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Little bit folk, little bit indie band
Friday August 15 2008
KATE DAVIS, For The Banner
 
Orangeville’s musical roots are flourishing, from the blues and jazz festival to jam nights around town. For Grande Fir, a folk band with a distinctively indie-rock feel, this is the perfect setting for evoking a sound appreciated by local fans.
“There’s a pretty serious circle of players in Orangeville, and we like it that way,” Jay Marr, lead vocalist, says. “Around here if you’re putting on a show, everybody’s going to come out.”
Marr, and the rest of Grande Fir, which includes singer Cory McCallum, guitarist Stewart Gunn, bassist Chris Mullen and drummer Mitch Hall, cite music as a pastime that often kept them occupied in times of boredom.
“There wasn’t really much to do in the town I grew up in [Caledon],” Hall says. “So Friday and Saturday night was jamming with buddies, and that was pretty much it.”
All band mates came from distinctively different listening backgrounds, ranging from classical music to punk rock. “We’re all very individual as far as our listening goes,” Marr explains. “We have a few things in common, but it’s all pretty wild stuff … everything from mellow folk to straight up pop-rock.”
Despite the musical diversity among them, the band members blended together to produce a sound that is distinctively Grande Fir.
“Maybe one of us comes across something over the top and different that we haven’t heard before, and that leads us down a bit of a different path,” says Marr, noting that inspiration is typically reflected in a new and innovative way of thinking about their own material.  
Stylistically, Grande Fir has evolved from a more basic folk orientation in their self-titled, self-produced debut, to an upbeat, indie-rock sound in their latest endeavour, Love & The Weather, which was mastered by renowned sound technician Martin Kinack.
The band notes their recording process was basically instantaneous, due to the drive and excitement to get the musical ball rolling.
“We had been recording, and then it was the Blues and Jazz Festival, and we just launched into that,” Hall says.
“We had never played the songs live together, we just went straight from recording to that.”
The ability to play locally and generate a good turnout is an overwhelming positive in the eyes of the band, who note that playing shows in Toronto and other big cities can be a laborious process.
“The 45 minutes you play is a lot of fun,” McCallum notes, “but the hour getting there, hour setting up and hour coming home is a little long.”
Given the foundation of Grande Fir’s fan base is in Orangeville, performing at local venues is often the most enjoyable way to play.
“We drag our own crowd wherever we go,” McCallum says. “We don’t want to make them drive too far, so we like to stick around town.”
Presently, the band is looking forward to playing at the Sonic Orchard 2008 festival, an ecologically aware festival Aug. 22-24 at Kimbercote Farm in Beaver Valley.
To check out Grande Fir, visit www.myspace.com /grandefir.