For Your Ears Only: Everlea

You’ve never truly heard a band’s sound until you see them perform live and the stage presence Everlea seem to emit isn’t one that can be described with flashy adjectives. Before their first headlining show at The Mod Club in Toronto, guitarist Casey Shea was able to answer a few of our questions.

© Veronica Summerhill

How did you come up with the name Everlea?

We used to be a band called “Saucepan Heroes” and we were trying to think of a way better name than that for obvious reasons. Justin (singer/guitarist) was in the shower and thought that we were going to be known as “Formerly Saucepan Heroes Forever” and then we changed the spelling to ‘Everlea’ ’cause we’re cool like that. Only kidding.
 
If Everlea was a physical being, what would it be and what type of personality would it have?

It would have a chilled out person, but would also be outgoing. Also, it would be happy and sad at the same time.
 
When did you first get involved in music?

I got involved with music when I was 12 after seeing Nirvana on Saturday night live. Nirvana made me realize that you don’t have to be an amazing musician to write a catchy tune. Also, I wanted to figure out a way to meet girls, because I just wasn’t dating enough at 12.
 
How did the band first come about?

Justin had started the band with a couple of his school yard chums in high school where there are no yards. I think they wanted to write a couple of songs and enter an upcoming band competition.

What artists influence you the most?

Our influences can come from anywhere. We like to take elements from everywhere to create one unique sound. But if I had to say some particular artists then N*E*R*D, Copeland and Cursive.
 
The Smashing Pumpkins or Taking Back Sunday?

Personally, I have to go with The Smashing Pumpkins because they were such a huge influence on me when I started to play guitar. I love TBS too though.
 
How would you describe your music?

Original catchy pop songs.
 
What’s one unique thing you bring to the table that other bands don’t?

I don’t know if this is really unique, but we like to have a personal connection to our fans. Our fans mean the world to us because without them we wouldn’t be here doing this.
 
What’s been your favourite show that you’ve played and why?

A huge highlight for us was opening for Taking Back Sunday at the Kool Haus! We’ve been listening to TBS since we started the whole band thing, so it was pretty darn cool to open for them!
 
Name one song you just can’t seem to get out of your head these days.

I’m going to go with ‘Little Secrets’ by Passion Pit because that’s the song Justin is always putting it on. Some of the new tunes we’ve been working on get stuck in my head quite a bit too though.

What are a few bands you hope to play with someday?

I’d love to play a show with Cursive, Smashing Pumpkins or Bjork. We probably wouldn’t fit in very well at a Bjork show though.
 
How excited are you for your headlining gig at The Mod Club on November 21st?

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! – Translation: super dang-diddley-uper excited!
 
How hard is it to succeed as a up-and-coming band in Ontario?

I think it’s different for everyone. We’ve had a lot of highs and lows in the five years we’ve spent as Everlea. One thing that we’ve found is that if you want to succeed you have to do it for yourself. If you’re waiting for it to happen, or depending on someone else to make it happen for you, you’re not going to make it anywhere in this business.
 
Favourite place in Toronto to hang out at?

My apartment! Other than that, there’s this really cool bar close to my place called “Kayley’s Cottage” which is a really cool pub where you can roast marshmallows out on the patio!
 
What does music mean to you?

Music is life. A pretty cliche thing to say, but its true. I can’t really picture what my life would be like without music, nor would I want to.

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