The Nighttime Parade
Gig Seeker Pro

The Nighttime Parade

| SELF

| SELF
Band Pop Adult Contemporary

Calendar

Music

Press


"Gig Review: The Nighttime Parade EP Release Party"

On Friday night, I walked into The Annex Live, unsure of what to expect. All I knew was that The Nighttime Parade were really excited about their parade-themed EP release party, and I was already quite fond of some of the musicians on the bill.
This was no average Friday night. It was no average EP release party, either. Upon entering the venue, I was handed a loot bag and a ticket for cotton candy or popcorn. Above me were approximately one hundred colourful balloons just floating against the ceiling. In the loot bag: crayons, candy, and a copy of the EP. Fun.
The bar filled up quickly, with The Gigi Sisters kicking off the live music. They sang exclusively original songs in the loveliest of voices, before handing the stage over to Gillian Nicola and the Radio Interference. Full disclosure: Gillian Nicola is a good friend of mine, and I’m pretty darn proud of that, even if I feel devoid of talent in her presence. With the exception of a Black Keys cover, Gillian and her band also played exclusively original music- a rock/soul fusion inspired by an identification with the rockstars of Woodstock. Gillian might just be the Janis of our generation. Her band does a lot to round out this image. From the perpetually happy bassist, to the cool and collected percussionists, to the hair-flipping solo-shredding guitarist, Gillian Nicola and the Radio Interference kill it every time. It’s hard to believe they’ve only been playing together since June. A few songs into their set, a pink elephant (later referred to as Humphrey) found its way into the crowd, and began dancing. On its own. Right in front of the stage. Then it disappeared just before the band played their last tune–a new one that hasn’t left my head since.
With only one more band to play before The Nighttime Parade, the event officially sold out. All the people sitting at tables were asked to stand up, and make room for a dance floor. Then G.G. Cole and Lakeview took over, filling the room with a sound that would best be described as Weezer meets 60's folk-pop. Though Geoffrey Cole has been making music since the age of four, he only recently got the band together. With practice, I would wager that their sound will develop into something a little more sophisticated, but equally fun. The set was a good time, and I’m looking forward to seeing what this group of guys has in store. They will be playing an EP release party of their own on January 19th at the El Mocambo. Check out their site for details.
Before The Nighttime Parade made their way to the stage, the musical tone of the evening took a brief detour. With a total of 32 musicians playing throughout the night, the group performances were broken up by a one-man show: Ryo Matsuzawa. It’s been a while since I’ve seen someone beat-box, so I was wide-eyed for a solid ten minutes. Then Humphrey the elephant showed up again, and jammed on stage while Ryo dropped his last few beats. So cool.
After Ryo, it was time for the main event. The Nighttime Parade is technically just Adrian Steiner and Alex Morrow, but a total of fifteen musicians made their way to the stage for the first song by the party’s hosts. Along with Adrian on keys, and Alex on guitar, a bass player, a drummer, and a vast horn section all lined up to kick off the set with “Monocles and Top Hats,” the first single on their debut EP Extended Play. The EP has a total of four songs, and could easily be a soundtrack to someone’s day. “Monocles and Top Hats” sounds like a more up-beat Beirut song; It has that circus feel to it, and the potential to wake up the most grumpy of morning risers, despite being a song about a Saturday night. The second track is probably my favourite for two reasons. The first: It’s called “Descartes Duality,” appealing to the philosophy major in me. It isn’t a song about Descartes, though. Sorry to disappoint everyone who wanted a song about Cartesian Dualism. Oh, that was just me? Never mind. Reason #2 I love this song: Gillian Nicola sings on it, and the combination of voices sounds absolutely delightful.

The EP slows down after that, and ends with an adorable almost-lullaby about friendship. The boys closed on this note, singing triumphantly to each-other, and visibly taking in the success of their event. Oh, and Humphrey was there too. Following an extended period of applause, the horn section returned to the stage with Yasgurs Farm, and everyone danced into the night.
This was definitely the most intricate release party I’ve ever attended. Part of me wondered if the music would be as good as the marketing, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was. All in all, the night was a fantastic success.
Check out The Nighttime Parade’s EP here, and get excited for more from these quirky musicians and their talented entourage.
Review & Photography by: Daniela Rupolo
- Beyond the Watch


"Gig Review: The Nighttime Parade EP Release Party"

On Friday night, I walked into The Annex Live, unsure of what to expect. All I knew was that The Nighttime Parade were really excited about their parade-themed EP release party, and I was already quite fond of some of the musicians on the bill.
This was no average Friday night. It was no average EP release party, either. Upon entering the venue, I was handed a loot bag and a ticket for cotton candy or popcorn. Above me were approximately one hundred colourful balloons just floating against the ceiling. In the loot bag: crayons, candy, and a copy of the EP. Fun.
The bar filled up quickly, with The Gigi Sisters kicking off the live music. They sang exclusively original songs in the loveliest of voices, before handing the stage over to Gillian Nicola and the Radio Interference. Full disclosure: Gillian Nicola is a good friend of mine, and I’m pretty darn proud of that, even if I feel devoid of talent in her presence. With the exception of a Black Keys cover, Gillian and her band also played exclusively original music- a rock/soul fusion inspired by an identification with the rockstars of Woodstock. Gillian might just be the Janis of our generation. Her band does a lot to round out this image. From the perpetually happy bassist, to the cool and collected percussionists, to the hair-flipping solo-shredding guitarist, Gillian Nicola and the Radio Interference kill it every time. It’s hard to believe they’ve only been playing together since June. A few songs into their set, a pink elephant (later referred to as Humphrey) found its way into the crowd, and began dancing. On its own. Right in front of the stage. Then it disappeared just before the band played their last tune–a new one that hasn’t left my head since.
With only one more band to play before The Nighttime Parade, the event officially sold out. All the people sitting at tables were asked to stand up, and make room for a dance floor. Then G.G. Cole and Lakeview took over, filling the room with a sound that would best be described as Weezer meets 60's folk-pop. Though Geoffrey Cole has been making music since the age of four, he only recently got the band together. With practice, I would wager that their sound will develop into something a little more sophisticated, but equally fun. The set was a good time, and I’m looking forward to seeing what this group of guys has in store. They will be playing an EP release party of their own on January 19th at the El Mocambo. Check out their site for details.
Before The Nighttime Parade made their way to the stage, the musical tone of the evening took a brief detour. With a total of 32 musicians playing throughout the night, the group performances were broken up by a one-man show: Ryo Matsuzawa. It’s been a while since I’ve seen someone beat-box, so I was wide-eyed for a solid ten minutes. Then Humphrey the elephant showed up again, and jammed on stage while Ryo dropped his last few beats. So cool.
After Ryo, it was time for the main event. The Nighttime Parade is technically just Adrian Steiner and Alex Morrow, but a total of fifteen musicians made their way to the stage for the first song by the party’s hosts. Along with Adrian on keys, and Alex on guitar, a bass player, a drummer, and a vast horn section all lined up to kick off the set with “Monocles and Top Hats,” the first single on their debut EP Extended Play. The EP has a total of four songs, and could easily be a soundtrack to someone’s day. “Monocles and Top Hats” sounds like a more up-beat Beirut song; It has that circus feel to it, and the potential to wake up the most grumpy of morning risers, despite being a song about a Saturday night. The second track is probably my favourite for two reasons. The first: It’s called “Descartes Duality,” appealing to the philosophy major in me. It isn’t a song about Descartes, though. Sorry to disappoint everyone who wanted a song about Cartesian Dualism. Oh, that was just me? Never mind. Reason #2 I love this song: Gillian Nicola sings on it, and the combination of voices sounds absolutely delightful.

The EP slows down after that, and ends with an adorable almost-lullaby about friendship. The boys closed on this note, singing triumphantly to each-other, and visibly taking in the success of their event. Oh, and Humphrey was there too. Following an extended period of applause, the horn section returned to the stage with Yasgurs Farm, and everyone danced into the night.
This was definitely the most intricate release party I’ve ever attended. Part of me wondered if the music would be as good as the marketing, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was. All in all, the night was a fantastic success.
Check out The Nighttime Parade’s EP here, and get excited for more from these quirky musicians and their talented entourage.
Review & Photography by: Daniela Rupolo
- Beyond the Watch


"It's marching time for Nighttime Parade"

Alex Morrow and Adrian Steiner like to describe themselves as imaginers.
It’s an apt description considering the depth of imagination the pair has put into their musical career, which gets into high gear on Friday with the release party for their first EP, Extended Play.
It takes place at the Annex Live in Toronto, starting at 7:30 p.m.
But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. That imagination? Well, flash back to the summer of ’08, and Morrow and Steiner — back home in Mississauga from University of Toronto and McGill University respectively — are burning the midnight oil indulging their shared passion for innovative song writing.
“While the world was asleep, we were wide awake shaping sound into patterns to satisfy our eclectic mix of musical taste,” Morrow recalls.
One star-filled night, they wrote a song about a fantastical parade of animals called The Nighttime Parade. The song was full of colourful characters whose only time to shine was in the few short hours between sunset and sunrise (much like the writers themselves).
The duo, who met at Cawthra Secondary School after being cast in lead roles in a school musical, immediately adopted The Nighttime Parade as the name of what they call their “musical journey.”
Their influences range from indie folk, to musical theatre and contemporary pop. As for lyrics, Morrow says they’re inspired by everything from love and adventure to theoretical physics — and of course an endless parade of animals.
“We distinguish ourselves through that kind of imagery,” says Morrow. “We try to use our imagination.”
The Nighttime Parade also defines itself by collaborating with a diverse array of artists in their live performances across the GTA and in the studio. Extended Play, for instance, features some 14 backups. Morrow does vocals and guitar, Steiner vocals and keyboard.
“Adrian and I lead the parade, other artists drift in and out,” Morrow notes.
Those friends will be out in full force at Friday’s party. Joining The Nighttime Parade on stage are another Mississauga group, The GiGi Sisters; Gillian Nicola and the Radio Interference; Yasgurs Farm, a nine-piece soul and funk cover band from Toronto; and G.G. Cole, a rock and pop group.
Two hundred copies of Extended Play will be available for purchase.
“It’s going to be a memorable, fun party,” says Morrow.?
Look for Morrow and Steiner to close out the night with a performance of that goofy children’s animal song they wrote that summer night many years ago.
“Our writing is quite serious, but we like to catch people off guard once in a while. It’s unexpected and (the audience) ends up smiling,” says Morrow. - Mississauga News


Discography

Extended Play

Photos

Bio

The tale of The Nighttime Parade begins with the meeting of two imaginers. Their paths crossed after being cast as leads in their high school’s musical. It was while playing the roles of composer and lyricist that the young Adrian Steiner and Alex Morrow discovered their friendship as well as a shared passion for innovative writing. The duo eventually went their separate ways to pursue academics, but would reunite every summer to imagine music together again. The summer days were long, and the only moments left for creation were well after the sun had set. It was during this precious time between sleeping and wakefulness that Adrian and Alex could become lyricist and composer once again. While the world was asleep, the duo was wide awake shaping sound into patterns to satisfy their eclectic mix of musical taste.
On a star filled night during the summer of ‘08, Alex and Adrian wrote a musical story about a fantastical parade of animals called The Nighttime Parade. The song was full of colourful characters whose only time to shine was in the few short hours between sunset and sunrise (much like the writers themselves). The duo immediately adopted The Nighttime Parade as the name of their musical voyage not knowing its true significance until years later when they started sharing their musical adventure with the world. With influences ranging from indie folk, to musical theater and contemporary pop, and lyrics inspired by everything from love and adventure to theoretical physics, each float on the parade is one that truly shines.
Today, The Nighttime Parade continues defining itself by collaborating with a diverse array of artists. Although song writing is the core of their exploration, they continue to expand their story by venturing more and more into performance and recording. The Nighttime Parade is currently performing at local venues in Toronto and is recording with the creative minds of Ryan Tuer and Jason Tinker. After completing their first FACTOR funded demo, The Nighttime Parade has completed work on its first EP entitled "Extended Play". However far The Nighttime parade has come and however far they will go, the two will never forget that it all started by imagining.

See you at the Parade!