Rock band working on a new album

Being in a band is like being in a family, says Relic Kings frontman Rob Faries.

The Moose Factory-based rock band is currently working on new music.

Previously known as Black Stone, Relic Kings is made up of three main members: Faries, guitarist Michael Archibald and drummer Jimmy McLeish. There are also touring members Stewart Sutherland and Shaun Melanson.

“I feel very lucky to have such great band mates who love music as much as I do,” says Faries. “They are very committed, they are really extraordinary musicians. They are world class musicians.

Faries, 43, said the band plan to record later this year and early next year and then go on a long tour to promote the new music.

Today, July 10, the group will perform virtually at the Weengushk International Film Festival.

For Faries, who enjoys performing live and interacting with people, not being able to perform during the pandemic has been difficult. He can’t wait to sing on stage and see people again.

“Our live performances are very powerful. They don’t translate well in acoustic emissions on the Internet, ”he says. “You can’t experience our music without hearing the five-piece band live. ”

The band’s 2016 EP Armory was produced and mixed by Canadian producer Mike Fraser, who has worked with AC / DC, Metallica, Aerosmith and Led Zepellin. The album was primarily an upbeat, guitar-focused rock album.

The next album of 2019, Blinded By The Sun, had more variety in genres and included ballads.

“What we’re doing now is we’re not trying to look like anything. We write songs. If the song we’re feeling is strong, we’ll include it in the album regardless of the style, ”says Faries.

In 2018, the band won rock album of the year at the 2018 Indigenous Music Awards. In the same year, they had a two-part acoustic show in Germany.

Faries says the group could return to play in Germany in the future. The response the band has received from their music, even though not all members have performed, has been amazing.

“The audience was so attentive. We actually incorporated a lot of lyrics between the music, so there was a lot of narration, ”says Faries.

Some of their performances have also been held at Yonge-Dundas Square, the Horseshoe Tavern, and the Phoenix Concert Theater in Toronto.

Faries enjoys making live music and performing not only in clubs and bars, but also in First Nations communities. One of Faries’ most memorable shows took place in Kashechewan during Cree Fest.

“Feeling that energy from them really puts you in a different position when you’re playing. It motivates you as a performer and it really gets you going, motivates you, ”he says.

The band has two music videos for the songs Hypnotize and Stay Tonight. They were filmed at the Turning Stone Casino in Verona, NY. The whole shooting experience was very enjoyable and the videos turned out to be enjoyable, says Faries.

He says it’s never too late to start chasing his dreams. Faries didn’t start to get into music in earnest until later in his life.

Faries grew up in Moose Factory surrounded by music. His siblings expose him to rock music and his parents play guitar. His mother also knows how to play the piano and the organ.

In his teens and early twenties, Faries had a cover band, traveling with him across the province. At one point, alcohol and partying became more important to him than music. Listening to old demos, he says he felt sorry for himself and “depressed”.

When he quit drinking 10 years ago, he didn’t want to listen to music for a long time because he associated it with drinking alcohol.

“When I started to separate the two, I was transported to my childhood and felt like a kid again. It was a really amazing feeling, ”he says. Then friends invited him to play music and an opportunity to make recordings presented itself. At the time, he was around 35, which is a bit late in the music business, Faries says.

Faries didn’t expect to be in a band, record albums, win music awards, play songs on the radio, tour and shoot music videos. The whole trip has been amazing and unexpected for him.

“I thought my time was up to pursue this and I feel so lucky that it isn’t. I savor every moment and really love the music and working with people, ”he says.