Mrs. Johnston

NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE — Three of the five are related, but all of them are brothers, says band member Jay Ashcroft.

The band is Mrs. Johnston. Two really are brothers — Danny and Kyle Lamb; Graham Morley and Jay Baty are friends of the Lamb brothers from St. Davids elementary school, and Ashcroft is the Lambs' cousin.

"We're not only tight musically, we're all best buddies," said Ashcroft.

"We consider each other brothers."

A November win of a battle-of-the-bands contest shows their music is well-received, but a recent fundraising evening in Niagara-on-the-Lake is an indication of their community spirit.

The Niagara Falls contest win has helped to launch the band, adding to a well-deserved reputation locally. The next step is to spread that recognition further afield.

Helping to do that is an effort that falls into the good-works category. The New Year's Eve well-attended "New York, New York" fundraiser at the NOTL community centre raised money for the local Red Roof Retreat, a day camp and respite facility for special-needs kids, and for the Spina Bifida/Hydrocephalus Association.

The band has also recorded a song, The Simple Things, which will be released on iTunes, a portion of proceeds from which will go to the international SB&H Association.

The Simple Things, says Danny, was inspired by all the young people suffering from hydrocephalus or spina bifida that he met in his role as an ambassador for the SB&H Association. The band is now in the process of shooting a music video of the song.

It is one of seven songs on their CD, Late Night Sessions with Mrs. Johnston, which will be launched at a release party to be held on Queen Street in Toronto.

Growing up in St. Davids, Danny loved to play hockey and soccer—and was good at both. But a shunt to drain excess fluid from his brain, a life-long treatment for hydrocephalus, meant he eventually had to give up his favourite sports, or face serious risks to his health.

He had always loved music and singing. And as devastated as he was to give up competitive sports, it allowed him to devote more time to music, and that was the beginning of his future as a musician. Danny, Kyle and Ashcroft played together through their teens, as did Baty and Morley, so it wasn't a stretch to combine their talents in one band.

The name Mrs. Johnston, they explain, came as a bit of a mockery at jocks — their creative streaks made them the anti-jocks — who lived in a residence at the University of Guelph called Johnston Hall.

But it has evolved from that to represent the "persona" of the band, the mysterious Mrs. Johnston who is pictured on their CD cover but whose face is never shown. The mystery of the unknown has come to symbolize their music, and they hope to keep it that way, growing it into more of a brand than a type of music.

Morley describes their sound as pop, with hints of rock and funk — but, the guys agree, it's so much more than that.

It could be considered, they say, "the next level of a party band."

"We have fun with our music," says Ashcroft, "and we look like we're having fun."

"We have fun on stage, and the people who are listening have fun," agrees Morley.

The band writes its own music, with special consideration for lyrics that are meaningful.

"We're obsessed with lyrics, each and every word is considered and sometimes changed several times before we get it just right," says Ashcroft.

"There are messages in our lyrics. It's important to us that they be relevant, and that the people who listen to us can relate to what we have to say," adds Danny.

The band is currently working with a Juno-nominated Toronto producer on their second CD.

Three of the five band members are in university — two in St. Catharines and one in Guelph, which has presented some challenges — but they look forward to touring this summer. - Welland Tribune