Photographed above are Darlene Deschamps and Jeremy Rae Blair. They and Switchgear were one of the many groups on hand Friday night raising money for this years Winter Fest Carnival. $550 was raised Friday night at Rock for Charity. There was a full house at Cafe Connectionz, and a great vibe. Thanks to the musicians, fans, venue, and Rodney Rivette who was a guest speaker and played an impromptu song at the end of the show. Over $4900 has been raised for various causes since March of 2010! The next Rock for Charity is the one year anniversary show on Friday March 11th at Cafe Connectionz!
One of the bands that played last night was SwitchGear. They are a 5-piece southern rock/new country band from Cornwall Ontario. I had a chance to ask SwtichGear band member Jc a couple of questions.
Interview with Switchgear by Jason Setnyk:
Jason Setnyk: How long have you all known each other? How did you meet? What inspired you to make music together?
Jc: I've known Jamie (vocals) since we were kids, we didn't live to far from each other. Pretty funny, we used to be in a break-dance group together. Sometimes we would cross path and some of the local talent contests for kids. Jesmer (drums) and I went to junior high together and were formed our first band back then. Well, more of a gang than a band. I had been living in Calgary AB and was writing songs for a solo release and playing in a couple projects that didn't pan out. They guys there didn't quite understand the direction. I had this idea for a country/rock project and the timing in the industry seemed right. Songs like All Summer Long, Theory Of A Deadman amongst others were getting lots of play. Rock and country with a lot of Southern flavours. I was inspired by the sounds and style of the prairies and at the same time Jamie was checking songs out online and we started talking about what we'd like to do. It would be 2 years before I got back to Ontario. But once I got back I contact J Jesmer, and Jamie brought Scott and Jessy into it. So it started as an online collaboration I suppose.
Jason Setnyk: What are your rehearsals generally like? Do you have a set time each week in which you practice or are rehearsals more spontaneous?
Jc: Right now as we're ramping up to play a full night, we're putting in a fair amount of practice time. We generally meet for a long session on Sunday and anywhere from 3 to 5 hours, and try to fit a shorter practice in mid week somewhere. We're covering alot of material so it's alot of tunes to go over. Plus, we're working out some logistics. Equipment we're using and getting our live rigs and sound nice and smooth. So there's always that complimentary play your looking for between the players. So Id say its fairly planned out at this stage.
Jason Setnyk: Could you briefly describe the music-making process?
Jc: The writing process can come together from different concepts sometimes but with these particular songs it has been based around some songs that I had written previously and re worked with Jamies vocals. We've all been playing on some of the more recent tunes like "Break It Down To Pieces" which was a full piece musically that I had demoed in my home studio in Alberta and sent to Jesmer via e mail. He in turn wrote lyrics and sent em back to me. It's been said before that an artists best songs come out when there's no editor in the room and creativity is allowed to flow. This has been true for myself. When I'm inspired by something I've experienced or gone through, writing from the heart tends to make the best songs. It usually starts with a theme I have in mind or something I've been wanting to write about. I tend to listen to songs with lyrics and melodies that convey what I'm feeling and then make a few notes. I then turn the editor off and start writing from personal experience, usually to part of a chord structure Ive worked out on acoustic guitar. Then it's a matter of making it all flow and getting the melody and lyric to work. Everyone will be more involved as time goes on.
Jason Setnyk: How can fans-to-be gain access to your music? Do you have a website with sample songs or a demo CD?
Jc: We have a few of the songs available for download on through Reverbnation: www.reverbnation.com/switchgear
We'll be releasing a 5 song EP shortly which will be available on all the major distribution sites. That will be for sale while we complete the rest of the album. Our website also has samples that can be streamed at www.switchgearband.com
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