Calgary’s music scene is a series which explores various artists who have emerged or are a part of the music scene here in Calgary.
Recently I had the honor of having some of my questions about being an artist from Calgary answered by Austin Tufts, the band member and drummer BRAIDS. I had been in awe of the band from the first time I had the opportunity to listen to them live on their 2015 tour with Purity Ring. Their songs and unique style blew me away and had me hooked ever since.
The band first came into existence a few years back while Tufts attended Western Canada High School with other band members Taylor Smith and Raphaelle Standelle-Preston. BRAIDS has come a long way since their first 2011 album Native Speaker, with another two albums released to date, along with numerous North American and World tours.
With cities such as Vancouver and Montreal considered height of Canada’s music scene, it is great to see success stories such as BRAIDS emerge from Calgary, even if they do not currently reside within the city.
How did you first get involved with music and what made you want to be in a band?
I grew up in a very musical home. My father is a drummer and my mother a singer, so there was never a lack of good music being played or bands rehearsing in our basement while I was growing up. I was never pushed into music by them which is why I think I have a very natural love of music, not one of anxiety and pressure that some second generation artist suffer from. For me, playing the drums was at first only a means to playing with other people in bands when I was growing up. I could hold my own from what my father had taught me but I was never serious about learning the instrument in any deeper way. It was when I started dedicating myself to the drums, practicing lots, listening more intently, and studying the history that I became more of an individual musician. When Braids started playing together, it was the first time that I found that both my personal vision and the group vision could exist harmoniously. That’s when I realized that these were a special group of people. After that, it was hard to ever spend more than a day or two without playing together. And that still stands true 8 years later.
How did you find creating a band in Calgary? What were the biggest struggles you faced regarding the Calgary music scene?
When we were growing up and just starting out in Calgary, there were some really great bands that formed a tight knit community that was basically the centre of the scene in which we existed. Azeda Booth, Women, Chad VanGaalen, the Consonant C, Woodpigeon. All of those guys were so inclusive and making such great music. We all knew that Calgary wasn’t Toronto or NYC or LA but we never tried to make it that. Being part of a small, caring and creative community no matter the size can be such a positive thing when your starting out. The encouragement and guidance that we received in our early days has really set the tone for our entire career.
The thing that was tough about Calgary in the day is that it was hard as a local band to attract more than 150 people out to your show. It wasn’t until we moved away and started getting international recognition that we could return home and start playing nicer venues to larger crowds. Local scenes are funny that way. Also the fact that for touring, Calgary is soooo isolated. You can drive 13 hours to Vancouver but that’s the only city within a days drive that bigger than our home town. Its very isolating as a fledgling band. That isolation also works the other way in terms of getting good bands to come tour through Calgary. Most of the bands we listened to while growing up wouldn’t have ever toured to Calgary. Which is why Sled Island was such a huge game changer for our city. It started bring these amazing bands to a place where there never would have come before.
Did you notice any resources in Calgary which helped emerging artists?
Many. CJSW has been a community leader for years. Myke Atkinson, the program director there used to out on these seminars called RADTASTIC. They were essentially a series of workshops focused on how to get the most amount of national an international exposure for your band, mostly through using radio as a resource.
In your opinion, how was Braids able to reach the success the band has today?
I think it all comes down to the music we write and the fact that we haven’t let all the stresses and pressures of being in a band pull us apart at the seams. Its definitely been hard at times to know which way is up or if this is the right thing to be doing with our lives, but all of that washes away when we play. And in the end, its all about the music you play. Another key is that we’ve always tried to work with people that we love and respect and that we feel will treat us honestly. Keep your priorities straight and the rest will fall into place.
What are some areas of improvement for the Calgarian music scene? What can we as citizens do to help local artists?
I would like to see the city at large shift towards embracing the more experimental and alternative communities. There are some incredible musicians in Calgary making killer music but the vast majority of the city is still really focused on more commercial and corporate music. The National Music Centre is cool and a beautiful space but thats not the kind of place where underground scenes are started, or where fringe kids can go and make drone music. The city needs more DIY music spaces and more zoning for affordable creative spaces…not big fancy ones that cost millions of dollars to make, but warehouses and building dedicated to being affordable working places for artists and musicians. The biggest thing that the average citizen can do is to attend local shows and buy records. Support bands early on. Make sure they get the support and encouragement they deserve.
Do you believe it is important to support local bands? Why or why not?
That’s how scenes are started. The more support local bands get the bigger the scene grows and the more recognition abroad those artists will find. As that happens it puts the city on the map as a cool musical destination and more out of town bands start touring through to get a piece of the pie. Its a cycle that i feel starts with raising the good local music up on the shoulders of the fans and saying, look at how great this is.
Make sure to check out BRAIDS at this year’s Folk Festival on July 23rd. The band will also be releasing their 3rd EP this May so make sure to look out for their upcoming new music.
