Local music group Upside of Maybe performed at the Kitchener Blues Festival on Saturday, Aug. 10 at 1:30 p.m. on the OLG Clock Tower Stage in Victoria Park. Admission was free.
I got to sit down in the Radio Laurier studio with Michael Bannerman, the group’s vocalist and acoustic guitarist. He describes Upside of Maybe’s sound as “acoustic rock” and speaks passionately about his 30 years as a musician.
Bannerman, and his brother Scott, who provides vocals, keyboard and accordion in Upside of Maybe, started in Stratford, Ontario when Michael was in Grade 11 and Scott was in Grade 10. They were initially part of a group called Lost Coin.
“Literally, like we would skip school possibly on Fridays, jump in the van, drive all the way to Minnesota, play like a 45-minute gig and jump in and drive all the way back and sleep in the parking lot in the morning,” Michael said, reminiscing about the band’s origin.
Upside of Maybe contains three of the original members of Lost Coin, Michael, Scott and Troy Locker (vocals/percussion), as well as some newer talent, John Munroe (bass) and Andy Horrocks (electric guitar).
On their website, Upside of Maybe describes their music as “family friendly, roots-based pop/rock.” Family is obviously important to Michael, who is a father himself and speaks proudly of his oldest son, a fiddle player and member of his own punk rock group.
The roots aspect of Upside Of Maybe’s music is clear through its style but also its form. While teasing a new album, Michael emphasizes the storytelling of the band’s music.
“A lot of the songs will be very heavy rock, but they’re stories. They’re storytelling,” said Michael, describing how the band’s songs should be sung around a campfire. Upside of Maybe’s music is steeped in these themes of storytelling and community.
In their 2021 EP “All Who Wander”, the opening track All Who Wander Are Not Lost shares a story of travel and reflection laid over a groovy piano riff. The addition of a roots-style guitar line along with steady drums and bass creates a line that makes you move while appreciating the story being told.
In detailing Upside of Maybe’s rise, Michael discussed the different approach to songwriting that one must adapt to as they play bigger and bigger venues.
“There’s a reason Coldplay and U2 and Taylor Swift can fill these huge auditoriums. They’re writing songs that fit that,” he said.
What Michael is referring to here is how artists playing bigger venues work the size of the venue into the mix. While Upside of Maybe have played in a variety of venues, Michael describes his ideal venue as one ideal for building connections with fans. “I want people to go home and feel like ‘I know who that guy is’” he said.
Throughout my chat with Michael, his passion for the community created through music shone through. In a world full of burnout and overworking, Michael and his fellow bandmates still work hard and love what they do. Like the wanderer in All Who Wander Are Not Lost, Upside of Maybe travels the country and collects metaphorical pieces of the places they visit.
From bars in Saskatchewan to stadiums in Hamilton, they serve as an example of how Canadian musicians are all made up of the same yet ever-changing materials.
