Ontario’s latest COVID-19 restrictions have rocked the local music industry. The restrictions include the closure of restaurants and indoor concert venues and have once again deprived bands of live performance spaces.
Despite this, some local bands are aiming to make the most of their time away from live performances.
Monostrat began as a solo initiative in 2018 by Carleton engineering student Alec Bell. After his partnership with Carleton history student Alex Lemaire in September 2021, the duo began experimenting with live performances in October.
Since the band is relatively new to the local music scene, Bell said that when they began to perform live, it brought ample exposure to the band after they had been stagnant for several years.
“When we started doing these live shows, we blew up so quickly. We went from 20 monthly listeners on Spotify up to 200 and our Instagram follower count tripled. It was great,” Bell said.
Unlike more experienced musical groups, Bell and Lemaire are entering into their first lockdown as a performing band. Bell said they’re eager to use the time off to practice and songwrite.
“We agreed that we’re definitely going to get into writing and recording now because there’s no point in not using the momentum that we have gained. There’s no point in wasting all that time,” Bell said.
Monostrat released their third album Phases on Dec. 24, 2021 and are hoping to promote their new music in a live setting once restrictions are lifted, according to Bell.
“Our intention is that when [venues] open back up in the spring to be some of the first people out there,” Bell said. “It sucks, but we’re trying to use [the momentum] to our advantage.”
However, many bands who have been on the scene longer are losing momentum as they enter another stretch without live performances.
The band Sorry Snowman originated as Carleton music student Sean Lundy’s solo project in his first year. Since then, it has expanded to include Cole Hallman, Owen Allan and Dax Cardoso-Grant.
Prior to lockdown, the band was riding high with frequent live performances, often being invited to play at venues instead of scheduling the performances themselves.
For the members of Sorry Snowman, this lockdown feels heavier than the previous ones. Without the prospect of live performances, Cardoso-Grant said finding motivation to practice or to write songs is hard.
“Nothing feels that urgent anymore. I’ve been feeling lazy about getting the ball rolling. If we released something, we wouldn’t be able to play any shows to promote it,” Lundy said.
Other bandmates agreed.
“It’s funny how the perspective has changed. A year ago, we were grateful to have the time to practice without shows, but now it just sucks,” Allan added.
“I don’t think there’s anything that makes me not want to be part of a band,” Hallman said. “I’ll never not want to play music for people live.”
Bands aren’t the only ones struggling with the effects of the provincial lockdown. Venues are also being impacted.
Owned by Geoff Cass, Red Bird is a live music venue, music school and café aiming to open mid-February.
Cass said he hopes to attract local and touring bands at Red Bird, creating an eccentric space for younger audiences. He said that he’s already received several inquiries from local bands about using the venue.
“There’s tons of interest. Bands are really anxious to get going and get playing again, local bands especially,” Cass said.
As a hobby musician, Cass said he can imagine how hard it is to grow a local band during the pandemic.
“Small bands who don’t have a massive audience to start with are going to have a tough time growing their audience, especially trying to do it virtually. I think there are a lot of discouraged bands out there,” Cass said.
Much like the musicians, Cass said he’s eagerly awaiting a future without pending closures or capacity restrictions and can’t wait to welcome local bands back into the live music scene.
A previous version of this article incorrectly stated all members of Sorry Snowman were Carleton students. The piece was last updated on Jan. 23.
Featured image by Spencer Colby.
