by Martyna Turczynowicz
The Strumbellas have won a Juno, Folk and Traditional Album of the Year, toured the U.S. and Canada and held residencies at the Cameron House and Dakota Tavern in Toronto. Not bad for a band from Lindsay, Ontario that got together over Craiglist.
Before playing two sold-out shows in Winnipeg, Stylus got to chat with Simon Ward who plays guitar and is the primary vocalist and songwriter in the band.
“Six years ago or something I randomly decided to start a band, and I put an ad on Craigslist and that’s basically how we formed. That’s how it all came together,” says Simon Ward who plays guitar and sings in the band.
The Strumbella’s latest release We Still Move Dance Floors was released in October 2013 and has exceeded the band’s expectations, Ward says.
“It’s exceeded our expectations. We didn’t really know what to expect and it’s done well. It’s been a crazy ride”
Since the release of We Still Move Dance Floors the band has been touring, playing shows and festivals across North America. They’ve made stops in North Carolina, Wisconsin, Iqaluit and Winnipeg’s own Folk Fest in 2014. Winnipeg Folk Festival, Ward says, was the Strumbella’s favourite stop this summer.
“Winnipeg folk fest was probably our biggest highlight of the summer. It was one of the most magical weekends we’ve ever had as a band.. We got to see all these amazing bands, see all these cool people, go out to the campgrounds. The weekend
was really, really special for our band”
As well as touring, the residencies the band has held in Toronto, at Cameron House and Dakota Tavern, Ward says, has have built their fanbase.
“Toronto is a great place. It took us a while to build up an audience in Toronto, a huge part of that was residency. It’s familiar to people and you buyild a community with people. I think it’s pretty important for us to have built a name up in our hometown city.”