Shematomas

What originated as a typical meeting for a band interview turned into an adventure to a haunted mansion just outside of downtown Calgary. Three of the four members of local all-girl punk rock band, The Shematomas, were present at the agreed upon meeting spot, but their fourth member had slept in after a night of partying.

After settling in at the mansion, which is also home to two members and acts as a jam space for the band, we continued to engage in deep conversation regarding this rapidly emerging foursome. Having been together for just shy of five months, these levelheaded ladies are making quite the impact on Calgary’s music scene. Drummer, Lace Shaw, and lead guitarist, Jamie Fooks, decided to create a band while working together at Local 510. Their mutual friend, Kayla MacNeil, was present for this conversation and offered her aspiring guitar skills to the idea. The girls had recruited a bassist at that time but replaced her with Rena Kozak when she moved to Toronto.

Fooks explains that the band’s material comes together in a rather organic way. “We do everything collaboratively, we discuss everything that we’re writing and make sure that everyone is down. At first we were trying to avoid too many love songs, even though that’s really hard to avoid. However, they’re ambiguous enough that they could be applied to a lot of scenarios.”

Their ability to write music in such an effortless way can be attributed to the strength of each of the numerous levels of the relationships that the foursome shares. Fooks continues, “Everyone is supportive of each other - nobody tears anyone else down, even if they don’t like someone else’s idea. It’s always approached in a reasonable way.”

Kozak adds, “It’s really constructive. And I think it’s because none of us are really in this to prove how awesome we are - there’s no competition between us. I think that’s been the failure of any band I’ve been a part of before: there is competition between members internally to prove that they’re writing the best shit, or that they’re so good at what they’re doing. But we’ve built this comfort with each other and all we want is to have a good time.” Having the same objectives and an equivalent ethos has allowed these women to build a successful music career at an unarguably successful rate. Shaw sums it up as coming down to “talent, excitement and fortitude - wanting to do it.” All four members agree that the bottom line as The Shematomas is to have fun.
Without a doubt, this young band has shown that they have what it takes to put a successful band together and they are eager to see what the future holds for all of their hard work. Recording the seven songs that they have written as soon as possible is the next item on the band’s agenda, with hopes of a mini western tour to follow.

Beyond that, The Shematomas have nowhere to go but up. Kozak proclaims, “We’ve tapped into the way that songs are starting to feel with all four of us playing together and I think we’re going to continue on that path of making a lot of really cool stuff. I’m really excited about where it’s going to go.”

In an industry driven by the desire to succeed on a level defined by universal success, it is refreshing to know that there are musicians who still make music with their friends for the sheer pleasure of what playing in a band can bring. - Beatroute Magazine

What originated as a typical meeting for a band interview turned into an adventure to a haunted mansion just outside of downtown Calgary. Three of the four members of local all-girl punk rock band, The Shematomas, were present at the agreed upon meeting spot, but their fourth member had slept in after a night of partying.

After settling in at the mansion, which is also home to two members and acts as a jam space for the band, we continued to engage in deep conversation regarding this rapidly emerging foursome. Having been together for just shy of five months, these levelheaded ladies are making quite the impact on Calgary’s music scene. Drummer, Lace Shaw, and lead guitarist, Jamie Fooks, decided to create a band while working together at Local 510. Their mutual friend, Kayla MacNeil, was present for this conversation and offered her aspiring guitar skills to the idea. The girls had recruited a bassist at that time but replaced her with Rena Kozak when she moved to Toronto.

Fooks explains that the band’s material comes together in a rather organic way. “We do everything collaboratively, we discuss everything that we’re writing and make sure that everyone is down. At first we were trying to avoid too many love songs, even though that’s really hard to avoid. However, they’re ambiguous enough that they could be applied to a lot of scenarios.”

Their ability to write music in such an effortless way can be attributed to the strength of each of the numerous levels of the relationships that the foursome shares. Fooks continues, “Everyone is supportive of each other - nobody tears anyone else down, even if they don’t like someone else’s idea. It’s always approached in a reasonable way.”

Kozak adds, “It’s really constructive. And I think it’s because none of us are really in this to prove how awesome we are - there’s no competition between us. I think that’s been the failure of any band I’ve been a part of before: there is competition between members internally to prove that they’re writing the best shit, or that they’re so good at what they’re doing. But we’ve built this comfort with each other and all we want is to have a good time.” Having the same objectives and an equivalent ethos has allowed these women to build a successful music career at an unarguably successful rate. Shaw sums it up as coming down to “talent, excitement and fortitude - wanting to do it.” All four members agree that the bottom line as The Shematomas is to have fun.
Without a doubt, this young band has shown that they have what it takes to put a successful band together and they are eager to see what the future holds for all of their hard work. Recording the seven songs that they have written as soon as possible is the next item on the band’s agenda, with hopes of a mini western tour to follow.

Beyond that, The Shematomas have nowhere to go but up. Kozak proclaims, “We’ve tapped into the way that songs are starting to feel with all four of us playing together and I think we’re going to continue on that path of making a lot of really cool stuff. I’m really excited about where it’s going to go.”

In an industry driven by the desire to succeed on a level defined by universal success, it is refreshing to know that there are musicians who still make music with their friends for the sheer pleasure of what playing in a band can bring. - Beatroute Magazine