A few weeks ago, I received an e-mail from Cody Mack, front-man for local band One Way State, letting us know that they would be opening for Victoria, B.C. band Maurice at the Haven Social Club on May 28th.
As always, I checked One Way State’s website. And I found them to be pretty good! Which is lucky, because sometimes, bands email us and they are not so good! And I have to be like their mom and say, “Good job sweetie!” and then find a way to worm my way out of covering their show/CD release/pool party/whatever. But not this time!
Anyway, I liked One Way State, so I said “Hey! Let’s do an interview!”
And then about two days later, I was with my own band, hanging around outside our rehearsal space, when a bunch of dudes pull up and start unloading gear. And I’m thinking, “I know these dudes from somewhere. How do I know these dudes?”
Sure enough, it was Cody and fellow One Way State members Nick Moir, Charley Jeske and Brandon Thomas, who I recognized from their snazzy headshots.
When do I get a headshot, Samsonow?
Boy, what a nice group of guys. Which is something noteworthy, because people in bands can sometimes be real jerks. I mean, I’m basically the worst. But not One Way State! You guys would like them. You’d want to buy them a beer.
So anyway, here’s my Q & A with the band, as well as a sweet promo they did for us. (video above)
SALLY: What is the history of the band?
CODY: Nick and I were in another band before this, and once that dissolved, we found that we had some really good chemistry in writing together. Once Charley and Brandon came aboard, our sound developed very quickly.
SALLY: How did you guys land this sweet gig at Haven?
CODY: The timing was right. I saw Maurice at Burnsy O’Flannagan’s in Leduc and was really impressed with them. They have a great album out right now. They said something about coming back to Edmonton and I kinda just threw my name in the hat. We ended up scoring the double bill with them. It’s going to be a great show….well worth the money. ($12 at the door)
SALLY: Any more shows/events on the horizon?
CHARLEY: Our next show is on June 16th at the Billiard Club in Edmonton, and we are booked for two small, four-date tours of Southern Alberta in July. We’ll be laying down tracks in August and September for our record due out this fall, followed by a three-week tour of Western Canada. We’re super stoked for that!
SALLY: Favourite local venue to play at?
NICK: Haven is definitely top of the list, but we had a great time at the Starlite Room on May 15th. Nice stage, nice sound, and they actually gave us a legit soundcheck. We were impressed.
SALLY: How do you guys feel about support for local bands in our city?
BRANDON: It’s alright, but it’s not enough. We would love for more people to be into the local scene. We seem to be very good at promoting One Way State, yet some bands don’t seem to try as hard to fill venues. It also doesn’t help that there’s really only one commercial radio station that puts emphasis on local music. But the Edmonton scene is getting better….those who do come out to shows are devoted, and we appreciate their enthusiasm and support. Especially at the small venues, like Brixx. The regulars make it happen.
One Way State plays with Maurice this Friday night, May 28, at the Haven Social Club, 15120 Stony Plain Road, tickets are $12.
I know Brandon. I went to high school with Brandon.
I LOVE BRANDON.
Easy, big fella.
Just buy a ticket to their show and try to not be creepy about it.