“I notice you have a lot of different band members…”

Who will the singers be at my event?

Are you guys even a band?

When we started Side One in 2010, we were Rebecca, Martin, Rob, Cory, Paul, and Chris.  And we were only in Vancouver.

Since then, we’ve played 2,400 events and have added teams in Calgary, Toronto, and Seattle. We have almost 150 musicians and techs in our bullpen. With that many members in rotation, it’s not uncommon for clients to ask, “Who will the singers be at my event?”  

First off, as the guitar player in the band, I’m insulted. Hahaha….kidding. Sadly, no one ever asks who the guitarist will be at their event, but we get it. Singers really do steal the spotlight.

That said, it brings up an interesting point — and a lot of speculation about how Side One really works.

Let me try to shed some light….

Side One’s Roster Method

When you go to see U2, you expect Bono and The Edge.  The Stones, you see Mick and Keith. Fleetwood Mac, Stevie and Lindsey…..err, bad example.

Side One operates a little differently.  Think of us as a Cirque Du Soleil show like Kooza or a theatrical production like Hamilton or Wicked.  It’s not necessarily the cast you’ve come to see — though you may prefer certain roles played by certain actors — but the performance. And it’s a reasonable expectation that the quality will be there, regardless of who is on stage.

We call this our “roster method,” and it’s proven invaluable to us and our clients for several reasons:

Reason 1: Our Musicians Are In High Demand

The musicians we employ are some of the most in-demand session musicians in the country. This means that when you hire Side One, you’re getting talent that many of the biggest touring artists and productions also want — and not just in music.

Some members of our team are a big part of the acting community: Marlie stars in Hallmark movie Rom-Coms, Rebecca voices Sunset Shimmer and sings for Twilight Sparkle on My Little Pony, Kale is an accomplished stage actor, performing regularly in Million Dollar Quartet, Rock of Ages, and Jersey Boys, as is Lauren, who wows audiences in Cabaret and Matilda.

Some of our musicians are also incredible recording artists in their own right (David Ward, The Hello Darlins, Jeff Bryant, Chairs For Giants, and many more). I would encourage you to check out the Side One Originals Spotify or Apple Music Playlist. You can also read my blog on these incredible folks HERE.

Side One’s musicians are in-demand for good reason. And our roster method allows us to harness their talent.

By giving them the freedom not only to play in Side One but to pursue the unique professional opportunities they’ve earned, they can have their cake and eat it too. We’ve got enough talent in our stable that if they need to go on tour, star in a movie, or commit to a theatrical run, they will be covered.

And they’ll have gigs with us when they return.

Reason 2: Every Event Is Protected From Unforeseen Circumstances

Another benefit to our roster method played out a ton at the tail-end of the pandemic. During that time, even though live events had returned, many people (including our musicians) were regularly coming down with the virus — sometimes within a day or two of a performance.

Now, as an event band, we take situations like this very seriously. These aren’t pub gigs or dates on a tour. When we perform, we help create a very special occasion on a particular date that a lot of people have put considerable time and money into. At weddings, we help create the best day of someone’s life.

To be invited to play the bride down the aisle, entertain guests, and set the mood for such a joyous occasion is an honour and a privilege. We can’t jeopardize a single event with a poor performance or by getting someone sick.

So rather than cancelling due to sickness or bringing in a newbie that has never played with the band, we turn to our bullpen to cover. Our subs are seasoned pros who have played with us for many years, so there is no loss in quality.  We’re four or five deep in every position — and we work so much that even our fifth stringers have played more with Side One than most first calls have with their other bands.

On the rare event that all our local talent is unavailable, we fly someone in from one of our four franchises (Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Seattle) at no extra cost to the client.

Bold Assumptions

Recently, we learned one of our competitors was trying to convince clients that “sideone are a piece meal [sic] ‘throw-together’ band. In other words, they put musicians that either never or rarely perform together, based on business that comes in.”

This quote is from someone who either doesn’t understand our process or is deliberately misrepresenting us to try and gain business. The irony is that our process is in place to protect our clients.

Should someone on our competitor’s team get COVID, how will they deliver on their engagements without sending a “throw-together” band? If their value is reliant on a fixed lineup, they won’t have a seasoned bullpen in place to weather that storm.

The Best Of The Best

Rest assured, all our musicians are carefully vetted and have years of experience playing and singing with us. We’re happy to provide you with videos, testimonials, or client reviews for any of our team.

If you DO have a favourite singer or musician in mind, someone you’ve seen in one of our performances or videos, we will certainly do our best to bring them to your event! Though we don’t offer band member guarantees.

We have an elaborate “call” algorithm that dictates who gets the first right of refusal. It’s based on a combination of seniority with Side One, overall experience, and about 20 other things that keep our talent ecosystem and roster method afloat. But you can rest assured that every one of our musicians is an incredible performer! Our commitment to respecting each player’s accomplishments and personal goals is what attracts the best of the best.

Picking between Martin, Patrick, David, Kale, Matt, Sean, and Jeremy seems like a bit of a Sophie’s Choice, no?? With our roster method in place — one that was built to combat the mistreatment and underpayment of musicians while clients were charged outrageous fees by other bands — we all benefit from their incredible talent, our clients most of all.