The Edmonton-based band is on tour promoting their third independent album, called “Better Off”, which was released Canada-wide on September 20th. Their show, however, included songs from every album, including “Old Habits Die Hard” (the song that got me into them in the first place) and MuchMusic favourite “Every Day”, which features fellow Canadian singer Lights.
Ten Second Epic has been playing shows for about ten years now, but has been touring for about seven. Every member of the band, who’s tour stopped in Montreal on November 23rd, got to know each other through local connections.
“Me and Craig grew up together,” explains drummer Patrick Birtles. “So we started jamming together when I got my drums and he got his guitar. And then, I started going to high school with Andrew. Him and I met, and he knew that I was playing music, and he said that he could sing. And then, Craig went to high school with Sandy, and sort of the same thing happened. And then, Sandy and Dan grew up together. Its all super organic.”
In terms of their acoustics and comfort level on stage, it was obvious that the guys had followed their passion together for a long time. Andrew often took a few steps backward to sing close to Patrick, made a few jokes about Sandy’s ability to speak French and his “cultured” side, and talked about their home in Edmonton. Their sound live is almost identical to their sound on their records, which is always a sign of a good show.
“Every show is different,” explains Birtles. But, he says that one of the highlights of touring for him was going to Japan, as a result of their second album being released internationally. “It felt like we were playing on a different planet. I’m not going to lie, its a bit of a sensory overload.”
The band’s success has also been marked with a 2010 Juno Award for New Group of the Year, and many MuchMusic Video Award nominations. They even gained enough recognition to record their most recent album in legendary singer and songwriter Dave Genn’s Vancouver studio.
Each song they played was easily relatable to the intimate audience, sending some girls into hysteria, but leaving the remainder of the crowd, comprised of both men and women, visibly satisfied. They say they find inspiration for their songs through everyday experiences, part of what makes them so relatable.
The Silent Waves, a local band, and Acres of Lions, from Victoria, B.C, opened for Ten Second Epic. They brought an energy to the stage early on in the show, and oozed passion and indie talent with every song. They interacted with the crowd, another sign of a good show, and mentioned their records but didn’t over-promote them. Every band thanked one another for the experience and thanked the crowd for their attendance. Ten Second Epic even thanked the DJ, despite the typical sound problems one would expect from a small venue. True to their small-town background, they played a small-town, intimate show. One could attest the small crowd to the fact that the concert was on a Wednesday night, a fact Andrew took note of and understood between songs, before an impromptu drum solo from Patrick.
One thing that brought the show to a whole new level was the obvious joy and passion each band took from being on stage. They were smiling and joking, and, as a fan, that energy is definitely appreciated.
“Five or ten years down the road, I sort of expect to be doing similar to what we’re doing now,” says Birtles. “I don’t expect to change a whole lot in terms of what we do and how much fun we have. I definitely hope that in five or ten years, it doesn’t feel like work. That’s the ultimate goal.”
As a true Canadian boy, Birtles says he’d love to tour with Our Lady Peace someday. He also sported an Edmonton Oilers cap while I was talking to him, and continued to wear it on stage. He explained to me that the guys are huge hockey fans. So, naturally I had to know whether he liked Edmonton young star Taylor Hall or Jordan Eberle better. “Eberle,” Birtles said, after some hesitation. “When I grew up playing hockey, I was never anywhere near as talented as him, but I kinda played a little bit more of his role. I was a bit more of a set-up man than a finisher.”
Ten Second Epic will return to Montreal in April 2012.