From the moment the players’ needle dropped onto their first 45 and 78 records, the foursome of Grave New World sensed music would play a big part in their lives. And it did.
Darren Knapp (lead singer) Jeff Allan, (lead guitar), Darren MacFadyen (bass) and Ryan Shoults (drums) went through a lot of rock bands honing their chops.
But for the last 15 years, they’ve found their niche working as a tight team that transports their audience back to the nostalgic days of high school.
And on Friday, Nov. 27, they return to LB’s Pub for a second go at honouring some of the greatest rock music alive. The group covers songs that were hard to resist ranging from hit makers such as Prince, The Ramones and Billy Idol to 54-40, Honeymoon Suite and Big Sugar.
“We all have other careers. But this is our passion, our hobby. It’s what we want to do until we’re 60 or 70. Whether there’s a couple of people or a couple of thousand people we come on strong and never let up,” said Shoults, a St. Albert musician.
GNW, as members sometimes call the band, started with high-energy, interactive performances that made people want to move and groove on the dance floor. The band’s philosophy has never wavered.
Although the sample set list is up to nearly 50 songs, there are two bands in particular that have inspired their act.
“We like to use the energy of the Foo Fighters. We’ve been to a couple of their concerts and there’s never a slow moment. We never want to stand still and the Foo Fighters have done it for us,” said Shoults.
“And we admire the Tragically Hip. Number one, they’re Canadian. Number two they’re very popular. You play Tragically Hip and it’s guaranteed to get people on the dance floor.”
By way of introducing their style, GNW starts the evening with a set of their originals crafted in a collective spirit. MacFadyen is the band lyricist while the other three compose the music.
“I get the beats down and then we add the guitar line and then Darren throws in the lyrics. He waits to see what the energy is before he writes the lyrics. He needs to hear the music before he creates a story.”
One of their 10 odd originals is Steel For Blood, a tune that came together when Allan riffed a fancy line. While practising it, the other band members began jamming and by evening’s end a powerful melodic line was in place.
Instead, The Note is a breakup song that starts slow and builds and lets loose at the end before stopping abruptly. In The River, water becomes a metaphor for the winding road of life.
“It’s a high energy song and it’s one of the more popular ones. We’ll pull it out at LB’s. It’s a lot of fun to play. It has this great feel and really good harmonies. “
Shoults says that the band is more than just marionettes playing songs. At one point in the show, MacFadyen will take over the drum kit while Shoults jumps into the audience.
“You can never predict what I’m going to do – stand on the bar, walk on tables or start a conga line. Darren can handle the job and I have a lot of fun,” Shoults said.
“This band is like a family. We’re tight-knit and we protect each other. We’re four guys having fun and hoping everyone else is having fun.”
The show starts at 9 p.m. No cover.
