This time, we get to know Old Guards. Their brand new track "Answers" is featured in the New Artist Spotlight Family of Playlists.
Link To New Artist Spotlight Playlists:
Band Members: Scott Olgard (Guitar/Vocals), Cesar Brinatti (Bass/Vocals), Andrew Shepherd (Drums/Vocals)
𝟭. Where are you from and what is your hobby?
Scott - I’m originally from the north of England, but I've been living in Canada for the last 4 years. I’ve been playing music for the last 20 years in various bands and solo projects, before Old Guards formed 2 years ago in Toronto. Outside of music, I am also a published magician, having released 3 books and various other effects.
Cesar - I’m Brazillian, raised in the countryside of the southeast part of the country. I started learning the bass & acoustic guitar when I was 15 - no, I’m not a frustrated guitarist! I’ve a PhD in Chemistry and my hobbies are jigsaw puzzles and videogames (geek here!)
Andrew - I was born in Toronto, but grew up in smaller cities and towns… Always from Ontario. Music has been my hobby since I got my first guitar on my 14th birthday. There’s always something new to learn and ways to develop in music.
𝟮. How did your get into music?
Scott - Music was a bit of an escape for me. I was inspired to buy an electric guitar on my 13th birthday by my cousin. I was into a lot of modern rock and punk music at the time and so I would sit in my room listening to CDs on repeat trying to work them out.
Cesar - The only useful thing my dad gave me was a Di Giorgio acoustic guitar that I still have. I thought I could never learn how to play it because I thought my hands were not big enough! Until I decided to start taking music lessons and maybe, who knows, pay the bills by becoming a rock star! Well, let’s just say that I learned how to play the guitar and I pay my bills - 2 out of 3 ain’t a bad thing!
Andrew - I saw guys playing in church, and even though in retrospect their playing was probably mediocre, I was hooked. I wanted to play the drums, but wasn’t allowed, and settled for the guitar. The pang to pound never went away, and at 22, I got my first drum set and haven’t looked back.
𝟯. Who are your biggest influences?
Scott - This changes all the time, currently it’s guitarists such as Ariel Posen, Joey Landreth, but one of my all time biggest influences is Counting Crows. Being a guitarist, I am always interested in guitar focused music, but lyrics will always be the most important part of a song for me, and Adam Duritz (of Counting Crows) is one of the best modern lyricists out there.
Cesar - I’d say some prog rock bands like Dream Theater, Pink Floyd, Yes, Rush, Pain of Salvation; some good ol’ rock bands such as Queen, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple; and some metal bands as well - Iron Maiden, Helloween, Gamma Ray, Judas Priest, Blind Guardian. In all of them the bass is a big part of the sound, not just a hired musician or the least talented member!
Andrew - At this point, drumwise, I’d say the playing on pop rock, country, bigger solo acts, or whatever songs that have stood the test of time, is what I’m paying attention to. I’m drawn more and more to approaches that serve the song by focusing on groove and taste.
4. What are your goals in the music industry?
Scott - To have a crowd sing my songs back to me. Playing live is my favourite part of being in the music industry and there’s no better feeling than having someone else sing your songs.
Cesar - To be able to play what I like to people that would truly like to hear what I/we have to play and say. Playing in empty gigs works as practice only, and it’s a massive turn off for me.
Andrew - Get on and stay on the radio.
5. If you could choose a location to perform at, what would it be?
Scott - Red Rocks Amphitheatre. That place is just legendary and the sound that comes out of it is glorious.
Cesar - Uhm… Wembley because of “Live at Wembley ‘86” from Queen, and Budokan that have many great live albums!
Andrew - The Skydome.
6. What is your all-time favorite song?
Scott - Anna Begins by Counting Crows. To be honest I could choose almost any of their songs, but this was one of the first I heard (Round Here was first), and it has just always stuck with me. Adam’s voice in it is just haunting. Cesar - This one changes over time… but I’d say Rearranged, by Spock’s Beard has a good message about trying to make a life in music or anything else at all! Andrew - Oh man, what a moving target. Pass.
7. Most embarrassing moment?
Scott - I try to take most things in my stride and learn from them, not taking myself too seriously... But within music, in my early days of playing live, maybe as a fear response, I would end up staring at members of the audience whilst singing. I was blissfully unaware of this for quite some time until a friend pointed out that I ‘tend to have eye-sex with the audience…’ I tend to close my eyes now!
Cesar - I don’t remember the most embarrassing one… I try to dilute them into everyday occasions!
Andrew - My testicle fell out of my shorts at summer camp once. It was witnessed by a few other campers.
8. Proudest accomplishment?
Scott - Hearing our single, Taste, on the radio for the first time. That felt like success to me and it was a great moment.
Cesar - As a musician, having our song Taste playing on the radio; as a Chemist, getting my PhD; and as a mix of both, marrying my wife!
Andrew - If we’re talking about the Old Guards, and I think we are here, I’m proud of the fact that despite our divergent personal and professional lives, we’ve accomplished a lot in a short amount of time. The dynamic in the band just works. And making mainstream radio was a big thrill.
9. What is something about you that might surprise someone who knows you the best?
Scott - I’m a published magician. I know I mentioned that above, but it’s not something I really keep up with anymore and so it tends to not come up in conversation.
Cesar - I am an extremely introverted person, but I “learned” how to deal with that up to a certain extent by goofing around most of the time and not taking life too seriously.
Andrew - Contrary to popular belief, I don’t like the sound of my own voice.
𝟭𝟬. What is your dream collaboration?
Scott - It’s almost impossible to choose just one dream collaboration; Freddie Mercury, Sting, Prince, Jackson Browne, Adam Duritz to name just a few. Maybe we could create some sort of supergroup... But to me, all these musicians have one thing in common: They use vocals and lyrics in some of the most creative ways to take any song to another level, from Queen’s multiple harmonies, to Jackson Browne’s perfect lyrics, even back when he was a teenager.
Cesar - Can I try and assemble a task force instead? That would be great! Drummers I’d go with Neil Peart, Mike Portnoy and Gavin Harrison; Guitarists would be Eddie Van Halen, David Gilmour and Ty Tabor; Kevin Moore, Derek Sherinian and Richard Wright on the keyboards. Vocalists would be Daniel Gildenlöw, Elis Regina and Bruce Dickinson. And I would “let” some bassists play as well, like John Myung, Victor Wooten and Les Claypool play some of the songs as well!
Andrew - Scott and Cesar of course.
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