Road Waves keep cruising
Local favourites play what they hope is their final virtual show on Saturday
What’s a jam band to do when there’s nowhere to jam?
It’s a dilemma Ji Sharp Yehia and his funky Niagara band Road Waves have dealt with for nearly two years now. So, they’ve gone with the flow and brought their spacey live show to live streaming, where the dance floor is virtual but at least the music’s real.
Ideal? Hardly, says Yehia. But it keeps the band and fans connected, which is why they’re plugging in again for a two-hour online set on Saturday.
With restrictions for bars and restaurants in Ontario about to be loosened, Yehia is hoping this could finally — maybe, for real this time — be his final virtual show.
And if it’s the last one, he plans to make it special. Before the jam begins, Yehia took some time for a Q&A with The Review:
Q How frustrating was it to finally get back to live shows last summer and then have it taken away again this month?
A “Frustrating is putting it lightly. Tour bookings are usually done at a minimum of six months ahead of time and with the uncertainty of everything, it’s been impossible to be that ahead of schedule.
Things change far too often, so by the time summer came we didn’t have much for shows. I was able to book a small fall tour which was awesome, but capacity was still 50 per cent and even when we sold out shows we lost money after all expenses. After that tour, I was able to punch some numbers and adapt for winter shows but they were all cancelled. Hoping for a more positive spring season.”
Q Road Waves built its reputation on live shows. Has this hiatus forced you to look at the band in a different way?
A “Absolutely. It really forced us to focus on our writing and singing more, as well as think about how to tap into the industry better. Without the usual crowd energy and consistent tour schedule we had to take a step back and think about how we could adapt to all this. Not to mention, no shows equals no revenue, so we have had to be creative about how to fund our upcoming projects with things like this stream and merch (roadwaves.ca/shop).
“We are planning on dropping a bunch of new tunes this year which will eventually support our third album. Hopefully, by the time the album drops we can support it with a tour.”
Q What’s the best and worst part of livestreaming a show?
A “The best part about a livestream is the ability to capture and output very high-quality audio. You don’t have to worry about the way the room sounds to the audience or anything like that. There is a lot more control on our end as far as the final product.
“But, of course, the worst part is, no crowd energy. No clapping or cheering after songs. No dance floor to push our improv sections. Which is truly the essence of this band.”
Q Anything special planned for the Jan. 29 show? Hoping this is the last one before returning to the stage?
A “I actually try my best to have special things planned for each show as it’s more fun that way for us and for our fans. In Road Waves fashion, I won’t spoil the surprises and never reveal set lists. Every show is like its own collector’s card, you don’t know what you get ’til you open the package.”
Q What does the Niagara music scene need to do once the pandemic is finally behind us?
A “That’s a great question that I probably don’t have an amazing answer for, because it’s such a complicated topic. I really do feel like for a scene to thrive, there has to be an actual need for it, which the internet ruined in a lot of ways. We used to have to go to a show to hear about all the upcoming events in the scene and to see the people in the scene, but now we can just check online. I think Niagara needs more venues that sound good, but I also feel like there could just be more overall support.
“There are some arts funding initiatives but there could always be more. After touring the country for a bunch of years, I noticed that the cities that have a great scene also have a lot of funding from their respective cities. But at the very core of it all, us artists need to be there for each other. Attend each other’s shows, buy each other’s art. We can all lift each other up. ‘United we stand, divided we fall.’”
Road Waves performs Jan. 29 on Facebook starting at 8 p.m.