The Day Dreamers

C’est le 26 avril prochain que le groupe indie natif de Montréal, The Day Dreamers, procédera au lancement officiel de son premier album.
Intitulé «All Through The Night», sa musique est un mélange des sons pop, folk et alternatif avec du violon classique et des percussions modernes.
« C’est en 2013, à l’école secondaire, que moi et Tiana Desiree Grandilli on a créé notre band. Au fil du temps, Cedric de Saint-Rome, Max Page-Slowik et Stephanie Maier se sont ajoutées à nous », a expliqué Ali Kouri, une des deux fondatrices du groupe, en entrevue à Néomédia Vaudreuil-Dorion.
Tous les membres du groupe sont du West-Island ou de la Montérégie Ouest (Stephanie Maier est de l’Île-Bizard). Ceux-ci (trois filles et deux gars) sont tous âgés entre 16 et 18 ans.
Les thèmes abordés par The Day Dreamers sont l’amour, le désir et l’aventure. En 2014 et 2015, The Day Dreamers a lancé les chansons «The River» et «Goodbye». Cette dernière pièce a aussi fait l’objet d’un vidéoclip.
De plus, le groupe a remporté, en 2014, le prix Choix du Public au « Battle of the Bands » de Beaconsfield et comme meilleure interprétation au Festival de Musique de Hudson.
« On aimerait faire connaître notre musique dans différents festivals au Québec, au Canada et même aux États-Unis. On aimerait aussi percer le marché européens », ajoute Ali Kouri.
Le 26 avril, le lancement de l’album de The Day Dreamers se fera au Rosewood Pub & Restaurant dans le Vieux Montréal lors d’un 5 à 7. Le groupe interprétera aussi quelques chansons dès 19 heures.
Le 18 juin prochain, The Day Dreamers prendra part au prestigieux gala « Starlight Foundation Strangers in the Night » au Fairview Pointe Claire.
Le groupe participera prochainement au concours national de CBC Searchlight. Le concours est décidé par des juges mais aussi par un vote public. Celui-ci pourra voter dès le 30 mars. - Néomédia

Le retour du printemps amène souvent l’envie de découvrir de nouvelles inspirations musicales, et de se laisser bercer par des mélodies rafraichissantes. Laissez-vous convaincre de l’arrivée du printemps par le groupe émergent The Day Dreamers.

Le groupe The Day Dreamers est composé d’Ali Kouri (voix, guitare), de Cedric de Saint-Rome (percussions), de Stephanie Maier (voix, clavier) et de Max Page-Slowik (basse), qui résident dans l’Ouest-de-l’Île, ainsi que de Tiana Desiree Grandilli, à la voix et au violon, qui pour sa part habite Vaudreuil-Dorion.

Ces jeunes musiciens ont créé un style musical indie éclectique à leur image; un amalgame de pop, de folk et de musique alternative, ponctué de violon classique et de percussions modernes.

Sur une musique affirmée et mélodique, l’harmonie des voix des trois jeunes chanteuses apporte une profondeur aux pièces. Avec des chansons aux ambiances éthérées et des paroles poétiques, le groupe porte bien le nom de Day Dreamers.

Un premier album

Le groupe procédera au lancement de leur tout premier album, intitulé « All Through The Night », le 26 avril. Cet album regroupera 10 chansons originales.

Pour l’occasion, le groupe a organisé une soirée de lancement, le 26 avril, au Rosewood Pub and Restaurant, au 60 rue Saint-Jacques, à Montréal. L’événement débute à 17 h, et le groupe proposera une prestation à 19 h.

L’album sera disponible à l’achat sur place, sur iTunes ou via le www.thedaydreamers.ca.

Soutien local

Les Day Dreamers participeront également à un concours musical d’envergure, qui débute le 30 mars : le CBC Searchlight Competition.

Ce concours pancanadien vise à mettre en lumière le talent de la relève. Alors que les juges choisiront certains finalistes, 4 groupes obtiendront leur laissez-passer pour la grande finale en ne comptant que sur le vote du public.

Le groupe encourage donc les gens de la région à visiter le music.cbc.ca et à leur démontrer leur appui.

Le grand gagnant de Searchlight 2016 mettra la main sur un prix d’une valeur de 50 000 $.

Pour le groupe, il ne s’agit pas d’une première expérience dans une compétition musicale. En effet, les Day Dreamers avaient remporté le prix du public au Beaconsfield Battle of the Bands, et le prix meilleur interprétation au Festival de musique d’Hudson en 2014.

Sur le site web du groupe, il est possible d’entendre 4 chansons gratuitement : Vacancy, All through the night, Goodbye et The river. Pour en savoir plus, il est également possible de suivre le groupe sur Facebook : The Day Dreamers. - VIVA Média

Harmony is key when a band comes together to perform live or to record — and not just harmony of the musical variety. Social and creative harmony can go a long way when new artists are forging their path in an unforgiving industry.

West Island indie band The DayDreamers — relatively new to the local music scene — happen to harmonize well on all fronts.

“We need to keep confident, be determined and, above all else, support each other. That’s the only way it will work,” DayDreamers co-founder, violinist and singer Tiana Grandilli said.

The band is fresh off a gig at the Solstice Jam 2015 in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue on Dec. 12 and heading to FLIP studio in N.D.G. in January to cut a debut album, scheduled for release in March 2016.

During a recent chat, Grandilli described the band’s sound as indie-folk/indie-rock driven by violin and harmonies. She referenced artists like L0s Angeles-based pop quintet Milo Greene, Montreal indie-rock band Half Moon Run and British indie-folk band Daughter as musical influences, based on their intricate use of harmonies.

Grandilli, from Vaudreuil, and Beaconsfield guitarist and vocalist Ali Kouri first formed the band in spring 2013, discovering their drummer Cedric de Saint-Rome, now 16, at Beaconsfield High School. But this summer the two 18-year-olds decided an infusion of new musical blood was in order and so keyboardist and singer Stephanie Maier, 18, from Île-Bizard and bassist Max Page-Slowik, 18, from Dorval came on board.

“I’m so thrilled with how the new band members are working out and so excited about our future as a group,” Grandilli said. “Cedric is a musical genius and understands chord progressions so well. My classical training shapes my violin solos and Stephanie, Ali and I harmonize so well in the vocals.”

The band writes collectively, with all of them working on catchy chord progressions. Inspiration for lyrics comes from writings in Grandilli’s and Kouri’s journals.

Grandilli is studying communications, with a minor in music, at Ottawa University, so during the week, the newer members are rehearsing the songs slated for the studio sessions in January with the help of recordings. When she’s in town on weekends, they rehearse and do the occasional gig at a local live-music bar, like the Black Lion Pub Beaconsfield. The moms are the roadies for now, transporting gear and helping with the set-up for live gigs.

Playing the local bar circuit is good, landing the opening slot for an established band or piercing the festival market is great, so The DayDreamers are mass-mailing promotional info to festivals including Osheaga, the West Island Blues Festival and the Montreal Folk Festival on the Canal.

“We’ve just got to keep trying,” Grandilli said.

Two DayDreamers songs — The River and Goodbye — are already available on iTunes and you can listen to the band by visiting Soundcloud at m.soundcloud.com/thedaydreamersmtl. The bands Facebook link is www.thedaydreamers.ca - The Montreal Gazette

Mon Dec 21, 2015: The DayDreamers are getting ready to cut their debut album in January. They tell Gloria Henriquez about their journey so far. - Global TV

(There is also a video in the link)

By the time The Day Dreamers entered FLIP Studios to begin recording their debut album on Boxing Day, the songs were already nestled comfortably in their DNA.

Almost three weeks later, the tunes were honed and the band had forged an even stronger bond.

The West Island band is celebrating the release of its debut album All Through the Night at the Rosewood Pub and Restaurant at 60 rue St-Jacques in Old Montreal, April 26. Refreshments are served from 5 to 7 p.m. followed by a performance of the entire album. The album will also be on sale. Because the launch is at a bar, you must be at least 18 years old to attend.

All Through the Night is an album of ever-modulating moods. The first cut I’ll Say engages the listener with bounce and energy. The last cut All Through the Night draws on darker themes and a swell of rich, sombre sound. In between, the lyrics and music mirror the ebb and flow of the life and times of band co-founders and songwriters Tiana Desiree Grandilli and Ali Kouri who met in high school while growing up in Beaconsfield.

When it comes to melody and aural approach, it’s a collective effort.

“Someone will come in with a chord progression and we’ll sit around in a circle and play with it,” Kouri said. “(Drummer) Cedric (de Saint-Rome) is so creative with his rhythmic structures and patterns.”

The distinct shifts in mood are fashioned with the help of an almost orchestral fusion of de Saint-Rome’s distinctive drumming, Kouri on guitar, Grandilli on violin, Max Page-Slowik on bass and Stephanie Maier on keyboards. The three young women do all the singing.

All Through the Night was recorded by Benjy Sherer with mixing and arranging by Kevin Komoda and contributions on both fronts from de Saint-Rome. Connor Seidel mastered the album at Le Lab Mastering.

Kouri and Grandilli began performing together in 2013. De Saint-Rome joined soon after. They won the People’s Choice Award at the Beaconsfield Battle of the Bands in 2014 and Best Interpretation honours at the Hudson Music Festival that same year. Maier, from Île-Bizard, and Page-Slowik, from Dorval, joined the band only last summer, but the fit has been good for all.

The next gig for The Day Dreamers is opening for Everett Bird and Boreal Sons at the Divan Orange, 4234 Blvd. St-Laurent, May 15, followed by a performance at the Strangers in the Night fundraiser for the Starlight Children’s Foundation of Quebec, at Fairview Plaza in Pointe-Claire, June 18.

The band doesn’t have a manager nor has it signed with a record label. Youth Employment Services (YES Montreal) has offered some guidance, but, on the whole, the band is self-managing.

“We’re doing pretty well so far,” Kouri said. “Our short-term goal, once everybody is done school for the summer, is to do a mini-tour of some cities in Ontario in August.”

All Through the Night is available on iTunes as of April 22.

For more information, visit www.thedaydreamers.ca. - The Montreal Gazette

I had the opportunity to talk with Ali Kouri, guitarist and vocalist in The Day Dreamers, about their debut album, All Through the Night, which hits iTunes stores today, April 22nd.

Q: Let’s start by overwhelming you with questions about the debut release! All Through the Night drops today on iTunes. How does it feel to finally be releasing music into the world? What was the process like? How does it exemplify you all as musicians?

Ali Kouri: We are all extremely excited. It’s a challenging process, especially with it being our first time around. We are completely self-funded, and we self-produced all aspects of the album, from the music to the design and everything in between. It’s so easy for things to go wrong so you have stay on top of every detail. It has been a learning process and we have grown a lot as musicians.

Q: Do you all have any exciting tour ideas planned? After the album release, can people expect you to be visiting them to play some music?

AK: For now, we really want our music to be heard. We don’t yet have much of a following outside of Montreal so we want to expand our fanbase through online resources first. We are hopeful that radio stations and websites will be picking up our songs to help us spread the word about our band. Our big event right now is our album launch on April 26th, in Montreal. We have a few gigs lined up in Montreal following the launch, and are working on a couple shows in Toronto and possibly other Canadian cities throughout the summer.

Q: Tell us what it’s like to be a female-fronted band of this nature upcoming in the Canadian music scene.

AK: It definitely plays in our favour. Surprisingly, so many people find it cool that we are a female-fronted band, and many other girls have even expressed admiration toward us and our music. There are so many amazing Canadian musicians, and we are proud and honoured to be part of the scene. Montreal has an especially vibrant music scene and one that has been welcoming us quite nicely.

Q: What was the time in your life when you absolutely knew you were going to be a musician? Something from your childhood or perhaps it was a random epiphany?

AK: We all started playing music at a young age, and all have very musical parents. I grew up listening to all my dad’s albums, and there was always music playing in the house. Music was always a big part of my life, whether I was playing or listening, but the biggest influencer in my decision to start a band was when my dad created a music room in our house and started jam sessions with friends. Being able to play with a group of talented musicians of all ages reinforced everything I loved about music.

Q: The Day Dreamers have a beautifully haunting sound and sense of lyricism, seen in your two singles from the album: “Vacancy” and the title track. Is this something you naturally gravitated toward or was there specific inspiration that drew you in this direction?

AK: We are inspired by a lot of the music we listen to, specifically Milo Greene, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeroes and of Monsters & Men, but our primary influencers are Half Moon Run and Daughter. Both bands have such a unique sound that incorporates rhythmical drumming, powerful lyrics and a dark yet dreamy sound, much like ours.

Q: What is your all’s favorite thing to write about? When you’re writing on something you’re passionate about, how do you want your listeners to feel when they hear it?

AK: We write a lot about our own feelings at a certain point in time. Being able to express our emotions through a song is our way of dealing with the events that happen, whether they’re good or bad. We are all still young, and experiencing so many things. Sometimes we write about other people, sometimes about moments in our lives that have had some sort of impact. We can’t expect our listeners to feel the same emotions we feel, but hopefully they will find their own meanings to our songs.

Q: Finally, with All Through the Night, do you want your listeners to take away anything from it? What do you wish to accomplish with this album?

AK: This album represents the last year and a half of our lives. We started writing these songs in the fall of 2014, never imagining that our music would develop into this huge project. The funny thing is, as much as these songs each represent a different moment of what is now our past, they all bring back so many memories and are still just as relevant and relatable. Our biggest hope for this album is that listeners feel and connect with our music. We want to touch others and evoke the same feelings that our favourite songs have done to us.

Listen to the single from the new album, “Vacancy” –

And check out The Day Dreamers on their website and Facebook and purchase their album through iTunes today! - Punchland (Brooklyn, NY)

They had me at “lamb”. At first, I found it odd that a concert would start at 7 PM, but when you think about the Montreal culture, we take happy hour and double it with our “cinq à sept’. The invitation for the album launch was a proper 5 à 7, complete with hors d’oeuvres…such as lamb kabobs and salmon tartare. The Rosewood was packed with people of all ages to celebrate this momentous occasion.

The Day Dreamers, were formed in 2013 by high school friends Ali Kouri (Vocals/Guitar) and Tiana Desiree (Vocals/Violin). Now as far as instruments go, I’m not a big fan of the violin. It can either be amazing, or horrible…there doesn’t seem to be any in between. It did peak my curiosity, when I saw the request, so I listened to a few songs on their Sound Cloud Page. It was enough to get me over there, along with a good friend to keep me company. I asked the guy next to me how he knew of The Day Dreamers and he said he knew the bassist Max Page-Slowik, who came over and introduced himself. This is when I found out that these are all friends getting together to launch this labour of love. I could feel the nervous energy, a youthful energy as I spoke to Ali and Tiana. This was a special night for this band, surrounded by family and friends.

A little after 7 PM, Ali, Tiana and Max were joined by Cedric de Saint-Rome (Drums) and Stephanie Maier (Keyboards/Vocals) and started the show with “I’ll Say” the first song off their album. They played the whole album in the order in which the songs appear on the CD. It took them a few songs to really get into it, get those nerves under control, something that this young band will surely shake off pretty quickly with experience. What I appreciated was that we were seeing some raw talent blossoming before us. It’s no wonder they won the People’s Choice Award at the Beaconsfield Battle of the bands and Best Interpretation at the Hudson Music Festival.

I truly appreciated the structure of the songs, which showed a lot of musical dexterity. This wasn’t high school pop, but serious indie sounds worthy of notice. Songs like “Vacancy” show a lot of maturity, allowing the music to take you on a journey, soft and gentle at times with cascades of intensity. The violin adds to the music, rather than distract. I found myself being impressed with how well-crafted the songs were.

At the end of the evening, I had enjoyed myself. I’ve been to the big shows, the popular sold-out shows, but it’s good to appreciate the blossoming talent within our own town. At Montreal Rocks, we strive to highlight not only established behemoths of today’s music scene, but we support the local talent that simply want to be heard.

At the end of the evening, like an awards ceremony, they thanked all those involved in the project, including the former bassist that was in the crowd. It’s clear that the parents have wholeheartedly supported them, and as a father myself, I find it great that they can share in their kid’s success and support them as they embark on this journey.

Although they are young, I heard a maturity that can only get better with time. I look forward to their next gig, especially if they serve the lamb kabobs again. - Montreal Rocks

Montreal’s indie-rock band, The Day Dreamers released their second album, Forever Again on August 9, 2019.

Check out the video for their single, “Don’t Ask Why” below and find out more about the female-fronted band via our Five Questions With segment.

Care to introduce yourself to our readers?

We’re The Day Dreamers, a female-fronted indie-rock band from Montreal. We’ve just released our second album titled “Forever Again” on August 9, 2019, which was a huge passion project we had been working on for the last three years.

Tell us a bit about your music and writing style.

When we first started writing music 6 years ago, we knew we wanted our songs to focus on the ethereal beauty of three-part vocal harmonies. Although our music has evolved and matured throughout the years, our love for those vocal harmonies has remained a staple of our sound. Many of our tracks also feature the use of orchestral arrangements including classical violin solos, and a melodic rhythm section. Lyrically, we love to write about our personal experiences or provide our perspective of the world at this point in our lives. Songwriting is a collaborative effort, with everyone contributing either lyrically or musically. Our sound is a melting pot of styles, where you can hear elements of each member’s individual influences from jazz to pop, classic rock to classical violin, and disco to folk.

Do you have any upcoming shows? For someone who has yet to see you live, how would you explain your live performance?

We’re in the process of wrapping up our summer tour which was promoting our new album “Forever Again” with our last show on August 30th, however, we’ll be visiting more Canadian cities in the near future, so for those who want to check us out live, stay tuned to our social media. In our live shows, you can look forward to hearing the harmonies we’re known for. We love creating sound experiences with tender moments of musical bliss and highlights of vigour. We want the audience to feel as though they’re in a dream with us being carried away, and we want to take you for a journey.

If you were asked to suggest only one of your songs for someone to hear, which would it be?

Our song Fall Apart is a great track to give you a taste of what we’re all about. You can enjoy the soulful and powerful harmonies we love to create and experience a dynamic musical arrangement that is sure to move your soul.

Canadian Beats is all about Canadian music, so who are your current favourite Canadian bands/ artists?

We LOVE Half Moon Run, they are definitely a musical inspiration and influence for us. Some other Canadian artists we’re loving include Arcade Fire, The Beaches, The Franklin Electric, and Alvvays. - Canadian Beats

The Day Dreamers will bring new music to Kingston when they play at The Mansion on Feb. 15.

This is their second time playing in Kingston. Their first show here was at Musiikki in May 2019.

Formed in 2013, The Day Dreamers are made up of Ali Kouri (lead guitar and vocals), Tiana Desiree Grandilli (violin, vocals), Cedric de Saint-Rome (drummer), Stephanie Maier (keyboard, vocals), and Lou Raskin (bass).

Remembering their last Kingston concert, Kouri said the band was impressed by how many people came out to listen to them play. While performing upstairs in Musiikki, guests downstairs kept coming up to crowd into the small room to hear the music. It wasn’t what the band expected at all.

Now that they’re returning to play a larger venue, The Day Dreamers are excited.

“We didn’t think we’d have that many people there,” she said. “We played a couple cities in Ontario and Kingston was by far the best crowd.”

Kouri and Grandilli started the band while they were students at Beaconsfield High School in Beaconsfield, Québec at just 15 years old. The two girls had classes together, were best friends, and eventually started writing music as a team: it all progressed naturally.

The next step for the two was to recruit their drummer, de Saint-Rome—who they met as kids in music camp. Throughout the years following, they added Maier in 2015, then Raskin in 2017. They’ve had other members come and go, but that hasn’t affected their spirits.

The band’s first show ever was a high school talent show when they were in grade 11. They loved the experience so much, Kouri says they “jumped the gun,” and organized a fundraising concert at their school for Dans la Rue(link is external)—an organization in Montréal that supports homeless youths.

It was ambitious, considering they had just formed their band, but they ended up raising a lot of money for the organization.

This fueled the band’s love of performing, and showed them the power music has to affect change and move an audience. They were hooked, and it inspired them to keep working away on their music.

Kouri, Grandilli, and Maier all rotate as lead vocalist for different songs and contribute to the background harmonies. They take this approach to song-writing, too: each write from their own personal experiences, bringing what they have to the group to workshop together.

For their new song, “Celeste,” Kouri said Maier took the lead.

“[Maier] brought in the lyrics and then a chord progression and then we added chords to it, then we figured out the new arrangement. But lyrics are usually pretty individual. One of the three singers will write the lyrics and then maybe we’ll add on a little bit,” she said. “In terms of music, sometimes the bass player or the drummer will bring in a chord progression and then we add lyrics on top, so it’s very collaborative.”

On Feb. 15 they’ll be playing “Celeste” as well as two other new songs. The rest of their setlist will be composed of tracks from their 2019 album Forever Again—which was produced by Dave Traina of the band The Damn Truth.

When it comes to creating their sound, Kouri said they can’t be tied down to one genre alone.

“Our music is just like pop or folk or rock because we blend so many different influences and so many different styles in all of our songs,” she said.

“A lot of our music would be best in the car when you’re sitting in traffic or on a road trip. Some people have told us that some of our songs are great for working out too. I guess it depends on the song, but I definitely think kind of relaxing summer vibes.”

Ultimately, Kouri says their main goal is to make music that touches people. If they can do that, then they’re living their dream. - Queens Journal

On Saturday July 25, indie-folk band The Day Dreamers hosted Homesheaga — an homage to their favourite summer festival and a feel-good night that felt necessary this summer.

After cancelling their entire summer touring and performance schedule, including shows in Montreal, at Ottawa Bluesfest and more, the female-fronted band was dying to perform. With COVID-19 restrictions loosening in Quebec and the city of Montreal re-opening, the band found the perfect opportunity to fulfill this desire and the desire of many of their closest friends and family to engage with live music again.

Singer and guitarist Ali Kouri organized the show in the backyard of her family house in Beaconsfield. Masks were mandatory, social-distancing was required, and guests were to stick to their bubble. Even the band performed in a socially-distanced manner, as none of the members live in the same household.

Earlier that day, Kouri went door to door handing letters to her neighbours, explaining the situation, letting them know there would be some “noise” that evening, and attaching an invite to the show. She also included her phone number in case they had any concerns throughout the night.

As the band was getting ready to perform, guests were arriving with lawn chairs and blankets and spreading out across the lawn. Nerves were high, wondering if one wrong move might shut the entire event down — even despite following the necessary precautions.

The Day Dreamers were ecstatic, and all at once at ease, to see, amidst a cheering crowd, quite a few of their neighbours in attendance. Even in the days following, Kouri received texts and calls from her neighbours, praising the performance and the band’s sound. “There is no better feeling than a sense of community,” says Kouri, who was so happy that the band’s performance was well received by her neighbours and that the work they put in to Homesheaga was worth it; Not only to be able to perform, but to also create a temporary normalcy during this tumultuous time and remind people of the joys of music and live performance. - The Suburban

If escapism were a song, the title would rightfully go to “Carried Away” by The Day Dreamers. The folk-inspired indie rock song is an upbeat venture that’s just off-kilter enough to be charming and inspired, while maintaining a sense of familiarity and comfort— all the right ingredients for a song that sounds like pure sunshine.

With a similar feel-good vibe to “All We Ever Knew” by The Head and the Heart, this song is bursting at the seams with radiant positivity. The harmonies are plentiful and joyous, providing a feeling of togetherness and celebration. Its folky elements inspire visions of being on the lake in the summertime, drinks in hand, no cares in the world, meanwhile the hook is infectious like that of a sing-song-y campfire song- I was singing along without realizing before the song even reached its conclusion.

Around the two-minute mark, there’s an instrumental break that is the sonic embodiment of driving through the winding mountains during golden hour. It’s so carefree and happy, there’s no other way to describe it other than a song for the summer. As we shift into the springtime and leave these dark days behind us, this song is destined to be in your heavy rotation.

The Day Dreamers were founded in 2013 during the wave of indie folk revival bands such as The Lumineers and Of Monsters and Men, by vocalist/guitarist Ali Kouri and vocalist/violinist Tiana Grandilli. After welcoming other members Stephanie Maier (keyboard/vocals), Cedric de Saint-Rome (drums), and Lou Ruskin (bass), they released their critically acclaimed debut album “All Through the Night,” which landed them opportunities to perform with Randy Bachman and Andy Kim. Their continued success is taking them to new heights, new dreams, and new adventures— and they intend to write about it all. - Unheard Gems