at an Irish pub in Toronto for a few years. I kept going to open stages but stopped writing and performing professionally until I had the itch again. Now I've been playing four nights a week for the past five years.

That's great. How has your music style evolved since coming back to writing and performing again? Do you have a different appreciation for music after taking that break?

The music has changed in a lot of ways. In the old days I wrote most of the Staggered Crossing music. Since coming back to music I have let go of the feeling that I have to write everything; I collaborate with other musicians and the members of the band a lot more. Our keyboardist is a fantastic writer and producer and one of my other friends has been really instrumental with adding some cool lyrical content too. For my solo stuff it's all been written on acoustic guitar or piano but for the band it's been a bit different. Some stuff has been born out of jams and others have been presented as musical compositions by other members, like our keys player and I go take them and write the melody.

Of all the songs you've written in your career, which one(s) has held the most meaning for you?

I would have to say "Be With You". It's never been recorded other than the live acoustic version on our YouTube page. It's not like the soul sound that the band has but it means a lot to me. In fact, I think music should be based on how songs make you feel inside. Anyway… the song was written on a day when I was invited to go do a singer-songwriter workshop at www.campooch.org which is a camp for children suffering with cancer.

My friend works there and asked me to come up; the experience changed my life. Here were all these children suffering from one of the world's worst diseases and they were full of life and so thankful for everything. I have continued to do things with the camp and help whenever I can; it's very rewarding. I wrote "Be With You" on site at the camp. It was an awe inspiring day. We even auctioned off the painting from the "Never Gonna Give You Up" video for the charity: http://www.samaritanmag.com/1406/band-auctions-painting-youtubes-mysterious-drawing-hands

That sounds amazing. Is there anything fans can do to support the charity?

Yes. They can always donate on behalf of the band by visiting their website: www.campooch.com.

You've recently entered "Zero to Eleven" in CBC's HNIC Song Quest competition; what would be the best way for your fans to get the word out there for other fans to vote for the song and what would it mean for you to win?

The best way for people to vote is by going to the band's CBC profile and clicking on "like" or by spinning the song. Years ago Staggered Crossing was aired during the playoffs and it was an amazing feeling; the whole country heard us. It would be very cool to have that happen again. Also, if the song gets picked, we will have one more thing to present to radio stations that don't play us. The band is so close to the breaking point and something like this would just help us out a lot. We'd love to tour the world!

Any favorite concert experiences or bands you were most excited to work with?

I think that certainly Staggered Crossing's first tour was the best. We were 19 years old and touring with a Canadian west coast band, Spirit of the West, whom we became great friends with. They really showed us how to do it and how to maintain it. At such a young age we were out there drinking our faces off and being really unprofessional. They stepped in and showed us that if this music thing was going to last that maybe we should reign it in a bit. Another highlight was getting up on stage singing back-up vocals with AC/DC. That was amazing. Malcolm invited me up after our long stint in the bathroom backstage but that is another story all together. One I cannot tell.

Sounds fun. What projected release dates can you share with fans for this latest album? Any upcoming singles to look forward to?

We are working on pre-production for the album and hoping for a Fall release. We do have a few singles almost done but not sure when those will be released. "Never Gonna Give You Up" seems to have legs and if "Zero to Eleven" gets picked up by the CBC, who knows what could happen. Either way, a song should be released for Spring 2014. I may release some demos for free before then.

Is there anything you can add that you think your fans would like to know? Basically pertaining to the band or your music in general, that is.

I guess I would only add that being a musician is my favourite thing in the world and that if you want it, you can have it. It takes a lot of hard work but nothing easy is really worth doing anyway.

We love what we do and we are good at it. The coolest thing about being in a band is that at any given moment when you're on stage, doing that thing you do, you can honestly really be the best band in the world. That's how it works. Every band in the world gets to experience that once and a while.

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Russell Howard

Had the chance to talk to Russell Howard about his music and new album City Heart; check out the quick interview below.

When did you first decide you wanted a career in performing music?

Both of my parents are symphony musicians, so I started on violin in second grade. Playing classical music never really inspired me, but it was excellent training and made music-making an everyday activity. I got my hands on a ukulele in high school and, for the first time, had the ability to create music from the ground up, not just play what was on the page. I switched to guitar soon thereafter and just kept writing. I played a lot of gigs in college and, by the time graduation rolled around, I knew I couldn't not go for it.

"Home Sweet Home" is the most popular single from City Heart; where did the inspiration for the song come from?

"Home Sweet Home" was an accident, really. I was up all night working on a demo of "You, Me & Someday" and I took a break to watch some musical guests on old Letterman episodes. I was kind of half heartedly playing along on an out of tune guitar and this two chord simple song just kind of poured out of me. It was a true story that was in motion but hadn't happened yet. I wrote it in May and, as it says in the song - "she moved there last September". By the time we recorded it, the timeline had worked itself out.

Which song from City Heart, or any of your albums, are you most proud of and what was the inspiration behind it?

I think the acoustic version of "Won't Get to Sleep" might be my favorite. When we recorded the original version we tried to put harmonies on it, but it ended up sounding very, very country - and not in a good way - so we just left them off. On the acoustic version we tried again and nailed it, so I love hearing that song. As far as my old record, I love "Time and Trouble" and "Anna's Waltz" as songs, but the performances, tempos, arrangements, etc. are all wanting. These two are on the table for my next record because they deserve another look now that I know what I'm doing!

What's something you want your listeners to take away from your music?

I'm going to merge the inspiration part of the last question with the answer for this one. My songs are all either based on a true story or have grown out of an internal question or emotion in my life. They're also pretty straight forward lyrically, so there's not much mystery as to their origins. My hope is that people will connect with the music or the words and come along with me for the ride. It will either speak to you or it won't.

Have you started work on anything new?

Oh yeah. I'm writing towards a full length debut at the moment and it's going great. I have the bones of a lot of songs, now it's time to roll up my sleeves and flesh it all out.

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