The new semester has arrived and Winterfest is here to help ease the transition back into academia. Thursday night will see the return of the festival’s annual Battle of the Bands. Four U of T groups — These Lights, Riley Szulc Band, The Turks, and Johnny and the Jackals — have made it to the finals and will compete at Lee’s Palace for the cash prize of $500 and the title of U of T’s Best Band. The Varsity sat down with the bands to find out more about what students can expect from Thursday’s show.
These Lights
PHOTO COURTESY OF THESE LIGHTS
These Lights formed after vocalist Laura Yiu played a few chords on the piano and suddenly found the rest of the group playing along behind her. “Everything clicked,” she recalls. The group’s members, which include U of T music majors and alumni, have been playing together for the better part of six months.
The band’s members have a hard time giving an objective description of their own sound — they come from different music programs and have a myriad of different musical influences — but they settle on describing themselves as an alternative, pop-punk instrumentation.
As a relatively new band, These Lights has yet to post any music online, which is all the more reason to check out its live show. As the band adds the final touches to their debut EP, they plan to book as many shows as possible, including Winterfest’s Battle of the Bands. For These Lights, the top priority is to have a good time by making great friends and great music.
Riley Szulc Band
PHOTO COURTESY OF RILEY SZULC BAND
Riley Szulc Band started as three friends from high school jamming to some of Szulc’s songs and, over the course of a year and a half, evolved into something much larger. With the recent addition of Chris Blachford from “The Fox and the Moon” on guitar, the Riley Szulc band has grown into a rock and roll powerhouse.
Frontman Riley Szulc and drummer Jacob Cappe describe their sound as coming from a largely acoustic foundation, and their energy as from having a full band, much like acts such as City & Colour. Szulc and co. released their debut EP When the Morning Come last June.
Speaking about the most effective way to get the band’s sound out there, Szulc mentions the enjoyment the band takes from being in the studio. There, he says, the band is able to perfect musical elements and fully concentrate, allowing for the best possible product for their listeners. “…Not that our live show sucks or anything,” he adds.
Riley Szulc Band is excited about the fact that its Battle of the Bands set is only 30 minutes. “It’s a little shorter than we’re used to, but lets us be concise, giving a full energy show for the full 30 minutes,” Szulc explains, adding, “And then we can all go party at the Dance Cave upstairs afterwards.”
The Turks
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE TURKS
Having made the Indieweek Canada finals for two consecutive years, The Turks have been building quite a name for themselves in Toronto. The band was formed by frontman Julian Muia in 2008, with members coming and going as time went on. Daniel Konikoff joined on guitar in 2009, and his old friend Ryan Levine replaced their original bassist in 2010. In 2012, just before the start of their university careers, Vincent Lecce, a high school friend of Julian’s, came in on drums to round out the band’s current line-up.
The band’s sound fuses elements of modern rock and early ’60s pop, with bluesy guitar licks mixed in for good measure. They released their EP, Familiar Faces, online in 2013 to a positive reception from friends and followers. Konikoff says that the online release opened many doors for the band, such as the invitation to play at Indieweek, but adds that, “while we love recording and getting music out [online], our favourite means of musical output is definitely the live show.”
Thus far, The Turks have played coffee houses, UC Fireball, and last year’s Battle of the Bands. The band’s members eagerly anticipate the chance to perform at Lee’s Palace.
Johnny & The Jackals
PHOTO COURTESY OF JOHNNY & THE JACKALS
Johnny and the Jackals began as two friends playing acoustic covers of Rolling Stones songs at open mic nights, farmers’ markets, and any other small time gigs they could land. In the spring of 2014, the duo chose to expand by adding a rhythm section to the band and dubbing themselves Johnny and the Jackals.
The band’s music could be described as “conceptual.” “The vision for Johnny and the Jackals was to create an outlaw country-rock band that could serve as the soundtrack to an old cowboy movie, but also hold modern pop sensibilities,” explains founding member John Macpherson. Johnny & The Jackals draws heavy influences from classic country artists like Hank Williams as well as some of the more folk-inspired tracks that the Rolling Stones released in the late ’60s.
Thanks to friends of the band involved in photography and audio engineering, the Jackals were able to release a split single online, consisting of the tracks “Back to You” and “Cold as Stone.”
Macpherson says the group is looking forward to the prospect of having people outside of their social network getting the chance to hear what they have to offer. They’ve played the stage at Lee’s Palace once before, but see no fault in stepping onto it again for a fun night spent with U of T music fans.
Editor’s note: Daniel Konikoff is an associate Arts & Culture editor at The Varsity.
