Thank Magnets

With the hopes of being able to quit their day jobs, a Calgary based all-girl band is heading to the recording studio.

It’s not that they hate their day jobs. Aislinn Grant is an assistant manager at a retail store and Jasmin Frederickson works in a cafe. It is just not what they are passionate about and what they want to be doing for the rest of their lives.

“I really hope in the next year that I can quit my job,” said Frederickson. “Not that I don’t like my job, I love my job, but when your serving sandwiches to people all day it’s like ... well. One day I want to be sleeping in, then practicing drums, and then having a band practice, then going over our budget and then going out and playing a show. That sounds like a good day to me.” Although their goals at first were slightly unrealistic the band members have come to realize that they don’t need to be incredibly famous to be happy. Just the music and doing what they love is enough for them.

“When I first started I really did want to be huge, like absolutely huge,” said Grant. “The next Joni Mitchell, and then I came to this realization; I just want to be self sustainable doing what I love. I want to do what I love instead of having to go to university, pay crazy amounts for education and end up doing something that I hate just so that I can spend 5-11 at night doing what I want. I just want to make enough so that I can enjoy life.”

The Thank Magnets, the name of the group, have done a few recordings. Some they describe as amateur and others as a waste of money, but they are excited to put out their first serious EP.

“What I envision is music that is not meaningless,” Grant said. “I want to do something that makes a difference. I want to make an impact and influence and inspire people to do something different. For me there’s no other purpose.”

After the recent departure of their third band mate the Thank Magnets decided that this was the time to go for it and start recording.

“A lot of things fell into place,” Grant said, “Tammy (the third band member) left the band and it kind of made us think, maybe we should stop what we’re doing and make this worthwhile. At shows people constantly ask us if we have CDs. And, honestly, we have the money to do it now, so why not?”

The Thank Magnets describe themselves as an indie-folk band that has been drifting towards indie-rock as of late.

Indie has come to mean simply independent as opposed to unique but for the Thank Magnets the original meaning still applies said Andrea Llewellyn, program co-ordinator for That Empty Space, a venue at the University of Calgary.

“They’re unique musicians with beautiful voices and that leaves an everlasting impression,” Llewellyn said.

The Thank Magnets determination to be a kind and honest band is extremely evident Llewellyn said.
“I would rather book a band that was nice to me, being a good person is really important to me,” Llewellyn said, “and the Thank Magnets are very sincere and genuine.”

But being nice isn’t the only reason the Thank Magnets have played three shows to date at That Empty Space.

“They always leave the audience with a fulfilled feeling,” Llewellyn said. “(The audience members) are happy, satisfied, and feel like it was worth coming. The passion that they put into their music, you can really hear it; they have such a good sound.”

Apart from a few parking tickets on Grant's part, the girls say they are extremely lucky and credit this to the philosophy of thanking magnets. That philosophy is also the origin of their unique name.

“Every single person has a magnet, but not everyone calls it a magnet, some people call it God, or fate or whatever,” Frederickson said. “But if we really just vibe with what’s going on around us we find that we’re drawn to certain people, places and things and some magic can really happen. So I think when you realize that, you stop thinking about all the negative stuff that happens and just focus on the good, on the magnets and the things that are bringing you together and you just trust it. That’s thanking magnets. That’s Thank Magnets.”

“We literally have opportunities presented to us on a platter all the time,” Grant said. “We meet great people who are willing to help us all the time and we’re just lucky.”

One of those opportunities came in the form of last year’s Sled Island. Sled Island is a large music festival held every year in Calgary at over 30 different venues and normally lasts four days. Most bands that play have to apply and the competition is stiff.

But the Thank Magnets ended up playing Sled Island without even really knowing.

“We were kind of unintentionally a part of it (Sled Island),” Frederickson said. “We wanted to be a part of Market Collective one summer so they put us in a show. And then we found out that show was going to be a part of Sled Island so technically we were a part of Sled Island. Which is a pretty big deal.”

Frequent Thank Magnets audience member Vanessa Vegter can’t wait to get a copy of the Thank Magnets first EP.

Vegter says she is especially excited for the release because, “I’ve seen them progress as a band and go through struggles. Now they’re going in a good direction and they’ve found their voice. It’s exciting to see them expand.”

Vegter says what keeps her going back to shows is the simple fact that she never gets bored of the music or the feeling that she gets when watching the Thank Magnets perform.

“Whether you’ve heard them once or a hundred times,” Vegter said, “it’s always a good experience. It’s very relaxing and the positive energy makes you feel good, no matter how bad your day was. The Thank Magnets have an amazing presence. They connect so well on stage that you can connect with them, but they are both so different so you don’t get that exclusiveness.”

As for a third band mate the Thank Magnets are not rushing into anything.

“I think we learned a lot from the experience,” Grant said, “and we are, at this point, ready to wait for the right opportunity to come. We are not willing to jump into something that we know is not the right fit. It’ll happen.”
- Alexandra Morrison with the Calgary Journal

After Feist dominated the Junos last year, it seems that there is a whole plethora of artists popping up all over who are heavily influenced by the Calgary native. Thank Magnets, a female duo from Alberta, say they have her to thank for paving the way.

"I'd say we were definitely inspired by Feist, Eric Clapton and a lot of local bands," says band member Jasmin Frederickson. "The Calgary music scene is very under-appreciated and underrepresented. It's definitely there. There are amazing artists in Calgary. People just don't take the time to learn, appreciate and support local talent."

But, unlike Feist, Thank Magnets has two women, Frederickson and Aislinn Grant, which means double the fun and double the talent. Frederickson has many adjectives to describe their music.

"Simple, yet very satisfying, intellectual, but relatable," she says. "There's a harmony between Aislinn and I. I hope people feel how passionate we are and they too can feel passionate about their dreams and go for it."

Frederickson says dynamic duo has been fervent about music from a very early age.

"Through high school we both were very interested in music, but never thought it was practical," she recalls. "After we were done school, we decided that if it was a passion we would make it work. There haven't really been any very big sacrifices, just more time dedicated to music rather than family and friends. Following music has made life a struggle in some ways, but we wouldn't have it any other way."

Even though music has always been a part of them, it took some growing up for the couplet to blossom into the lyrical thrill they are today.

"In high school, I had an idea that I was alright [at music]," Frederickson admits. "I wasn't confident about it. Confidence is half of being good at music. Basically just someone had a guitar and booze, we sang and something clicked. Then we started doing some open mics, then created a couple original songs and just worked."

After coming together, they faced the next step: figuring out a name. Staying true to their mythical aura, they landed on Thank Magnets.

"[Thank Magnets is] philosophy of life to thank whatever brings you to a situation or brings whatever and whomever is in your life," Frederickson says. "We believe that relationships and friendships are important. A friend who wrote me a letter about thanking magnets is what started it all."

At the end of the day, it does not matter who you pay homage to, as long as you're doing something you love. They have devoted themselves to their passion, which has proven to be a wise choice. They are now part of the small, but very talented music scene and things can only go up from here. They are very humble and plan to keep it that way forever.

"In 20 years, hopefully we would like to be established artists, helping other developing artists," Frederickson says. "We have a dream of owning a big cottage with a recording studio, so we can make music whenever we want."
- The Gauntlet (University of Calgary)