Taking it one city at a time

Three boys from British Columbia are about to rock Clark Hall Pub and the rest of Ontario

  • Arts
We Are The City fans played a vital role in the recording of their album In A Quiet World.
Image supplied by: Supplied
We Are The City fans played a vital role in the recording of their album In A Quiet World.

We Are The City features three young musicians, Cayne McKenzie on vocals and keys, David Menzel on guitar, and Andy Huculiak on the drums.

The Kelowna trio spent seven weeks in Vancouver recording their first album. In A Quiet World was recorded with emerging producer Tom Dobrzanski at Vertical Studios.

The We Are The City kids took on multiple gigs and after-school jobs in order to fund the recording of their first album. Although their hard work paid some of the bills, recording is no cheap ride—they realized that they were going to need some financial support. The group appealed to their fans by launching a donations page on their website. They put together four different donation packages, each with a list of benefits for the fan, and a price range that they could choose from. These packages varied from a signed copy of the disk before its spring release, to a personalized YouTube shout-out created by the boys themselves. After all was said on done, they boys raised $3500 to finance their studio costs.

Their personalized YouTube videos have become favourites among fans and have got increasingly creative. The videos are glimpse into the band’s boyish charm and illustrious creativity. We Are The City are coasting East with their tunes in hopes of expanding their fan-base and sharing their stadium-standard sounds in small spaces.

ARTIST IN PROFILE

What’s your band name and why did you choose it?

We are We Are The City. We were called The City, and then we had to change the name. Our friend Jason George suggested “We Are The City” and we loved it.

When did you start making music together?

For the three of us, it’s been three years. But David and Cayne started in grade 8, at which point their music was a terrible mix of P.O.D. and U2.

Where do you live and work and why?

We live in West Kelowna, and Peachland, and we’re all unemployed because we love playing music.

In one or two sentences, describe the style of music you play.

Progressive indie rock with experiments. Thoughtful lyrics which hopefully connect with the audience.

What’s the nicest thing someone has said to you before, during, or after a show?

Our dear friend Dom from The Painted Birds actually wrote the nicest thing about us after our performance at the Peak Performance Project camp, and it was published in the Vancouver Sun as well.

What’s the worst thing someone has said to you before, during or after a show?

“If you got a bass player, you’d be so good.”

When someone says “Kingston” you think…

“A kickstand on a bicycle.” This will be our first time in Kingston.

What inspires you?

We’re all inspired by different types of music along with the fact that we’re all very spiritual and our faith is key in our creative process.

What’s your favourite part about being musicians?

We get to play our own music to a lot of different people.

What can the audience expect from your set on Oct. 1?

High energy performance; sometimes danceable, bob your head all you want.

What are your plans? Recording, touring, taking a break?

Definitely touring as much as possible. Touring touring touring touring.

—Ally Hall and Emily Whalen

We Are The City play Clark Hall Pub this Thursday night with Make Your Exit and Corduroy. Tickets are available at the door.

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