Review Fix Exclusive: Shade Talks ‘Combat Rave’ And More

Review Fix chats with Shade’s Sam Rashid and Stephane Senecal-Tremblay, who discuss their new album, Combat Rave, as well as their origin in music, goals, creative process and influences.

Review Fix: How did you get involved in music?

Sam Rashid: From a young age it was my parents playing music in the old Toyota. London Calling was played a lot. I remember singing Nirvana’s In Bloom when I was brushing my teeth. And my neighbour played in a big Canadian band so I’d always see him load up the big Marshall stacks. But it was mostly my parents playing music around the house all the time and I just wanted to be a part of that world and make music and a racket from a young age. I got a Fender Squier when I turned 13 with money from my grandparents and the rest is, as they say, Shade. 

Review Fix: What’s your creative process like?

Stephane Senecal-Tremblay: For this record I’d have demos recorded on my phone or laptop, I’d then share them with Sam and we’d start working them together. After that we’d all get together in the studio with our producer and really sort them out… switch up the key, try new layouts. That was the most fun part. 

Review Fix: What inspires you?

Rashid: I find inspiration in everything. Sounds cheesy and lame but it’s true. I go on a run and clear my head and come back with a guitar riff. I’m on the Bus to Toronto and some lyrics hit me because I look out the window and see a sunbeam. Weather plays a big inspirational role for me too. Let it rain. Let it shine. 

Review Fix: What does music mean to you?

Rashid: I wasn’t good enough to be a visual artist. So this is my pursuit of art and living free. Take that society. That’s music to me. Freedom and living well and peace of mind. The ultimate form of self expression. Free therapy too I suppose. 

Review Fix: How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard you?

Senecal-Tremblay: Stiff cup of gin 

Review Fix: How are your live shows different from your studio work?

Senecal-Tremblay: We play everything a bit faster, and quite a bit heavier. 

Review Fix: What inspired your latest single?

Senecal-Tremblay: Hard to say, it changed form quite a bit from when it was initially demoed… Initially I wrote it as a super slow ballad, a kind of sad introspective thing. But once the band got it in the studio it really took on a different shape. I believe it’s now best described as a “fucking banger”! 

Review Fix: What are your goals for 2020?

Senecal-Tremblay: Hard to say given the state of things… We were meant to be touring the UK the first half of May but naturally we had to cancel that along with some Canadian dates. At the moment we’re thinking maybe once restrictions ease up a bit we’ll head back into the studio and record our next album. That way once we get the green light to play shows again we’ve got another album to push on the people.

Review Fix: What’s next?

Senecal-Tremblay: Our debut album is out May 1st. More singles after that. And we’ve got a music video we weren’t able to finish cuz of Covid 19… so eventually we’ll finish that and release it perhaps in 3 months, to a year… who knows at this point. We can’t play shows so we’ll spend our time writing music, having drinks on zoom, and exercising cuz we’re fit boys. 

Review Fix: Anything else you’d like to add? 

Rashid: Combat Rave is the best record you’ll hear after you read this.