TRANSCRIPT:
Aldi (CJSW)
If you guys could just go ahead and introduce yourselves individually, what your role is in the band, everything that you do.
Eric
Hi, my name is Eric, and I play the drums in Blush.
Anton
I’m Anton, and I sing and play guitar and Blush.
Rosie
Hi, I’m Rosie, I play the bass.
Renata
And I’m Renata, and I play synth and keys.
Aldi (CJSW)
Can you guys tell me a bit about your sound? You know, how would you describe the music that you play?
Eric
I feel like our sound kind of originated from a lot of acoustic, kind of folksy writing from Anton, and then started layering different kind of effects and more distortion on it. And from there, we kind of build up, so it’s very like melodic, or melody-driven-louder, kind of crunchy stuff, but with lots of soft parts from the nice synth, and Rosie’s got a background in fiddling, so some fun little boppy tunes in there as well.
Anton
Yeah, I think I would describe our sound as, like maybe 90s inspired, kind of like, alternative rock. Definitely have some inspirations from people like Alex G or like Big Thief, all of the above. Yeah.
Blush.
Enough said.
Aldi (CJSW)
Enough said, haha. This is your guys first time playing at Sled Island. How did it feel to find out that you guys were gonna be playing?
Anton
Oh, it was awesome. It was, yeah. We applied and maybe didn’t expect to get in just because we are quite young as a band, but yeah, just blown away by the generosity of the people who chose us, whoever was like, ‘Oh, yeah, these these guys, let’s give them a chance.’
Renata
It’s also perfect that it was in Calgary, because Eric’s from Calgary. I was born in Calgary. Rosie is also kind of from Calgary, and so we all have some family who’s going to come see the show, and we’re getting to stay at Eric’s childhood home, which is such a trip, because we all met him in our 20s. So yeah, it’s cool.
Aldi (CJSW)
So you guys are all from, or most of you guys are from Calgary, or you have some connection to Calgary. What is kind of, you know, festivals like Sled Island mean to you guys, especially, you know, where it kind of brings in community. And, you know, it’s here in Calgary?
Eric
It’s super fun. It’s a great chance to have smaller bands showcased because of playing everywhere across the city. And it also allows for lots of different demographics to come see the shows. Different venues, places that people might feel comfortable with, breweries and stuff, more like single ticket access stuff, so you don’t just have to go to a big venue, but were you thinking more specifically to Calgary?
Aldi (CJSW)
I was thinking more specifically to you guys, yeah.
Eric
Would you please repeat the question?
Aldi (CJSW)
Festivals like Sled Island are pretty important for emerging artists, so I was mostly just wondering, you know, how do you guys kind of view these community gatherings where like, I suppose, ways to promote new artists?
Eric
Yeah, yeah. I guess I’ll stick with my answer. Just it’s a great chance for smaller bands to get a bunch of different spots and some cooler, smaller venues.
Anton
I think that, this is my first time in Calgary, by the way, and it’s amazing. I love it here. My first time in Alberta as well, actually. So it’s really cool to see the community so far out here. We come from Victoria, so it’s quite small, and the music scene there is also quite small, but it’s tight knit, and very much, like other artists uplifting each other. And I think that seeing that on a bigger scale in a bigger city is really cool. To see that those smaller pockets are still there and people are continually uplifting each other. And also Sled Island bringing artists out from all over the world is really cool. So absolutely.
Aldi (CJSW)
You guys mentioned earlier that you kind of have influences from each other and from Big Thief or Alex G, and some other artists. How do you guys influence each other directly in the music that you make? Is there anything that you kind of pull from one another, or is it just on the spot, spontaneous?
Anton
I guess for songwriting, we kind of start with acoustic. I’ll write a little song with some lyrics, and then I feel like we all have such different music tastes. So it’s really cool to see how when we come together, after I make a few demos, phone record it, and jam it out a little bit and see what comes of it. But I don’t know, with me, I feel like I listen to a lot of currently, heavier music than anyone else in the band, which maybe influences my guitar tone and some of the stuff. But then I feel like Rosie listens to a lot of RnB and soul, but then a ton of, you know, classic fiddle tunes. Yeah, Reni listens to a lot of rap and stuff as well, so there’s so many aspects that we pull from. Yeah, that’s my take.
Renata
I feel like it’s nice because we all became really good friends first, before we started even really jamming together. So I don’t know, I’ve never felt so comfortable to play music in this way with other people. I think we all get excited about each other’s music taste, even if it is different. On the way up here, we were all just picking an album at a time, and just like going through that.
Rosie
It’s also interesting, because, well, for Eric and I, the instruments we’re playing in the band are pretty new to us. We’ve been playing them for a year and a half. So, I don’t really have any background to go off of with bass. I didn’t play the guitar before either. I went from piano and fiddle to that, and [Eric was] playing mostly guitar and did a little drums. Jamming in college with one of his roommates. And Anton, you also have, you do a bit of drums. So it feels like everyone, we’re all kind of trying to figure out these instruments together. And I think that maybe that makes us approach the different parts of the band in a kind of unique way.
Anton
Eric was also the best drummer out of all of us, so he kind of got thrown on the kit when we started renting jam spaces because he could actually hold a beat.
Eric
I went by choice. Yeah, no, I think that the openness of our friendship allows for lots of creativity, nothing’s off the table, and because we do come from such different backgrounds and inspirations, it’s like, we all hear something, and it kind of shows up in the music to diversify it. It’s not just one sound that we’re trying to recreate. It’s four different sounds that we’re each trying to get our voice through, and I think it shows up in a fun way.
Aldi (CJSW)
It’s really sick, honestly. Yeah. Do you guys think that your closeness as friends—because a lot of time in the business it’s work partner, right? Do you guys think your closeness as friends is something that makes your music pop in a different way? It feels a little more personal?
Eric
We all started as work partners outside of the band, though. We all work in a restaurant together, all on the bar together, which wasn’t great for Friday night gigs, but we made it work. But we learned how to communicate and work in high stress areas with each other, and kind of work around each other and crack jokes and stressful situations. Also just accept each other’s mistakes in that way as well, not looking at anyone in particular. Going into the music studio, it was just pretty easy to communicate and we had a lot of camaraderie already, and then that same kind of thing. If someone makes a mistake or has a crazy idea or wants to try something new, we’re all really open and receptive and supportive, and so yeah, goes really well.
Anton
But also know when to be like, ‘I don’t know about that one.’
Eric
Yeah, that’s a good point too. Not just the openness and the support, but the conflict management is pretty nice, because, we disagree at work sometimes, and then went from work to just being really good friends, and then band mates. And so when it does come to maybe not accepting an idea, we’re pretty cordial about it, and then also really trust our friends opinions. So we were like, ‘Okay, I’ll back down from this one. You guys are right,’ kind of thing. And, yeah, move forward.
Renata
There’s something too about the number of us, like four of us that’s very balancing, I find, because someone pitches an idea, and I feel like we’ve gotten really good at always being like, ‘We’ll try it, we’ll try anything.’ Try this, and then try the old way, and then try the new way, whatever. And then we’re all listening, trying to be as unbiased as possible. And then if three members of the band like it one way, you’re just gonna be like, ‘Yeah, cool, that is probably the way that sounds the best.’
Aldi (CJSW)
You mentioned that you all were coworkers at first, you know, you were working at a bar. What was the moment that you guys kind of thought maybe we should make music together? You know, maybe we should create something.
Anton
Well, Eric and I, funnily enough, worked together at a different restaurant, like way before this restaurant where we all met, and we jammed with another coworker a few times in like a rented jam space. Just one summer we started grabbing our acoustics, going to the park, hanging out, and playing. And then when we told Renata about it, she was like, ‘Oh, I can play piano.’ I was like, ‘Oh, I have a synth.’ Which, you know, wasn’t. It was like a micro chord, like a very small keyboard. And she was more classically piano trained, and so we rented a jam space, plugged that in, and then she just had like, crazy sounds at her fingertips. And yeah, Rosie, we were like, ‘Oh, like, we’re doing acoustic jams with maybe some piano, like, let’s bring a fiddle in.’ Because Rosie was always doing fiddle like barn dances and touring with coastline. So, yeah.
Eric
I think it was cool how organically it happened, which was fun. We didn’t put out a Craigslist ad and force us being into a band. And none of us had really been in a band before, either, so it wasn’t something where I’m looking for a new band. It just happened really organically. We were friends, hanging out, playing music. Started with Anton and I, and then Renata, and then we forced Rosie to play bass, and now we have a band that’s, yeah, traveling and playing that Sled Island. So we’re super excited about that.
Anton
We kind of took over my auntie’s shed at the time. There’s a shed in the backyard of my auntie’s house, and we just borrowed a drum kit from a friend, and started jamming in this very small room, like horrible acoustics, small, small box with lots of reflections, and, yeah, lots of weird smells going on. Buteventually we graduated to a house in their basement, which is really cool. A room in their basement, and we just stapled foam all over the walls. We are very lucky to have them allow us to play in their basement.
Aldi (CJSW)
Yeah, very DIY sound room or soundproof room.
Anton
Oh, yeah, the foam is falling off the walls, yeah. Very DIY house. Thick blue shag rug on the floor.
Rosie
It was really crazy because we were jamming in that little shed for a while, and then I went traveling for four months, and when I got back and we met up for like another jam, they were all in this room. Yeah, just the foam covering the walls, things falling off. But also it was, like, a lot bigger, so it did feel like a luxury. And that was that was kind of when we started playing more of the music that we’re playing now. Like Anton gave me his his bass, and I started. You’d write lines for me, and I’d try and copy what you were doing. And then, not long after that—I think it was, like a month after that—we kind of officially, were like, ‘Okay, let’s have a band. Let’s make this a band.’ And then a month after that, was our first show. It felt like it all happened pretty fast.
Renata
I still remember because Rosie had been traveling and stuff, but the whole time we were like, Rosie’s gonna be our bass player. Like, it’s gonna happen. I think it was our staff party for, our ‘work’ work. We were just hanging out, and then you finally were like, ‘Oh, I, like, forgot to tell you, but I like, I’m in, I’m in on the band.’ And I was like, ‘Yes, best day ever.’
Aldi (CJSW)
This one’s a little longer, so I’m gonna have to read it off. You mentioned earlier how the sound that you’ve played or that you were playing before is kind of different than what you play. Now, I think a pretty cool part about new bands is that you can kind of see them grow as they’re kind of figuring stuff out. How do you describe the kind of difference in the music that you play and like, how has it grown? Where were you when you first started making music, from a sound point or even a mental perspective, and now, where are you at?
Renata
I feel like we’re doing our best to try to record at these important intervals. Our first little EP that we recorded, it kind of happened so quick and early, but in a good way. I love to have those time capsuled. So I feel like that’s kind of how we always talk about these projects. A little snapshot of where we are right now, wherever that is. And so I’m excited. We’re gonna do some recording in September, and we have two little projects out. And now I feel like this new wave of songs kind of always feels like we’ve grown in some way, whether it’s like the setup we’re trying to work with, like effects and stuff, or just as musicians getting better.
Rosie
To add on to what Ren was saying, I think it’s really nice because it doesn’t feel like we’re trying. Obviously, we’re trying to progress as musicians and as a band, but it doesn’t try feel like we’re trying to make projects that are not what’s happening right now. It feels like if we’re playing something, and we think it could be better. I think it still feels like we’re just recording ourselves where we’re at. And so it’s really nice to feel kind of like we don’t have to be something we’re not. And if we sound different in a few months, or on our next recording. That’s fine, yeah? And I really like the little time capsule of it all.
Anton
Yeah, I think that we’ve gotten from our first batch of recordings to now, like just more complexities in the way that we’re writing. We’re kind of really focusing on how we make sounds together, and learning how to make space yourself. And listen to your other bandmates while you’re playing, it’s super important. And I feel like in this new batch of songs that we’ve been writing, we’ve been focusing on that a lot. And just listening to the other bandmates, and listening to the parts of the songs, revisiting songs, and reworking things, where before I felt like we were just like, so happy to be able to make sound together that was, like on tempo and cohesive. Now we can actually kind of do that, but with more intention.
Eric
I’d say the comfort level of our instruments is a big difference-maker too. Rose, you’d only been playing bass for a year and change, I’ve only been playing drums for a year and change. Renata went from piano to an analog synth, which is a pretty big jump, and Anton went from largely acoustic to too many pedals on an electric guitar. And so yeah, there’s been a huge change. I don’t know if it’s for better or worse, because sometimes it’s simple, like just figuring out your instrument and keeping it simple, it leaves a lot of room for honesty and less complexity, but it’s also a cool evolution, where we are now being able to try new things and experiment and grow that sound in a different way as well.
Aldi (CJSW)
Speaking of Still Wet, with the help of Barnhouse Sounds and the emerging artist program, you guys were able to record Still Wet. How do you feel about those programs? What emotions do they evoke?
Anton
We are so thankful and so happy for everyone who puts all of the hours in to do something like that. Justin did such a great job with us. As you know, a brand new band took a leap of faith. We just sent him the worst phone demos, like, in that room that I was talking about that is just like, so reflective and you could only hear the symbols of the drums. And he was like, you know, there’s something going on here. Maybe, let’s take a chance on these kids and see what they do. And, you know, bless us with some time in the studio. And I think that B.C. in particular has amazing emerging artists programs, and they are really coming through to make sure artists are able to grow.
Rosie
We’re so lucky to have programs like that. And also just want to shout out Anton for applying to all those writing all the applications and everything, because that is not something that I’m part of or I’m very good at.
Renata
Yeah, I don’t know that was, like, the coolest experience ever, and the fact that I got to be in a band with these guys, and then a few months later to get to actually be in a real recording studio. I barely knew how to plug my instrument in at that point. But it kind of like, does propel you forward because you’re there, you don’t know what’s going on, and it makes you want to find out what’s going on, and get ready for the next time, so that if you walk into another studio, you understand how they do, what they do, and what’s going on.
Eric
Yeah, they’re super awesome programs, especially that one that Justin put on through Barnhouse. Good for the community, good for building music culture in that city and in the province and stuff, but also really cool, just for the personal aspect, even if whatever band gets that grant doesn’t make it or go very far, they can always look back and we made something, and then you have that, and you kind of take that with you throughout your whole life, and it’s kind of cool having that check mark.
Aldi (CJSW)
I mean, it’s a pretty nice accomplishment to be able to work with programs like that, just even being able to say, ‘I did that,’ right? I think that’s pretty great. Do you guys have any shout outs for Sled or anybody that you’re looking forward to seeing?
Eric
Yeah, a couple of shout outs for some other Victoria bands that we’re fans of: Hills Bros, a really cool band that we’ve got some friends in, and just played a show with them couple weeks ago. Construction Site, got some friends in. They are a fun noise band. And then I think there’s a couple other cool bands from Victoria that were stoked are here. Past that, I’ll let the other guys take the reins on this one.
Anton
Also, there’s some other cool bands, like coming out of Vancouver, that are here. Like, computer is pretty cool. And we’re really excited to see Babe Corner tonight and Tops, of course. But yeah, and Horse Jumper of Love on Saturday. Like, very excited to see what’s going on there. Yeah.
Rosie
Also really excited for Yaya Bey and Ribbon Skirt.
Blush.
Same, same, same, same.
Aldi (CJSW)
What’s next for Blush. after Sled? Do you guys have any upcoming projects, or maybe you’re looking for a tour. Who knows?
Anton
I mean, we have a new batch of songs that we’ve been working on, and we are going into the studio in September and gonna do, I guess our sophomore EP. I guess you could call it, very excited to just, you know, five or six songs, lay them down and see what happens. Probably have them ready for, hopefully spring. And besides that, play a lot of shows up until then and afterwards, and then hopefully tour once that comes out.
Eric
I think we’ve had some really fun experiences traveling lately. We did a lot of shows in Victoria, and then we got a chance to go up to Nanaimo, up to Tofino, and then we left the Island to go to Vancouver, and then this is the furthest we’ve come to Calgary. So looking forward to more growth and opportunities like that, where we can travel and create new memories and experiences and share our music in different places.
Anton
It’s also nice to get to hang out outside.
Renata
It’s also fun for just jamming too, because sometimes we’re rehearsing for shows or whatever, like being serious in the studio. And so when we come out for trips like this, we get to leave all of our life behind and just mess around on acoustics and stuff.
Rosie
Yeah, last night if we had all the equipment and amps and stuff, we probably would have practiced some of our stuff for our set, but we didn’t. So we just hada little acoustic jam. Eric was playing drums on a pillow for a while. He made a little, like, janky drum set, drum kit, yeah, just acoustic guitars and like, singing some songs that we like. It’s really nice to just be able to make music just for us.
Aldi (CJSW)
For the set of demos that you guys mentioned is that the one that you released recently on Bandcamp?
Eric
You did what?
Anton
No, no. That was a one year Blush. anniversary thing, I think I might have just released a few demos, like the interlude stuff that we use. And there’s maybe an acoustic song. There’s like, an acoustic song on there, I think. I forget which one it is, yeah, but I kind of just threw it out there. We need to drop something for our one year. And so I don’t believe that anything on there is coming up for our new stuff.
Aldi (CJSW)
So it’s all new. Yeah, thanks so much, guys, I really appreciate it.
Blush.
Yeah, thank you. Thanks for having us out here.