Co-founders Mark Spagnolo and Claire Voy spoke with The Ontarion about all things SHEBAD, including their upcoming EP, show us it’s real
Editor’s note: This story was previously published in The Ontarion’s October 2022 issue.
From jamming in The Bullring to Kazoo! Fest, playing on Johnston Green during O-Week, and releasing their first EP, SHEBAD has been taking the Guelph music scene by storm.
Mark Spagnolo, bassist and co-founder of SHEBAD explained that he and fellow co-founder and vocalist, Claire Voy knew each other from taking a class together at the University of Guelph campus.
Spagnolo played in a jazz trio and performed sets in The Bullring. He knew Voy was a vocalist, and one day he asked her to jam.
“After that we said ‘yeah this is working, let’s write some stuff,’” Spagnolo said.
Voy explained that both she and Spagnolo are heavily inspired by jazz. They both credit the genre with influencing SHEBAD’s signature sound.
But the duo also credited every person who has been a part of SHEBAD along the way.
They describe themselves as a musical collective that allows everyone the freedom to explore their creativity.
“I think that we just know so many talented musicians and artists, creatives, just people in the community who want to be a part of something like this,” Voy said. “I feel like music is such a great foundation for so many other art forms to kind of branch out.”
Voy also creates the band’s album artwork, which plays with colour and is a synesthetic experience in itself. Another artform that comes from the roots of SHEBAD’s collective music experience is their performances.
Voy said that when the band began playing live shows post-pandemic, there were nine members that would perform.
“We just wanted as many people involved as we can, even though it’s hard,” Voy said.
SHEBAD brought six of their original nine members out to perform with them in B.C. late this past summer. They narrowed their six-piece down to a saxophone and trumpet player, a keyboardist, a drummer, and background vocalist with Spagnolo on bass and Voy on lead vocals.
“They [the original ensemble] always have a place here in some way. We’re always wanting to keep them feeling like they’re a part of it,” Voy said. “Really because it’s just such a beautiful project.”
However, Spagnolo and Voy took the lead when it came to recording their material, most of which was done during the pandemic. The songs they’ve been creating have been unfolding for the past two years and have gone through many versions before the final product.
Spagnolo said while recording Terra, the first single off the band’s upcoming EP, he had doubts about the translation from live to in-studio.
“I remember there was a moment in time where I was like, ‘this feels like an energy ball,’’ he said. “[I was] like, it just feels like way too much nerdy stuff and it has too many risky things.”
Voy said that the music takes on a form of its own and that’s where, as artists, they have to release some control. She also added that she strives to create a space for the LGBTQ+ community within SHEBAD’s music.
“I feel like being queer – that extends into my music,” Voy said. “Like, that extends into the way I create music, the way I feel about music and how I feel in my body as a musician presenting on stage… It just runs through my soul in so many ways.”
Spagnolo echoed that sentiment and said that SHEBAD”s music often resonates with members of the LGBTQ+ community. He said he feels happy to be adjacent to something that brings space for that gender curiosity and experimentation.
“Yeah, I think experimenting is a big part and malleability,” Voy added. “I think that extends into identity and relates heavily to music and performance.”
SHEBAD’s funky soul roots continuously pushed the boundaries during performances at Kazoo! Fest and playing alongside popular musicians like Jessia and Dear Rouge at the Ignite Concert Series in Fergus this summer. Both Voy and Spagnolo said these performances were humbling experiences and gave them the opportunity to connect with new fans. They also had a full-circle moment when they played on Johnston Green during O-week this year.
However Voy and Spagnolo said that none of this would have happened without their own hard work. They both also acknowledged that they wouldn’t be at their current level if not for their failures.
“It’s like, the emotional work of getting to know yourself and your partner that you’re doing it with and the emotional work of being bad at leading and being bad at mixing and recording,” Spagnolo said. “You want everything to be at a certain level right away and you constantly have to remind yourself that it isn’t going to be.”
They also mentioned the anxiety that comes with putting a piece of your art into the world for others to see or listen to. Spagnolo referenced their experience while releasing their EP’s first single, Terra.
“I remember saying I wanted to make it a song full of like, five songs and it feels like that when you listen to it,” Spagnolo said.
When the song got put on a playlist, Spagnolo was certain it was a glitch.
“Yeah, here it is more than 100,000 [streams],” said Spagnolo. “It blows my mind because it’s such a silly song. It literally has me talking in it… and it’s cheeky, it’s ridiculous, but yet that’s what people like, they like boldness.”
SHEBAD hopes to continue to showcase their boldness on their upcoming EP, show us it’s real, when it is released on Oct. 1. They hope to expand their reach and play more non-local shows in the future.
“Give us a minute and we’ll show you what we can do and so yeah, I think that’s kind of where we’re headed,” Spagnolo said.