Interview: The Thing Sends Shockwaves Through Toronto

Beware The Thing! They won’t call themselves rockstars, but we will.

(Left to right: Jack Bradley, Lucas Ebeling, Zane Acord, Michael Carter)

Photos by Sierra Madison

NYC Psych-Rock band, The Thing, has a long history with one another. The band consists of Michael Carter (rhythm guitar), Jack Bradley (lead guitar), Lucas Ebeling (drums), and Zane Acord (lead singer and bass). Michael, Jack, and Zane met in high school, pursuing music together as a group after they graduated. They brought Lucas on after some time and quickly started making a name for themselves. They’ve since performed across the US, supporting acts like The Beaches, Miel De Montagne, Wine Lips, as well as their own headline tour. In the last year, the group performed well over a hundred shows, and they’re still not done.

Last week, The Thing brought the noise to The Baby G and delivered a Canadian debut that left the audience buzzing and electrified. From the moment the guys took the stage, they were unrelenting in their pursuit of uplifting and evoking a seismic euphoria in the crowd. It only took a song or two before the whole room was hollering, jumping, and shaking The Baby G down. Even though they wouldn’t call themselves rockstars (it’s almost annoying how humble they are), from the minute they took to the stage, it was clear you couldn’t call them anything else.

As we settled down for a chat with them before their show, while the opener, The Get Alongs, blasted their soundcheck in the background, it was impossible to ignore the aura of authenticity that surrounded these guys. With a deep respect for their NYC roots, a love for the craft, and their commitment to the good ol’ spirit of Rock and Roll, The Thing invited us to glimpse into their world, where passion, rawness, and rebellion underline all they do.

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SYNT: "First of all, I love your hat." (Points to the white shearling Papakha-esque hat on Zane’s head)

Zane: "Oh, thank you so much."

Jack: "He only wears that in Canada."

SYNT: "Respect."

SYNT: “It's clear you all have a passion for raw, honest Rock and Roll music. How did you stumble into that love? Was it something you always felt a strong connection to?"

Jack: "I think, for me personally, I always felt a really strong connection to it. It started with the Blues and then you do more research and you find out about bands that came before you and how the history of music kind of evolved. And then you kind of just love it more and more. I listen to the more stripped down, more raw stuff and it’s actually a lot more enticing than a really polished production."

Zane: "Yeah, my dad used to play drums in a rock band. So I kind of was exposed to it for a long time."

SYNT: "Its in your blood."

Zane: "Yeah. I grew up on like Zeppelin records and like Grand Funk Railroad and The Beatles and stuff like that. But it really wasn't until like high school, like after high school, I would say, from like a creative side. Like we really pushed for it and Mike, Jack and I met and started going after it and thinking that we could do it and also make like unhinged kind of raw music. But we were always kind of drawn to that. I think with our influences - we kind of went through like the Electronic music phase that a lot of high school kids go through- you know, but we came out like really gravitating more towards instrumental music and especially Rock and Roll. I remember going like one of the first like Rock and Roll shows I saw as a young adult and it just shocked me."

SYNT: "I feel like [Rock] is the best genre to watch live. It kind of like takes over your body."

Jack: "Yeah, it's meant to be live."

Zane: "You kind of just get hit with it."

SYNT: "Yeah, like balls to the wall- I mean I guess you could do that alone at your bedroom but like it's more fun around other people!"

Zane: "Oh, so much more fun."

Lucas: "Yeah, I would say I kind of stumbled into it. I grew up playing Rock first and then I went to Metal and then I went to Jazz and I was really deep in that. But it wasn't until I met these guys where I got like super deep into it and playing it and I feel like when you play it with a group that really knows how to play it, then you finally understand what it means. So now I'm just like obsessed with hitting the drums like really hard (laughs) but like putting a lot of feeling into it, which is like my favourite thing ever."

Lucas: "Michael… Anything to add?"

Michael: "Just always loved it." (gives a big smile)

SYNT: "Alive or dead, together or not, who would be your dream band to tour with?"

Zane: "Fontaine's D.C."

SYNT: "Fontaine's D.C.? I've never heard of them."

Zane: "You should listen to them."

Jack: "They're awesome."

SYNT: "Okay, okay."

Jack: "The Allman Brothers."

SYNT: "Admittedly, I don't know them…I'm going home and doing my research”

Michael: "Yeah, it has to probably be Steely Dan."

Lucas: "I'm at a loss."

SYNT: "I mean, we can also come back to it if you want to add it later. I'm the same way, like if someone's like, ‘What's your favourite band?’ my mind goes blank."

Lucas: "Yeah, yeah, yeah. (laughs) ‘Ya, I don’t know any bands’."

SYNT: "So the reason we all love music is because it captures very specific feelings or experiences that most of the time are hard to explain. Yet somehow songs are able to transcend the unexplainable and make us feel again. Ultimately, what do you hope your music inspires your fans to feel?"

Zane: "Confidence. Just dive in. Do whatever you want to do."

Jack: "Yeah- the attitude of it. You can do it if you set your mind to it. Kind of DIY.”

Lucas: “Kind of let go of all the negative stuff. Feel like uplifted."

Michael: "Just be very present. Just get hypnotized."

SYNT: "Honestly, I was listening to it while I worked today and I was like in the flow. Like I was in the zone."

Zane: "Hell yeah."

SYNT: "New York is a city rich with the history of the Rock and Roll scene. How does your music honour that legacy while bringing your own flair?"

Jack: "I think we're all kind of a little bit of music historians. We just, you know, there's no genre or, you know, age boundaries or restriction. We like to follow the train of where things came from. And especially in New York, you really, you feel it. So it's nice to take influences from the past, but then also not let those define you. And even if you try and sound like somebody else, it usually doesn't. It doesn't end up sounding like it (laughs). But especially in New York, there's like so many venues that are still there that we’re around. And yeah, you feel it."

Zane: "You know, I feel like part of New York is just putting that edge into your music, like that rawness that you like to experience when you are there. So I feel like that's what we really try to do.”

The Get Alongs sound check starts to get real loud

SYNT: "We got some nice background music for this!" (laughter)

SYNT: "Which song of yours is your favourite to play live?"

Michael: "Probably, You're The One."

Jack: "I like playing our song called Neptune."

Zane: "My favorite song to play is Anna De Armas."

Lucas: "I would say either Midnight or a new one that I can't disclose the name of."

SYNT: "How important do you believe the visual aesthetic of the band is and who makes the decisions about your visual aesthetic?"

Zane: "It's extremely crucial. Joe Clark makes all of our fashion decisions."

Jack: "Our tour manager." (laughs)

We all look over to Joe who’s enjoying a slice of pizza

SYNT: "Love it."

SYNT: "So it's perhaps like the most important question, but you guys consider yourself rock stars?"

Jack: "No." (laughs)

Zane: "Not to the public."

SYNT: "In private, in the mirror?"

Zane: "Absolutely, I wake up every morning and I’m like ‘I’m a rockstar.’"

Jack: "Yeah, people think we are, but only in private do we admit to it."

SYNT: "I think it's cool when other people refer to you as that, but you're like, 'Oh no, I don't want to call myself that.'"

SYNT: “Is it kind of like the Punk thing where it’s not Punk to call yourself Punk?”

Jack: "Yeah, I mean it's also like the whole attitude with the arrogance and stuff isn't cool. We just want to have a community and have fun."

SYNT: "Okay, respect. I mean I would call you guys rock stars."

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And rock they did. From the moment The Thing got on stage, they set the crowd ablaze and stoked the flame with each chord, each beat, and each note they sang.

I really enjoyed how Michael, Zane and Jack each took turns in the frontman/lead singer position. There was something very equitable about it that I admired. The band’s egalitarian style was also apparent during our interview; all of them took turns giving their input to each of the questions instead of having one leader who stood out as the band’s spokesperson. I don’t know much about band dynamics, but I’ve been a part of many teams, and I think that more equal division of leadership creates a stronger bond amongst members.

The biggest highlight for me was Lucas’ minutes-long drum solo which was almost animalistic in nature. It was awesome (in the truest sense of the word) to witness him be possessed by The Spirit of Rock and Roll. The whole band radiated an energy that blazed its way through the venue, leaving an unforgettable first impression on everyone there.

From my position in the small but packed crowd, jumping and hollering safely on the outskirts of the unexpected mosh pit, I witnessed the band unite the audience with their music; young and old alike found themselves swept up in the frenzied euphoria.

The Thing had left their mark on Canada and whether or not they wanted to admit it, I don’t think a single soul left that night thinking they were anything but rockstars.

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If you want to head bang and mosh with your local Rock and Roll fans, I strongly recommend you check out The Thing: they still have some tour stops left in the US and Canada!

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