The History of TLA – Part II
// March 7th, 2011 // Uncategorized
This week we have part 2 of the History of TLA. It’s a big one…so enjoy!
Taylor Sanderson - TLA Drummer
About 4-5 months later in early 2009, TLA’s long time drummer Shawn Speirs (the guy who was with the band before the first CD in the late 90’s and came back after the first CD) seemed like he didn’t want to quit, but he didn’t seem to want to be in the band anymore either. So the band asked him to leave. It was a hard decision as Jeff and the guys had a problem (and still do have actually) rewarding Shawn’s loyalty to the band and the music by dismissing the guy. As Jeff says “It was brutal. One of the worst things I have ever had to do. But we needed someone behind the kit who wanted to be here and really wants to be here…if you know what I mean”. It was a few months (about 3) before they found his replacement, Andrew Whiting. In April 2009 Jeff was camping in the middle of nowhere and got his 4×4 stuck in a huge mud pit. He and his wife and 2 year old son walked for 10 km (Jeff’s son was carried) before finding someone to pull them out. Andrew was part of the group of guys who helped do that. Andrew stayed with the band throughout the disc and left August 2010 due to his lack of interest. It was a mutual decision for him to go as it was clear to everyone that their paths were not going the same direction anymore.
The guys wanted to be sure that the guy they replaced Andrew with had talent, that the personality would fit with the other band members, and that the person had the commitment level that they are at: to do whatever it takes to make it in the music biz. An extensive tryout/audition period began late August with about 10 drummers. Many of these guys were really good and committed like you wouldn’t believe. Jeff says “It was heart breaking to let some of these guys know they hadn’t been chosen as they wanted to be in TLA so badly, and a good 4 of them were excellent drummers!”. In the end, Andrew was replaced late September 2010 by Taylor Sanderson. Taylor is 19 years old, but plays as good or better than guys who are 10 years older than himself. Taylor is a ‘savant’ (for lack of a better term) when it comes to the drums. The band says time and again they are lucky to have him. To show the commitment level Taylor has, he has to drive 1 hour in each direction 3 times a week to practice with the band…once again, wow!
The CD “Still Standing” is about just that: still standing after everything that the band has been through. And the band is still here. They setup their own studio for this disc and that helped them get quite a good product in the end. They actually released the disc twice. The first time in May 2009, but it was rushed to market in a half-assed state due to recommendations by a few industry pro’s (who obviously had not received all of the information or something). Long story and I won’t bore you with the details. Within a month of being released, it became very clear without a doubt that the CD needed to be remixed, re-mastered (different mastering company), and re-released. 4 months were spent re-recording large parts of the disc and re-mixing. After the re-master it was re-released as “Still Standing” version 2 in November 2010 and version 1 became a collector’s item as there will never be more than 1000 of them ever printed. The differences between the discs (so you can tell them apart):
Version 2 of the disc has:
It has generated a lot of interest with independent A&R people, Radio stations (internet and other), etc. Reviews and such are apparently coming in and will be posted on the ‘Reviews’ page soon.
Prior to releasing the disc, the band played a lot of gigs around Calgary, Alberta, Canada and area (mainly Central Alberta as well). A couple of the testimonials the guys received speak for the way it was: TLA blew club owners and audiences alike completely away! And now they are gearing up for a lot more live performances in 2011 so a lot more people can see them! As well as a new CD is in the works, of which they’ve got a great start on the first song. The TLA Facebook site is doing exceptionally well, with an addition of 6000 fans in 2 months. Many of the fans arrived via Facebook and its TLA that kept them (and is keeping them!).
And the story continues and is still being written every day! So stay tuned and we’ll keep you updated!
– Janet Sawchuck,
Writer for TLA and TLA Web Admin
