Getting to Know: Ardent, an Experimental Alt-Grunge Act
In today’s Getting to Know, we meet Ardent, an experiemental alt-grunge act that may not sound like Nirvana, but would like to think they are aiming for the same originality. If you are in an up and coming band that would like to partake in a Getting to Know feature, contact editor@riffyou.com to receive the questionnaire and instructions. Thanks!
Band Name: Ardent
Band Members: Josh Brazeau (guitar, vocals), Justin Brazeau (drums), and Kat Kerley (vocals, kalimba).
Years Active: 1
City of Origin: Welland / St. Catharines, ON.
Who are you and what do you do?
“My name is Kat Kerley, and I’m the vocalist with Ardent. I also play an instrument called a kalimba, which has its origins in Africa as a folk instrument. As a band, we are an alternative rock/grunge band out of the Niagara Region, in Ontario, Canada. We play music that comes from a place of passion. We believe that music has an important role to play in each of our lives and are determined to explore that role as much as we can.”
In 100 words or less, tell us how your band has gotten to this point.
“Ardent began with Josh’s dream to have a career in music. Josh’s brother, Justin, one of the most important people in his life, was the ideal person to have behind the drums, providing the backbone and pulse of the band. Josh saw in me (Kat) a unique voice and a way to bring to Ardent the sound that he’d always wanted for his music. We were offered our first live show in August, 2013 by Josh’s cousin Ludger (who is in a band called TommyGunn).”
What is your latest release and how would you best describe it to someone who hasn’t heard your band?
“Our Self-Titled debut EP was recorded after being a band for only a couple of months. We felt it was important to get into studio and have something tangible to show people what we can do. What started with intentions of being a demo turned into a 3-song EP that we are truly proud of, and that we released worldwide this past February. To someone who hasn’t heard the band, we might describe the album as hard rock leaning, with a mix of clean and gritty vocals, punchy guitar, and stellar drum work. Our sound is a very eclectic mix of rock influences that stems from the fact that each band member comes from a very different background in terms of their own personal tastes in music. What it creates is a Frankenstein’s monster of rock.”
When making an album, which aspect of the process do you put the most time into and why?
“We put a lot of time into song writing and rehearsing. Our focus lately hasn’t been so much the making of an album, but on creating new material to play at live shows, so that folks who come to multiple shows have something new to look forward to.
“Josh and I both write lyrics and beginning riffs of songs and each have different processes, but we always come together as a band to build the song the way we want it. We try to rehearse as often as possible, especially before heading into the studio to record. We do this so that we don’t waste studio time figuring out what we should all be doing. We get all of our parts really tight and then go in and hammer out songs in record time. This also has the side benefit of sometimes saving us money.”
What is the best part about your band and why?
“We are a family. We care about each other and know that no matter what happens, we’ve got each other’s backs. For me, though, the best part about the band is getting to perform. It is such a unique experience from anything else in my life. It’s nerve-wracking, cathartic, embarrassing, and ego-boosting, all at the same time. Plus, it just feels good to sing at the top of your lungs and hear your bandmates put all of their energy into it as well.”
What makes your band unique from the rest?
I don’t really think we sound exactly like anything else on the radio. Folks who’ve heard us try to tell us who we sound like, and it’s always part of this, and part of that, but never exactly like anyone else. I think that comes from our mix of vocals – mine being clean, and Josh’s being gritty – as well as the eclectic instrumentation. Josh’s guitar melodies are reminiscent of ‘90s grunge, while Justin’s drumming is influenced by hardcore music. And then there’s the kalimba. It always surprises people, and I love that. Someone at a recent show said, “it’s something you see in a hippie’s living room, but never with a rock band.”
How does your band survive the challenges of touring/gigging?
“We work hard. And go into debt. So I don’t know if that’s surviving, but we’re doing our best. We carpool to gigs, packing as much as 
possible into Josh’s SUV. We tend not to drink much at shows so that we can cover gas from ticket and merch sales. And really, we treat every show like it needs to be our best, because we never know who is going to be watching. Justin says we’re the ‘not fucking around band.’ We have fun, but we take the band seriously.”
Would you rather be critically-acclaimed; rich and famous; or an under-the-radar band with a dedicated fan base?
“We’d rather be an under-the-radar band with a dedicated fan base. Fans are the most important thing to us. Nothing is better than hearing from someone that they love your music, or that they connected with it in some way. We’d rather have fewer, passionate fans than a hoard of folks following critics’ choices. Being rich and famous would only be helpful in that it would allow us to do more of what we love and play to more people.”
If you’d have to compare your band to another one out there, living or dead, who would it be and why?
“Josh compares us to Nirvana (his favourite band) because we are making our own music, our own way. We concentrate on guitar riffs that stick in people’s heads, and we write meaningfully to make people think. We may not sound much like them, but in terms of what we are doing with music, we are similar.”
Which band/musician would you like to share many drinks with? What would you talk about?
“Either Jack White, or Dave Grohl. They are both doing some really unique things in music right now… trying to carve new paths for musicians and music in general. We would want to talk to them about their experiences they’ve had in the industry, how they balance their family life and music careers, what made them want to produce and record other bands, and what made them want to create the music they’ve created. Also, we’d be interested to talk about what compelled/compels them to be involved in so many different bands/projects.”
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