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| Photo by Damian Ali |
July 21 2012 – We love to support live local music and find new bands. When we run into some new music we like, we make it a mission to get a hold of the artist(s) and ask them for an interview to get to know them or their band better. Today we get a chance to speak to Jasmine from POLARITY.
Hey Jasmine, thanks for taking the time out to talk to us. Let’s start off with the obligatory introductions. Who’s in the band and what instrument does everyone rock?
POLARITY:
Hi Steve, thanks so much for your interest in POLARITY and I’m happy to be here. As for us, we’re an old school five piece. We’ve got Michael Sitana and Jason Swait as the oxygen giving blood of the band aka our guitars. Mike Smith on the smooth pulse …better known as the bass and Eric Zimmerman as the heartbeat of POLARITY, drums. I myself am the voice of the band. I have no idea why I’ve given body to us as an entity…but it just felt right…
How about the history of the band, when did you get started and how did it happen?
POLARITY:
I sent out a message in a bottle in the vast expanse that is Lake Ontario, low and behold it travelled to Mississauga where Mike Sitana was treasure hunting hoping for something shiny, sure enough he found it in my message. He called me and a week later I was writing for some rifts the guys had come up with, I stepped into the jam room, they plugged in, and Shadow emerged. That was the beginning of 2009, by April we were gigging our new songs around Ontario and by October of that year we had released our first album.
I personally believe ‘it’, as in the knowing that you’re creating with the right people really happened for us all in our jam space during our own individual and collective bliss of playing in the waves of music we were creating. Once you feel an energy that enjoyable just the five of you with nobody watching or listening nothing can stop you from wanting to create more and share the experience with others.
Who are some of your vocal influences? When I hear you sing, there is someone that comes to mind. Who influences Polarity musically?
POLARITY:
I’d be interested to hear who that someone might be, the comparisons I often get range from Dolores O’Riordan of The Cranberries to Aimee Lee of Evanesence to Gwen Stafani of No Doubt. Oddly enough none of them really influence me though I have the utmost respect for powerful women making music. I grew up listening to the smooth voices of Karen Carpenter, Paul Simon and Celion Dion thanks to the influence of my father. I then went into a hormonal induced Backstreet Boys coma and emerged with the voices of Brandon Boyd of Incubus, Pete Loeffler of Chevelle and Maynard of A Perfect Circle singing me into my love of dynamic vocal rock.
Our collective musical influences are best summed up by one of our Promo shots in which we each sport a shirt from a band that has heavily influences us. As you can see it’s quite diverse but I think you can pick up each of our own influences in our collective music.
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| Photo by Damian Ali |
Yeah, Dolores O’Riordan was exactly who I was thinking. Tell us about your latest EP. How do you write music, are there primary writers in the band?
POLARITY:
Our 2011 E.P is made up of six songs. It’s difficult to sum into words how it sounds, so I’d like to encourage your readers to check it out. The E.P was produced by Mike Langford at Pawnshop Studio over the course of a month. Songs speak for songs, not inert screen words…okay that’s my last attempt to get you to check it out.
The primary musical writers are Michael Sitana and Jason Swait. They’ll come to jam with a dirty or beautiful riff or a skeleton of a song, then collectively we jam ideas, suggest changes, make adjustments and see if it takes us in a direction that excites all of us. It’s a very open and honest environment and we all have the utmost respect for each other so we’ve never had any problems when developing songs. Luckily for myself the guys give me full creative control of lyrics and melody which I believe for a vocalist is essential because in order to sing with passion and soul you really have to feel what you’re singing.
What is your favorite single line of lyrics the band has written and why?
POLARITY:
‘Lucidity real for a blink in time have I been dreaming this so called life of mine introversion has found me my soul mate my eternal fate, home is tomorrow’
The illusive nature of reality pervades our existence at all times and it seems only for split moments are we aware of it’s transient tangibility. It was inspired by me coming to terms with the fact that I needed to accept myself as the sole creator and provider of my own happiness and growth. In order to evolve, serious self examination and introspection are required and will continue to be required as an ever evolving process throughout life and death. It was a bit of a personal break though song and to this is day is still one of my fave in our repertoire.
What does the rest of 2012 and 2013 hold for you?
POLARITY:
We’ll be releasing a single called ‘Toph’ come August. It will be released as a video and digital download so keep an eye out and ear open for that. We are booking and planning on playing many more shows in and around Canada. Hopefully tour ourselves cross country soon. We just signed to a young artist manager named Rob Crow based out of Florida so U.S. tour potentials are lining up and we’re really looking forward to getting down there as soon as possible as we notice we’ve been building a bigger American fan base which is hugely supportive. Ultimately right now we just want to play as many live shows as possible while we continue to write for our upcoming full length to be released in 2013 *fingers crossed*.
Imagine that you were asked to be the opener for any band’s world tour (both current and historical). Which band and tour would be your dream opening gig.
POLARITY:
Current: A Perfect Circle, Historical: Pink Floyd
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| Jake Lichty Photography |
What is the future of the music industry? With the concept of the album and physical CD’s facing extinction, how will we be consuming music in 10 years? Are the economics feasible for emerging artists?
POLARITY:
I’m not even sure top music executives could tell you where the industry is going. As an emerging artist I think it’s all about being creative and communicating openly with the people who enjoy your music. Fan funded albums are becoming more acceptable with project facilitators like kickstarter so it’s a good option for bands with great fan bases to help cover the expenses of recording or just being in a band period. Hopefully the people who benefit from the enjoyment of the music musicians are creating realize the musicians need money to survive and provide for their necessities in order to create more music. It’s important to support musicians by going to see live music, while you’re there purchase a Tshirt or poster you dig to help them continue doing what they love. You really can’t go wrong with live music. In regards to how we’re consuming music… seems video is how bands are getting discovered and getting huge play numbers. Hopefully it encourages people to spend a little money and perchance the bands catalogue of tunes, then all you have to do is sit back and enjoy the musical ride.
As for us at the moment we all have jobs to support our band. With any business there are huge startup costs and a band is no different because you need to produce quality albums, transportation for all of your gear, merchandise, gas, van insure, working VISA’s, Union dues… the expenses can seem endless for young and serious bands. At this point we work so we can continue to afford the enjoyment of doing what we love to do, which is making music. We thank anyone and everyone who has supported us throughout the years. Hopefully one of these days the music gives back in the form of dollar dollar billz yo.
Where can people get your music/CD, is it being sold anywhere?
POLARITY:
Both our albums are available on our website as well as on iTunes and at shows.
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| Photo by Andrew Marshall |
Any closing remarks for our readers?
POLARITY:
We’d love to add dimension to your world through our music so hopefully you take a moment to check out a track or two and it entices you enough to check out all of our tunes. It’s important for us to release meaningful music that will make you feel something honest… hopefully our music resonates with you and aid’s you in your own emotional evolution. All we ask is if you dig what you hear, please pass it along. We’re just a group of young adults from Toronto who love what we do and want to take our music around the world…it would be our pleasure to show the world another example of why the T.O Music scene is alive and well!
Thanks Steve and T-MAK World for this artist spotlight and for supporting emerging artists.
Thanks so much to Jasmine from POLARITY. We’re looking forward to catching them on Thursday, July 26th at Bovine Sex Club.
The band’s website is here and as you would expect they are on Twitter and Facebook. In the meantime check out their video for Tug of War.
The band’s website is here and as you would expect they are on Twitter and Facebook. In the meantime check out their video for Tug of War.
Update:
POLARITY played a great show at Bovine on July 26th. Here are some photos from that show!
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