We’ve Got Our Eyes On…Bad Habits

Who they are:
Amanda Jackson – vocals
Dale McKie – harmonica, guitar
Jason Condon – guitar
Matt Wilson – bass
Liam Kearney – drums, percussions

Home base:
“We’re kind of stretched out,” says Bad Habits drummer, Liam Kearney, who, along with Dale and Jason, is based out of Charlottetown. Matt Wilson hails from Kensington and Amanda lives close to Montague.

On the scene since:
Spring 2010. During a Colin James concert at the Confederation Centre of the Arts in February of that same year, Dale decided he wanted to put together a blues band. “On March 17, he posted on his blog that he was going to do this,” recalls Kearney,” and everything quickly fell into place after that.” Bad Habits held their first practice on April 12, 2010.

What you’ll hear them play:
The five-piece describes their sound as Blues Rock. During their dynamic three-hour sets, Bad Habits mixes things up with blues covers and original material. No two shows are ever the same as they are consistently adding new original songs every week. “Some songs veer more towards the blues end of the spectrum and some more towards rock,” says Kearney, “but they all have their heart firmly rooted in the blues in some fashion.”

Musical influences:
Colin James, SRV (Stevie Ray Vaughn), Albert King, Big Sugar

How Bad Habits got their name:
The band adopted the Bad Habits moniker from a blues song covered by Colin James called “Bad Habits”. “It kind of goes back to that blues band tradition of naming yourself after a song you really admire,” reveals Kearney. “The song type also shows our philosophy as a band when it comes to covers. That song was not written by Colin James, but if you listen to it, he owns every second of it. You walk away thinking the song belongs only to him.” The band usually plays the song as a part of their set at every gig.

On the rise:
As their second anniversary nears, Bad Habits have a lot to celebrate. Their over-the-top live shows have packed local venues, festivals, and charitable events and have earned them the title as one of the hardest working blues bands on PEI. In addition to their entertaining and interactive performances, Bad Habits are making their online presence felt in a big way, sharing photos, special moments, and upcoming gigs with their fans. It’s not hard to tell this is a band who truly loves what they do.

Some of their most memorable moments include the first show with Amanda, who joined Bad Habits in September, at the sold out Beef n’ Blues concert in Summerside during Fall Flavours. The band also performs an annual Toys for Tots Christmas Bash, which is one of their favourite gigs because “it’s always such a fun time for such a great cause.” Bad Habits capped off a busy, yet exciting 2011 with a sold out New Year’s Eve show at Globe World Flavours, kicking off 2012 in high style.

Most recently, Bad Habits took the stage during the Music PEI Awards Gala, performing to their biggest crowd yet, both as nominees for Entertainer of the Year and Bell Aliant Weekend Warrior. The band took home the Weekend Warrior award that night, as voted by their ever-growing fan base.

On winning the Fan’s Choice Bell Aliant Weekend Warrior of the Year award:
“It (the WWA) was huge for us because it’s the only fan voted award for Music PEI,” says Kearney. “We are so lucky to have a growing and dedicated fan base that actually snuck in tambourines and made lots of noise during our performance. Members of the band ran out into the audience and played guitar in the aisles as the fans shook their tambourines and made lots of noise.” The band later posted photos of Music PEI Awards Gala host Jonathan Torrens, Lennie Gallant, and Catherine MacLellan shaking the Bad Habits “tambos” on their Facebook Fan Page.

On what it takes to be a success:
“We’re still working hard to find that out,” they reveal, “we actually treat it like a business, but it’s a business we love. We rehearse a minimum of four hours every week, we arrive to gigs early, play long sets, and we stay sober during every show. We believe in showing the venues respect. Plus, our fans deserve that.

“We actually discuss how to make our shows more entertaining for the fans. April Condon, our visual design guru, has worked very hard on our image. Her and Jason were nominated for Music PEI’s Visual Artist of the Year. There is a whole behind the scenes team working as hard as we do. Everyone is working hard to make us look good!”

Looking ahead:
Bad Habits are currently working on their first album and hope to have it released in time for the next round of ECMA, Music PEI Awards, Maple Blues Awards, and upcoming festivals. They just launched their campaign on Indiegogo (www.indiegogo.com/afewbadhabits) so their fans can help make this album the first of many more to come. “It’s going to be a big year for Bad Habits,” says Kearney. Indeed it will.

Check them out:
www.afewbadhabits.com
Facebook Fan Page: Bad Habits – Blues Band
Email: bookings@afewbadhabits.com

Who they are: Amanda Jackson – vocals Dale McKie – harmonica, guitar Jason Condon – guitar Matt Wilson – bass Liam Kearney – drums, percussions Home base: “We’re kind of stretched out,” says Bad Habits drummer, Liam Kearney, who, along with Dale and Jason, is based out of Charlottetown. Matt Wilson hails from Kensington and [...]

Read more »

We’ve Got Our Eyes On…Arrows in the Air

Who they are:
Bruce White – guitar/vocals
Brady MacDonald – drums/vocals
Craig MacDonald – bass

Home Base:
Charlottetown

On the scene since:
2010. All three were former members of the Charlottetown rock band, Battery Point.

What you’ll hear them they play:
Good solid party rock ‘n’ roll music. “That’s not saying you won’t hear a ballad or a good acoustic number in our sets,” says bassist, Craig MacDonald, “but we take this very seriously and we try to fill that true rock ‘n’ roll void that seems to have faded away in recent years.”

Musical influences:
“We love that we’re a wild mix of Green Day and Mötley Crüe,” stated White in an interview with CBC Radio 3. “It’s a pretty wild comparison; we do have short pop/rock songs like Green Day, but Craig and Brady are big hair metal fans. Everything they do is influenced by that Crüe/Guns ‘N’ Roses era. It gives a little edge to what we’re doing.”

How Arrows in the Air got their name:
“Bruce came up with it at rehearsal one night,” says MacDonald. “We had thrown around a handful of names trying to find something we all liked. Bruce had said before that he was going for a name that evoked an “epic” image. Arrows in the Air is pretty visual and we’ve all seen movies with that image of hundreds of arrows flying through the air. You know when they land, something interesting will be going down.”

A Steady Climb:
No sooner than the power trio settled on their band name, Arrows in the Air released their first self-produced EP Shadows on the Skyline in early 2010. The album has been well received, earning Arrows a nomination for the 2010 Music PEI Rock/Loud Album of the Year. The first single “She’s An Avalanche” spent eight weeks on the East Coast Countdown peaking at #2. The guys have completed three tours, opened for some pretty high profile bands including Finger 11, Slowcoaster and Tim Chaisson and Morning Fold, and played in some of the countries top music venues.

Earlier this year, Arrows were awarded the MuchFACT grant to film their first professional music video for their second single “Love and Morals” shot and produced in Toronto, ON. Arrows debuted “Love and Morals” on the band’s Facebook page in October to much acclaim from their fans. The video got 300 hits online the first day alone.

“We have been staying so busy that sometimes we forget to look back and see how far things have come and see how much our hard work is paying off,” says MacDonald. “The nominations from Music PEI for Shadows on the Skyline and tons of gigs makes us see that we have making a steady climb in the industry.”

What it takes to be a success:
“Success is different depending on who you ask,” says MacDonald. “We have goals we would like to achieve but the road to those goals has many stops and checkpoints along the way. If we can continue to move forward, work towards these goals and keep making good music, that’s a step in the right direction and a success for the band.

Hard work does pay off and asking for and getting help is nothing to be ashamed of. There is always someone better than you and who has done it all before. Keep your eyes and ears open and make friends in the industry.”

Looking ahead to 2012:
The guys are currently in talks to record a new album in the upcoming year, which they say is shaping up very nicely. Arrows also plans on hitting the road to do some more touring with bigger acts and even bigger audiences. “We plan on refining every aspect of the band to make for an even tighter unit of three musicians,” says MacDonald. “The old fans will not be let down and for anyone that hasn’t see us yet, we plan on winning over.”

Where you can catch them next:
Arrows in the Air will be ringing in New Years Eve 2012 at Quality Inn on the Hill with The Meds.

Check ‘em out:
Myspace.com/arrowsintheair or ‘Like’ the Arrows in the Air Fan Page on Facebook.

Who they are: Bruce White – guitar/vocals Brady MacDonald – drums/vocals Craig MacDonald – bass Home Base: Charlottetown On the scene since: 2010. All three were former members of the Charlottetown rock band, Battery Point. What you’ll hear them they play: Good solid party rock ‘n’ roll music. “That’s not saying you won’t hear a [...]

Read more »

Home for a Rest

Award-winning singer-songwriter Catherine MacLellan talks family, music & why it’s good to be back on the Island

By Meredith Morrison
Photography by Alanna Jankov

When I contacted singer/songwriter Catherine MacLellan to set up a time for a photo shoot and interview, she had just one request.

“Can we be done by 3?” she says. “I have to be home to pick up my daughter from school.”

MacLellan just returned from a two-week stretch in England where she was promoting her latest album, Silhouette, and she’s more than ready to get back into her role as doting mom to her six-year-old daughter, Isabel. I tell her it’s no problem and we agree on a mid-morning meeting.

It’s an unusually sunny, albeit crisp November morning when I meet the award-winning singer/songwriter. We get to know each other as we stand outside Zion Presbyterian Church, the site of the tribute concert that will honour the music and life of her dad, Gene MacLellan, taking place January 14 during Music PEI Week. We make small talk about the weather, Isabel’s fascination with princesses and about how not ready either one of us is ready for Christmas. She’s quiet, but she’s got a sense of humour. I like her already.

The two of us zip around the corner to grab a cup of tea and talk shop. The ‘Just Biding My Time: A Tribute to Gene MacLellan’ concert is coming up and MacLellan, along with a host of Island musicians, some who knew Gene personally and others who have been inspired by the late singer’s work, will be performing songs penned by her father, including such famous hits such as ‘Snowbird’ and ‘Put Your Hand in the Hand’. The concert, which will be televised on CBC, promises to be a night of celebration and fantastic, not-to-be-missed performances. Funny enough, if Gene MacLellan were still alive, he probably wouldn’t be there.

“He’d hate it because he was just a really shy guy so he’d feel overwhelmed by all of this attention on him,” says MacLellan as she sips her tea. “But at the same time, he was always working really hard for his music. Life, for him, was about his music, his family. He’d be more excited from afar.”

She describes her dad as a man who was extremely passionate about his music and spirituality. He had a great sense of humour, was generous and humble, “almost to a negative point,” she says. “He was just always doing things for other people and I think, for him, his music was the same. He would do things for his music more than he would for himself. There’s a lot for me to live up to.”

It’s fair to say that MacLellan has been following in her father’s footsteps very closely. Her singing and songwriting has earned her multiple Music PEI and ECMA awards and she is known the world over for her soft voice and emotionally charged lyrics. Her previous albums have collectively hit #1 on the iTunes Canada Roots charts. Her list of accomplishments goes on and on but as she would tell you herself, when you grow up around music as much as she did, you start to pick up the craft as if by osmosis. “It was just a normal part of life,” she says about her musical upbringing.

Her fourth album, Silhouette, has been getting rave reviews across Canada, the United States and England. The album, released in July 2011, which MacLellan herself says is “kind of all over the map,” is filled with songs about relationships and watching her friends go through hard times. She credits her daughter for changing her perspective on life and giving greater scope to this record than her past ones.

“I just realized life isn’t about me. In fact, it probably has nothing to do with me,” she laughs. “She just kind of opened my eyes to so many things.”

One notable track on the Silhouette is her rendition of ‘Snowbird’, one of her father’s most recognizable songs. As to why she chose to include the track, which she often performs live, on this album as opposed to her earlier releases, MacLellan says she wanted to give her fans their own copy.

“The other side to that is this the first record that I’ve made without a song about my dad on it that I had written, so it felt kind of nice to tie him still into the music and keep him connected in it,” she says. “In every album, there’s at least one song that’s about him and, you know, losing him and that kind of trying to deal with it so every record is like I reached a new step of being ok with that. And so, this time, I think I’m ok. Now I can do one of his songs.”

With her touring schedule clear for at least a few more weeks, MacLellan is spending her days at home writing songs, watching the Food Network and, like a lot of us, de-cluttering. She and Isabel are catching up on arts and crafts, dancing to silly songs and watching princess movies. It’s quiet around the MacLellan homestead these days but with Music PEI Week just around the corner, she’s looking forward to catching up with friends and getting her fill of music, both on and off the stage. She’s also ready to pay tribute to the man whose timeless work continues to inspire her, her dad.

“This is another chance to celebrate his music,” she smiles, “and, yeah, I think it’s wonderful.”

Award-winning singer-songwriter Catherine MacLellan talks family, music & why it’s good to be back on the Island By Meredith Morrison Photography by Alanna Jankov When I contacted singer/songwriter Catherine MacLellan to set up a time for a photo shoot and interview, she had just one request. “Can we be done by 3?” she says. “I [...]

Read more »

Next Page »