There’s something about falling for a new band that’s rather akin to a crush: there’s that whole rush of discovery, then the descent into obsessiveness, and everything about them seems fresh and different and interesting.
But when you’re an indie band in a roiling sea of ’em, how on earth do you distinguish yourself from the pack so that listeners take a fancy to your music?
Local quartet The Coast doesn’t have the magic answer to that key question, but they plan to keep playing until they find it. Formerly called The July 26th Movement (you may have seen their gig posters up around campus over the last few years), the band formed six years ago from two pairs of best friends (and a set of brothers) while they were still in high school.
“We’ve been together since we were 15. We chose which university we were going to go to based on the band. My most important ideas and thoughts are put into the songs. We’ve just found a way of communicating through the music,” singer/bassist Luke Melchoirre explains.
Melchoirre, fellow songwriter and vocalist/guitarist Ben Spurr, and guitarist Ian Fosbery (they’re minus Luke’s brother, drummer Jordan Melchoirre, tonight) are hanging out talking music at a Second Cup in the Annex, just around the corner from campus. They’re charming, thoughtful lads, betraying their status as students as soon as they open their mouths-that unique blend of profound and profane marking nearly every sentence.
They’ve got that fascinating mix of personalities that can usually be found in any band, too-Melchoirre’s the passionate, articulate one, trying to find the perfect phrase to express his point. Fosbery, on the other hand, is laid back right down to his posture, slouching casually against the wall and offering asides. Spurr’s kind of a bridge between the two, offering up licorice all around and listening intently to his bandmates before adding his own thoughts.
The name change came about a few months ago because they were tired of people wondering what it was all about (the July 26th Movement was Fidel Castro’s revolutionary group that stormed into Mexico City), so they changed it to The Coast after the Paul Simon song.
“The old name was a little too politically charged,” Fosbery points out.
“We’re actually taking a course in Latin American politics now, and now I think it’s a worse name than I did before,” Melchoirre groans.
“Now the first question people ask is, why did you change the name?” Spurr chimes in.
“At least now they’re not going to ask, ‘Are you Communists?'” Fosbery laughs.
Paul Simon may be one of their major common influences, but The Coast’s melodic, atmospheric sound has more in common with the anthemic British pop of yesteryear (Melchoirre constantly references The Verve’s 1997 album Urban Hymns), with its chiming guitars, Smiths-esque vocals, and bittersweet lyrics.
The band’s sound hasn’t changed all that much since releasing their debut Take A Walk Outside EP in 2004, Fosbery says, noting that the group has been working on re-recording some of the songs from that disc and also working on new ones for a forthcoming disc that they hope to release by next March.
“It’s not like we’ve gone from what we did before to, like, disco-punk or something,” he grins. “Just in terms of all those bands that are making it big right now, we’re much less spontaneous.”
Ah, yes. Making it big. Indie-goes-global. The Coast don’t really feel part of that whole group-hug local scene thing, but that doesn’t mean they’re not encouraged by the success of their fellow Toronto/Canuck acts.
“I ascribe to it in the sense that independent artists are people who are making music for the sake of music,” Melchoirre offers, his words tumbling out in a torrent as he warms to his subject. “We’re putting ourselves out there-we are producing something as opposed to knocking something down. And that’s one thing that I love about the Toronto scene right now. People are making stuff happen.”
And while his band is still trying to find their way in the often-frustrating indie scene, they do share a common thread with those further up in the stratosphere-a finger on the pulse of youth.
“We’re united by a kind of anxiety. People are fucked up. It’s awesome to romanticize, but it’s impossible to deny,” Melchoirre declares. “That’s partly why bands like Arcade Fire and Broken Social Scene have done so well-they’re crystallized that sense of panic.”
Well, if anyone has reason to be stressed out, you’d think it’d be these guys-all four juggle their all-encompassing dedication to rocking out with hitting the books. The Melchoirres and Spurr (whose byline often graces these pages as one of The Varsity’s associate news editors) go to U of T, while Ian is in Engineering (“six years, but who’s counting?”) at Ryerson.
“I love U of T-it’s an underrated school. I love the campus, I love the foliage. Beautiful women as well,” Melchoirre enthuses.
“Yep. Everything but the work,” Spurr adds, dryly.
But they manage, squeezing in rehearsals and recording between studying and day jobs. They’re hoping to find the right label to work with once their EP is done and would love to do more touring (they just drove all the way out to the East Coast for a string of well-received dates, save for one dubious show in Bathurst, NB) in the future.
“It’s a challenge, that’s for fucking sure. We’re only now figuring out how to get your music out there, like the Web, or always having CDs to sell to people at shows,” Fosbery says. “Being in a band itself is a little narcissistic, so of course you want to be successful.”
The Coast will have a chance to bring their music to new ears and perform alongside some major UK acts (Elbow, The Duke Spirit) when they play one of the biggest shows of their career this weekend at the big Bright Lights festival at the Distillery District put together by local Brit-influenced collective/magazine UKULA (founder Jordan Timm liked what he heard during a recent Coast gig at indie haunt The Boat and invited them to be part of the show).
And maybe that’s what being indie is all about-taking it one show, one song, one new listener at a time.
“There’s something great about the position we’re in-there’s a kind of wide-eyed desperation, but also a grandiose sort of bravado,” Melchoirre muses.
“I like us embarrassingly a lot. I think I’m our biggest fan. You always have this idea in your head about what the perfect band would be. And we’re working towards that.”
The Coast play the Bright Lights Festival at the Distillery District (55 Mill St.) this Saturday (Nov. 5). Tickets ($25 for the full day) available at all the usual suspects or at the door (note: doors open at 3 pm).
