Drew Wright hopes to expand following with new band
Drew Wright knows he'll always have the die-hard fans who remember him from Canadian Idol, but he hopes to gain a whole new following outside of the show's demographic with rock outfit Fall and Divide.
It's also the reason why he didn't even consider including his name in the band's title.
"It's completely different people that would be interested in the type of music we're writing so trying to promote ourselves as 'The Drew Wright Band' probably wouldn't do us any favours," says Wright.
Fall and Divide, comprised of Wright on lead vocals, Paul Fonseca on bass, Jean Arcand on guitar, and recent addition John Pacheco on drums, came together after Wright's Idol run ended last fall.
Despite getting much acclaim for his solo performances from the judges and fans alike on the popular reality series, Wright knew his talents best lie as part of a band. The Collingwood, Ont., native had previously been a member of the now defunct heavy rock group Malleus and missed the creative exchange of ideas and camaraderie that came with it.
After going on the road with fellow Top 3 Idol competitors - winner Theo Tams and runner-up Mitch MacDonald - Wright says he and his new band members literally hibernated for the rest of the winter to write material.
"We stepped into a room, me and Jean, when we first met and had a couple acoustic guitars to just try and get a vibe for each other and see what we would come out with. We just started jamming and immediately we wrote three song ideas that night and then we worked those out with the band and it just seemed to be an outpour (from there)."
The result is a modern progressive sound - a mix between classic and modern rock - with influences that range from Tool to Incubus to Yes and Jeff Buckley, according to Wright. He knows this might surprise some of his Idol fans who fell for his softer side on the show.
"I don't know (how they'll react)," he says with a laugh. "Hence the name of the band. There's a certain demographic obviously that watches the show and it's kind of coming off the high of being on the show and trying to separate yourself from that with obviously what I enjoy doing, which has always been the rock thing, so hopefully people dig it."
And while he's certainly grateful for the exposure he gained on Canadian Idol, Wright feels the contacts he made in the industry are priceless.
With five songs currently available online and a plan to hit the studio later this year to record a full-length album, Wright says the band is definitely shopping around for labels.
Just coming off a tour of Eastern Canada, including a gig in St. John's, Nfld., where they opened for The Black Crowes, Fall and Divide will perform June 24th in Toronto at the Tattoo Rock Parlour, marking Wright's first appearance back in T.O. since the Top 3 tour last December.
The band also has several more appearances planned this summer throughout Southern Ontario, including opening slots for Collective Soul and Live.
"We're just pumped to finally be coming out of the woodwork. It's almost a year since the show ended so it's nice to finally (have) some material we're happy with and have a chance to display it," Wright says.
source; CTV.ca
It's also the reason why he didn't even consider including his name in the band's title.
"It's completely different people that would be interested in the type of music we're writing so trying to promote ourselves as 'The Drew Wright Band' probably wouldn't do us any favours," says Wright.
Fall and Divide, comprised of Wright on lead vocals, Paul Fonseca on bass, Jean Arcand on guitar, and recent addition John Pacheco on drums, came together after Wright's Idol run ended last fall.
Despite getting much acclaim for his solo performances from the judges and fans alike on the popular reality series, Wright knew his talents best lie as part of a band. The Collingwood, Ont., native had previously been a member of the now defunct heavy rock group Malleus and missed the creative exchange of ideas and camaraderie that came with it.
After going on the road with fellow Top 3 Idol competitors - winner Theo Tams and runner-up Mitch MacDonald - Wright says he and his new band members literally hibernated for the rest of the winter to write material.
"We stepped into a room, me and Jean, when we first met and had a couple acoustic guitars to just try and get a vibe for each other and see what we would come out with. We just started jamming and immediately we wrote three song ideas that night and then we worked those out with the band and it just seemed to be an outpour (from there)."
The result is a modern progressive sound - a mix between classic and modern rock - with influences that range from Tool to Incubus to Yes and Jeff Buckley, according to Wright. He knows this might surprise some of his Idol fans who fell for his softer side on the show.
"I don't know (how they'll react)," he says with a laugh. "Hence the name of the band. There's a certain demographic obviously that watches the show and it's kind of coming off the high of being on the show and trying to separate yourself from that with obviously what I enjoy doing, which has always been the rock thing, so hopefully people dig it."
And while he's certainly grateful for the exposure he gained on Canadian Idol, Wright feels the contacts he made in the industry are priceless.
With five songs currently available online and a plan to hit the studio later this year to record a full-length album, Wright says the band is definitely shopping around for labels.
Just coming off a tour of Eastern Canada, including a gig in St. John's, Nfld., where they opened for The Black Crowes, Fall and Divide will perform June 24th in Toronto at the Tattoo Rock Parlour, marking Wright's first appearance back in T.O. since the Top 3 tour last December.
The band also has several more appearances planned this summer throughout Southern Ontario, including opening slots for Collective Soul and Live.
"We're just pumped to finally be coming out of the woodwork. It's almost a year since the show ended so it's nice to finally (have) some material we're happy with and have a chance to display it," Wright says.
source; CTV.ca
Comments
Post a Comment