Grain is a 5 man band from Edmonton with a wholesome blues rock sound that makes them an instant hit with almost any fans of the genre. Their originals are well-developed and come from several years of honing what they call a ‘Canadian vibe’ that is consistent throughout their tracks.
Eager to get their music out to the public, Grain began playing with Supernova at our Summer Meltdown series where they swept the Wildcard vote as ‘fan favourite’. The boys then came back to the Supernova stage to play The Nest, winning 1st place at the highly competitive Hysteria 2011.
Now they’re setting their sights on Canadian Music Week, as Grain prepares to play the Road to CMW this December; the winning band will be awarded a showcase gig at the Hard Rock Café during Canadian Music Week 2012 - a potentially life changing opportunity!
We grabbed an interview with the members of Grain after their recent win, and got to know them a little better as they prepare for their December show… a great opportunity to talk to these young artists as they set out to make their mark on the scene.
Thanks for taking the time out for an interview guys! Can you tell me a little bit about how you formed your band?
Grain is a project that Glen has been trying to get going for many years. Lots of different people have played these songs with him but this is the tightest group musically and there is a brotherhood between us all.
The name was also Glen's idea; it's refreshing because we have all been in bands with crappy names. Grain is straight to the point, simple and i think its got that Canadian vibe that we can all relate to as a group.
And you seem to be having great success in getting your music out there. How would you describe your band’s sound?
Straight Rock in the vein of GNR, Alice and Chains, Led Zep and Aerosmith.
There’s a solid quality to your song writing; classic but also original. It’s definitely resonating with our audiences… How did your band find Supernova?
We were just doing the media hustle looking for more shows and Blair came across it and we entered and won the Battle of the Bands, Which was super cool to play with bands and get to make connections and listen to different tunes by guys that are working just as hard as us. It's a great way to get out there and play shows if you want them.
What is the most rewarding thing about being in a band?
I think we just like to take out the stress on the music, we all have jobs and its a reason to get together and Hammer down some beer and rip on some sweet tunes.
As a new artist, what would you say is the biggest challenge you face?
Just getting the group of guys together that are all into it. We have different qualities in our band but deep down, we are like 5 different versions of the same kind of committed musician. We all work full time jobs, but at the same time we all love having a cool hobby... and it doesn't hurt that we all think our songs are killer. So like any relationship you make it work cause if you don't, you can be sitting out not doing anything in an instant.
Good point. What is your most memorable moment (so far) as a band?
When we locked our gear in one truck and locked both sets of keys in the other van. We had to play in 10 min and everyone was crapping their pants trying to get a tow truck... then Blair walks up, whips out his keys that belong to a totally different vehicle, and what do you know? He unlocks the van and we kick that show a new one. We were so jacked it was hilarious.
Awesome! And where does Grain stand today, in terms of putting out more music?
As far as where we stand as a band, we are working on 12 more songs so we can play for another hour or so and were just looking to take on more gigs and get the name out in Edmonton.
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With a great set of powerful original rock tunes and a fantastic stage presence, Grain is definitely a band to watch as they gear up for the Road to CMW performance.
Grain is…
