In a Bag – a good time, good music and lots of dancing by Rick Young Like many of their contemporaries, the members of London alt-rock band, In a Bag , came together out of the incubator of Fanshawe College’s Music Industry Arts program. “We all went to school together. The first iteration of the band formed in 2019, but the current lineup wasn’t in place until 2020 when we began our second year of the program,” says founding member, bassist Jesse Grant. Jesse has been playing music and performing in bands for ten years since he was eleven years of age. He grew up in London and attended LB Pearson School for the Arts where he found a passion for performing music. He went through HB Beal, and finally to Fanshawe where he graduated from the Music Industry Arts program. Besides his work with In a Bag, Jesse also performs live with other bands and artists including SYREN. Jesse is a proud queer and transgender person who is active in the London LGBTQ+ community. They have performed with PopRom, The Dorothy Parker Band, and Craterheart for Pride and other LGBTQ+ events. Guitarist Callum Furneaux grew up in Toronto. From an early age, he was exposed to a broad selection of musical genres and styles from his parents, with a focus on Shoegaze, 1980s New Wave, and just about every subgenre of alt-rock possible. After graduating from Fanshawe’s Music Industry Arts program, Callum returned to Toronto and started an internship at Noble Street Studios where he furthered his knowledge in engineering and production. Callum engineers and mixes the band’s tracks and works freelance with various other artists. Drummer Odie Vokes grew up just outside of Owen Sound surrounded by the mix of music tastes from his mom, and the constant mini-concerts his dad would do at home. He got into music after his grandparents put a drum kit in their basement. Odie started drumming with friends for school talent shows, and random open mics in town. At Fanshawe College, he tuned in his drumming style. Besides working with In a Bag, Odie performs with SYREN, and writes a bit of solo off-brand grunge music. Vocalist Gregory Burkell grew up in London listening to a lot of EDM. In high school, he did a good deal of theatre work which definitely helped prepare him for performing on stage. His love of electronic music production led him to join Music Industry Arts where he began focusing more on lyrics and songwriting. He spends a good deal of time working on his solo electronic project. The band’s unique name developed out of their intentional “screwing up” of the first song they ever performed. “We played poorly, we messed up the lyrics, and we endlessly repeated the line ‘in a bag,” they say. “It was all a ploy to make the following song sound ‘better.’ We all loved the joke so much that we just decided to make that our band name, and the repetition of the line served as a great way to drive our band name into people’s minds.” The band takes a lot of inspiration from other Canadian indie acts alongside other alt-rock greats, emulating many elements of their song structures and production techniques. “These are the bands we hope to be playing alongside one day,” they say. In a Bag tends to keep their sets to about half originals, and half covers. “If we need to fill another spot in a set we’re just as likely to learn a new cover as we are to write a new song.”
“Audiences can expect a good time and some good music at our shows. They’ll also be likely to hear some banter, Callum’s massive pedal board, Greg in the mosh pit, and a lot of dancing. You’ll have to come and see it to believe it,” say band members. The band’s music can be heard on a number of streaming platforms including Spotify, Apple Music, and Tidal. They have an active presence on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok where posts about band news, upcoming shows and releases and videos can be found. Their handle/URL is consistently @inabagband. “Our biggest shows and venues up to this point have been the Horseshoe Tavern and Lee’s Palace in Toronto. We’ve played a lot of bars all over Ontario, including London’s Palasad Socialbowl many times. We performed at Home County Music Festival during the summer,” they say. Band members will be taking a little bit of a mental health break over the winter but advise readers to keep their eyes peeled in the New Year, as they have been recording some new material. “As a native Londoner, I couldn’t ask for a more supportive music community. I’ve made many of my closest friends playing shows. We all love playing in London,” says Jesse. “If we’re in your city come see us, follow us on every social media platform, stream and download our album, listen to the words, and sing along. It’ll make ya feel good.”
PRIDE Villager
Page 13 Issue 9 • Fall 2022
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