Jun. 27, 2012 - Issue #871: Edmonton 2012
The Lad Mags
» Girls plus boy / Fish Griwkowsky
Four multi-talented ladies and a dude on drums make up one of Edmonton's newest acts to rock out on the local music scene.
The Lad Mags, who are self-described as one part scrappy garage rock and one part '60s girl group, came together this April. The idea for the project sparked between guitarist/vocalist Amelia Aspen and guitarist/keyboardist/vocalist Roz Christian, and the idea kept resurfacing for the better part of a year before they finally decided it was time to take action.
From there, they enlisted keyboardist, guitarist and vocalist Dara Humniski, whom Aspen works with at the Edmonton Arts Council, their friend Candice Kelly on bass and vocals and drummer Joe Stagliano, who Aspen discovered via Facebook when he posted he was bored and looking for a band. Overall, the female-dominated dynamic has turned out to be a good move for the group.
"We sort of lucked into the perfect combination," says Aspen. "Joe is possibly the most laid back human I've ever met, in the best way. He still gets really excited about stuff, but he's pretty laid back and just lets us do our thing."
The group has been an interesting change of pace for Christian, who was outnumbered by guys in her previous bands Brontoscorpio and the Frosted Tipz. She says Stagliano acts as a bit of dude backbone and the other girls create an atmosphere that's supportive and conducive for creativity.
This supportive atmosphere has been even more beneficial considering the group has varied experience when it comes to the music industry. The Lad Mags is Humniski's first band and Kelly plays in one called April and the Other Months, but Aspen says it is also a relatively new act. She adds that there's consistently small moments of mentoring one another that happen in a very casual, natural way.
"Everyone's bringing something totally different, and because everybody's not crusty old established people who are really set in their ways, we're learning a lot from each other," Aspen notes.
"There's a sort of innocence they bring which is totally rad to work with and inspiring in a way," Christian adds of the more novice members. "It's just kind of refreshing ... whereas working with men there are often dominant forces in the room that struggle to overpower one another. I found this experience, partly because some of us are novices and partly because we're women, it just seems like a very supportive vibe."
The Lad Mags may still be in its early stages, but the five-piece is wasting no time getting its name out there. The band's first show, the kick-off to its first mini tour and first release all coincide at the same time.
"It's a bit of a pants-shitter," Aspen says with a laugh. "It's kind of terrifying, but at the same time, why not?"
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