- In My Coma performing with Fighter Jet and Nukem Nice at the Railway Club tonight. Doors: 8 p.m. Admission: $10. For more info therailwayclub.com.
THEY'VE opened for Sum 41, had their music featured on an episode of Lost Girl, now Toronto-based alternative rock band, In My Coma are gearing up for their first performance in Vancouver as part of a 12-day Western Canadian tour.
Lead singer and guitarist Jasper James, bass guitarist and drummer Mike Patterson make up the functioning three-piece alternative band, which was formed in 2007.
The trio began their tour with stops in Edmonton and Kamloop and will also be visiting Kelowna, Calgary, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Thunder Bay and Sault Ste. Marie. In My Coma says they're looking forward to playing in Vancouver for the first time.
"The Railway Club is an historic venue where a lot of successful bands got their start, so I'm excited to inject a little In My Coma into the walls. You can't go wrong with a Friday night show," drummer Mike Patterson says.
The band, also known as IMC to their fans, are fresh off their Canadian Music Week performances at Cherry Cola's and The Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto. In My Coma says the week-long festival has been very helpful for them.
"Canadian Music Week was a blast as usual. We played to enthusiastic crowds at two of our favourite Toronto venues," Patterson says. "CMW is always a great opportunity to meet other bands from around the world and network."
"It's a really helpful event. I don't know what it is about Canadian Music Week but people that don't normally go out to shows, go out during Canadian Music Week," James adds.
"Everybody becomes a fan, or a musician or both during that festival. Canadian Music Week has been good to us and we've been good to them."
In My Coma was formed after a band that James and Doll were in decided break up. The pair wanted to continue with their passion for music and created IMC. After a few years of struggling to find the right members, Patterson joined in 2010 and the trio haven't looked back since.
"It took a long time cycling through different members, not recording anything but just trying to find that core group of people that you know you can make something happen with," James says. "That's a really important aspect of the group."
"When it comes to finding members that work, I don't think we could have a better functional three-piece. Laura's heart and soul is in rock and that comes out in her playing and Mike is such a business-savvy person whose work ethic is through the roof. Not just with his drumming but with promotion and getting the band's name out there. The core group is always going to be the three of us."
Last August the Toronto band released their first album titled Magnets and Miracles. James says there is something for everyone on the album.
"It's mainstream but it fluctuates between genres, it's hard to pin down what genre of alternative rock, or rock we are. Our song 'Friendly Fire' is more eclectic based, but you'll get to 'Voices' which is a rock song," James says. "What someone who hasn't heard of us before can anticipate on hearing is lyrics that people can relate too in pretty dark times. The theme of the album is finding hope when you potentially have not a lot of a reason to find hope."
When deciding on a name for the band, Doll and James wanted something that would not only represent themselves as a band and wouldn't label them as just one particular type of band.
"We wanted a name that wouldn't harness us into a corner or label us as one type of band. We thought of something in a dream like world you'd be able to go from these different extremes, from something really heavy to something really soft," James explains. "Also, aesthetically for photo shoots and album artwork we'd really be able to expand our horizons. We wanted a band name that encompasses all of that . . . when I thought of In My Coma that was the one that fit and made sense."
Shortly after releasing Magnets and Miracles, In My Coma began to experience a wave of good fortune. In September they were named Indie Band of the Month by 102.1 The Edge in Toronto. Then they were nominated for Best Alternative Rock Band at the 2012 Toronto Independent Music Awards and in November they opened for SUM 41.
"Opening for Sum 41 was a great experience," James says. "It was probably one of the highlights of my time with this band . . . . you can't mimic those experiences and you really embrace them when they come. It was unbelievable."
"I was a nervous wreck before we went on stage because the crowd was larger than I'm used to. I remember shaking in my boots as I crossed the stage, but the adrenaline made for a kick ass performance though," Doll adds.
In My Coma have been hard at work promoting their tour and are in the beginning stages of planning on releasing new material for later this year.
"You have to really work your butt off to get noticed in the music business. It's a low paying full time job when people don't know you," Doll adds. "Our hard work is paying off though. We are continuously moving forward."
