Chasing-Jane

By: Jordyn Meade-Baxter

Chasing Jane is a “blues, funk, and hip hop” band from Stouffville, Ontario. The members of Chasing Jane are Ryan Hargrave, Roy Bartell, Adam McNeill, and Adrian Andres. Chasing Jane will be releasing their debut EP “Nice to Meet Ya” on May 6th. Chasing Jane will also be performing inside Velvet Underground for Canadian Music Week tonight at 10pm!

How did you form as a band?

CJ: After some rotating membership on bass and guitars, Roy hired Adam to lay down some keyboards for a commercial piece through his company Rival5. Ryan liked what he heard, and Roy mentioned that I also played bass and sang. Ryan connected with me, and we began to rehearse on with our then-producer, Matthew Von Wagner, on guitars.

After the album was finished, Wagner had to pursue other commitments so I brought in Adrian Andres to fulfill guitar duties. Since then he’s been sharing his invaluable experience as producer and composer in order to take the band’s sound in a slicker, funkier, direction.

Where did the name come from? Who is Jane?

CJ: Jane is a girl who makes you crazy. Not a specific girl… But a specific KIND of girl who inspires you to do crazier, more terrible, more beautiful things than you ever thought you were capable.

What inspires you to combine so many genres into your sound?

CJ: Many incorporated genres stems from many influences. We have each been in VERY different kinds of bands ranging from rock, folk, blues, funk, hip hop, punk rock, progressive, and even metal. But really all these things are just different faces of pop (or popular music). We feel that musical styles all share far more in common than they do differences, and we try to celebrate that. Simply, we are not interested in too narrowly defining the band’s sound… In this way, people can interpret our music for themselves and can give it their own meaning.

Is it hard sometimes to bring elements from one genre to another? What do you do to overcome such challenges?

CJ: Actually, we think we all find it very easy to combine styles. Once you dispense with convention, you can do whatever you want. And if a sound comes naturally, then it doesn’t sound forced. It just sounds different. And hopefully in that way, each song manages to surprise listeners in a few ways.

What can you tell us about making an EP that fans may not know about?

CJ: Making an EP is the science of less-is-more. The very name of the album is an introduction, so we wanted to keep things condensed so that it would be easy for labels, booking agents, and radio stations to quickly get a sense of the band’s sound. This very approach just landed us as one of the 25 finalists in Rock 97.7’s RockSearch contest!

Who usually writes the songs, or is it more of a collaboration?

CJ: Most of the songs were originally written and arranged by Ryan and Roy before everyone else joined the band. That said, Adam instantly began arranging bridges, writing new parts, and styling dynamics, breaks, and nuances in the rhythms. Adrian is now bringing his professional experience as a producer and composer to the table and is already half way done on a remix of the entire album, bringing in deeper reggae and dub vibes, along with slick pop and dance sensibilities.

The four of us have already written new material on a completely collaborative basis. We realise that when we create this way, the band truly becomes greater than the sum of its parts.

How would you describe “Nice to Meet Ya”?

CJ: ‘Nice To Meet Ya’ is like when you’re in a really nice pub and they allow you to try a beer that you’ve never had before in a small tasting glass so that you can see if you like it before you order a pint. It offers the songs up in a mainstream format but also hints at what the band’s live sound might be like (ie. leaving just a little bit of mystery). We believe that these are great songs we’ve crafted, and we can play most of them in various styles.

Do you have any tricks up your sleeve for your Canadian Music Week performance?

CJ: For Canadian Music Week we will be joined on stage by Matthew Von Wagner, producer of the album and also creative thinker behind the successful launch of other great bands like USS and Most Non-Heinous! Matthew is going to briefly resume his original guitar duties while Adrian is away.

It’s really great to watch how the band can seamlessly roll with challenges like this… Adrian is a masterful player due to his on stage experience playing with Cirque du Soleil. Matthew’s style is grungier, and more distorted. But it is this level of flexibility that allows us to play these songs in different styles and through various arrangement evolutions.

We like to ask some fun questions for the fans to get to know fans better…

What are some of your favourite Canadian bands?

CJ: I think we’re all big fans of what border-benders found in Toronto, like God Made Me Funky, and Down With Webster. But we also have to give props to the DIYers like Holy Fuck, Moses Mayes, and Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker (whom we communicate with and rely on for industry guidance).

It’s really tough to nail down, especially when influences stem from southern classic rock, to reggae, to folk, to motown. They really don’t adhere well to national boundaries.

Do you have any pre show rituals?

CJ: Our only pre-show rituals would include a cheers in which we all look each other in the eyes as we clink, glasses, hit them on the table (for our homies), and drink to the band’s health. The other ritual is “tips-in!”… A bizarre four-handed handshake with thumbs on top. Don’t ask.

Describe each member of the band in one word.

CJ: Ryan – Stuntman

Roy – Guru

Adam – Nerd

Adrian – Ninja

Is there anything else you would like to add?

CJ: Yes! We would like to add that we have mobile apps available through which you can stream the album for free! We’re still waiting on approval for iOS, but the Android app through which you can stream the album is available in the Google Play store… Yes, all free!

In addition to our album being FREE on mobile, it will also allow them free exclusive access to our remix album (nearly completed), in addition to promotions, rewards points, and exclusive content from behind the scenes with the band!

What would you like to say to your fans?

CJ: We love you and we’d love to see more of you at our upcoming gigs this summer! - Jordyn Meade-Baxter - Canadian Beat

A while back, we had the chance to interview the multi-genre band, Chasing Jane. Since then, they have been gearing up to release a new album and the video for their song “Dirty Girl”. To find out what Chasing Jane has been up to, read this second interview!

You can read the first interview here: https://canadianbeats.wordpress.com/2014/05/06/interview-chasing-jane/

Since the last time we had the chance to talk, you have been getting ready to release your new album. What can you tell us about it?

CJ: We’re working with the same great team that collaborated on our first album, although with a few different members on our management team who are helping us put together our promotion strategy for this record.

When is it being released?

CJ: The albums entitled “Every Day is the Weekend” and there’s a little too much up in the air still, but we’re shooting for mid-summer. it will feature a lead single by the same name, to be released March 1st.

Is there a story or meaning behind it?

CJ: When you work collaboratively and closely with this many people, who are there for no other reason than that they want to make something great, it can be a bit of a constant effort for the whole team with everyone focussing on their specific pieces of the puzzle. It’s so much more than just the music. And it requires a lot of constant communication and coordination – something we’re having to get better at all the time.

But the best part is that when this is done right, and a team works well to compliment each others’ efforts, it doesn’t feel like work. Every day has new challenges, and triumphs, but it’s always a labour of love, and the bottom line is that everyone’s here out of passion. So, in the end, it’s a party and a celebration of everyone’s hard work.

As these days of consistent effort in getting this band out there can blur into one another, but it’s also a lot of fun. You really end up living in the moment, much of the time. Hence the title ‘Every Day is the Weekend’.

Do you feel that there is a change in the sound from the new album and your first EP, “Nice To Meet Ya?”

CJ: Absolutely. I mean, We’re still exploring certain ranges of tempo that we feel get a live audience to move their feet. It’s a mutual love for that kind of music that brought the band together in many ways. So that hasn’t changed.

On the new album fans will hear the band take on some new terrain with influences in hip-hop, soca, disco, and 70’s era funk. We’ve been playing a lot of these new songs live for a time now, and they’ve been very well received by audiences of all ages, really.

You have had a few other projects on the go, like developing a mobile website. Can you tell us more about this?

CJ: Our website is mobile friendly and has some basic information about the band, our news blog, along with booking information and links to our mobile apps for iOS and Android. We’ve been proudly supported by Transcend Media in BC, a mobile app developer with tailored solutions for bands. He’s been working with Adam our bassist who freelances on a lot of digital projects as his alter-ego. The website is our online business card.

But the apps are really the best way to stay on top of what the band is up to. Just search for “Chasing Jane” in either iTunes or the Google Play store. We send out notifications about shows in users’ areas and tend to release new music and video via the app before it is publicly available anywhere else. It’ll also be the only free way to hear the new album when it comes out.

For those who may not have heard the song “Dirty Girl” can you tell us what they could expect and can you describe your music video?

CJ: The video was shot by a collection of partners on a few very different cameras. It was cut and edited by Rival5 entertainment, a film company owned by our drummer, Roy Bartell. It really helps having people in the band with marketing and promotional capabilities for digital and video.

Admittedly, we went for a bit of a smutty ‘found footage’ vibe for shots of the band, but there’s a story happening in this video… It’s really about a guy who’s heart has been treated roughly and he starts spending a little too much time alone, doing things that only temporarily fill the hole left in his life.
In the end, our protagonist rejects this falsehood, and gets up and leaves the house, no longer feeling defeated by or afraid of the outside world.

Do you have any upcoming tours planned?

CJ: Not as such, just a growing number of dates around the GTA and throughout the rest of Ontario. The plan is that if you’re in the province, you’ll likely have an opportunity to see us somewhere near you.

There’s a lot on the burner, and we have committed new resources to filling in our calendar. Download our app and you’ll be among the first to learn of new dates as soon as they’re confirmed.

What else have you been up to since our last interview?

CJ: We’re great believers in mentorship and professional training. Seriously, it’s one thing that a lot of professional trades suffer a lack of out there. The world changes pretty quickly these days, and too often colleges and universities leave kids unprepared.

As a working band, we want and need to be surrounded by sharp people who know what’s going on. With that in mind, we recently partnered with a team from Durham College’s Music Business Administration / Music Business Management program to offer them some real industry experience.

These fine young people don’t represent the sum of our management team, but they are currently a part of it, and will be until they graduate. If they want to stay on beyond that, it’ll be completely up to them, but we’ve been grateful for their support and youthful enthusiasm not always found in the industry.

Is there anything you would like to add?

CJ: We’ll also soon be going to work on a video for ‘Every Day is the Weekend’ and may be making a fan callout for crowd shots on set! It’ll be a real party-vibe, and we’ll be making it fun and special.

Grab our app if you want to be a part of it! We’ll probably be restricting the announcement to our closest fans as a way to say thanks. Thanks!
– CJ - Jordyn Meade-Baxter - Canadian Beat