Theset

THESET originally came up with their name almost as a joke. In the fall of 2004 a local Victoria BC promoter was scouting bands for a rock show he was organizing in town. An acquaintance of the promoter decided to help out by assembling a band specifically for the event. He began calling and emailing people he new in the local scene, reaching out to various players from around the region. After some searching, and much persistence he gathered together Martin MacPhail (vocals), Dean Rode (bass), Tristan Tarr drums), and Jory Mackay (guitars), a group of people who to this point had never played together or even for that matter really knew one another all that well. When apprised of the challenge the group of intrepid musicians quickly began to write together and rehearse for the show, which was a matter of weeks away. As the show date neared this newly formed “band” cobbled together enough songs to perform “a set”, but they still needed a name. Not really expecting that the group would survive past that one show, they decided to name themselves “The Set”, as that’s all they really were, a group of musicians with one set’s worth of tunes to their name.

Fate or serendipity, whether you are a believer in destiny or the random nature of the universe, either way, when this disparate group of musicians performed that night, something clicked. The audience response to the songs and the band’s stage performance was overwhelmingly enthusiastic and that night the musicians decided they needed to explore this band idea a little further. Six years later they’re still exploring, they now have more than enough material for “a set” but the name stuck.

In the room that fateful night was a guitarist named Elliot Carter. Intrigued by THESET’s performance he and the band began discussing music, their influences and mutual likes and dislikes. They found common ground with bands they all admired such as post hard-core band At The Drive-in, Thrice and The Mars Volta and decided Elliot should join the group, bringing the total to five.

THESET quickly began assembling songs for their first independent album The Philosophy Of Time Travel. The majority of songs were written in the months following that performance in Victoria however a number of tracks such as ‘Matador’ and ‘All We Have Is This’ written for that very first gig make the cut. Elliot’s addition to the band brought a more melodic and hook-friendly approach to their early writing, which tended toward the unconventional with sometimes jarring chord progressions and multiple time signature changes. Released in early 2005 they used Philosophy as a vehicle to begin building a regional fanbase through relentless touring up and down the coast and into the western interior of the country. All of this activity brought the band to the attention of well-known Canadian producer Warne Livsey (Matthew Good Band, Midnight Oil) who began talking to the band about producing their next project.

Spending close to a year, on and off at Mushroom studio with the veteran producer taught THESET much about the recording process and how to find “that perfect guitar sound”or “how to track the perfect drums” but the protracted time it took to put the finishing touches on their sophomore release was an intense and sometimes grueling experience. Finally, in the fall of 2008, exhausted but proud the band launched Never Odd or Even through Upper Management/EMI.

The album release was followed up with another spate of national touring, promotion, press, industry showcases, a video for the single ‘Echohead’ (which was added at MuchMusic), a close encounter with a US record deal and more touring. The grind was beginning to take its toll on the band and just as thoughts were starting to surface that maybe THESET had run it’s course, the band were approached by Wax Records to join forces.

Upon signing with Wax Records, THESET moved to Toronto and their first project with was Monsters released in 2010 produced by Julius “Juice” Butty (Protest the Hero, Alexisonfire, City And Colour). Working with the veteran hard-rock producer brought yet another influence to the bands signature sound, creating their most frenetic and bombastic album to date. The release of Monsters was followed by a National tour with Protest The Hero and shows with Public Enemy, Finger 11, and Alexisonfire, as well as performances on national radio and television such as CTV, 102.1 The Edge, and XM Satellite radio.

After a year of playing extensively in the local scene of their new home, Toronto, as of July 2011 THESET has once again dug deep into the writing process. “This album will be a departure for us, that’s to be sure.” Says vocalist Martin Macphail, “Living away from the ocean… also all the cultural and musical influences we’ve come to know in Toronto, this will be a new page for us sonically”.

THESET are now preparing to enter the studio once more with a new sonic direction for a band already defined by reckless creativity and energy.