Artist Spotlight: Better Than

Better Than drummer, Rick Waterman, got his start in music by surprise. After spontaneously receiving a drum set from his parents when he was a kid, he quickly picked up the skills to play and garnered a new fascination with rock ‘n roll. 

Fast-forward to 2019, and the band, which also started somewhat randomly, has been gracing crowds with a blend of the best elements in rock ’n roll. We spoke with Rick about his start in music and developing the band’s eventual sound.

When did you first get involved in music? 
My parents surprised me with a drum set. There was a band in town, and their drummer had bought a new set and wanted to get rid of his old one. My parents picked it up for pretty cheap and brought it home. They thought I might like to play it. They were right (laughs).

Were you sticking to a specific genre or anything when you were learning?
I listened to what was in my parents’ music collection, so I ended up listening to a lot of different kinds of music. It was a lot of early rock. Then I discovered the radio, and they played good music, so I liked listening to it. When I was a teenager, I started listening to whatever my friends were listening to at the time.

How did the band eventually get together?
It was in a hockey dressing room. We were all sitting around talking, and I said, ‘I just bought a drum set.’ I hadn’t played in a long time, and I wanted to start playing again. One guy, our rhythm guitar player said, ‘I just bought a guitar. I want to learn how to play it. We should get together and jam.’ Then another guy said, ‘well, I can play the bass guitar.’ Then another guy said, ‘I can sing!’ And that was it.

Did you all also have similar musical tastes?
​Yeah, for sure. Back when I was young, I was listening to all kinds of music and learning to appreciate a lot of genres, but these guys were pretty set in their ways. They’re a bunch of young guys. They were teenagers in the 90s so they grew up listening to grunge and that’s what they liked.

For those who will be seeing you perform for the first time, what can they expect from your Harvest Sun set?
Well, we’re definitely a rock band, so they will hear rock and roll. They’ll hear a lot of different types and decades of rock and roll: from the 70s, 80s, 90s to current stuff. We play a wide range of stuff, and we all bring something different to the table.  

Why do you think a festival like Harvest Sun is essential, especially for Manitoban musicians?
I think it’s just really great to have local, live music. You hear so much of it in electronic forms, but there’s something about getting up on stage that feels free. It just gives me a great feeling to be able to play something and challenge myself that way, learn new things, and be able to share that on stage. 


​Catch Better Than when they hit the stage at The Harvest Sun Music Festival in Kelwood, MB - August 16 - 18th. Early Bird Tickets are on sale now! ​

---

Interview by Janet Adamana
Janet Adamana is the Founder/Editor-In-Chief of Sound, Phrase & Fury Magazine - a Winnipeg-based digital publication dedicated to promoting independent artists and industry professionals from all over the world. More than just about inciting hype, she interviews/writes to capture an artists’ essence and their greatest passions to ignite meaningful connections between fans and really great bands.