Waiting for Sunday embrace the digital age
Waiting for Sunday's Dan Hudson.
Waiting for Sunday aren’t bothered by the daily surge of bad news for the record industry. The increasing rise in piracy and the steady decline of CD sales certainly hasn’t phased the band, which has just released their own independent CD. Chalk it up to youth and optimism. But you’d be optimistic too if your band was half as dynamic as these guys.
Waiting for Sunday, who formed two years ago in Vancouver, came together naturally over time without a real or conscious plan to do so. Very quickly they developed a solid repertoire of folk-rock material, borne of many jam sessions and some heavy gigging. The result of their hard work is now on display on their debut CD, The Courage, the Strength, the Wisdom and Doubt.
“We want you to feel like you can relate to the songs,” says guitarist Matt Gauld, “that you're a part of something much more.”
It’s a refreshing comment, one that shows there are still bands more concerned with impact than image. Gauld’s comment is also a reflection of maturity for a band that claims to otherwise have no maturity.
“Never been called mature before,” says an amused Gauld. “Dan [Hudson, vocalist/guitarist] does a really good job writing lyrics that are deep with a message or story behind them. But, really, we're only mature for that three-to-five minute song. Hang out with us after, you'll see.”
Hudson, who writes the bulk of the songs for Waiting for Sunday, is also amused by the suggestion that he and his mates are all that mature. “I guess it depends on who you ask,” he says. “We just keep it simple, a song about love should mention one’s experience, not purple elephants or fast cars.”
In an age where iPods have wiped out CDs, if not from existence then certainly in terms of chic, there’s an ever-constant increase in audience fragmentation. Long gone are the days where a bands sole priority was to get a CD on the shelves of HMV.
For the band, all young men who grew up in a music downloading world, they don’t see piracy as having a negative effect on their potential success. If anything, downloading and piracy will be a boon.
“We know we're trying to get into this business where bands don't make money off CDs,” says Hudson. “It’s about exposure though; if we've done our job properly then I’m hoping however you got our CD that's now on your computer or iPod, you'll check out when the next show is and come see us live.”
As a result of their live work, the band have won a loyal following who are willing to “support us because they know we have been busting our asses over the last year,” says Hudson.
“Your music is like your business card,” he says, “it’s your introduction to a new buyer, and it’s an extended hand waiting to be shook.”
Islanders should get the chance to shake hands with Waiting for Sunday soon. The band hopes to play Victoria and beyond at some point in the very near future.
For more info on the band, go here.
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