Fully Loaded are a band on the brink.
The Vancouver quartet have worked tirelessly since they won a local radio contest in 2006. They’ve racked up music industry accolades, scored a Canadian Music Week showcase and just released their second EP, Inside My Head.
Fully Loaded have built a tremendous following in their home province and have toured to Winnipeg and back several times. But save a gig or two, including a CMW show last year, the eastern half of the country remains relatively unaware of the band.
Fully Loaded hope to change that this week when they take the stage at Toronto’s Tattoo Rock Parlour as part of a CMW showcase presented by booking giant The Agency Group.
The quartet didn’t want to leave anything to chance. They decamped from Vancouver two weeks ago and moved into a two-bedroom apartment in Toronto. The band plan to spend a month in Ontario running raids on nearby towns like London, Ont. and Peterborough, Ont., playing shows and trying to break into new markets. It’s all part of a strategy to conquer the province and start creating a national profile.
“Whatever works, we’re going to do it,” says bassist/singer Chris Ball.
That attitude sums up Fully Loaded’s modus operandi. They’re an independent band determined to make it. They speak very casually about “markets” and putting their “best foot forward.”
At the conclusion of our interview, lead singer/guitarist Mike Twining hands me his business card. On one side is his contact info, and on the other is a picture of the band standing in line, looking ready to take on the world.
“We really felt we needed to make a serious eastern connection,” explains Ball. “Each show we play is just the next step in the level of connections that we make.”
But Fully Loaded’s serious business-minded side is easily shaken — mentioning the Vancouver Canucks or defunct west coast punk bands seems to do the trick — and the image of calculating rock stars-in-waiting quickly melts away into a series of in-jokes and knowing laughter, no doubt the product of friendships that extend well past the group’s short lifespan.
Twining and his brother, guitarist/singer Andrew, formed the group one summer after Mike returned from university. They quickly recruited childhood friend Ball, and were introduced to their singly named drummer Jovan through a mutual friend.
Though Fully Loaded are busy hawking their new record, their performances continue to be their focus.
“We’re totally a live band,” says Andrew. “Touring is just a no-brainer for us.”
They say they’ve received positive feedback from their gigs in the area so far, and have managed to snag the opening slot for two shows with State Of Shock and Default this week.
“I think that Ontario is going to be a big part of our lives for a while now,” says Mike, “at least until the funds run out.”
This story originally appeared at Chartattack.com
All right, it might seem lazy to say, seeing as he’s a pop singer that plays piano, but Mike Evin sounds a hell of a lot like Ben Folds. The voice, the clever lyrics and yes, the piano — you’d swear this was some aborted record from back when he was with the Five. And it’s not bad either. But what sets Good Watermelon apart is the way it was recorded. Evin gathered friends, including former Barenaked Lady Andy Creegan, and members of the Ideal Lovers collective in a Montreal studio, and recorded the whole damn thing live-off-the-floor. You can hear Evin calling out to his band and listen to the sounds bounce off the studio walls. It’s a major statement in a world where modern mixing and mastering techniques have sapped all the energy and spontaneity in music.
Fever Ray
Stalk me!