Getting to Know: Eclectic Ottawa Rock act, Elly May

In today’s Getting to Know, we are introduced to Elly May, an Ottawa rock act that takes cues from the Rolling Stones, Doobie Brothers, and Pink Floyd. 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: Elly May
Band Members: Matt Levesque (vocals, guitar), Braunson Lalonde (guitar, vocals), Tevin Callan (bass), and Kevin Therrien (drums).
Years Active: 3
City of Origin: Ottawa, ON.

Who are you and what do you do?
“My name is Braunson Lalonde, I play lead guitar, sing, and help write the material for Elly May.”

In 100 words or less, tell us how your band has gotten to this point.
“We started off in Ottawa, playing a few shows and getting a better live set while doing it. With a good batch of songs we went to record an EP, getting the studio experience for the first time. We then moved back home to Cornwall to put more time and energy in the band; recorded and released our first full length A Better Place Than Here; found a new drummer; and have started playing out of town shows to reach new ears.”

What is your latest release and how would you best describe it to someone who hasn’t heard your band?
“Our latest release, A Better Place Than Here, is best described as a musical mosaic with rock and roll at its heart. Having Eric Tessier and Hugo Trepanier of Le Gros Kit on the production front of things and getting to work at a studio was a key factor in how the album turned out. From the album’s inception, we knew we wanted the 11 tracks to cover as many different facets of rock as possible, from the more hardcore elements to the funkier danceable ones. The studio itself became an instrument to play with, such as deciding how songs would flow into each other and how to create a unique yet cohesive atmosphere for each track.”

When making an album, which aspect of the process do you put the most time into and why?
“Personally speaking, I’d have to say it’s a tie between song arrangements and production. Working out a track and its parts and their order is probably the coolest kind of puzzle you can work on…there is no right or wrong answer, but when you do hit something magical, you just feel it. The production stuff is probably just the inner gear junkie in me. I grew up listening to a lot of instrumental bands that played with effects a lot. To be able to sit down with a hundred effects pedals, synthesizers, software patches and plugs-ins at your fingertips is kind of like having every day in the studio feel like Christmas morning.”

What is the best part about your band and why?
“The best part about the band is definitely the sense of humour that we’re always able to keep when being together. While most bands out there are dedicated as hell, the amount of sacrifice and hard work involved to keep the wheel from day to day is enough to crush even the most optimistic of folks. Our humour and respect towards each other is what keeps us smiling through the good times and the bad.”

What makes your band unique from the rest?
“After three years of playing shows and writing, one of our biggest unique traits is definitely our inability to be confined to a specific genre. Even if were sitting down writing a more traditional blues oriented track, it won’t stop us from pulling ideas from influences that are from a completely different genre. A great example is a song like “Kings.” It’s from the new record, and manages to go from a standard pop-rock track to an all-out epic post-rock jam for its conclusion.”

How does your band survive the challenges of touring/gigging?
“We’ve found the best way to stay afloat in our challenges of the touring and gigging life is always to think at least one to two steps ahead. That way you’ve always got a good idea what your next mini-objective is no matter how bad of a day you’re having. At the same time, you’re keeping things simple and not thinking so far ahead that you start to get disappointed with everything you haven’t accomplished yet.”

Would you rather be critically-acclaimed; rich and famous; or an under-the-radar band with a dedicated fan base?
“As much as fame and fortune is appealing, I’d rather be an under-the-radar band with smaller shows and more dedicated fans. Having seen smaller bands at more mid-sized venues with adoring fans, those shows have usually stuck with me more than some of the more acclaimed bands I’ve seen at larger places.”

If you’d have to compare your band to another one out there, living or dead, who would it be and why?
“Imagine the Rolling Stones and Doobie Brothers had a baby and Pink Floyd was the occasional babysitter. Our combination of rock, funk and effects bring those three bands to mind rather quickly. Although in this case – in order to narrow it down to one group – we could combine their band names and go with “The Pink Doobie Rolling Brothers.”

Which band/musician would you like to share many drinks with? What would you talk about?
“While the nostalgic person in me would immediately shoot for someone like John Lennon or George Harrison, after really thinking about it, I would love to sit down and share many drinks with Tom Waits. The man has a way of viewing the world in his music that is truly remarkable. I’d love to talk to him about the literature that inspired his lyric writing; his tastes in cinema; theatre; and what albums he’s looking forward to in 2014.”

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