By Will McGuirk
Makers don’t stop making. Even a global pandemic won’t stop makers making and thankfully so. For the rest of us, going forward will require new thinking, creativity, innovation, outside, inside, other side of the box thinking and it will be to the makers we will turn. Here in Durham Region, our artists are woodshedding new ideas and finding new outlets for their creativity. We take a peek behind the stage curtain to see what musicians are doing as shows have been cancelled worldwide.
Each photo will link to the Unison Benevolent Fund.
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Fresh. Catchy. Cathartic. This is the story of Morningside. The Oshawa band began at the Luck of the Draw tattoo shop. A spark was lit around a shared love of garage and alt.rock.
Jake Stauffer of Morningside, photo by MikkiH@m2pics.com
Slowcity.ca : Who are the members in your band?
There is myself on guitar and lead vocals , we have Galen Crampsey on drums and vocals and Angus Hillier on bass and vocals. Together we make some rad pop rock music as Morningside.
Q: Where are you from?
I was born and raised in Oshawa but am currently a resident of Bowmanville. Galen and I actually went to elementary school and high school together. We have been friends since the mid 90’s.
Q: Have you been able to perform together in any capacity - if yes how
We would love to be playing together but we honestly haven’t played live since around March. We have jammed a few times but with covid happening it has really set us back, but we have plans to get things rolling again soon and pump out a really cool album.
Q: Where and when was the last gig you played before Covid-19 guidelines on shows kicked in?
I do believe the last time we played live was in Oshawa at the atria. We actually had about 8-10 different shows booked for summer that we had to cancel due to covid. So it has definitely been a while for us! We can’t wait to get back to normal!
Q: Do you have any recorded music available online, if yes where?
Yeah we do! It’s available on any and all streaming platforms! We also have a few music videos on YouTube! We also have a couple unreleased songs that we have been holding on to. So keep you’re eyes and ears peeled for that in the near future.
Q: What are you doing during this break from live music, any new hobbies?
I have been spending as much time as I can with my family. I have 3 amazing children that blow my mind
everyday, and an amazing girlfriend who is my biggest support in every aspect of my life.
I have been doing a lot of painting and drawing. Being a full time tattooer at Luck of the Draw since 2013... this was the longest break I have ever taken from it. So I was kinda going a little crazy at times not being able to tattoo but that helped on me getting more creative in other aspects of art.
Also I have a little studio in my basement that I try and pump out as many tracks as I can from. Covers,
originals whatever is giving me inspiration in try and lay down! If you check out my YouTube channel you can find some of the stuff I’ve been working on. I film, edit and engineer all the audio for everything on there.