By Jim Barber
Steel is alive and nicely in western Canada – particularly within the Alberta provincial capital metropolis of Edmonton, the place a small, however vibrant and demonstrably potent laborious rock and steel scene has flourished over the previous couple of many years.
One of many latest teams to blast forth from the house of the NHL’s Oilers is the powerhouse quartet generally known as Well-known Strangers.
Comprised of guitarist Jeff Kittlitz, vocalist Amanda Kiernan, bassist Braden Sustrik and drummer Brian ‘Beej’ Jolly, the group shaped in 2023, and has launched various singles and movies of masterfully compelling steel music, that includes musical virtuosity blended with superlative songwriting chops and the spectacularly dynamic vocal prowess of frontwoman Kiernan. It’s a recipe for one thing particular, as evidenced on tracks like ‘George,’ ‘I’ll See You within the Stars’ and the magnificently badass new tune, ‘L.S.C.’
All members of Well-known Strangers are skilled and completed veterans of the western Canadian music scene. A number of the band members hadn’t performed often for some time or had been not feeling fulfilled of their present musical enterprises however noticed the chance to type a brand new band as a method to re-energize and revitalize their love for music.
“Beej and I, after our earlier mission collectively [which ended around 2013], simply saved writing music collectively when everyone else in that previous band went their very own means. And all through the scene, he had performed in a couple of bands with Braden and for years, Braden performed in a band with my brother again within the day referred to as Compromise. So there’s been years and years of historical past between all of us,” Kittlitz mentioned.
“And that band Beej and I had performed reveals with Amanda’s band, The Order of Chaos. And after I was first launched to her, I instantly simply beloved her voice and needed to work together with her. And again then we even tried to do some marriage ceremony band cowl factor and introduced her in for that. As life went on, everyone sort of did their very own issues. However Beej and I saved going and finally Braden got here again in for an authentic instrumental mission that we began to do, which lasted a couple of 12 months. After that we determined to only preserve having enjoyable enjoying covers. None of us might actually sing, though I gave it a shot for some time. We quickly realized we needed to get singer to return in and assist us. So we invited Amanda out simply casually. She didn’t need any dedication or something in any respect to do with bands or something. She had a foul breakup together with her final band, so we simply mentioned to return out and have some enjoyable. It was a pair months of jamming covers till at one jam we introduced her with an authentic and it simply hit her. She fell in love with it and mentioned, ‘guys I need to do that. I’m all in.’ After which we got here up with the title, and began writing tunes instantly, and right here we’re.”
The title Well-known Strangers doesn’t have an excellent and evocative story or byzantine which means behind it. Regardless, it’s a reputation that’s each applicable and one which caught proper off the hop.
“It’s sort of humorous. I used to be simply driving down the street sooner or later and I had the Deep Purple tune ‘Excellent Strangers’ on after which I appeared to my proper and there was a Well-known Donair store. And I simply put two phrases collectively as Well-known Strangers and sort of thought of it for a bit and realized the 4 of us, we’ve been enjoying on the scene for a very long time and I suppose we’re all form of well-known in our personal means. After which fascinated with all of the folks within the crowd and everyone, however we’re all nonetheless strangers on the similar time. It’s only a factor that got here collectively in my head and after I introduced it to the band, everyone bought behind it,” mentioned Kittlitz.
Previous to forming Well-known Strangers, Kittlitz was doing a variety of manufacturing and engineering work for different artists. This meant when it got here time to report materials for the brand new band, he was the logical option to take the helm behind the board.
“I’ve been doing manufacturing for a very long time now and actually get pleasure from it. We did collaborate with [producer] Phil Anderson. He helped us monitor some drums on the latest single and helped with the vocals just a little bit. For our first stuff, I additionally did the blending, however then we bought in contact with Joel Wanasek and he’s in full help of what we’re making an attempt to do. So transferring ahead, we simply need to preserve working with him and have just a little bit of out of doors opinion, which I believe is essential,” mentioned Kittlitz.
“And it’s by no means been a difficulty with me doing the manufacturing and likewise being within the band. It’s been a pleasure writing and dealing with everyone within the band. We’d do one thing on perhaps the primary tune after which notice, ‘oh yeah, we should always have did this or that, or we should always have been extra diligent on that.’ And everyone agrees and we simply make the required adjustments for the subsequent tune transferring ahead. We’re all about rising and studying from one another.”
Like minded in just about each aspect of composing, recording and performing authentic laborious rock/heavy music, together with a palpable sense of household and dedication to at least one one other as people and artists has seen Well-known Strangers ‘click on’ as a inventive unit onstage and offstage.
“All people’s bought the identical targets. None of us have youngsters or households or that sort of attachment. I work in manufacturing other than the band. Amanda DJs [at an adult entertainment establishment], Brian builds street instances and Braden performs in different bands and is a instructor [mostly contract work for online courses]. All of us have the flexibleness and the identical need and I believe all of us sense the timing is simply so proper for this band proper now. And there’s no egos. Lots of our mates have carried out it, those we grew up listening to and respect, they’ve all gone and toured and carried out nice issues. And I suppose it simply hasn’t been our time till now. At this second we really feel one thing that we simply can’t deny. So we’re pushing as laborious as we will,” mentioned Kittlitz.
“We’re additionally having enjoyable. We’re having a variety of enjoyable. And I truthfully assume the hot button is that these boys, I can’t consider how open they’re to any concept. And don’t get me flawed, you’ve gotta make compromises and stuff like that, however we’re all simply open and prepared to do something and every little thing. And it’s a lot extra releasing that being in a band the place there’s a lot close-mindedness and no person need’s to attempt issues, which we’ve all skilled,” added Kiernan.
“We get alongside so nicely. And I don’t assume it’s simply us. I believe all the brand new bands which might be coming collectively out of older bands, all of us simply wanna have enjoyable now. Typically you get into bands and it simply will get just a little too critical. And as Well-known Strangers will get greater, I’m certain we’ll have extra challenges and get just a little stressed at occasions, however we simply wanna have enjoyable. We simply need to play music that we love.”
One other factor that welds the band members collectively into a good unit is that all of them perceive the significance of professionalism and a spotlight to element. Whether or not it’s easy methods to load out and in of a gig effectively, being pleasant to venue workers, having wonderful social media, ensuring you’ve rehearsed sufficient, and making a stage look and efficiency type that’s interesting and memorable, Well-known Stranger is as devoted to all these facets of constructing music as they’re to having enjoyable.
“We do try for that. For me, being away from stay efficiency for 10 years till I based this band and bought again into it, I knew I needed every little thing to be proper. I imply, I used to be on the street doing sound stuff, however not really to the purpose now the place I’m a content material creator, and a photographer and even an actor in a way. However that’s what you want to do at the present time. I needed us all to have correct outfits. I needed us all to look a sure means and sound a sure means. And for some folks all that stuff perhaps doesn’t appear vital, however it can be crucial and it’s all a part of being profitable. And in relation to how we glance and carry out on stage, you need folks to go to a present and be entertained and see one thing cool and undergo a journey and stroll away pondering, ‘hey, that was rad. That appeared actually cool.’ I don’t need to be up there in simply denims and sneakers. That’s not who we’re as musicians and as a band, so let’s not painting that,” Kittlitz defined.
All of that’s tremendous and good, however if you happen to don’t have the inventive chemistry, and if the output of that chemistry is just not compelling, authentic, and wonderful, then you definately’ve solely stuffed in a part of the puzzle. Fortuitously for Well-known Strangers, the give and take, the willingness to work as a unit, to set egos apart for the nice of the tune, and the nice of the general well-being of the band, can also be emblematic of their method to songwriting.
“Truly, so most of the songs began with myself and the drummer Beej. We performed in a band referred to as That is Conflict again in 2010 to 2013 and when it cut up, as I mentioned earlier than, we simply saved writing and finally collaborated with Braden to get issues going. After which Amanda got here in and put lyrics to the songs, which gave them a complete new life. As soon as we determined we had been undoubtedly all in on the band, we began writing collectively. Often it begins with me coming in with a riff with Beej and we get some concept. Braden may then throw some bass on it, and it’ll proceed to develop and develop as we jam it out. Then when Amanda is available in with some lyrics, it grows and develops extra. Elements get modified to adapt to the vocals, and the identical factor with the bass line, it would get modified to mesh higher with the drums. It’s all the time rising and getting higher and everyone’s throwing of their opinions they usually all get tried out at the very least as soon as,” mentioned Kittlitz.
“And a number of the adjustments make it and a few of them don’t. However nobody’s emotions get damage. We make sure that we launch a product on the finish of the day that everyone is stoked about and all of us then get behind and help it.”
Kiernan then talked about her course of, which demonstrates her evocative storytelling type, highly effective use of language and imagery and a no-nonsense badass outlook that provides an emotional depth and depth to music that’s already robustly irresistible.
“Every little thing is usually written musically after which I sort of idiot round with it at residence or once we’re jamming, and produce it residence after the jam. However once more, one of many issues that excites me a lot about this band is how open we’re. We’re all very open to, like, no matter. We’ll simply jam what we really feel on a given day. Typically we’re even jamming rap or techno and we simply have a lot enjoyable with it. I really feel the important thing to us is that we’re all open to something,” she mentioned.
“Even when there’s a brand new tune being written and these days that we’ve been enjoying extra reveals, I’ll take that new tune and we’ll really play it and I’ll inform the viewers, ‘hey, this can be a new tune, the lyrics aren’t written but. So I want some inspiration. What ought to the tune be about?’ And one time they mentioned dinosaurs as a result of we had been in Drumheller [site of one of the biggest deposits of dinosaur fossils in the world]. So I sang a complete tune freestyle about dinosaurs. And since we report our reveals, I’ll pay attention again to a few of these elements and really take them and work them into the songs and produce them again to the boys. It’s been such a very cool factor to have the boys simply let me be myself. They’re all the time inform me to go for it.”
‘L.S.C.’ is the most recent single/video launch from Well-known Strangers. And it’s an epic demonstration of the band’s good potential to harness dynamics and to construct stress musically, vocally and lyrically.
Within the promo materials for the one, “the tune is advised from the angle of a feminine determine who is an element human and half spider. It’s impressed by the mating behaviour of black widows the place attraction, intimacy and destruction all collide. At it’s core, it’s about obsession, energy and survival. It speaks to the emotional weight of wanting one thing that was by no means meant to be yours, and the power it takes to tug your self again from that edge.”
For this tune, Kiernan mined her literate mind, ardour for horror motion pictures and understanding of the darker facet of human nature for a spellbinding psychological journey.
“I do watch a variety of scary motion pictures so perhaps it got here from that. However we did a variety of these things in my different band, The Order of Chaos. We had a tune referred to as ‘Sexwitch’ and we did picture shoots the place I’m consuming the guitar participant alive. So all that bloody form of stuff was in my thoughts already due to my previous. And that form of stuff has all the time been a reasonably steel state of affairs, proper? And it’s wonderful what can occur once you let somebody be precisely who they’re, as a result of all this creativity and stuff is simply pouring out of me proper now. The concepts simply preserve coming, and I’ve to thank the boys as a result of they’re letting me be me,” she defined.
“I truthfully don’t know the place it got here from. All people all the time says it comes from some other place after which it comes into my mind. However for ‘L.S.C.’ I used to be simply fascinated with spiders and the way they mate, after which clearly the video simply got here out that means due to the lyrics. Like, ‘because the blood runs down my face, I tear via your flesh and blood.’ Folks can put their very own which means to it, however there may be a variety of metaphors that occur in my writing. It wasn’t meant to be a giant social commentary on something, however anyone can take the tune and the video the way in which they need too, which is ideal. If I can encourage somebody to not name again that particular person, and be like, ‘f*** that man,’ I’m cool with that.
“In order that was probably not what I supposed for this tune. It was completely simply primarily based off how bugs mate and the way the feminine usually kills the male after mating. However that’s the great thing about music, anyone can take the lyrics a totally totally different means and I like that. I really like listening to what different folks’s opinions are about my songs.”
Oh, and as for the which means of the letters L.S.C. … it’s to be decided. Typically just a little thriller is an efficient factor.
“Some folks have gotten fairly shut. In the event you watch the video and also you take heed to the lyrics, as a result of after I wrote it I assumed it was a reasonably steel idea to jot down about how the black widow spider and the praying mantis they mate, then they kill. I like having enjoyable with folks enjoying the guessing recreation proper now. And the guesses are so humorous and superior,” Kiernan added.
The tune ‘I’ll See You within the Stars,’ is just not fairly so maniacally superior and gore splattering as ‘L.S.C.’ however it’s nonetheless emotionally weighty.
“I believe it was the second or third one which Beej and I had written about 10 years or so in the past, after our different band had damaged up. And we sort of wrote it multi function evening. We had a little bit of an fascinating night and simply determined to play music till 5 o’clock within the morning – it was simply a kind of nights. And that tune got here out but it surely simply sat on the again burner for a very long time till Braden got here into the band. And as soon as he put his bass in it, it had a brand new life, however we nonetheless didn’t know what we had been going to do with it. And Amanda heard it and shortly concepts and lyrics simply began pouring out of her. However even after she recorded her elements, we thought it would simply be a studio tune or simply an album tune till our supervisor, Byron Stroud [former bass player for Fear Factory, Imonolith and Strapping Young Lads] that we’re coping with proper now, he requested to listen to the tune and advised us to place it out and do a video. So we listened to him and now it’s a factor. It’s not on the again burner any extra. That tune is a giant deal now for us,” Kittlitz mentioned.
“Persons are responding to it actually, rather well. And we didn’t assume that folks had been even going to hook up with it the way in which that they’re. And it’s humorous as a result of I didn’t even imply to jot down it. It’s about obsessing over somebody for a very very long time and that perhaps the universe is aware of what you need and also you don’t all the time know what you need however that you just simply must belief your self. It simply bought actually deep and loopy and it’s such an emotional tune. After recording it, I bawled my eyes out. However now after I sing it, I don’t really feel that; I really feel like I’m healed from it, that I’ve processed no matter it’s that was in my coronary heart. So, it’s neat how that tune wasn’t even alleged to occur and now it’s our most considered on YouTube and most listened to on Spotify. It does reveal the facility of music,” added Kiernan.
“it’s a really susceptible tune. I’m not used to writing stuff that’s so private, however somebody as soon as advised me that you just’re supposed to jot down your experiences as a result of individuals are going to resonate with that. And that’s clearly what’s taking place with ‘I’ll See You within the Stars.’ I’ve by no means carried out stuff like that. However our Byron Stroud was actually sensible as a result of he is aware of we have now a complete different facet to us that nobody is aware of but. I needed to launch our blues tune instantly as a result of I’m so enthusiastic about it, however how are you alleged to go proper from heavy steel to blues? So ‘I’ll See you within the Stars’ is a pleasant little gateway into our softer facet.”
And that’s one other fascinating side of Well-known Strangers. In a day and age the place genres have gotten so slim and limiting, the band is making an attempt to keep away from hyphenations as a lot as doable, desirous to have inventive flexibility and to keep away from being pigeonholed.
“We’re actually making an attempt to be open to all types and genres. And even in steel, there’s 100 totally different genres on the market. To me, I grew up in a day the place it’s simply heavy steel, laborious rock or just steel music. And there weren’t 100 totally different subsets to every little thing. We simply play what feels good. We would like to have the ability to carry out at a present and have everyone get at the very least one thing out of it that they’re going to love,” mentioned Kittlitz.
As for efficiency, the band has various dates opening for the band Grave Mass earlier than hitting the stage at Armstrong MetalFest in Armstrong, British Columbia, July 11 and 12.
“After that we’re doing Loud As Hell Competition in Drumheller [Aug. 1 to 3] and from there we’re within the studio. We even have one other video that’s about half carried out that we have to end capturing for the primary launch of our new EP, which we actually must get carried out this summer time. From there, we’re speaking about doing a run all the way down to Los Angeles and again, beginning in Vancouver after which down the strip of the coast and again. The following huge factor for us is we actually need to get to Europe or South America quickly. Each Amanda and I’ve been blessed to have carried out some festivals in Europe and it’s only a entire different stage over there. I believe it’s the place we’d be acquired the very best,” mentioned Kittlitz.
“I believe our greatest hurdle proper now could be discovering some promoters and reserving brokers to get us these reveals. Proper now, every little thing’s DIY for us, so we’re hoping to satisfy some individuals who may also help out with that.”
“We need to play each city. We need to play each f***ing city on this planet,” Kiernan enthused.
Well-known Strangers is a band that’s absolutely dedicated to creating items of music with depth, that are melodically memorable, emotionally resonant with roof blowing energy. And the band members are equally dedicated to doing what is important to unfold their steel message far and broad. Up to now so good … with far more to return.
For extra details about Well-known Strangers, their latest and upcoming releases and touring plans, go to their socials or https://www.famousstrangersband.com.
- Jim Barber is a veteran award-winning journalist and creator primarily based in Napanee, Ontario, Canada, who has been writing about music and musicians for greater than 30 years. Moreover his journalistic endeavors, he works as a communications and advertising and marketing specialist and is an avid volunteer in his group. Contact him at jimbarberwritingservices@gmail.com.
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