Composing songs for Marianas Trench’s new fairy tale-based album, Ever After, was a challenging process, said lead vocalist Josh Ramsay.
The Canadian band brought the story of Ever After to life during their concert at Scotiabank Place Feb. 24, when they stopped in Ottawa as the opening act for Simple Plan’s Get Your Heart On! tour.
Ramsay wrote and produced all the tracks on Ever After, which pulls together 12 songs to create a story that spans the 54-minute album.
“You have to think of what the song sequence is going to be as you write it, which is challenging because normally you just write all the songs and then figure out the best order after,” Ramsay said.
“You might have to record a song with an ending that feels awkward or unresolved because you have to just picture how it’s going to lead to something else,” he continued. “It’s a little more challenging, but it was fun.”
The concept of each song falling into the next is something Ramsay wanted to do for previous Marianas Trench albums. He said he didn’t feel quite ready enough as a writer until now.
“You always have to commit to doing something you feel is just beyond your means,” he said.
Ramsay isn’t the sole character in Ever After. Bandmates Matt Webb, Mike Ayley, and Ian Casselman also worked on the band’s third album, which was released in November.
The story album structure harkens back to the days when people used to listen to albums from start to finish, they said.
“It’s a real full album experience,” Webb said. “It just seemed like a different thing to do.”
Marianas Trench was the second act to take the Scotiabank Place stage Feb. 24. Unlike the opening band, All Time Low, Marianas Trench managed to get the crowd of about 7,000 people singing and jumping along to their music.
They also created a unique ambiance while performing, opening with their single “Ever After” while Ramsay came out of a giant Jack in the Box-styled toy box.
The band went on to play a set of nine songs, including hits “Fix Me” and “Masterpiece Theatre” from their previous albums. Ramsay also sang parts of the band’s hit single “Beside You” a capella. The performance grew even more intimate as he remained silent to hear the audience sing the chorus, “If your heart wears thin I will hold you up / And I will hide you when it gets too much / I’ll be right beside you.”
Adding to the personal experience, Ramsay jumped off stage into the crowd throughout the set, running across the stadium allowing fans to hug, high five, and take pictures with him.
Ever After seems to have foreshadowed the ideal happily ever after for Marianas Trench, as the album received a Juno nomination for best pop album of the year. The band will be returning to Ottawa March 31 for a fanfare concert before the 2012 Juno Awards April 1.
