Life can be a convoluted mess of lies and emotions. That’s where artistic expression comes in—be it through music, writing, or a combination of the two.
“So take it day by day, minute by minute” are lyrics to the chorus of “A Little Time,” the first track on the EP released August 2013 by RM & the Honest Heart Collective, through Lionheart Studios.
Ryan MacDonald, a 22-year-old graduate of the music industry arts program at Algonquin College is a member of RM & the Honest Heart Collective.
The band was started quite a few years ago, and was MacDonald’s brainchild.
“It was my idea, I had been working on a solo project for a few years but I couldn’t write anything worth putting out,” he said. “As soon as I wrote “A Little Time,” I knew I had something to share.”
MacDonald said grassroots groups like RM & the Honest Heart Collective aim to bring music back to its primary focus—self-expression and connection with the audience.
MacDonald is also responsible for the band’s name.
“It had been a name that had just been ringing in my head for a long time. The ‘RM’ is just my name abbreviated to shorten the title. It also put less focus on myself, and more to the band as a whole,” he said. “To us the Honest Heart Collective means making music that is truthful and means something to people.”
The band, originally based in Ottawa, has been relocated to Thunder Bay to work with all of its members.
“We usually play at a bar called the Black Pirates Pub here in Thunder Bay,” MacDonald said. “It has the best sound guy and bartenders I’ve ever had the pleasure to work with.”
The band released its first EP in August 2013—a release MacDonald said he could trace back to his family.
“I had been struggling with writing and recording because I was going to school during the summer, the thought of releasing an EP moved to the back burner,” he said. “One day my dad told me if I had an EP and recorded it that he and Linda would finance the release.”
Creating lyrics that capture a snapshot of time and emotion was a long process for MacDonald, who writes all of the band’s music.
“For this record, my main inspiration was being homesick and away from the people I love,” he said.
The future appears to hold good things for RM & the Honest Heart Collective, according to MacDonald.
“We’re writing our follow-up record right now, and are going to start recording in March. We’re also planning our first tour for the beginning of April.”
RM & the Honest Heart Collective’s music is pure and real, created with blood, sweat, and tears just like most other works of art.
