From Battleford to CBC Searchlight, Stephen McLane said the sky is the limit with his band Claymere.
鈥淢usic is a gift,鈥� McLane said, 鈥淚 just want to be able to share that with people.鈥�
McLane is pursuing an undergraduate degree in Business at the University of Saskatchewan. He鈥檚 been in Saskatoon for the past six years.
He鈥檚 previously played in bands including one in high school and another when he began university. McLane founded Claymere, and in September 2017 released a seven-song EP, Waiting on the Sun. He wrote all the songs, recorded all guitar and vocals, and hired a musician performed bass and drums.
The most recent incarnation of Claymere features three of McLane鈥檚 friends in Saskatoon: Jon Zimmer on guitar, Josh Dupuis on drums, and Stephen O鈥橰eilly on bass. The plan for now is to play gigs around Saskatoon, and possibly record a new album in the coming year or two.
The day of an interview with the News-Optimist was the band鈥檚 first day of rehearsal.
McLane also said Claymere is competing in CBC Searchlight, a music talent contest that helped popularize groups such as The Dead 麻豆传媒AV.
McLane said he hopes Claymere to be a fresh take on alternative rock. The project鈥檚 music is influenced by rock from the very late 90s to the early 2000s, music from early Coldplay, Foo Fighters, the Strokes and U2.
About the name Claymere, 鈥淚 was struggling to come up with any band name that I was happy with, and it just came to me one day.鈥澛犅�
McLane said the name is 鈥渁 reminder that life is short and as is said in the Bible that we鈥檙e dust and unto dust we shall return. Mere clay in God鈥檚 hands I guess. I hope to keep that in the background in my music and to not get ahead of myself.鈥�
The goal, McLane said, is to play music full-time at some point but 鈥測ou kind of need financial security first before you have that happen,鈥� he said, laughing.
