I have made it no secret that The Bystanders are one of my new favourite Regina bands. With bands like shekillsme and The Hot Blood Bombers in the our local music scene the Bystanders have really proved themselves as up-and-comers worth checking out. I have had the honour of witnessing their show on a half a dozen occasions.
I first witnessed this band in June of this year when a girl I was seeing asked me to come see her friends band. Being uneducated about the band and having gone to see a girls friends band in the past left me a little skeptical. Usually this crashes and burns for whatever reason. I think it's cause sometimes people like the friend so much that their music is automatically good though their eyes, sort of a rose colored glasses effect. I reluctantly agreed as I thought the girl was alright. I really don't recall anything else she liked to listen to but this time it wasn't going to be the typical "Come see my friends band". I am really glad I did check out the Bystanders as I was in for a treat.
The band consists of Judd Stachoski on Guitar/Accordion/Harmonica/Keys/Banjo and Vocals, Davin Stachoski on Guitar/Chimes and Vocals, Corey Rheindel on Bass and Nathan Striefel on Drums. Sounds like a lot, well because it is. These gentlemen use every possible instrument at their availability to craft and perform their well written songs.
I told a friend about the band that went to school with Davin how great I thought they were. My friend replied "That doesn't surprise me, Davin is good at everything he does." During that first show I recognized the bass player Corey as a friend of a friend of mine JJ Ramone. I had the pleasure of meeting Corey a few times in the past and knew he was a pretty decent chap. This band has really great friends and fans on top of being such a talented, energetic and so very humble band. The Bystanders are some of the most appreciative people I have every met.
I really don't know how to describe them. They are singer/songwriter, blue grassy, pop-rock... You know what? They are just so damn good it doesn't matter what they are categorized as. I know they remind me a lot of the dynamic that Keelor and Cuddy have in Blue Rodeo. That's not a bad dynamic to have and it's not possessed cookie monster metal so in my book that counts for a lot.
Without further ado, I present to you my interview with the BYSTANDERS!
Cheers Rockers!!
SPUN: When did you form your band The Bystanders? What inspired you to make music together?
JUDD: In late January 2009, Davin heard about an online music contest (the RPM Challenge) to write and record a 10 song album within the 28 days of February. We had just acquired a warehouse jam space and thought the challenge would be a good motivator to finally write music together. Davin and I had played together in bands since we were in high school but never focused on our own material. On the last day of January, through text messages, we decided to name our project band The Bystanders (shortened from my original suggestion of Bystanders of the Rich and Famous) and signed up. When the album was finished at the end of February, we passed out copies to our friends and family which got an immediate response and we decided to give life to The Bystanders and form a band.
DAVIN: Judd and I’ve been playing music together on and off pretty much since we first picked up instruments but hadn’t seriously written and recorded together until February. We got Corey and Nathan in the band a few months later.
SPUN: How are things different for this project than other or past projects?
DAVIN: I have played mainly in cover bands in the past, so writing and performing new tunes and getting a good response from the audience on a bunch of songs they’ve never heard before is awesome.
NATHAN: Everyone is sober. Judd is, mostly. All kidding aside, my most previous project definitely had an unhealthy and unproductive amount of booze involved. It's nice to be able to accomplish something during a practice. Also, I'm fairly heavy rock influenced. I don't know the last time I played with a pair of bamboo sticks before this band. It's a nice change and brings out a different type of playing in the songs.
SPUN: What's it like to be up on stage with your brother rather than friends or old players?
JUDD: It's great, I love his songs and seeing our little project grow and develop is an absolutely joy for me.
DAVIN: Pretty cool – I know that Judd’s probably reluctant to kick me out of the band cause it would make for really awkward family dinners and stuff, so I got that going for me, which is nice.
SPUN: If you had to how would you characterize your music how would you describe it?
NATHAN: Pint on a prairie patio at sundown.
COREY: Real, honest to God human emotion soaked in liquor.
JUDD: Our view on songwriting is that sometimes songs need a different instrument to help express its voice, be it banjo, guitar, accordion or even a little toy bell set. That being said, in the end we get a very eclectic overall sound to our band which makes it a bit difficult to categorize. At the base, our songs are a traditional style of folk paired with pop melodies which has been called alt-country or even folk-rock. It has never been a focus of ours to stick to any genre. Maybe the next album will be Celtic-metal or spoken word-eighties synth pop...
SPUN: How old were you when you wrote your first song, and how has your style of song writing changed?
JUDD: I was about sixteen, listening to the first blink 182 records, trying my best at 3 chord hooks and heart-on-sleeve lyrics but I don't remember coming up with anything worth mentioning until I formed my first band I fronted called 4 Letter Word, with two friends. The first song I wrote with that band was called "Save Face", we were about 18 or 19. The process for me hasn't changed much, think of a line, put it with a chord progression and go from there. Stylistically, I find different things appealing now. There are songs like "Dakota Blues", where I wanted to tell a small story. To help set the scene, I did things like record a dog barking and me kicking over beer bottles on a cement floor. It's all about how you want the song to be experienced by the listener and what will be the closest thing to your vision.
DAVIN: A lot later for me – I was about 25 when I wrote my first song. It used to take me a long time to write songs. My style of songwriting has changed since then and I try to get ideas out quicker and develop them with the band. Sometimes I write songs that I think should probably be left on the page, but they end up working well and get a different feel when we play them as a band and throw in an accordion or banjo part...or even a glockenspiel. Other times the rhythm section gives a song the punch it was lacking, and takes it in a different direction.
SPUN: Do you have a "Go To" place for writing songs? Do you have a Special Place? ;) ha ha
JUDD: My house is littered with a variety of instruments, so when an ideas strikes me, I'll pick up whatever is closest. I'll usually start with an acoustic guitar on the living room couch, then move to the basement where I can really explore where it could go.
DAVIN: I’ll usually have an acoustic guitar kicking around at home so when I get a good idea I go downstairs and lay down a scratch track on my 4-track.
NATHAN: I keep an OK beat. Most come to me in the shower.
SPUN: Do you have a favourite song to play live?
JUDD: Sometimes it's about what song the crowd is reacting to. When everyone there is connecting with us, there's nothing better.
DAVIN: Innocence is Pretty. That song’s a blast to play live.
NATHAN: Ontario
COREY: Dakota Blues.
SPUN: You play multiple instruments, which are you the most comfortable with? Are there any that get the better of you ever?
JUDD: I'm most comfortable playing guitar, it's what I've played longest and it's usually how a song begins for me. however, having Davin in the band, who is a solid guitar player, I get to piss around with a bunch of other stuff. I'm still very green with my banjo and accordion but I like to think I'm improving, ha ha.
SPUN: What did you listen to when you were a kid, and who influenced you?
JUDD: My folks listened to a lot of Springsteen, Bob Seger and Neil Diamond, then as a teenager, I loved Metallica. I never had aspirations of being Kirk Hammett though, I could never play that fast. I always enjoyed the lyric and melody part of music and soon discovered bands like The Weakerthans. Nowadays, I listen to a lot of Tom Waits and NQ Arbuckle.
DAVIN: Used to listen to a lot of the Doors. Influences include the Weakerthans, The National, and Bright Eyes.
NATHAN: Buddy Rich, Dennis Chambers, Steve Gadd, Benny Greb, Danny Carrey.
SPUN: What was the first record you ever bought and do you still own it?
NATHAN: Bon Jovi - Slippery When Wet & Green Day - Dookie, Excellent albums and I still have them both.
DAVIN: Man, if I could remember it, I probably still wouldn’t mention it because I’m sure it’s totally embarrassing. The first CD I bought was RHCP Blood Sugar Sex Magik, and no - I don’t own it anymore. The lucky bastard who inherited my entire music collection in ’98 when I accidentally left it on the roof of my car and drove off....he might still have it.
SPUN: You guys get a booming response from your audience, why do you think that is?
JUDD: We have so much fun playing our music that I think it get contagious, people want to get involved.
NATHAN: Judd's sexy accordion play.
COREY: I would hope it's because they're enjoying the night and the music as much as we do.
SPUN: What to you is the most rewarding part of being a musician?
JUDD: there's the creative satisfaction that comes from writing music and playing with close friends in the comfort of your basement, which can be very rewarding. for me, the performance part is what constantly draws me back to music. when the show is done and the crowd is as spent as me, I feel that I've done my job.
NATHAN: Killing it on a good night and audience participation.
COREY: Having a creative outlet after sitting all day in a dreary, lifeless day-job. It's like "music therapy", hopefully our listeners feel the same way when they hear it.
DAVIN: Seeing song ideas develop into a complete song, and ultimately make it to the stage for a bar full of people is pretty rewarding.
SPUN: How can fans-to-be gain access to your music? Do you have a website with sample songs or a demo CD?
www.myspace.com/thebystanderscanada
www.facebook.com/thebystanders
Please join to leave messages, thoughts, photos, etc. Please!
JUDD: The only recording we have right now is the 10 song demo from February '09, and we decided not to package and sell it, we want something bigger and better to give to fans. We do want people to be able to listen to us outside of the live venue so we have a few online sources for our music. There is a scattered selection of songs to choose from so have fun checking out our music.
SPUN: What's coming up for you and they boys?
JUDD: Having a lot of gigs behind us since the band formed in February, we look forward to getting a professional recording done, packaged and ready to get to our fans and help us promote The Bystanders. Other than that, we have lot of new songs that are being introduced to our live set and are being honed for the next record.
NATHAN: Gigs, gigs, gigs. I hope.
DAVIN: We are playing next Thursday (Nov 5) at McNally’s, along with the Dustin Ritter Band. Beyond that, I think we’re hoping to get some of our new tunes recorded over the winter.
COREY: Stay tuned for a Broadway musical based on "Employee of the Month" starring Matt Damon as the lowly pizza cook who misses the party of the year because he has to close that Friday.
SPUN: Lastly just give me two words to end this interview
JUDD: Dog Fart
COREY: Prairie Fresh!
DAVIN: Send Money
NATHAN: Interview Over.
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