We spoke with Tricia about the band’s beginning, the evolution of their sound, and the lasting impact of building bridges between city and rural life.
Can you take me through how The Young Pixels came to be?
We met in 2006 at a musical gathering hosted by my brother. Danny saw me playing drums, told me he liked the way I played and offered to give me a drum lesson if I ever wanted one. He had been drumming in bands since his early teens. I had really just started on the drums and had never played in a band but had been jamming for a few years and creating music by layering overdubs on an old 8-track recorder.
I took Danny up on the drum lesson about a week after and the lesson turned into a jam featuring me in the drum chair and Danny on guitar and vocals. Little did I know, it was the first time he'd had the opportunity to play with a drummer, even though he'd been playing guitar and writing songs since his teens. We both felt excited by the possibilities of the situation, and it gave us both courage to be in company where it was safe to be a beginner. We understood one another's musical language right away. We enjoyed spending time together so much that we eventually became a couple, went travelling, bought a little acoustic guitar and I started to learn how to play it. We would both write songs as we travelled.
When we were tired of travelling, we returned to my hometown of Kenton to root down and soon became pregnant with our first child. We bought an electric guitar a few months after the baby was born and started jamming in the garage while the baby slept, switching back and forth between guitar and drums. That's where we really discovered our sound and realized we could be a band.
Around that same time, we discovered two childhood drawings I made of myself singing and a drummer playing beside me. The drummer looked just like Danny. We needed no other encouragement after that. We took the songs we'd been writing and recorded our first album over the course of the following year, calling ourselves Spirit of Play. Our first show was an open mic in Brandon. We were so excited to be a band!
After a few years, we changed our name to The Young Pixels. It came about in a casual conversation about how we would probably describe our sound at the time as a cross between Neil Young and The Pixies. Danny blurted out ‘how 'bout Young Pixels?’ and that was that. We also liked the meaning behind each of those words. To us, "Young" described the beginner’s spirit and heart so crucial to creativity, and "Pixels" represented what we felt we were trying to do with our music – light up our small piece of the whole.
We've never thought about it – it's always just come out sounding the way it does, and it evolves as we do. When we first started playing together, Danny brought with him his influences like The Beatles, Neil Young, John Lennon, Bob Dylan, and The Band and my influences were bands like The Pixies, Nirvana, Hole, Beck, Gorillaz, and Modest Mouse. Since we've been together, we tend to get into new bands we mutually like, and those sounds end up unconsciously influencing our creations.
You’ve had a pretty busy year after releasing your debut album, Fever of Becoming. What are some of your favourite highlights so far?
Our Saskatchewan mini-tour was a great little adventure for us, and we enjoyed playing a lot of summer shows in Manitoba. We were honoured to have the record reach #1 on the UMFM (University of Manitoba) Top 35, and it was a thrill to have the CBC Searchlight 2019 producers feature our song and video for "Sun Tries" among some of their contest favourites.
You’re musicians as well as farmers, so you’re a part of both the communities Harvest Sun celebrates. From both sides of that, why do you think a festival like this is essential in Manitoba, especially in rural Manitoba?
There are so many benefits in the exchange between people living city and rural experiences--sharing and hearing new perspectives broadens everyone's understanding of the world around them. We all need each other, and we're all connected, though sometimes we fail to see that. Festivals like this provide space for that connection to unfold and build.
For those who have yet to see you perform, what can people expect when they catch your set at Harvest Sun?
We switch between lead and supporting roles on vocals, electric guitar, and drums and talk really honestly about our experiences in the songs and in-between the songs--all the ups and downs. We hope people come away from our set feeling refreshed and a little less alone in their own life experiences.
What are you most excited about when it comes to playing Harvest Sun?
Reconnecting with people, we haven't seen in a while, meeting new people, getting new ideas and inspiration, camping, and just relaxing and enjoying our kids.
Catch The Young Pixels at The Harvest Sun Music Festival in Kelwood, MB - August 16 - 18th. Early Bird Tickets are on sale now!
Follow The Young Pixels on Facebook and Instagram. The Young PIxel's latest album, Fever of Becoming is available on Bandcamp and Spotify.
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.