UPDATE: April 9
Sc Mira and daysormay’s April 22 performance at The Green has been cancelled.
Original
For Sc Mira, it’s all about carving their own path in a world full of derivative music.
Winnipeg’s staunch supporters of the independent movement took their belief to the next level and the genre death pop, which will have it’s Okanagan debut at Vernon’s The Green April 22, was born.
“What we decided to call it is death pop,” said Mario Lagasse, who tows the bass line. “It’s pop with a harsher edge. It’s fun, totally a new thing.”
Death pop, which Lagasse said is in the vein of Canadian synth-pop icons Metric illuminated under a heavier and darker light, was brought to the forefront after Sc Mira joined forces with mix-engineer Ferro Montanino for their self-produced EPs Keep Crawling and Drug Warm Coma.
Montanino, also a Winnipeg-product and classically-trained pianist and pop producer who rose to international renown after collaborating with electronic-music giant Skrillex for the film Spring Breakers, helped the five-piece band uncover their sound, as evidenced on Drug Warm Coma, which drops April 20, just before the Vernon performance.
“The new EP is a wonderful mix of the five band members,” Lagasse said, adding that each member has a unique and distinct musical background. “It really just came from spending a lot of time together. We’re very, very happy with it.”
Watch: Sc Mira — Noose (Animated Short). Warning: animated blood
Drug Warm Coma, the second of Sc Mira’s offerings in a pairing of parallel EPs, also denotes a new era for the band, Lagasse said.
Sc Mira has its roots in a Winnipeg warehouse converted into a studio in 2013, when singer Sadye Cage and axeman Ty Vega began jamming together. The duo, who had been touring Winnipeg’s coffeehouses and open mics, released Waiting Room Baby in 2015, garnering attention from Noisey, and Sc Mira began to take shape.
Enter bassist Lagasse, Caro LaFlamme on keys and now ex-drummer Jed Desilets, who was replaced by Joel Leonhardt in late-2016.
“Really, the band has been around for five years but about two years with the current lineup,” Lagasse said.
Now with their complete, dream team lineup, Lagasse said, it’s time to expand their reach and get Sc Mira in peoples’ earbuds.
“This whole project is to cement our sound and garner industry recognition,” Lagasse said. “This is basically a turning point for the band.”
Starting in Vancouver in late April, the tour sees Sc Mira debut their sound in new locales before ending at Canadian Music Week 2018 in Toronto.
And, now that the momentum has started, Lagasse said they hope to just enjoy the ride.
“What I love is just being creative, just having an outlet to get out the crap you deal with in the day and live life to the fullest,” Lagasse said. “Music is all I’ve ever known.”
The 24-year-old bassist first picked up the strings at age 14 and hasn’t looked back since.
“This band is my main outlet,” Lagasse said.
While their tunes delve deep into the darkness, their live performance is far from mellow.
“We’re an extremely exciting live band. It’s not a theatrical show, but we do think about our stage presence,” Lagasse said. “Death pop leans towards energy.”
Sc Mira — who have rocked stages across the globe, including festival stops in Chicago, New York, Montreal and an unforgettable Tokyo experience — will grace the Vernon stage alongside local favourites daysormay. Advance tickets are available online at www.ticketfly.com for $10. Doors open at 7 p.m. Music starts at 8 p.m.
@VernonNews
entertainment@vernonmorningstar.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.