Toronto-via-Thunder Bay rock band Poor Young Things doesn’t need your sympathy. In fact, their story is one of figurative rags to riches. More than a year ago, the group left behind the relatively cozy confines of their hometown of Thunder Bay, Ont. for the bright lights of Toronto. Their intuition paid off; the group ended up securing themselves a recording deal within the first year of calling Toronto home.
Hard to feel sorry for them, isn’t it?
Poor Young Things will be performing at Moncton’s Plan B Lounge on Sunday evening starting at 9 p.m.
While countless bands before them have sought the opportunity to have their music careers take off by making the move to Toronto, the figurative epicenter for the Canadian music business, not all bands before them have been so successful in their efforts. The fortune that has greeted Poor Young Things has not been lost on vocalist Matt Fratpietro.
“It really is surreal to think about how fast everything came together for us once we moved to Toronto. It is almost too good to be true,” he starts. “We had been playing together for approximately three years before we made the move to Toronto. It was a decision made as a band, that if we were going to be serious about trying to make music for a living, Toronto was the place to be in Canada.”
Fratpietro says that despite being a smaller fish in the big pond of Toronto, the group knew the potential for opportunities was far greater than if they had chosen to stay in Thunder Bay. Before long, the group had made friends with many, playing as often as they could. Eventually, they attracted the attention of Bumstead Records, label home of successful east coast rock band The Trews.
“For us, being with a label the size of Bumstead is rather appealing to us. Essentially, they are a major indie label, the perfect mix of grassroots belief in the band and the dedication to stand by us while our fan base builds from constant touring.”
Poor Young Things debut EP Let It Sleep (released nationally earlier this week) was recorded in the relatively quick span of two and a half weeks. The decision to not over think things was a wise one on the part of the band and producer Jon Drew as the EP captures the band’s energy and melody while not compromising on enthusiasm in the least.
“We got into the studio and didn’t want to over think the songs or pick things apart too much. Keeping the integrity of the songs was important to us.”
Article published in January 27, 2012 edition of the Times & Transcript