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Sometimes you get more out of going to school than just a piece of paper and a mountain of debt. Just ask the founding members of Toronto alt-pop rockers These Electric Lives, who started playing together while they were all still studying at downtown’s Harris Institute back in 2005.
Only two years have gone by, but they’ve amassed a steadily growing fan base as well as plenty of exciting buzz (and not the fake, self-generated type either).
The final piece of the puzzle was drummer/smarty-pants Adam Balsam, who joined shortly afterwards and, along with bandmates guitarist Bryan Lowe, bassist Gary Peter, keyboardist Griffon March and singer/guitarist Mark Stanfield, couldn’t be happier that their initial plan to give audiences a shit-hot dance-party good time has actually panned out.
Balsam explains.
“It was obvious that there was something accessible about the sound I’d never been in a band that made people really dance. Beyond our initial intention of just playing the songs live and having fun, it became our goal to get the music out in front of as many people as we could.”
While more and more people show up to dance their asses off, Balsam knows the band wouldn’t be where it is without being a part of a scene as supportive as Toronto’s.
“All bands rely on their network of friends to get started, and ours could not have been better. We owe a lot to everyone who put us on a bill when we were starting, passed our name along to people they felt could help and spread the word. We’ve grown this way from day one the response has been amazing.”
