Mike "Tip" Taylor of The Junction gives his thoughts on the new album, past drama, and a look at the future.
The Junction has come a long way throughout the years; the trio initially formed their band in high school and progressively gained popularity among the Ontario music scene until they dealt with the hard task of throwing their keyboardist out of the band. However, having quickly moved on and ready to release their second album, the band is waiting to see where the wind will take them next.
When we talked with drummer Mike, otherwise known as Tip, he was prepared to share some of the group’s most up close and personal moments. Mike said he lived down the street from Brent (lead singer) ever since he was a kid, but they didn’t become friends, and form a band until grade nine. He also added that when he was part of the cool group, he beat Brent up in grade five; hard to believe, when the guys now seem closer than ever.
The band initially played “cheesy funk stuff with a horn player and a piano player,” and when they played at Brent’s high school they met their bassist, Matt, who was in “some punk band” at the time. When The Junction finally came to be, they started making a name for themselves, and collected many fans who packed into Ontario music venues to see their upbeat live shows which always left their fans smiling.
When they added their keyboardist to the band, Mike explained that from the start, “he was really not a member, and didn’t do shit.” Mike says his mentality was, “‘I’m the new guy, whatever you want, I’ll play.’ He never added any new ideas. Brent wanted to work with someone melodically, but it was more frustrating for him than positive.” On the new album, Mike says the song “Deception” is very reflective of the time directly before they kicked their keyboardist out of the band. “The song was written when things were bad; fights with crying, yelling and screaming - that was the boiling point.” Despite the hard loss, The Junction continued writing new songs, and they successfully recorded their second album which will finally be released next Tuesday.
Their aim for the new album was to make it sound “as live as possible.” Mike says their live vibe is one of their strengths, and the band reached for this sound in many ways. They played in a big room like a live performance, and they also collected some fans to sing the main course for “Components of Four,” which is their debut song, having already been made into a video. The Junction included three old songs on the new album including, “Components of Four,” “Untitled,” and “Frequencies,” and added a live twist to the songs. Mike commented that, “the old songs are key points of growth in our band; “Frequencies” show the moral dilemma of having to think about money when you’re doing your art. We have to respect what we’ve done up until now and if [our album is going to be] all across Canada, then we might as well put these [old] songs on there cause their great.”
When asked who their musical inspirations are for the new album, instead of listing off some of his favourite musicians, Mike was hesitant to do so by saying, “we don’t try to be an acoustic jam band like Dave Matthews. We are more inspired that [Dave Matthews Band] were doing something different, and that there is room out there for difference.” Although they have their favourite groups, like Dave Matthews Band, and Radiohead, Mike made a point to say that they do not consciously attempt to sound like these bands, and they would rather focus on creating a sound that is purely recognized as their own.
For Mike, the new album represents the plan he made ever since grade ten. “It’s about taking a journey, and at the end of it, you’re in a totally different headspace.” Having planned to be a drummer since grade 10, their latest album represents the end of Mike’s plan. Surprisingly, Mike is not exactly thrilled about what will happen after this achievement. “The future puts my head in a dark place at times. We have met every goal and it puts me in a weird spot in not having anything else planned. I can’t determine where this album will go, or how people will respond to it.” On a brighter note Mike adds, “we will play live a hell of a lot and that’s all I know that’s going to happen and that is all we have ever asked for.”
Whatever the worries may be, The Junction is determined to continue to spread their music nationwide, and that prospect looks bright with their ability to maintain a strong and supporting friendship with their band mates, as well as their fans, who are awaiting the much-anticipated release of their new album.