Across The Board – Wild Ones

By starrymag | September 30, 2019

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

A) Across The Board is a Canadian rock band. We have a pop rock sound with layered vocal harmonies, guitar-driven with contemporary beats and an underlying hum of acoustic guitar with female-leads and emotive lyrics.

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

A) We seem to land somewhere between 1975 and 1995—a wide set of influences from rock and roll—from Joan Jett and Fleetwood Mac, to the Doors, Paramore and Evanescence. Broken Social Scene, Walk Off The Earth and The Arkells are more recent influences for the band.

Q) Talk about the story behind your new song “Wild Ones.”

A) Our latest release is “Wild Ones”– “Wild Ones” speaks to the instinct we have to follow our biological directive on the planet, but the gift of awareness of ourselves as individual unique beings that also allows us to take a break from instinct, to step out of that connection with the planet and enjoy it—to dance, to play under the moon! “Wild Ones” was written during the time just after Jackie’s [Auguste] 2018 diagnosis of breast cancer and each song reflects the journey of staring at one’s own mortality and deciding what is most important in life—the people, the journey, the adventure.

Q) What do you think it is about the song that fans connect to?

A) “Wild Ones” celebrates autonomy and uniqueness using the analogy of the “Lone Wolf” who strives for independence yet understands the necessity of “The Pack.” ATB explores the power of self-expression and inner strength, which I think is what fans connect to.

Q) What was it about the track that inspired you to give your new album the same name?

A) “Wild Ones” speaks to the instinct we have to follow our biological directive on the planet, but the gift of awareness of ourselves as individual unique beings that also allows us to take a break from instinct, to step out of that connection with the planet and enjoy it—to dance, to play under the moon! “Wild Ones” was written during the time just after Jackie’s 2018 diagnosis of breast cancer and each song reflects the journey of staring at one’s own mortality and deciding what is most important in life—the people, the journey, the adventure.

Q) What is your song writing process? Do you need music before you can create lyrics?

A) There are typically two ways we write—we start with the lyrics and then create music around them or we start with a musical progression or instrumental and create lyrics to it. About 80% of our songs are written initially by Jackie, our lead singer. She writes with her acoustic guitar, typically creating a riff or a chord progression and then crafting lyrics to the “feel” of that as she goes. Beyond this, the band will take a “scratch track” of this early version of the song, add some dynamics, alter the structure if needed and the start building the song—drums, bass, guitars, keys and finally vocals. We are currently in the process of creating demo tracks for our newest record, slated for release in 2020. We are doing what we call “pre-pro” – a series of sessions where we layer our ideas on initial demos and create a final demo through the process. From these demos we will finalize the more subtle aspects of production and come up with a final track. The process has evolved from the earlier days to a more collaborative production, which has helped to elevate the music with each new project as you can hear by going through our catalog.

Q) How much of hand do you have in the production of your music?

A) We are involved in our production process, as an indie band, from beginning through to the end. We do everything in-house, initially on our own using our experiences creating over 600 YouTube videos and audio productions since 2013. We now have production assistance from MC2 Music Media in Toronto—Darnell Toth and Matt Makarenko who are also our bandmates, co-writers and management. We are truly “indie.”

Q) What can fans expect from a live Across the Board performance?

A) We have a high energy show with lots of stage interaction between band members and with the audience. We are always finding new ways to connect with our audience and bring energy to the show.

Q) What songs off your Wild Ones album are you looking forward to performing live?

A) We have already played these songs during a recent tour and our favorites to date have been the title track “Wild Ones” and “Monster,” which is another fun, energetic song to perform.

Q) What do you hope listeners take away from listening to your new album as a whole?

A) We would hope that our fans are inspired to be brave, to dance and sing and try anything creatively they would dream of – at any age and in any stage in their lives.

Q) Where are some of your favorite places to perform and what makes those locations so significant to you?

A) One of favorite places is the Toronto Opera House, where we have played several shows over the last few years. The stage is huge, with tons of space to perform, the sound and lighting system is incredible and the acoustics are fabulous.

Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future?

A) We would love to collaborative with our favorite Canadian band, Walk Off The Earth.

Q) What album/band are you currently listening to and why do you dig them?

A) I have been listening to new music from the Anti Queens—a pop punk band of incredibly powerful female rockers who have this incredible chemistry and fantastic songs. I find them inspiring, fun and very enjoyable.

Q) You are a part of social media. Why is that such an important way for you to connect with your fans?

A) Why would any band pass up on free marketing, free fan-building? You can either play to the same four hundred people in your hometown or expose your music and message to an entire planet through the internet. Bands who shy away from social media for some “principle” or snobby attitude about the evils of social media are simply too lazy to learn how to harness the incredible power of the internet. Social media is an essential tool in the marketing of music and building of a brand in this day and age for musicians.

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you
and your work?

A) We are grateful for the fans that continue to follow us, interact with us live and online and support our journey. We are in this together! And you can continue to follow us.

 

 

ALL QUESTIONS ANSWERED BY LEAD SINGER JACKIE AUGUSTE

 

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