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 a long time.
One of many latest teams to blast forth from the house of the NHL’s Oilers is the powerhouse quartet often known as Well-known Strangers.
Comprised of guitarist Jeff Kittlitz, vocalist Amanda Kiernan, bassist Braden Sustrik and drummer Brian ‘Beej’ Jolly, the group fashioned in 2023, and has launched quite a few 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. Among the band members hadn’t performed repeatedly 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 undertaking collectively [which ended around 2013], simply saved writing music collectively when everyone else in that previous band went their very own manner. And all through the scene, he had performed in just a few bands with Braden and for years, Braden performed in a band with my brother again within the day known 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 exhibits with Amanda’s band, The Order of Chaos. And once I was first launched to her, I instantly simply liked her voice and wished 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 ultimately Braden got here again in for an unique instrumental undertaking that we began to do, which lasted a few yr. After that we determined to simply preserve having enjoyable enjoying covers. None of us may actually sing, though I gave it a shot for some time. We quickly realized we wished to get a superb singer to come back 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 nasty breakup together with her final band, so we simply mentioned to come back out and have some enjoyable. It was a pair months of jamming covers till at one jam we introduced her with an unique 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 identify, and began writing tunes straight away, and right here we’re.”
The identify Well-known Strangers doesn’t have an excellent and evocative story or byzantine that means behind it. Regardless, it’s a reputation that’s each acceptable and one which caught proper off the hop.
“It’s sort of humorous. I used to be simply driving down the highway sooner or later and I had the Deep Purple tune ‘Good Strangers’ on after which I seemed 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 assume we’re all type of well-known in our personal manner. After which enthusiastic about all of the individuals within the crowd and everyone, however we’re all nonetheless strangers on the identical time. It’s only a factor that got here collectively in my head and once I introduced it to the band, everyone obtained behind it,” mentioned Kittlitz.
Previous to forming Well-known Strangers, Kittlitz was doing numerous manufacturing and engineering work for different artists. This meant when it got here time to file 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 observe some drums on the most recent single and helped with the vocals somewhat bit. For our first stuff, I additionally did the blending, however then we obtained in contact with Joel Wanasek and he’s in full help of what we’re attempting to do. So transferring ahead, we simply need to preserve working with him and have somewhat bit of out of doors opinion, which I believe is essential,” mentioned Kittlitz.
“And it’s by no means been a problem 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 possibly the primary tune after which notice, ‘oh yeah, we must always have did this or that, or we must always have been extra diligent on that.’ And everyone agrees and we simply make the mandatory adjustments for the following tune transferring ahead. We’re all about rising and studying from one another.”
Like minded in just about each side of composing, recording and performing unique 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.
“Everyone’s obtained the identical objectives. None of us have youngsters or households or that sort of attachment. I work in manufacturing apart from the band. Amanda DJs [at an adult entertainment establishment], Brian builds highway instances and Braden performs in different bands and is a trainer [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. A lot of our mates have completed it, those we grew up listening to and respect, they’ve all gone and toured and completed nice issues. And I assume 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 numerous enjoyable. And I actually suppose the secret is that these boys, I can’t consider how open they’re to any concept. And don’t get me unsuitable, you’ve gotta make compromises and stuff like that, however we’re all simply open and keen to do something and the whole lot. And it’s a lot extra liberating 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 suppose it’s simply us. I believe all the brand new bands which are coming collectively out of older bands, all of us simply wanna have enjoyable now. Generally you get into bands and it simply will get somewhat too severe. And as Well-known Strangers will get greater, I’m positive we’ll have extra challenges and get somewhat wired 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 focus to element. Whether or not it’s how you can load out and in of a gig effectively, being pleasant to venue employees, 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 elements of constructing music as they’re to having enjoyable.
“We do attempt for that. For me, being away from dwell efficiency for 10 years till I based this band and obtained again into it, I knew I wished the whole lot to be proper. I imply, I used to be on the highway doing sound stuff, however not truly 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 it’s essential to do this present day. I wished us all to have correct outfits. I wished us all to look a sure manner and sound a sure manner. And for some individuals all that stuff possibly doesn’t appear vital, however it is vital and it’s all a part of being profitable. And in relation to how we glance and carry out on stage, you need individuals 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 seemed 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 high-quality and good, however if you happen to don’t have the inventive chemistry, and if the output of that chemistry just isn’t compelling, unique, and wonderful, then you definitely’ve solely stuffed in a part of the puzzle. Luckily 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 be emblematic of their strategy to songwriting.
“Really, so most of the songs began with myself and the drummer Beej. We performed in a band known as That is Conflict again in 2010 to 2013 and when it break up, as I mentioned earlier than, we simply saved writing and ultimately collaborated with Braden to get issues going. After which Amanda got here in and put lyrics to the songs, which gave them an entire new life. As soon as we determined we had been positively 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 would possibly 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 and so they all get tried out a minimum of 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 harm. We ensure 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 dwelling or once we’re jamming, and produce it dwelling 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. Generally 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 exhibits, I’ll take that new tune and we’ll truly play it and I’ll inform the viewers, ‘hey, it is a new tune, the lyrics aren’t written but. So I would like 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 an entire tune freestyle about dinosaurs. And since we file our exhibits, I’ll hear again to a few of these components 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 sensible capability to harness dynamics and to construct rigidity musically, vocally and lyrically.
Within the promo materials for the one, “the tune is instructed from the attitude of a feminine determine who is a component 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 energy 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 aspect of human nature for a spellbinding psychological journey.
“I do watch numerous scary motion pictures so possibly it got here from that. However we did numerous these things in my different band, The Order of Chaos. We had a tune known as ‘Sexwitch’ and we did photograph shoots the place I’m consuming the guitar participant alive. So all that bloody type of stuff was in my thoughts already due to my previous. And that type of stuff has all the time been a reasonably steel state of affairs, proper? And it’s superb what can occur while 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 actually don’t know the place it got here from. Everyone 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 enthusiastic about spiders and the way they mate, after which clearly the video simply got here out that manner due to the lyrics. Like, ‘because the blood runs down my face, I tear by your flesh and blood.’ Folks can put their very own that means to it, however there’s numerous metaphors that occur in my writing. It wasn’t meant to be an enormous 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 individual, and be like, ‘f*** that man,’ I’m cool with that.
“In order that was probably not what I meant for this tune. It was completely simply based mostly 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 completely different manner and I like that. I like listening to what different individuals’s opinions are about my songs.”
Oh, and as for the that means of the letters L.S.C. … it’s to be decided. Generally somewhat thriller is an efficient factor.
“Some individuals have gotten fairly shut. If you happen to watch the video and also you hearken to the lyrics, as a result of once 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 individuals enjoying the guessing sport proper now. And the guesses are so humorous and superior,” Kiernan added.
The tune ‘I’ll See You within the Stars,’ just isn’t 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 nevertheless it 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 components, 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 instructed 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 an enormous deal now for us,” Kittlitz mentioned.
“Persons are responding to it actually, very well. And we didn’t suppose that individuals 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 possibly 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 obtained actually deep and loopy and it’s such an emotional tune. After recording it, I bawled my eyes out. However now once 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 speculated to occur and now it’s our most seen on YouTube and most listened to on Spotify. It does show the facility of music,” added Kiernan.
“it’s a really weak tune. I’m not used to writing stuff that’s so private, however somebody as soon as instructed 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 completed stuff like that. However our Byron Stroud was actually sensible as a result of he is aware of we have now an entire different aspect to us that nobody is aware of but. I wished to launch our blues tune instantly as a result of I’m so enthusiastic about it, however how are you speculated to go proper from heavy steel to blues? So ‘I’ll See you within the Stars’ is a pleasant little gateway into our softer aspect.”
And that’s one other fascinating facet of Well-known Strangers. In a day and age the place genres have gotten so slim and limiting, the band is attempting to avoid hyphenations as a lot as attainable, desirous to have inventive flexibility and to keep away from being pigeonholed.
“We’re actually attempting to be open to all types and genres. And even in steel, there’s 100 completely 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 completely different subsets to the whole lot. We simply play what feels good. We would like to have the ability to carry out at a present and have everyone get a minimum of one thing out of it that they’re going to love,” mentioned Kittlitz.
As for efficiency, the band has quite a few 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 Pageant in Drumheller [Aug. 1 to 3] and from there we’re within the studio. We even have one other video that’s about half completed that we have to end taking pictures for the primary launch of our new EP, which we actually must get completed this summer season. 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 subsequent massive factor for us is we actually need to get to Europe or South America quickly. Each Amanda and I’ve been blessed to have completed some festivals in Europe and it’s only a complete different stage over there. I believe it’s the place we’d be obtained the very best,” mentioned Kittlitz.
“I believe our greatest hurdle proper now’s discovering some promoters and reserving brokers to get us these exhibits. Proper now, the whole lot’s DIY for us, so we’re hoping to satisfy some individuals who may 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 critical to unfold their steel message far and extensive. Thus far so good … with way more to come back.
For extra details about Well-known Strangers, their current and upcoming releases and touring plans, go to their socials or https://www.famousstrangersband.com.
- Jim Barber is a veteran award-winning journalist and writer based mostly 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 specialist and is an avid volunteer in his group. Contact him at jimbarberwritingservices@gmail.com.
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