From Fiction

From Fiction

BY Neil HavertyPublished Jun 1, 2004

The other three members of From Fiction are probably already sick of hearing this but we might as well get it out of the way early: Rob Gordon is one hell of a drummer. Where so many play it safe, carefully laying down the backbone of a song, Gordon effortlessly weaves in and out of From Fiction’s time signature web with what can only be raw, natural skill. He may just be the best rock drummer in the country. And as if that wasn’t enough to reel you in, do you wanna know the real kicker? Adam Barnes (vocals/guitar), Quinten Ede (vocals/guitar) and Owen Marchildon (vocals/guitar) are all frighteningly gifted musical robots in their own right. Quite frankly, From Fiction collectively possesses a completely unfair amount of talent. Over the past few years, the band’s wildly complicated but strangely accessible take on dime-turning math rock has made them one of Toronto’s most popular live acts (also thanks in part to Gordon’s unhinged stage persona), but with their songs finally packaged for home-brewed bewilderment in the form of an independently-released EP, From Fiction are now ready to look beyond their birthplace. Put to tape by Canadian indie rock mainstay Ian Blurton, the four-song debut captures each anthemic crescendo and dramatic melody shift, giving ample room for each winding instrument to move freely against one another. This democratic kinship is an obvious character trait for From Fiction. To prove it, the band gathered together to answer our questions about their future. Huddled at a computer screen, they arrive at their answers the same way they craft their songs; as one solid, perfectly articulate unit.

After just your second show, audiences in Toronto were flocking to From Fiction shows. Why do you think people were drawn to the band so quickly? Well, we're not sure they ever flocked. At that time, we had no idea what people would think, and we're still surprised to see so many people taking an interest. We always try to play the hardest we can, and it seems people must sense that effort and energy.

Where do you go from here? To get out of Toronto for a long time. Toronto has been a great place to play for the last two years, but there are so many different people and places that are open to the kind of music that we make. Sometimes playing in the same city for a long time gives you the impression that the songs are becoming stale, when there are thousands of people out there that don't even know who we are.

The EP is an independent release. Why the decision to go at it alone? The first time around, we thought it would be a good idea to keep things simple and within our control. It is also nice to amass a certain amount of knowledge about band life before we commit to anything in the future. We don't really have an idealised future plan. Hopefully, someone will be able to help us make the kind of records we want to make.
(Independent)

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