The Steadies define their genre as island rock and their mix of rocksteady and reggae influences with pop music takes listeners to the beach or rumbling on the dance floor.
In short, The Steadies aren’t invited to the party, they are the party. Their steady beat is a perfect match for the Okanagan Lake Park venue during the Penticton Peach Festival next week and has landed them two slots at the oldest free family festival in B.C.
“It’s why we love B.C. People just get our music here and we are super excited about Peachfest. We hear nothing but good things,” said frontman Earl Pereira. “It is so nice to play at festivals because it is better for making real fans, there really is no comparison.”
You may have seen Pereira strumming with the popular Canadian band Wide Mouth Mason where he earned his rock n’ roll pedigree as a founding member, or perhaps rocking the Barking Parrot at the Lakeside Hotel in Penticton with his side project Mobadass, and maybe at last year’s Rock The Peach festival with The Steadies. Wherever it was you probably will remember he was brimming with energy.
“I love collaborating with people, but there is something to be said about having something of your own that represents you completely and when Wide Mouth Mason was slowing down I didn’t want to stop. I am like a kid, still full of energy and this is the perfect way for me to carry on,” said Pereira. “As a musician, you feel like you can always get better and improve and this really helps me reach my potential, or get closer to that as a singer and songwriter. With The Steadies, I am kind of responsible for everything and I love it.”
Having played over 3,000 shows and opening for iconic artists like the Rolling Stones, AC/DC and Nelly Furtado has helped The Steadies. Pereira co-wrote and co-produced Wide Mouth Mason’s entire award-winning catalogue and gave him the opportunity to work with a roster of legendary producers including David Leonard (Paul McCartney, Prince) and Todd Burke (Red Hot Chili Peppers, No Doubt, Johnny Cash).
“Having that big stage experience with groups like the Rolling Stones has helped us jump a couple of levels because I push the guys in my band a lot as far as really putting on a performance,” said Pereira.
The Steadies have cut a name for themselves with performances with The Roots, The Wailers, K-OS, Arrested Development, Bedouin Soundclash and Ziggy Marley. Rocking alongside Pereira are talk show host/drummer Jason Hattie and Trinidadian guitar prodigy Justin ‘Juice’ Lee. Their self-titled EP was nominated for a 2012 Western Canadian Music Awards with plans to release their first full-length album Starcity Shakedown in early-fall.
“There will be some collaboration on Starcity Shakedown. What will probably be our lead single is a dance-floor packer that hip hop artist Kyprios, who I go way back with, will be on. It’s a fun and funky track. We took a piece of the music from a classic 10cc song called Dreadlock Holiday and we built a song around that. It turned out really well,” said Pereira, adding he hopes to collaborate with Daniel Wesley who recently played a gig in Penticton at The Mule Nightclub.
Pereira is engineering and producing Starcity Shakedown himself. It is just another evolution in his career and one he believes he always wanted to take on.
“I think, looking back at that time with Wide Mouth Mason, I was unknowingly in their face. Usually it was me right beside whoever our producer was at the time, guys like David Leonard who has produced Prince and other amazing artists like the Barenaked Ladies, Aerosmith, Bryan Adams and Gordie Johnson. I have always been interested in producing and mixing deep down, so it makes sense now when I look back at the information I absorbed from those guys and it really paid off because that is experience you cannot buy,” said Pereira.
Expect to hear a few of the new tunes at Peachfest next week.
“We are really focused on having a certain sound that is super-upbeat and energetic. We just want to keep making melodic songs that people can sing and dance to in their kitchen while cranking up the sound,” said Pereira.
The Steadies perform at Okanagan Lake Park Aug. 8 at 7:35 p.m. and Aug. 10 at 1:25 p.m. All events in Okanagan Lake Park are free.