Effect and Cause

It’s bleak, frozen, and ugly outside, and the guitar cases are sticking to the players’ hands. The van is almost out of gas, and the musicians can’t see each other’s faces for the steam generated by their breath. As they load up their gear, a mild buzz the only combatant against the frigid surroundings, a smile spreads across the frontman’s face. Turning to his brothers, he lets the simple words break the bitter wintry silence, “I love being in a band.” Known for an odd and explosively energetic show, brash vocals, trashy guitar solos, and intelligent rhythms, Effect & Cause comes exactly as advertised. Call it what you want, but it’s balls-out southern rock from the north, so take it or leave it. The Canadian prairie boys may be known for leaving everything they’ve got on the stage, (oftentimes including their instruments) but that doesn’t mean they don’t know how to play them. Frontman Katlin Mathison met drummer Cody Iwasiuk in their hometown of Brandon, MB when they both showed interest in their high school music program. Though they were strangers at the time, the connection and ease of musical communication was apparent immediately. As time went on, the two crossed paths with guitarists Darren Hebner and Lewis Parker, who had been playing together and looking for a project, and in 2008, Effect & Cause was born. The band is comprised of four distinctive musicians who come together to produce a fervent holler of sound. Lead vocalist and bassist Katlin Mathison has a distinct rock voice – rasping, melancholic, yet also powerful and raw. His creative, honest, and observant lyrics are set to equally honest music. Drummer Cody Iwasiuk has torn the seams of standard rock blueprints and stitched it back up again with his unique rhythms and inventive beats. Guitarists Lewis Parker and Darren Hebner complete the package, showing off their technical dexterity with ardent parts and innovative solos. Though still unable to play in bars (legally) the outfit set to writing and rehearsing a set of songs inspired by that angst only long-haried teenagers with guitars can muster. After honing their sound for months, they brought a set of songs to Winnipeg, MB producer Jack Shapira, and churned out their debut EP, “Gavroche”. As they got older, they never quit writing, and by 2010, they again were ready to hit the studio. With their next EP release, the group gained attention throughout Western Canada for writing catchy garage rock and performing them with a seemingly endless amount of vigor. The self titled record was recorded in three days in Winnipeg, MB at Unison with Jack Shapira (Quinzy, The Nods, Inward Eye). The vast dynamics, direct lyrics, and thrash guitar solos on the 7 track disc gained attention from press. With a four-star rating from Uptown Magazine and comments such as this, from the Winnipeg Free Press, “The band is tighter than a nun’s habit and provides some excellent and varied tones that range from jerky mall punk and basic roots rock to almost jazz-like passages,” let the four kids from southern Manitoba know they’d found their sound. The outfit followed this up by hitting the road to maintain a live schedule that kept them performing in sweaty dive bars and up-and-coming festivals across Western Canada. While on the road, they recorded and released several demos to ensure they were always on their toes. The band is undeniably busy as hell, constantly writing, recording, and playing shows around their home base of Manitoba. Even more amazing is that all four performers are currently studying music at a post secondary level. Three of the four are studying jazz performance at Brandon University, while the fourth is at Grant MacEwan University in Edmonton studying composition. The crew keeps in touch though, and the geographical boundaries do not keep them from setting up shows and generating new material. An example of this is the group’s upcoming single, ‘Waiting’. Produced at Gateway Recordings in Winnipeg, the new track is set to be released on April 15th, 2012. Opening with Darren Hebner’s striking tone, ‘Waiting’ is the perfect combination of some few-found optimism and the band’s signature give it all nature. Katlin Mathison’s passionate and unsullied voice welcomes in the rest of the band with an up-beat pulse that is maintained through-out the piece. Backed by a chorus that is impossible to shake from your head, the boys of E & C can’t wait to get their new track out into the open next month. With a reputation for being hardworking, imaginative, and courageously explosive live, Effect & Cause are poised to take a spot in the Canadian indie rock scene and continue to excite listeners with their catchy southern-tinged tunes. The band will be hitting the road again in 2012, so expect to see them in a Canadian venue near you.

Band Members

Katlin Mathison, Darren Hebner, Lewis Parker, Cody Iwasiuk