Quick & Dirty: Sadie May Crash
By: Jennifer Kentfield
Relaxing at a wrought iron table, surrounded by greenery and sunshine, the four members of Toronto's Sadie May Crash felt right at home in their bassist's backyard. I guess when you've been making music together since you were in high school, and practicing as often as possible, you feel like a family. With hopes of soon completing a full-length album and having won a Toronto Independent Music Award for "Best Indie Rock", they've come a long way from lugging around their gear in wheelbarrows.
This poppy rock quartet, led by singer Paige Clarke, knows this is just the beginning. With her are guitarist Alex Pulec, drummer Jason Cipparrone, and bassist Mike McDonnell. They joke that they hated each other until they were united by music, an example of the amazing things music can do.
Though this musical union came from unexpected beginnings, its progression continued like that of every garage band; they played wherever they could, from shows in Oshawa to outside of music stores. Seriously, anywhere they got permission to play, play they would. Of course, being 16 and all, playing in clubs was a little harder to do. In fact, having opened for the Viletones at Lee's Palace, McDonnell was ushered out after Sadie finished their set and wasn't allowed to stay, so the band couldn't watch the following performance.
Being so young meant they were still trying to figure out who they were, let alone who the band was. But they continued to play shows – whether they got kicked out afterwards or not – and now they can say they've played Lee's Palace, the Drake, the Bovine Sex Club and the El Mocambo to name a few. That's not too shabby, eh? The Toronto indie scene is so diverse they can play just about anywhere and know that someone will enjoy what they're giving out.
"We set out to entertain," says Clarke. "So many kids want to go to a club and dance on a Friday night, and they can do that to our music."
Now that they have a car and are old enough to get into clubs, things seem to be going a lot better for these kids. They won a Toronto Independent Music Award last month, which gave them a first glimpse at what the future could hold. When their name was called and they stepped onto the stage at the awards show, one of their songs playing very loudly in the background, Clarke spoke right into the microphone and said, "This is weird."
"We were just thinking ‘how'd we get here?'" says Clarke.
They were also in the Top 5 for the Oh Henry! Road to Virgin Festival Contest, which would have given them a chance to play VFest this September. Losing the Oh Henry! contest hasn't diminished their spirits. Instead, it has just given them even more hope for what's to come. They aren't going to rely on a chocolate bar contest to make them a successful band, but they will continue to do what they're already doing: promoting and performing.
The Mod Club will be all theirs on September 20, and as the band says, it'll be "a good time guaranteed for all".
.jpg&contenttype=jpeg)
