Local Band Lands Record Deal
Big things to come for these four musicians.
This local band is giving everything to make their mark on the music industry, and if you haven’t already heard about them you’re going to want to tune in.
Selfish Things is a Toronto based rock band composed of four members, including two from Barrie. Alex Biro (vocals, guitar, piano), Mike Ticar (lead guitar/vocals), Cam Snooks (rhythm guitar) and Jordan Trask (drums) established Selfish Things in 2015 and have not stopped since.
From Left to Right: Alex Biro, Jordan Trask, Cam Snooks and Mike Ticar.
Image Courtesy of Selfish Things via Facebook.
In just three years together, the band has already traveled all across Canada and the US, toured with Simple Plan, opened for Against the Current, Hawthorne Heights and Moose Blood, and gained almost 100,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. They managed to accomplish all of this before announcing just last week that they have now signed to Weekday Records/Sony Music Group.
[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””] “I feel like we don’t even really know where the ceiling is.”[/perfectpullquote]
Lead singer Alex Biro explains that this milestone is huge for the band and will give them the money and platform necessary to take their work to the next level. In celebration of their record deal, Selfish Things released their newest single Flood last Friday. In its first five days, the single was already played over 50, 000 times.
This is only the beginning of what is to come for this band and what they are now capable of with the backing “both monetarily and within the industry”. Biro told Barrie 360 that going forward he doesn’t “really know where the ceiling is”.
After spending months away from home and a period of time in Florida working on their EP, the boys have really come together in what Biro says feels more like a family of brothers than a band. He gave us a glimpse into their dynamic by explaining, “Cam is the one who makes everyone laugh, Mike is the quiet, emotional softy who looks like he could beat you up and Jordan is kind of the Master Splinter of the band.”
He says the boys work well together because they hold one another accountable and treat their work like a job. They are with each other in conflict, resolution, support, and celebration. The boys even go so far as to go to his daughters birthday party every year.
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Overall the guys hope they set a good example for their listeners, but there is so much more to be taken from what they do. Shedding a little more light on what can be expected from their music Biro says:
“It’s just honest. I think it’s the first time in my life that I’ve legitimately told the truth. I think it’s really okay to engage with darkness, to acknowledge it, despite the fact that people run from it. At a show, the collective feeling you get when everyone is engaged in what’s happening is irrefutably the equalization of our human suffering. I really feel like our words connect to people in every way imaginable. That’s the point of what we do.”
June 28, 2017 Selfish Things Blog Entry
Courtesy of Selfish Things via Official Band Website
As far as influences go, all four members have been impacted by bands such as Taking Back Sunday, Brand New, Dashboard Confessional and Glassjaw. However, seeing the success of other home-grown bands is what has really determined where these guys set the bar. “Watching bands like Silverstein and Alexisonfire make it on the international stage after paying with canned goods to see them live, showed us that it was feasible for Canadian kids to break beyond the border.”
[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]”Barrie and Toronto shows feel like you’re coming home.”[/perfectpullquote]
Selfish Things has already played a number of shows across Canada and the US but Biro says playing in Barrie and the GTA always feels like coming home. “It’s nice to see your friends and to have the crowd be like, 40% uncles and moms and sisters/brothers who just want to show their love and support.”
Photo by Kelsey Gie via Facebook
So what’s next for Selfish Things? They have an upcoming tour in Ontario/Quebec to cap off the year, a bigger tour set for 2019 and a brand new album being finalized for release. They’re “ready to take on 2019 and knock it out of the f***ing park”.
For upcoming tour dates, click here.
