Spells of Vertigo
The Honest Heart Collective
Thrifty Kids
Indie Week Showcase: Thrifty Kids, The Honest Heart Collective and Spells of Vertigo
Tag Archives: Thrifty Kids
Thrifty Kids: Sarah Cogan After The Performance
After playing The Phoenix and putting their best set forward, Thrifty Kids’— an indie-surf rock band from Ottawa—Sarah Cogan shares a little about the band’s future and her thoughts on performing.
You just walked off stage, how do you feel right now?
“This is definitely this biggest crowd we’ve ever played ever. So many people, it feels great! We were talking about that you can’t see anything when you’re up there, so we just felt so confident and so alive. It’s all about the vibes in the crowd and they were giving some good vibes, it was great. It’s just a good time up there.” Cogan said.
What can we expect from the band?
“We’re in the midst of recording an album right now. You’re going to hear more of the mellow vibes, the surf tones, and just a lot more vocal harmonies. We’re experimenting a lot more and we want to create more of a fuller sound.”
Amidst the album, the band is also planning a large uproot to Toronto.
“We’re actually singing our lease tomorrow,” she gushed. “We’ll be moving to Toronto September 1st.”
The band has a loving history with the city; their first show in the city became ranked as their best.
“Our best show ever was at The Piston.” Cogan recalled. “It was good food, great people and good times. It was a great bill.”
With talks of shows in the future, an album on the way and their fate yet to be announced, this band is definitely one to keep an eye on.
The Band: After meeting in school and recording their self-titled EP, released back in February, as part of a school project, Thrifty Kids have made an impressive start for themselves. From the three tracks released, Cherry Wine, Granola, and Dry, they’ve mastered a striking first EP. Their sound is a nostalgic trance of surf-rock with an honest purity. Yet, there is a small sense of reserve that makes you crave more of them. Sarah Cogan (vocals) Dylan Frankland (guitar), Cam Alford (bass) and Simon Kou (drums), will no doubt unleash a few surprises in the future.
Live: Inside The Edge’s Next Big Thing
It’s the opportunity of a lifetime and tomorrow the lives of one band will be changed as they’re named The Edge’s Next Big Thing. On Friday, the final 6 bands: The Honest Heart Collective, Midday Swim, Small Town Lungs, Thrifty Kids, Ivory Hours and Spells of Vertigo battled it out for friends, family, and fans at The Phoenix. With $25,000 dollars, gear from Long and McQuade, studio time at the world-renowned Metalworks Studios, and not to mention, airplay on 102.1 the Edge as just a few of the perks awarded to the winners, the artists made sure they played the set of a lifetime.
First up was The Honest Heart Collective. From Thunder Bay, the five-piece band played a mix of indie-rock to a packed-enthusiastic crowd. Able to draw people to the front of the stage with their first song, the band didn’t lack crowd interaction. Slightly nervous, lead Ryan MacDonald praised himself for overcoming the nerves set off by the biggest show the band has ever played.
Slowing things down with their mix of beachy rock, Thrifty Kids, came, dominated and left a lingering note of mystery. They may not be well known just yet, but they left the audience wondering where the young talents came from and how could they hear more. Torontonians need not to worry, singer Sarah Cogan says the band will be Toronto-based in September.
Midday Swim kept the chilled vibes flowing by playing songs from their self-titled EP. The seasoned pros didn’t seem to be bothered by nerves, but rather overthrown with excitement as David Krygier-Baum explained before the show.
“We’re just excited for the energy. We can’t wait to play for friends and family [as well as] to play with some great bands,”
Bringing back classic rock, Spells of Vertigo took the stage. Grunge and hair thrashing oozed from the stage and consumed the audience. The band invited the crowd into their dark world which is made up of skilled guitar and menacing vocals so enticing the crowd couldn’t help but accept their invitation.
The crowd went crazy when Ivory Hours hit the stage. A fan favourite the boys from London, Ont. offered up a high-energy set that enthralled the crowd from beginning to end. Running, jumping and singing up a storm Luke Ross has mastered how to give a great performance.
The final band of the night may have gotten the biggest reaction from the crowd. Adding some dance to the mix, Small Town Lungs played to an adoring crowd that begged for an encore once their set was finished. Backstage singer, Tom Meikle admitted to feeling bit at odds with the competition aspect.
“Sure if we win it’d advance our careers majorly, but in the end we’re still gonna keep going,” he said before their show.
Mastering how to mix textures, layer tones and play the hell out of their instruments, you could never tell that they haven’t played a show this serious previously. It was clear they played to win.
There wasn’t a single downfall or fluke of the night. All six bands played their best show and made it impossible to rank one above the other. Each having mastered their own sounds be it from to pop or alternative rock it’s certain that all the contestants are the next big things in the making.
Tune in to 102.1 The Edge Tomorrow Morning at 10 to find out who will officially receive the title.
The Honest Heart Collective
Thrifty Kids
Midday Swim
Ivory Hours
Small Town Lungs
Spells of Vertigo
See Them Before They Make It | The Bands of The Edge’s The Next Big Thing
It’s time to place your bets and get a front row seat for a chance to watch a “baby” band get discovered. The final 6 bands from The Edge’s Next Big Thing contest will play The Phoenix Concert Hall for a shot to make their names known. 
It began from hundreds of musicians, but Ivory Hours, The Honest Heart Collective, Small Town Lungs, Spells Of Vertigo, Thrifty Kids, and Midday Swim have fought their way to the finale.
Admit it, there’s something a little enthralling about saying “I remember seeing them before they made it.” Well, tonight is the night to earn those bragging rights and see something special in the making.
Check out the bands below:
Ivory Hours https://www.facebook.com/IvoryHours?fref=ts
Spells of Vertigo https://soundcloud.com/spellsofvertigo
Midday Swim https://soundcloud.com/middayswim
Thrifty Kids https://thriftykids.bandcamp.com/
The Honest Heart Collective https://soundcloud.com/thehonestheartcollective
Small Town Lungs https://soundcloud.com/smalltownlungs
