Kamloops rock band the Decoys share their love for classic rock inspired music when they make their debut in Lethbridge at the Slice, March 23.
The core of the band, guitarist/ vocalist Matt Stanley and drummer Sean Poissant will be joined by bassist Sean Schneider (who also plays in the band I’ve Taken a Lover) and keyboardist Kris Ruston.
“ We usually play as a trio, but Sean Schneider is in several other bands including I’ve taken a Lover and Kris Ruston helps fill out the sound,” said Stanley, getting ready to begin the band’s western Canadian tour.
“We‘re in transition now. We’re looking for a full time bassist, but Sean is happy to fill in whenever he can,” he continued.
The band got its start in 2008 when Stanley was working on demos with producer Henry Small, who took over as lead singer with classic rockers Prism after frontman Ron Tabak died in a cycling accident and who used to play with the John Entwistle band. He noted the other band members came to him wanting to be his band.
“ I went to school with Sean Poissant and worked in the same music store with him, so I couldn’t think of anybody else when I was looking for a drummer,” he said.
He noted Henry Small moulded the Decoys’ sound by encouraging them to go in a more classic rock direction.
“ When I was recording my first demo in 2008, I wanted to be a folk musician. I was listening to a lot of Bob Dylan, but he nudged me into playing a more natural classic rock sound which I‘ve been listening to since I was a teenager and still do,” he continued.
They have a new album coning out later this year, which shows the band’s many influences.
“ Henry didn't produce this one. There’s the classic rock songs on it and some punk and some folk on it,” he described.
“ There are 10 songs on it and the first single ‘Don’t Hesitate’ is on our bandcamp page http://thedecoysband.bandcamp.com/.
“We’ll be playing most of the album in Lethbridge.
A lot of bands wait until their album is out. But we’re pretty excited about of these songs and the mixture so we’ll be bringing the music to the people. And we’ll be playing a couple of covers like Led Zeppelin too,” he continued adding the band will likely be coming back to Lethbridge when they release their so far untitled album.
He noted the Kamloops music scene is pretty strong.
“It was pretty good when I started playing, then it sort of died off. Now there are lots of artists playing,” he said they will be touring with a couple of the bands including the Caspians and I’ve Taken a Lover.
The Decoys play the Slice, March 23 at 9 p.m.
