Latest / Unsigned518 / Unsigned518 - Episode 231 - Jay L'Ecuyer

Transcript

Unsigned518 - Episode 231 - Jay L'Ecuyer · Unsigned518

• 0:01
  Speaker A: He was born on a Saturday in 73 he loves punk rock music fighting the 13 jabbing the dazzle J on the beat Guitar with the short with radio back his motherfucking envy Scrolling look at motherfucker, cuz here he comes Andy
• 0:23
  Speaker B: Scrolling wearing his or his hands.
• 0:27
  Speaker C: Welcome to Unsigned518. I'm here with Jade Lacuyer.
• 0:31
  Speaker D: Nailed it.
• 0:32
  Speaker C: Nailed it. Before we got going, I was a little nervous about the pronunciation.
• 0:38
  Speaker D: Our rehearsals went really well,
• 0:43
  Speaker C: but I did all right.
• 0:44
  Speaker D: Say it with me. I'm probably not even saying it right.
• 0:48
  Speaker C: It's.
• 0:48
  Speaker D: I'm doing an English version of what would probably be like, right.
• 0:52
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 0:53
  Speaker D: Anyone from Quebec? Is Quebec right? Any French people listening right now are rolling their eyes hard at me telling you how to pronounce.
• 1:01
  Speaker C: All right, well, we're not. We're not. I guess we're not. A phonetic. A phonetic lesson happening here because we're just a couple of. A couple of white dudes. Talk about some music.
• 1:12
  Speaker E: Yeah.
• 1:13
  Speaker D: Let us tell you about culture, everyone.
• 1:15
  Speaker C: And I want to, like, you know, I don't know again. I told you, you could. We could talk about whatever you want. But I definitely want to hit on the comedy too, because you're full Reals.
• 1:24
  Speaker D: Thank you.
• 1:25
  Speaker C: Fuel me.
• 1:26
  Speaker D: Cool. Thank you. I said thanks before you said anything, so I was just like, you're reals. And I'm like, you're cute.
• 1:32
  Speaker C: Like, so awful and offensive.
• 1:34
  Speaker D: And I thank you. Thank you so much.
• 1:37
  Speaker C: No.
• 1:38
  Speaker D: So you have seen them?
• 1:38
  Speaker C: Yeah, they're hilarious. Thanks, man. I love them when they come up in my feed. So I. I would like to hit on that maybe at some point.
• 1:46
  Speaker D: Yes, please.
• 1:47
  Speaker C: But we want to talk about music. And you had said that you were in bands, like, in the early 2000s, took a lot of time off and just decided you wanted to come back. So I guess tell us about, like, that feeling and what that has led to. Mm.
• 2:04
  Speaker D: Well, I've always. I am a comedian. I've done comedy since 04, so about 22 years now, but in high school, so that was right out of high school at about 18 or 19, but at around 16. So, like, 02, I started finding really hard music, and it just, like, it just blew me away. Like, I would find bands like Poison the well and Unearth and Zao and these, like, you know, early 2000s kind of metalcore bands, because all my friends happened to be in them. And then I realized there was a whole scene in my. I'm from Welland, Ontario, right outside of Niagara Falls, and I didn't Know how good I had it kind of thing where a show was, you know, couple hundred people and like world class bands like Alexis on Fire came out of there from St. Catharines, like the neighboring town, and they blew up as I was kind of getting into it. So all of us kids in the, you know, the local scene were just like, this could happen. Like, this is fucking insane. But then even the other bands that never really, like, blew up, blew up were just wildly talented and would like, tour Canada. So we already had kind of like a. A bar that was kind of set and you couldn't be shitty opening for those guys. But my first ever show was like 300 people at a Lions Club because the whole town was just enamored with this kind of music. Like, even if you weren't really into this music, it was like the place to be. Because the mall could only be fun for so long, I guess. So there'd be even like, you know, preppy kids and they'd be kicking it in the back, just kind of like with their eyes wide. Like, this is insane. But it. But.
• 3:44
  Speaker C: And was it the kind of scene that, you know, because I don't know how embedded you are, like in this scene yet, because I'm sure it's happening, but, like, was it a supportive scene? Was everybody, like, looking out for each other and lifting each other up?
• 3:57
  Speaker D: Yeah, yeah, there was definitely like two tiers because the guys that were in it already for years were so established and really good and they were probably four or five years older than us. And then there was this like, new batch of bands. Mine, we were called Deceived. And there was four or five other bands that were about my age that we were all coming in together. So we were wildly supportive. And then to get like a bit of a nod from those older bands was just like the best. So we kind of snuck our way in and they were thrilled to have more bands and a whole little influx of younger kids that all of our friends that, you know, because they were already out of high school now they had this new batch of high school kids coming to their shows. So I never really encountered. There was like one. One douchebag in a band that would always roll his eyes at us and stuff, but everyone else would roll their eyes at him because he was just a curmudgeon, but everyone else was really
• 4:56
  Speaker C: lovely and I love. And so, you know, bands that, in that kind of scene that it's like the same, I guess, same genre or whatever, but like the same music. And like you said, the next tier came up. Is it. Do you think that is something that's like essential to a scene for bands that maybe even get out of the scene to still show love to it? Or do you think a lot of people just want to get out and make it big and forget about the past type of thing?
• 5:28
  Speaker D: Yeah, I think a bit of both. That'd be a personal, personal thing for everybody. But we did have an eclectic blend of bands. There was really cool hard ska band called the Ceremonial Snips. There was this amazing punk band, Dead, only better. And they went on to do. There became a band called Attack in Black that became really big in Canada. Um, and yeah, there were so many other like, yeah, kind of really fun party bands that would like just cover the Beastie Boys. You gotta fight. But like they were all just such good dudes. So a show was an eclectic blend. But then those last few bands were always more like metalcore, like an unearthed kind of style.
• 6:12
  Speaker C: So it was almost like representing like the entire community.
• 6:16
  Speaker D: Yeah, there'd be like eight or nine bands. Cause everyone, you know, if you only had like a 20 minute set, but you'd rent the place out like a Lions Club or whatever venue, you'd have the place for the night. So you know, my band when we first started out would be on when the sun came up at like, you know, our sun was still out. Sorry. Yeah, it wasn't that long.
• 6:33
  Speaker C: What time are these fucking shit.
• 6:34
  Speaker D: You got an 8am it's like a festival every day. Basically started at 4am get your coffee in you and you go scream. No. When the sun was still out. And then the bigger, older, better bands would go on at like 10ish or something. But it's like a four hour show like and you get to go out and have a couple beers in the parking lot between bands or maybe skip a band you weren't that into. But at least there was always a good crowd in there for those kind of bands.
• 6:59
  Speaker B: Right.
• 7:00
  Speaker D: Like.
• 7:00
  Speaker C: And I do always love the multi genre shows. Me too because to me that show, you know, and I've seen like mostly working in radio. Like in radio I've. I've been witness to a lot of like regional scenes and national scenes that I wasn't necessarily a part of but. But I was like privy to like through trade magazines and like, you know, this and that. And it was like everybody was just in it for themselves and trying to crush the competition and be the only band and the this and that. And I always thought that was like cannibalistic and wasn't going to work.
• 7:37
  Speaker D: Yeah.
• 7:38
  Speaker C: And I think even, like, you know, what you're saying and how the scene is here, it's kind of proven like you have to focus on, like, the community and the people. Like, if you're judging people because you're like, I'm not into that kind of music or that particular music, it's not going to work. You know, you got to focus on who's making the music. Like, yeah, there's a lot of, like, in this scene. Like, I'm not. Admittedly, I'm not a huge hip hop guy, but I have so many friends that are incredible hip hop musicians and I've begun to absorb their music and. And it's opened me up to a whole nother awesome, you know, thing just because the people that make it are fucking cool.
• 8:19
  Speaker D: Yeah. Yeah. And the arts in general. Like, I've always. My brother. My brother's a really good tattoo artist in Niagara, and we talk a lot about the arts and I have, you know, I'm mostly into comedy, but now that I've made friends that are more into music, I just started realizing, like, the arts in general, whatever you happen to be making, if someone's creating something and is excited about it, like, probably my biggest pet peeve in the world. World is anyone, like, on something that someone's excited about. Like, if I ever see someone, like, show a genuine interest in something, and that's not even really the arts in general, but, like, you know, there's a person that, you know legitimately, like, whatever, cuts grass and.
• 9:01
  Speaker C: Or is into bugs, whatever.
• 9:02
  Speaker D: Yeah. And yeah, someone comes up to you with. With their eyes wide, like, man, you got to check this out. And your response is just like, I'm not into that. Or whatever. It's just like. Like, I don't know there. It's almost like, yeah. Keeping that childhood glee now that I have kids especially, like, I really want to keep their excitement for life that light, like, going for as long as possible because, like, at some point, life for the people around them, whether it's friends or work or whatever, there's going to be these, like, curmudgeons around them. Or the time in your life where you think that caring about things is lame, which I think every teen goes through. And that's what was tough about scenes like that. When you're only like, you know, 16, 17 years old, and you're like, I'm gonna put myself out there, like, writing these lyrics, like, whatever the fuck it was like, you know, behind your cloak of deception and like, you know, these metalcore kind of like. Because I loved, you know, bands like that. And I'm like, oh God, I've got to like say these words in front of people. And it's not being funny because people say being funny is like the hardest thing ever. Which it's hard, but it's also like, there's a silliness to it. And to me, anyways, it's easier because it's all just fun and games. Whereas something like this, like the band I'm in now and back then, where there's like a serious element to it, it'd almost be like an actor on set having to like cry or profess their love for somebody on set. And you're like trying to be believable and honest. And like that to me is a lot harder to like, open up emotionally rather than just fucking around.
• 10:40
  Speaker C: And I mean, even like in like my band, like, I'm a. You know, our band is a goofy fucking band. Like, we don't have like serious songs and like, we don't. I mean, we take the music seriously, but like, we're fucking goofballs on stage, you know what I mean? Like, we're not like. Yeah, because that for me personally and for the people in the band, it wouldn't be authentic because not like we're not serious or have emotions, but like we enjoy getting together and being fucking
• 11:12
  Speaker D: goofballs to get back. I went off on a wild tangent there, but your original question was like, supportive or not too supportive of, you know, other bands in the scene. And I think it is the ones that take it so seriously from an early age that like, if I'm gonna do this. And I've had thoughts like this in comedy. Cause I cared so much about it and I wanted so badly to be successful at it. Not in a competitive way, but just sort of like, I don't know, I have to kick myself out of this mindset that it has to be serious. That like every video I put out there, every joke I do has to be the next best thing or I'm a failure or. And I think kids, you know, in those scenes, as young as 16 or however old these bands are, they're trying to prove to their dads that, like, it's not just some fuck around thing, that this could be my future. So if I see people, you know, these other bands being thinking it's some frivolous, like, jokey, fun thing, then I can't associate with them because they're clearly just Doing this as a hobby. And I'm doing it for real.
• 12:17
  Speaker C: Right. Well, I mean, they're not wrong. I am doing it for a hobby.
• 12:20
  Speaker D: Yeah, me too. And that's what's miss.
• 12:22
  Speaker E: That's why it's fun.
• 12:23
  Speaker D: This, the metal band here that we're, that I'm in started as pure. Like a neighbor was like, I was like, you want to do this with me? And he just did. And. And there's such a like freedom in that that we never once have taken this like serious. We do like you just said, like when we're making the thing, we care to make it as good as we can possibly make it and share it with people and hope for the best, but there's nothing. At the end of the day, I'm not. Yeah, exactly. Yeah.
• 12:52
  Speaker C: And like that's the thing too is like, you know, I obviously the name of the show was unsigned 518. Like my focus for the most part is unsigned bands, you know, bands that are doing it themselves. Because that's what fascinates me is people that are getting to the levels that people are in this scene and doing it completely on their own. And like you find out some of these fucking really top performing people, you know, multi award winning people in the scene fully have day jobs, you know, and are doing this because they love it. And that's, you know, what drives me is the fact that people are doing it because they want to.
• 13:33
  Speaker D: Yeah.
• 13:33
  Speaker C: And not because it's making them or someone else money. Yeah.
• 13:40
  Speaker D: And that's freeing because I lucked out about five years ago getting more full time writing and comedy work and that, like, I feel like there'd be a desperation if I didn't. And I still had a quote unquote like day job because I would maybe feel a bit more especially having kids that like, everything means something. And if I'm gonna put my time and effort into something, it needs to be fruitful in some way. So by knowing that like bills and mortgage and all that are like taken care of, that's when I like looked over to my neighbor. He's like 40, I'm 41, he's 41. We both have two young kids. It literally was like almost a garage band kind of thing where, hey man, you wanna make some tunes? Like, yeah. Fuck yeah. And like he just. I couldn't have lucked out harder. He's like a world class composer, musician, like so talented. And I'm like, you know, make me a couple songs and like that even if it wasn't even just the guy threw together some riffs and I got to scream over top of it. Would have. That was all I wanted out of this. And. Yeah, I guess I'm just. Yeah. Fortunate that it's not. Has no desperation to it at all.
• 14:54
  Speaker C: Yeah.
• 14:54
  Speaker D: Like, just for the love of it.
• 14:56
  Speaker C: I love that. Well, let's check out a song. So what's that. What's the band name were called?
• 15:02
  Speaker D: Sky of Ghosts. The most metal name I could have ever come up with. And the first song just came out August 13, 2026, that we are in. It's called Poisoned Grounds. And it's very personal. It is kind of. It has a fatherhood vibe where it is about being, like, planted, you know, as being a newborn into whatever situation you happen to be in and what you were born with and what you're born into and how that all kind of mixes together and makes you the person you are. And if it's not such a great environment you grew up in, it's about trying to
• 15:50
  Speaker C: get.
• 15:50
  Speaker D: Get rid of some of that poison and make it less for the next generation. Like, almost like breaking generational traumas and like, how every parent, I guess, tries to make the world a little bit better for their kid.
• 16:05
  Speaker C: Yeah. And what's the name of the book?
• 16:06
  Speaker D: Poisoned Grounds.
• 16:07
  Speaker C: Poisoned Grounds. All right, let's check out Poisoned Ground, sky of Ghosts, and then we'll be right back.
• 16:44
  Speaker B: Like rabbis, like Rev, You know, they. They always told us we had your smile. That's why we never smile. Don't throw me away.
• 20:33
  Speaker C: All right. Poison Grounds, sky of Ghosts. No. So, Jay, that was the one that just came out like, a couple weeks ago.
• 20:40
  Speaker D: Indeed.
• 20:41
  Speaker C: It was the second single. And you have the first single we'll listen to a little later in the. In the segment. But I guess, tell me, like, the band as of now, you know, you said it just happened to be your neighbor. You started making music. Like, are you planning on writing singles and releasing them as they come and getting things rolling and leading up to maybe, like, an album someday?
• 21:03
  Speaker D: Yeah, I think singles for sure. It originally started with wanting to just put out a song. And that was back in January, the first single. And I think it just came out better than we expected or better than we hoped. And we just looked at each other like this could be something to, like a little path to go down. And we had fun doing it, and we worked well together. So that bred the second one. But he has three or four other. He writes all the music. We haven't really done any live shows yet. We only have Two singles. So it'd be about an eight minute set.
• 21:40
  Speaker C: Right.
• 21:41
  Speaker D: For anyone that wants us to come out for eight minutes. But I could preach a lot between the songs. Between this. Yeah. So that it like fills out a half hour set. But I think it. We would love to make more and just keep dropping singles and if at some point it became, you know, we both had time and energy to do as much as we could, then yeah, we'll just keep making music for the foreseeable future. Like I don't want to stop.
• 22:07
  Speaker C: And so, you know, how long was it from the idea of the song, like I guess the first single that we're gonna hear like soon here. But like how long was the process from the time you were like, all right, let's kind of write a song to the time it was a. Like a finished product and you realized
• 22:24
  Speaker D: that it was being released on streaming quite a while. But because I wasn't ready yet, like I. I just had this itch in my head. So early 2025, I, you know, I've been a comedian writer forever but you know, the writing work gets in the way of like the things I really want to work on. The stuff that might be fruitful one day, like a film scripts or you know, a tv, a pilot idea or something like that. But so I would jot down a billion ideas in my notes app. And early 2025 I was like, I'm sick of seeing these things. I want so badly to make these things a reality. And one of them was releasing a metal song. So I wrote down, you know, by December 31, 2025, I will have. And it was like written this full length band movie script. You know, I wrote a kid's book. One was release a song. So Nick, Nick Perry is my next door neighbor. He writes music and he made all the instrumentals from that first song and from. He makes all of our instrumentals. He writes. He's a phenomenal guitar player. He did both guitars and bass and then did the drums and even a couple synthy little things on sonar. Producer it's called. But he like wrote all the drums and it sounds phenomenal. I would never have guessed it was made on a computer, but to me I didn't really care. Anyways, I asked him, hey, I knew he was in bands like this growing up and he sent me some songs like he's done some kind of final fantasy long form stuff on YouTube and one of them had like a kind of riff to it. And I was like, if you ever like, I know you got kids, but if you want to make music like this again, like a poison the well or Unearth or something, you know, throw it at me. And a week later, he sent me three full instrumentals, like that song, the one we're about to play, and then another one that I'm starting to work on now. And I was like, oh, shit. Like, it was almost like calling my bluff because I wasn't ready. I hadn't screamed in like 20 years, so.
• 24:30
  Speaker C: So
• 24:32
  Speaker D: I hit up like a vocal coach on Instagram. And I would find all these vocal tutorials about screaming because I dropped the kids off at daycare. And on the way back, when I was alone in the car, I would practice my scream and I was blowing out my voice and getting headaches every time. And I was like, oh, yeah, I remember that. All those years ago in 03, it took me months to, like, find a way to do it without killing my head and my voice. Like, I'd get vicious headaches and wouldn't be able to do like longer than four or five songs in a night. But little by little, I found this way of doing it where I could get the sound without it hurting. But I'm like, fuck, now I got to go through that process again, like months of hurting myself, and I'm like, there's got to be a better way. So the tutorials and this guy, Taylor Pace, his name is from Nashville, would give me these online tutorials, and I got decent enough in my head to get the sound that I wanted to go to. Brian Shortell, my brother in law, he's in a band, Northern Faces. They got. They're from here. They're like. They got pretty big. Would open for like RX Bandits, and they have some really big songs on Spotify with like millions of streams, and they're kind of like an alt rock band and they still make music. They're phenomenal. But he owns a studio and his full time job is mixing and mastering music. And he was more than happy to, like, work on this with me. So he recorded me, mixed and mastered the song. Both of these songs, actually. I just couldn't believe how easy. I look next door to my neighbor. He makes me three songs. I look to my brother in law. He records, mixes, and masters it for me, all for free. I just couldn't. Couldn't have been luckier.
• 26:17
  Speaker C: That's awesome.
• 26:18
  Speaker D: Yeah.
• 26:19
  Speaker C: All right, well, let's. Let's check. Let's check the song out. So what. What song are we gonna hear? And this is the first song the one that. That came together just kind of.
• 26:27
  Speaker D: Yeah.
• 26:27
  Speaker C: With your neighbor. Yeah.
• 26:29
  Speaker D: It's called Life Leaves. It's pretty dark, personal song. I saw a friend of mine die in front of me, sadly, a long, long time ago in kind of like, a brutal accident. And it was like one of those kind of, like, cliche sort of like, war movies, like a don't die on me kind of thing. Like, and obviously traumatic. And I'm trying to laugh it off right now, but I'm trying to keep it light as well, you guys. So it's called Life Leaves. And, yeah, this was great because I had solely done comedy for so long, and I wanted to get that out of my head and solely do something very dark and personal and metal. Yes. Thank you.
• 27:13
  Speaker C: All right, well, let's check out Life Leaves, sky of Ghosts, and then we'll be right back to rapidly.
• 27:43
  Speaker B: Be kind of. Sam. That's what I learned to scream. That's what I learned to scream. Don't mind now. You are so my vibe.
• 30:14
  Speaker D: That's why I never really trust the blade. You're never gonna be trusted.
• 30:56
  Speaker C: All right, that was Life Leaves, sky of Ghosts, and Jay want to thank you so much for taking your time to come out here and do this on kind of short notice, because I think it was just like last night that I was like, hey, you available tomorrow?
• 31:08
  Speaker D: Yes.
• 31:09
  Speaker A: Yes.
• 31:10
  Speaker D: Have me. Take me. Someone pay attention to me.
• 31:13
  Speaker A: Right?
• 31:14
  Speaker C: But before we go, I want to give you the chance, like I do with all my guests, to say your gratitude. So the microphone is all yours.
• 31:21
  Speaker D: Gratitudes in general. Oh, my God, you guys, I'm just so grateful. I am insanely grateful. Like I said earlier, I was on the hunt for success in the comedy realm and the music realm for 20 something years now. And as you know, minor as some of this stuff is, it just feels really cool to get to, like, be creative every single day and also have a family and try to, like, pencils down when the kids get home and leave all this stuff in my little home office and just play with the kids and be a dad. Hard to juggle it all, but somehow doing it and it's. It's been. Yeah, it's just been really fun, and I. I like it all. Thanks.
• 32:08
  Speaker B: Awesome.
• 32:08
  Speaker D: Yeah.
• 32:09
  Speaker C: All right, so he is J. Laquier. Did I get.
• 32:13
  Speaker E: Yeah.
• 32:13
  Speaker D: Yeah.
• 32:16
  Speaker C: I'm proud of myself.
• 32:17
  Speaker D: Mercif.
• 32:19
  Speaker C: I am Andy scullin. This is unsigned 518. I'll see you on the road.
• 32:25
  Speaker E: Unsigned 518 is produced and hosted by me, Andy Scullin, New episodes are available every week wherever you stream podcasts.
• 32:32
  Speaker C: If you'd like to to help support
• 32:33
  Speaker E: the show, please like and subscribe wherever you are listening. Or you could buy me a coffee@buymeacoffee.com unsigned 518 if you would like to advertise on the show, send me an email@unsigned518mail.com and to be a guest on the show, reach out to me through Instagram at unsigned518. Take care of one another and I and I'll see you next week.