Members of Cursed Deadly Snakes and No No Zero begin an epic new quest MUSIC
Quest for Fire may be a new band but the quartet comprises some of Canada’s best independent rock talent. After Toronto’s venerable and highly exalted Deadly Snakes disbanded Chad Ross and Andrew Moszynski joined forces with Josh Bauman of No No Zero and Mike Maxymuik of Cursed. Initially the project was meant only for recording but after getting together and writing they realized they had something on their hands that equalled their past projects.
“Our band resumés read like a road map” explains Ross. “Still Quest for Fire has been very serendipitous. I can’t tell you exactly how we got to where we are today. Maybe we bonded because we’re all compulsive music heads or over all the collective baggage we’re still lugging around since we were 15-year-olds starting our first punk bands. It’s brilliant though.”
The resulting debut a self-titled affair laced with stoner rock light prog and plenty of distortion has found fans across each of their previous projects’ genres from metal to alternative rock. Released on Montreal’s all-business rock label Storyboard Quest for Fire squeals as much as it sings creating a spirited sojourn of punchy guitars lengthy experimentation and driving heavy rhythmic pulses. It’s classic rock ’n’ roll but done with maturity and poise as if each of the members’ previous outfits reared its influential head throughout the recording process. Plus each of the members tied up in their external projects wanted to make something new fresh and different — something other than what they had been doing.
“As other things end new things begin” says Ross. “The Snakes were fading away and Cursed was walking on thin ice earlier this year. Therefore Andrew Josh Mike and I bonded on our obsession of all things fucked up almost as if we realized together why we make music. Sometimes the world feels like it’s slipping away from you but when we’re jamming and we find what we’re looking for you remember why you’re alive. The album is filled with those moments and as such for some reason it all made sense.”
As a result Quest for Fire has enjoyed successes other developing bands can only dream of. The album which involved over a year of rehearsing and only a few weeks of recording has been universally lauded across Canada giving old fans a new reason to connect and get lost in their insightful blend of rock ’n’ roll.
“It’s a bit odd” Ross says. “We brought a mountain of determination to the studio as we had been jamming for almost a year in a tiny smoky drunken room blowing off steam but we recorded it pretty quickly. We did spend a longer time obsessing over the mixes with all of our fine combing and obsessive dusting but in the end it was worth it.”
The band’s Calgary show marks the halfway point on their first national tour. “It’s been very inspiring” Ross explains. “We hit the ground running. Right away after releasing the album we played shows with Mudhoney Eric’s Trip Black Mountain and Howlin’ Rain. Now after those experiences we’re off on our first tour across Canada. By the time we get to Calgary I presume we’ll be full of stories.”
