Halifax pop-rockers The Lucy Grays were part of the Halifax Road to Indie Week battle of the bands series held every Wednesday night for the month of September at the Seahorse Tavern. Though they weren’t chosen as the overall winners by the panel of industry judges at the final battle Sept. 26, they secured a slot in Toronto at the Underground Garage Saturday, October 13 by winning their preliminary round battle Sept. 5.
This Saturday The Lucy Grays will duke it out with the winners from the other weeks, Matthew Pickup and The Movement and The Stogies. The Stogies were the overall winners for the Road to Indie Week and took home the headlining slot for the upcoming Indie Week east coast battle Saturday night, plus 1000 bucks.
The winner from this Saturday’s show in T.O. will win a slot the next night against the other winning bands from across the country for a chance to win a gig at next year’s Indie Week in Ireland. All expenses paid no less. Pretty sweet opportunity.
The Lucy G’s current line-up have been a band for over a year and a half and are starting to like the idea of pursuing music as a career the more they thrive as a group. Their brand of alternative, pop rock (think Kings of Leon meets Arcade Fire) has seen them share the stage with many bright east coast stars. Ben Caplan and Hey Rosetta! to name a couple.
Now, heading to Indie Week in Toronto this week they will be leaving the Maritimes for the first time as a band and are jacked to get there, play and shake some hands. “I think festivals like Indie week are crucial for bands over all, not just in terms of the exposure but also the networking. There’s no real “how to” book for professional musicians so being able to talk with other bands that have been at it for a while as well as the industry folks that attend these things is so helpful!” says drummer/singer Rowan Swain. “Over all we just want to arrive alive and well, play our absolute best, and get some face time with other bands and industry professionals.”
When Pluto Was A Planet is the debut EP available to listen/buy on their website. After their stint at Inidie Week Swain, Kendra Breen (vocals/violin), Sine Diab (vocals/guitar), Matt Houlihan (vocals/guitar), Nathan Myles (keys), and Thomas Bilodeau (bass) plan on jumping back into the studio to work on a full length release, tour the east coast when they can, and plan for an Ontario return in the spring.
“In terms of long term goals I think we all just want to make a real go at this. I don’t think any of us really expected to go anywhere …we just did it because we love playing music…Playing Indie Week obviously is going to be a huge opportunity in that goal, all in all we’re just honored to have been selected, what with all the amazing groups we were up against. It feels like we battle all the time as a band but it always genuinely blows us away when we win one of these things.”
For more on The LG’s and Indie Week go here and here…and maybe over here.
-Dave Lidstone
