Nestled in downtown Toronto, Invasions aren’t your average band. They represent Canadian indie rock to the fullest but as they told us, they’re focused solely on creating tunes people can groove to.
How did you guys come up with the name Invasions?
Wiggs: Isaiah and I were getting high in a park one night and heard some screams from a nearby house so we figured the house was being invaded and we ended up naming ourselves after that. Than we heroically rescued a woman and her children.
Alex Isaiah: We were on the news, and someone filmed the whole thing, we got the key to the city, no big deal though. Everyone gets to be a hero sometimes.
If Invasions was a physical being, what would it be and what type of personality would it have?
Wiggs: I’d like to say the Beatles.
Isaiah: Abraham Lincoln.
When did you guys first get involved in music?
Isaiah: We’re classically trained baroque artists.
Wiggs: Not really. We used to play blitzkrieg bop with our music teacher in school. He showed us the light.
How did the band first come about?
Wiggs: We started out as kids in high school. Isaiah played the drums back then and I was playing the bass guitar because I couldn’t be arsed to learn the guitar. We really wanted to cover Smoke on the Water badly and we had a friend who was a wicked guitarist, light years ahead of us. We kept on playing throughout high school and into college.
Isaiah: My uncle is a musician and gave me drums when I was a kid. I was always writing lyrics but was intimidated at the thought of the guitar. Then once I went away to University I learned the guitar and couldn’t put it down. Then we picked up some more band mates along the way. Took em from the streets, clothed them, taught them English, and gave them some garlic and onions to make them men. It grows hair on your chest.
What artists influence you the most?
Isaiah: The Libertines and everything Pete Doherty related, Joy division, Piper at the Gates of Dawn, Willie Nelson, The Animals, Otis Redding. Proper good songs here or there, I’m more influenced by emotions and situations
Wiggs: The British Invasion, The Band, Arts and Crafts records, Bob Marley, dub music, The Blues, and all the obvious ones.
Bob Dylan or The Strokes?
Wiggs: It depends if were partying on a Saturday night or feeling hungover the next morning, but usually Dylan.
Isaiah: Dylan all the time. Gets me in the mood.
How would you describe your music?
Wiggs: Something you can groove to. Find a partner and grind out hard haha.
Isaiah: Skip the bullshit, the real deal. A religious experience, if you listen you will learn.
As far as your sound goes, would it be acceptable to say you guys flirt a bit with Canadian indie rock but douse it in raw garage rock and a bit of psychedelic blues?
Wiggs: That’s fair. We do listen to those styles.
Isaiah: We really play the music that comes naturally to us, and we take from our experiences as we go.
What’s one unique thing you guys bring to the table that other bands don’t?
Wiggs: Our hair cuts
Isaiah: Gut instinct
Wiggs: Criminal records
Isaiah: The ability to fly
What’s been your favourite show so far and why?
Wiggs: The shows that we put on ourselves are always our favourites. When we first started out we’d do that a lot but we’ve sort of gotten lazy and let promoters do the work for us. We all really enjoy playing in smaller venues too. Little pubs that are packed to the brim. Stadiums are cool too.
What’s missing from the Canadian music scene and what does it need less of?
Isaiah: Canada is doing pretty well for itself, we have some good local acts here in Toronto and Montreal is doing well for itself as well. What really needs to happen though is for everyone to get over this lo-fi crap, and write music with actual feelings not some artificially generated junk.
Favourite place in Toronto to hang out at?
Isaiah: Our own house. We live downtown, so it’s conveniently located to some of our favorite pubs and places. Sneaky Dees is a prime breakfast spot. We go to Ronnie’s pub a lot.
When can we expect the Black Fuzz EP and how would you describe it in one word?
Isaiah: In November we’ll release it and hope to tour with it in January. We’ll be putting on a string of our own shows with some great bands as well.
It’s CONFRONTATIONAL.
What does music mean to you?
Isaiah: Therapy. Escape. It keeps everything going while setting a mood, and keeps me sane, although sometimes a good song can make you insane. I hope our music makes you start to go insane.
Wiggs: Music is something that you can become immersed in fully whether your chilling out or partying hard. It can relate to just about every state of mind you could possibly be in, and so it’s beautifully limitless.
well done, lads