http://wearemaurice.com/index.htm
Looking for a little West Coast rock this weekend? Check out these guys: Maurice Friday March 12, 2010 @ 8:30PM at the Gladstone Hotel.
Kristin Kent: You guys must be really excited, lots of shows booked and a new album coming out.
Jean Paul Maurice: Yes, it feels really good, we’ve been playing together for a really long time. We basically got in a classic situation with our label where they were just shelving our album. The recording part was done in 2008. So it feels really good to have our album coming out and have the tour in place.
KK: Who are your musical influences?
Jean Paul Maurice: It’s funny, we just got our first album review from a magazine in Victoria, and there’s the hugest spread of comparisons and influences. They had REM and Journey, we get Coldplay and Muse a lot, or early U2. I’m a huge Beatles fan, Radiohead fan, so I think we’re most influenced by British rock.
KK: Your songs are quite poppy, catchy with beautiful piano coming through. Who writes your songs?
Jean Paul Maurice: I’m the principle songwriter and guitar player. When I bring in songs, we’ll tear them apart and then build them back up again together. The piano parts are mostly all Simon.
KK: Will you be checking out any bands at CMW?
Jean Paul Maurice: We’re good friends with Hanna Georges, there’s some friends in Vancouver-based bands that I want to check out. That’s the really great thing about festivals like this, not only can you play yourself, but also check out lots of cool bands.
KK: What can Toronto expect from your show this week?
Jean Paul Maurice: We try to be inclusive with the audience. I always feel [shows] are a shared experience, so the best ones are when you’re getting a lot of energy back from people. We encourage as much interaction as possible.
