On Mar. 19, the Vancouver-based rock band, The Bad, are set to play two shows at the Rusty Edge at Fernie Alpine Resort. The early show will be from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and the late show will start at 9 p.m.
The band blends all their favourite points of many genres into a sound that is their own.
“The Bad definitely like to genre jump. You will find bits of alt country, folk rock, blues, punk and stoner rock, even a touch of psychedelia and reggae. But in the end it all boils down to R’n’R [rock and roll] or what I like to call Northern Rock,” said singer/songwriter Ryan Olszewski. “Some songs get dark and moody, but we like to focus on fun, energetic, chorus driven songs lately. Influences come from all over the place. Bruce Springsteen, Drive-By Truckers, Bad Religion, Waylon Jennings, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club to name a few.
The band was formed in 2014 and after a year of jamming together they decided to start booking shows and working their local Victoria bar circuit. Since then they have released their first album, Seasons.
“Seasons is our first album. We pressed it on vinyl, screen-printed and hand numbered the sleeves ourselves, included a poster and lyric sheet and a free download. It is definitely the way to experience the album. But it is also available on our website Thebad.ca and a multitude of other online and streaming sources,” said Olszewski.
The Bad is already writing their next album and are excited to record once they return from their tour.
“We are planning on cutting a new single and a few B-sides as soon as we get back from our tour. We are very excited about the new material. More upbeat, big choruses, more accessible and still 100 per cent honest heart on sleeve rock ‘n roll,” Olszewski said.
The audience can expect to hear some of these unrecorded tracks this weekend at their show.
“We will be playing many tracks off the album and tons of new material while on the road. I can't wait to debut a few songs and show people outside of Vancouver Island what we're doing out on the Coast,” said Olszewski. “We have a great music scene in Victoria. You will be hearing more from people like Jesse Roper, Band of Rascals, and Deep Sea Gypsies and Malahat this year.”
The band is a four piece with Ryan Olszewski and Nathaniel Noel on guitar and vocals, Tyler Jackson Piercy banging on the drums and Jordan "Skid" Cunningham playing the bass. The Bad draws their writing inspiration from two members, Olszewski and Noel.
“We actually have two writers and two singers. This really gives us a huge array of styles and influences and now that we've been a band for as long as we have it is all natural now. [It’s] such a great thing to be able to have two people bring songs in and have everyone help on arrangements if and when the song needs it,” said Olszewski. “Everyone has great taste and knows how to make a song hit you in the guts. We aim for that as much as possible. Also everyone in the band sings harmonies.”
This will be the first show in Fernie for everyone in the band.
“We are very excited to be playing the Rusty Edge while the ski season is still rolling. I've always heard it is a great party town and it is a perfect stop on your way to Alberta from further west in the province,” said Olszewski.