Local band tackles Kitchener-Waterloo music scene

Graphic by Kash Patel

Talented new bands are making their way into my Apple Music library, and not all of them come from faraway places. 

No Service is an innovative rock band from Kitchener that formed in April 2018, and it consists of five members: Alex, Sam, Max, Evan and Keegan. 

Alex Hobson sings and plays the guitar, Sam Morin plays the guitar and the keyboard, Max Cadilha plays the guitar, Evan Fernandes plays the bass and Keegan Gingrich plays the drums. The band often switches up which person plays each instrument, which lets them have very flexible setup.

These guys are ambitious and very passionate about playing music. 

Over the past 10 months, they’ve released two new singles and have played live shows at several local venues around Kitchener and Waterloo, including Maxwell’s and The Boathouse. They also have an EP coming out mid-March this year, which will feature five songs.

It’s hard to categorize the kind of music that they play, since they don’t really stick to one genre or style. 

“We’re kind of an amalgamation of a couple different bands’ influences because we all kind of have varying styles from different places,” Hobson said. 

Blink 182, Arkells and the Eagles, are just a few of the artists that have influenced their style in some shape or form. 

Through it all though, they have their own signature sound and you can hear it in their two new singles. 

“I think that’s the biggest thing for us. We hope that people connect with our music and it touches them the same way that it emotionally touches us.”

The first one is called “Caught in the Moment,” and it’s truly about getting caught in the moment while you’re playing live music. 

“I always wanted to write a song that was just about tackling the stage fright and embracing the adrenaline for when you get onstage,” Hobson said. 

The second one is called “Staircase Girl,” and it was  released Feb. 22.  This one you can really bob your head and dance to. 

“Out of all of the five songs, it’s definitely the most radio-friendly,” Hobson said. 

Both songs can be listened to on Spotify, Apple Music and SoundCloud. 

Being in a band hasn’t just given these guys an opportunity to make new music that we all can listen to — it has also given them an opportunity to grow as people. 

“I think that it’s taught all of us a bit more of how to be really responsible and how to take initiative in ways … because it’s a lot more than just the music that people will hear and that we play live … there’s so much preparation that goes behind it,” Cadilha said. 

Their story is far from over; with their passion for music and sizeable collection of unfinished projects, they have big plans, and they’re willing to see where it all goes. 

“At the end of the day, we don’t care where we’re playing as long as we have fun and we know that the stuff we’re making is the best stuff that we can create in sharing our thoughts and our emotions with our people,” Gingrich said.

“I think that’s the biggest thing for us. We hope that people connect with our music and it touches them the same way that it emotionally touches us.”

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