Quebec band The Strain likes to keep it all in the family.
The band, made up of brothers David and Rylee Taggart, their cousin Alex Serre and longtime friend Nick Johnston have known each other since infancy.
“We’ve been together for so long that we have a home video of Alex, our drummer’s, first birthday and in the video, it zooms in on Nick, [our bassist], and then out of the corner of the screen, Alex’s huge dog just smokes him,” David Taggart, the singer and guitarist of the group said.
Growing up watching their parents play music at family gatherings, Taggart said the members of the band always knew they wanted to get into the profession.
“We had a band in high school and it was called DNA, and it was kind of cheesy and overused,” Taggart admitted, “but we wanted to keep the same vibe going to show that we were all connected and related, so we thought of The Strain.” Their passion is shown in
their music.
Although they come from the small town of Wakefield, QC., The Strain is quickly gaining more recognition for their unique genre-bending sound.
“I’d say we’re a little genre bipolar, but it’s definitely electro-pop alt-rock. It’s really hard to name genres these days,” Taggart said.
“It’s fun to mix everything up and to just try and blend all our influences.” Luckily for the band, their biggest influencers are also the ones they get compared to.
“I really like Mother Mother, and everyone else kind of likes a broad range of genres. Some us like classic rock, some of us don’t.” “The Rapture,” one of the standout tracks from their latest EP Hush Hush, brings in a blend of electronic and alternative rock. “It’s a really energetic song,” Taggart said.
“It’s definitely one where I get to rock out a bit. People seem into it as well; it’s different in every room, wherever you are, but there seems to be a broad range of people who like it.”
Being in a band amongst your family members remains one of Taggart’s favourite parts about his job. “I mean, we are a strain of relatives. And also, music can be a strain sometimes. It’s hard work, but it’s what I love to do.”
The Strain play the Mansion Thursday at 10 p.m.
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