What do four guys who love music have in common? Of course, a band is the answer. The band Stereo Playground has certainly gained recognition in the province and they hail from Wilkie, Unity and North Battleford.
Justin Vany, who looks after guitar and vocals, joined by Warren Kendrick on lead guitar and vocals, accompanied by John Sanders on bass and Troy Wildeman on drums, are having a blast indulging in their music passion.
The band began in the summer of 2010, with Sanders joining them in November 2014. When asked where the band鈥檚 name came from, Sanders replied, 鈥淲e struggled for a long time back in the beginning on what the name should be, then Stereo Playground was put out there and it just stuck. Music should be fun, it is fun and we have a blast doing it. Whether we are playing live or just at rehearsals it is always a good time when we get together, so the name seems fitting.鈥�
So far in 2016, the band has 10 gigs booked through to September with a Canada Day performance at Dundonald Park in Saskatoon being their seventh show of 2016. The band鈥檚 first gig was April 1, 2011 in North Battleford performing at Taste of Culture when our original lineup was Wildeman, Kendrick and Vany, with Kristen Reiniger on vocals and original bassist Adam Basler. The band played for about an hour and half for free.
鈥淭he good ole days,鈥� Vany says.
The excitement factor for the band was enhanced when Rock 102 included their recording in a program called 鈥渉omegrown music.鈥� The program is a showcase of Saskatchewan talent and chose Stereo Playground to be featured song with Oh, Me.
聽鈥淭his was a cool experience,鈥� the band says.
They spent a weekend in Saskatoon in May and worked with Workhorse Recording Company and put together their debut EP.
鈥淭roy with Workhorse was awesome to record with and we all had a blast,鈥� the band members say. 鈥淎t the end of the session he had mixed us a copy to take home so we put it online through a few streaming sites and then sent it to the radio station Rock 102. We were actually jamming the night it aired so we hooked it up to our PA system and got to listen to it as a band.鈥�
Does the band have an ultimate goal?
Vany responds, 鈥淵ou know, if you asked us this question five years ago we would have probably laughed at the thought of having an album and playing around the province and hearing a song we wrote on the radio, so I think the goal is everything that we get to do from this point on. Maybe that is clich茅 to say, but I can see how easy it would be to take this stuff too seriously.鈥�
Vany says the band can be serious when they need to be, writing and recording and working on making things sound as good as possible.
鈥淲e can also bust out a three-hour night of playing straight cover music and just have a blast, Vany adds.
鈥淭hat's what it's all about, it's a balance.鈥�
What is the biggest challenge in being a successful band? You could imagine the chuckle in Vany鈥檚 response when he says, 鈥淲ell I don't know about the word successful. We aren't rolling around in fat stacks of money over here but I think the success is that it's not a big challenge to be in this band.鈥�
He talks about the night practices during the week after working all day and late night drives sometimes in poor weather, but says it is worth it.
鈥淎t the end of the day, if we didn't enjoy it and like it then I doubt we would be doing it.鈥�
The band sees their debut EP as a highlight.
鈥淚t was a great weekend and we are looking forward to getting back in there as soon as we can, because we easily have enough material for a full album.鈥�
They also say their first time playing Buds on Broadway was a memorable experience.
鈥淪eeing your band name out front downtown in Saskatoon was a pretty good feeling.鈥�
You can find updates on gigs and activities of Stereo Playground through their social media sites: facebook.com/stereoplayground, @StereoPlayground 鈥� Instagram and @StereoPG 鈥� Twitter.
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