The three-piece features lead singer and guitarist Trevor Mann, bassist Murray Wood and drummer Shea Connor. They released their third studio album 'Long Walk Home' last year and have followed up in 2017 with new single 'Slow Down'.
Scenic Route To Alaska add that all-important international flavour to Australian Music Week, rounding out a diverse line-up of local and national performers.
What's the most important thing for newcomers to your music to know about the band?
The musicality comes from a life-long friendship and the songwriting stems from a very honest place.
How are you guys feeling ahead of Australian Music Week (AMW)?
It's been a great year for us, so we are stoked to keep the momentum rolling. None of us have ever been to Australia, so we'll all be wide-eyed and full of energy.
What do you hope to get out of the conference?
We'd love to expand our team down into Australia. Obviously, it's quite a hearty investment for a Canadian artist to start touring Australia and we know that it'll only pay off if we keep coming back. Our goal is to position ourselves as well as we can so that we can start skipping some of this Canadian winter for those Aussie beaches.
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As Canadian musicians, what experiences and knowledge will you be sharing with AMW delegates?
Canada, like Australia, is a massive country and can be quite difficult to tour if you don't do it strategically. We've hit the pavement pretty hard over here and we know that we could offer knowledge when it comes to tour-routing, venues, promoters etc.
We've been on the front-lines for all of this journey and I feel like that's a valuable perspective to have.
What can audiences expect from your performance at AMW?
It's a pretty expensive flight, so we plan on leaving it all up there on the stage.
Are there any bands attending AMW that you want to see perform live?
Some fellow Canadians, Terra Lightfoot and Shred Kelly, will be there as well so we'd love to see them on Aussie soil.
Any Australian acts or artists you're keen to check out?
We've been listening to the Spotify playlist and there are a ton of amazing acts. As of now, Borneo and Winterbourne are up at the top of our list.
AMW has opened up an international musical dialogue between Australian artists and in particular Canadian artists. Is it important to you as a band to be involved with such an exchange?
Absolutely! We look up to a lot of Australian bands and come across a lot during festival season up here.
We're always amazed at the level of talent and professionalism (and hey, they can party too!) and it's really led us to open our eyes and set our sights on Australia. I think both countries are slight underdogs in the music industry race and that helps to fuel the motivation and talent.
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Your recent album 'Long Walk Home' was released last year. How did you find the response to the record?
We have been blown away by the response. Shortly after its release, one of the songs reached #1 on our national CBC Radio and that really got the ball rolling. We've tried to harness the momentum and have been on three European tours and two 'cross-Canada tours since September last year. We really should start collecting air miles.
Apparently the band is working on your next album? What can you tell us about it at this point?
It's true, we've got a new record all finished up and sitting in our back pocket! We spent all of August on the west coast (Vancouver, BC) recording what will be our fifth album.
It showcases a bit more of a consistent edge to it than any of our previous records have. Overall, I think you can hear how the band has matured over the past year of countless shows.
When can we expect you back in Oz for your own headline tour?
As of now, we're shooting for Dec of 2018. Keep your eyes peeled because that's subject to change.
Scenic Route To Alaska Shows
Thu 2 Nov - El SOI @ Australian Music Week (Sydney, 1.30pm)Thu 2 Nov - Low and Loftys @ Australian Music Week (Sydney, 10.30pm)
Mon 6 Nov - Leadbelly (Sydney)
Fri 10 Nov - NightQuarter (Gold Coast)
Sat 11 Nov - The Milk Factory (Brisbane)
Sun 12 Nov - Brighton Up Bar (Sydney)
