Truman

Truman is an alternative band from Ontario that uses a light pop touch with a heavy rock sound. With only 3 tracks for listening, the band has managed to create some professional sounding originals. Great electric leads, precision timing, and a lyrically-driven style help to give Truman’s music a sound that is distinctively their own.


Comprised of 5 young Canadians with a passion for working at what they love, Truman has dominated the Supernova stage and winning awards by the handful. Starting with the Rogers Battle of the Bands where they won 1st place and took home $1,000, the band went on to compete in Band on the Run and the Welland Community Battle of the Bands. With each event, their fan following and stage confidence have continued to grow.


More recently, Truman played in the Road to CMW and has been a fan favourite throughout the Hysteria series. As a result, Truman has opened for Die Mannequin, won a day of studio time, and will soon play the Hamilton Finals alongside Street Pharmacy.

With so much excitement on the horizon for this young band, it seems like the perfect time to introduce the members of Truman:

Bobby O'Reilly on vocals (which is a perfect fit because he's pretty and we all like pretty frontmen)

Colin and Trever (who fit in with their guitars the same way an elephant would fit into a Smart Car)

Chris Van Awesome (the perfect fit on bass because no one else wants to play that instrument)

And finally, the last piece of the puzzle: our drummer Nikki (who fits in because she's a girl).

Haha, ok then! Can you tell me about how you came together as a band?

The band was formed with the intention of writing songs that we would want to hear... There's always been the vision that we can write catchy tunes without sacrificing our own personal styles. Of course that's not always going to happen, and we've learned to master the word "compromise".

The band name Truman is derived from the movie The Truman Show and the everlasting paranoia that movie created. The movie showed that the world is really what you make of it, and that's a message we'd like to convey through some of our songs: you can make life what you want it to be.

How would you describe your band’s sound?

Rock. It's rock music with a touch of blues, a little punk, a dash of white noise, all floating on a bubble called pop.

Is there any other Artist who you’d consider a ‘mentor’?

Our friends have played a huge part in our songwriting and performing processes, these particular friends come from the bands; Crooked Hill, Jojeto, and Little Men respectively. If you enjoy the music we make we definitely suggest checking out one of these bands.

So far, what has been your most memorable moment as a band?

That's a very tough question.. I'm sure we could say that playing the Sound Academy's main stage is the most memorable, or playing on the water in Welland, or the feeling of winning shows, or even being in studio and watching our songs come together and feel alive...
But I think the one thing that we'll always remember is becoming a family while making noise in a garage.

What is the biggest challenge for a new artist trying to break out of the garage?

It's not the same industry as it was when our parents were growing up. There's a large focus on the internet and everyone's attention span is much much shorter. Once you gain people's attention, you have to work on keeping it lest you be forgotten.

Very true... so how did you find Supernova?

Chris had used Supernova.com a few years back with another band of his. So when things started to come together for Truman, it seemed like winning a battle would be the logical first step.

When we do talk to other bands that aren't affiliated with Supernova, we tell them about the awesome venues we've gotten to play and that the prizing is well worth the effort to win. We wouldn't have songs professionally recorded yet if it weren't for Supernova prizing and getting us in contact with Epik Productions.




Awesome! So what is your ‘recipe’ for putting on a good show?

High energy, smiles, and confidence. We're always excited to be on stage so the high energy comes naturally, but we want the crowd to feed off of us and have a great night themselves. Smiling is also a very important ingredient in our showtime recipe, as it lets everyone know that we're approachable and want to have a great night with their company.

Lastly, confidence. This ingredient is likely the most integral part of the recipe for a good show. Confidence helps us play our parts perfectly, it gives us the energy to jump off the stage and dance with the crowd, and having confidence in our songwriting gives us the faith that people will enjoy our music. After all, if you don't believe in yourself... why would anyone else?

To what do you attribute your band's success?

Where we are today is a direct result of being in a band where we're all good friends and have a ton of fun while maintaining a strong work ethic. We're well aware that to make any sort of name for yourself in the industry you need to work your ass off, but we also know that it's just as important to have fun at the same time, otherwise what's the point? It's hard to create fun music when you treat it like chore. Do you believe there is such a thing as ‘bad’ music?

All music is good to someone's ears. Even undeveloped bands that might have just butchered your favourite song aren't necessarily 'bad' music. It's a beautiful journey that has to start somewhere.

Very poetic... anything else that makes your band unique that listeners should know?

We put on an awesome show and are usually debuting something new at each show. Truman is always evolving into something bigger and better, so even if you've seen us ten times, you haven't seen the new us.

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You can catch Truman LIVE on Sunday January 29th at Absinthe in Hamilton for the HYSTERIA CITY FINALS... come watch these young hopefuls as they vie for over $50,000 in prizing to help develop their band!

And in the meantime, be sure to check out the band's profile to hear all 3 original tracks recorded last year with Epik Productions... we expect to see (and hear!) a lot more from this band in 2012, and it's the perfect time to drop them a comment and show them some fan support! - Supernova

"Well, Canadian music fans, it’s a wrap. Now make sure you VOTE. We need our winner. Who’s gotten props so far? Edmonton - Tyrant Gibbons, AB Montreal – Adrenaline Montreal, QC Barrie – Brittney Fulton Barrie, ON Montreal – Random Montreal, QC Kitchener – Truman Waterdown, ON Hamilton – Illusion Avenue Hamilton, ON Toronto – Kilroy Was Here North York, ON Calgary – The Saucy Wenches Calgary, AB Vancouver – Good For Grapes Surrey, BC Ottawa – Hooked On Karma Ottawa, ON London – The Phusion London, ON Halifax – Dali Van Gogh Eastern Passage, NS Check out our playlist and the full list of bands for a memory refresh." - Rogers urMusic

The Hamilton Aquatic Water Polo Club presents The Life of Riley, with an opening performance by Truman.
The fundraiser takes place at the Dundas Royal Canadian Legion, 280 King St. W., Dundas, Nov. 12, 8 p.m. Doors open at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets are $20, $15 for students, available at the door, or by contacting Cheryl Ryan at cheryl_ryan@hotmail.com - Dundas Star