The Whytes
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The Whytes

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"The Whytes"

Continuing the wave of the folk-rock revival that appears to be steadily gaining popularity is local five-piece the Whytes—armed with its own blend of folk-blues fusion reminiscent of Fleetwood Mac and Mumford and Sons.

"I guess maybe it's just the natural progression of humans as a species. We always seem to recycle things and bring it back," muses bassist and vocalist Shane Ducharme of the revival following an on-air appearance at CJSR. "It always seems like styles come back, whether it be clothes or music, or anything really ... kind of how the electro music has been going so huge, too ... it's almost like yin and yang balance effect where the folk-rock revival is coming back too and they kind of counteract each other. I don't know, I'm just speculating."

Whatever the reason, the sound has been working for the Whytes since its inception during the summer of 2011. During its relatively short time together, the band has quickly developed a presence in the local music scene and is continually working to expand its reach as far as possible through festival appearances and out-of-town gigs.

With a debut self-titled EP under its collective belt, the group wasn't about to slow down and is set to release its second six-song EP, aptly titled One More Round. The disc is a collection of collaboratively penned songs that span years and experiences—the title track was written by guitarist Daniel Bourbonnais four years ago at age 19—taking listeners on a whirlwind that is the lives and imagination of the Whytes.

"We just picked out what we thought would best represent us at the time," Ducharme says, explaining that different members of the band will come to the group with the basic ideas for a song, and then the other members will add their own flavour to create the finished product. "There's not a lot of pressure on just one person in the band to take the reins. We always kind of have a support system within the group, and there's always at least one of us that's taking the lead on a song, and usually all of us are singing. It's worked really well with us because I feel we have been able to find our sound almost on a personal level more because of the group. The group's almost helped us change our identities as individuals within the group. It might not work that well with some other groups, but it's been working well for us."

To capture the infectious and genuine energy that encompasses One More Round, the Whytes headed down to Smith Music in Morinville, AB. Predominantly live-off-the-floor recording sessions were favoured over assembling tracks piece-by-piece, despite it being time-consuming in its own right.

"Each song is us playing the song from start to finish in one room, all together in one take, so we would be going through the recording process and if somebody flubbed one note, we would have to do the whole song all over again," Ducharme recalls. "We recorded our first EP live off the floor ... because it is such a collaboration for the group it's almost like doing it live off the floor can get more of the emotion and the feel into the music instead of one guy listening through headphones in a room by himself ... you really get the live, organic feel that we feel makes the Whytes special." - Vue Weekly


"Concert preview: The Whytes make music their own way"


EDMONTON - There’s nothing like a long road trip to clear the head and make new plans for the future.

For Dan Bourbonnais and Jeff Meszaros, driving to Tennessee for the Bonnaroo Music Festival in the early summer of 2011, it was a chance to bond over common musical obsessions like Neil Young and The Band. It was also an opportunity to talk about what they both wanted and didn’t want in their current musical situation. The two were members of St. Albert’s Wednesday Morning Blues, but something about the band wasn’t quite working for them.

“It wasn’t going in quite the direction that we wanted it to go, and at that point we wanted to explore different genres,” multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Meszaros recalls. “Dan and I were jamming together, but we weren’t really sure where any of this was going, or even if we’d only ever play as a duo.”

The long drive home solidified their desire to work together outside of Wednesday Morning Blues. By Canada Day, they were rehearsing together, and the band that would eventually be called The Whytes was born. Bassist Shane Ducharme and drummer Nathan Hodder, musical acquaintances of the two and also inveterate festivalgoers, were the next to sign up.

“I actually met Shane at Coachella in 2010,” says Meszaros. “We started talking about forming a band together, but it never went anywhere. We all ended up jamming at a location just off Whyte Avenue when this band fell together. You could say that this band just fell in our laps.”

The trip to Bonnaroo also clarified how they would approach their new project. A sidestage performance by singer-songwriter Ray Lamontagne was a particular epiphany for Meszaros, who was looking for a way to get out of what he felt was a binding situation.

“That show was a moving experience, and it sort of taught us that we don’t always have to play the same kind of music,” he explains. “It really freed us up in terms of what we could do. Dan had all these other songs that he had written, and I had a bunch of others, and we just went from there.”

The later addition of violinist Amy Eshak shored up the basic roots-rock sound that The Whytes laid down on their four-song 2012 EP. It has been compared to everything from Fleetwood Mac to The Band (which Meszaros appreciates) to Mumford & Sons. There’s an accompanying ’60s/’70s buzz to the whole affair, a byproduct of a shared appreciation for classic rock.

“It’s not as though we were trying for it when we started, but there was this folk revival at that moment and we happened to be in tune with it,” Meszaros says. “That’s just where the flow is going right now, and it works for us because we love it. I’m not too worried about what happens if this kind of music doesn’t stay popular because good music is always good music, and people will always go back to it. In 40 years they’ll probably still be listening to it.”


Their latest record, One More Round, shows the band at their most eclectic, with folk, country and blues bent around more electric sounds.

“We touch on all kinds of different genres now, not strictly folk music. There are times when we get rocking, or we’re really poppy, and other times where we’ll do a waltz. The record is all over the place; you can’t get bored of it. We try not to limit ourselves in one genre, and whatever comes out we play it. That’s why it’s always hard to pinpoint what genre we are. We’re not any one thing, we’re the Whytes.”

© Copyright (c) The Edmonton Journal - The Edmonton Journal


Discography

"The Whytes" EP March 2012
"One More Round" EP January 2013

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Bio

Formed in the summer of 2011, local Edmonton band The Whytes; have quickly developed their place in the music
scene. This 5-piece band consists of; Daniel Bourbonnais on guitars, harmonica and vocals, Jeff Meszaros on
keyboards, trumpet, accordion and vocals, Shane Ducharme on bass guitar and vocals, Nathan Hodder on drums, and Amy Eschak on fiddle and vocals. Melting sounds of folk, old time western country, blues, and the odd dose of rock n roll, The Whytes have developed a very unique sound holding true to music that is reminiscent of Fleetwood Mac, The Band and Mumford and Sons.

The Whytes recorded their first self-titled 4-song EP in the fall of 2011 just off Whyte Avenue in Edmonton at Blackbox Studio, which has become a home away from home for the group. The EP shows the major diversity and musicianship of the band in only 4 songs, also highlighting the harmonies of the group, from a country western saloon song (Jugband Blues) to the poppy dream story of Vancouver going up in flames (City on Fire). Since the release of the EP, The Whytes have been growing very fast having shared the stage with some very prominent and upcoming musicians in the Canadian music scene, such as, Shane Philip, The Steadies, Jon and Roy, and The Soulicitors. The Whytes have also made their debut in the festival circuit having played Mad Hatter Festival in Nisku, AB, Alberta’s Own Festival in Lacombe, AB, and Opensky Music Festival, which featured Bob Marley’s, “The Wailers.”

Continuing to ride the wave and energy brought on from the self-titled EP, the band went into the studio again to
record their second EP with 6 new songs. Recorded at Smith Music in Morinville, Alberta; 'One More Round' takes
you on a journey through the lives, dreams, and imagination of the members of the band, with powerful lyrics and harmonies that fit just right, these songs are straight from the heart and it's there for you to feel. The EP 'One More Round' was releasedJanuary 12, 2013.
The Whytes shows are ones filled with laughter, energy, and a heavy level of emotion; from simple love ballads to the hard hitting western tune “Emmit Stonehill,” not to mention a lot of foot-stomping and hooting and hollering. They pack a heavy mix of harmonies, rhythmic piano, guitar and fiddle; all while the bass and drums ride on a beat that will pulse within your soul. The Whytes are not to be missed, keep your eyes peeled for them coming at you soon!
The Whytes can be found on Facebook under The Whytes, on Twitter @TheWhytesMusic, Band Camp, and Reverb Nation.