Red Deer-based band Ten02 is slated to perform Oct. 15 in Lacombe Performing Arts Centre’s Fall Concert Series.
Showtime is 7 p.m. Tickets are $20 each and can be purchased at the Mary C. Moore Public Library or online at Lacombepac.com.
Ten02 launched their journey years back, and have been steadily gathering momentum ever since - releasing superb tunes and engaging with an increasing fan base. They released an EP back in March of 2020 called Songs About Girls. And at that point, everything was gearing up for a terrific season of getting those tunes out there but COVID hit and ‘live’ shows ground to a halt.
Now, it’s full steam ahead.
“Since this past March it’s been full swing again,” explained Elijah Chauvet, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist. “We’ve been on the road quite a bit - a couple of tours through B.C. all the way out to Vancouver, with quite a few stops in between,” he said, adding that this past summer the hectic schedule continued with the band heading east through Saskatchewan and into Manitoba.
“We feel like we are really making up for lost time - just getting out there and playing as much as we can.”
These days, they are thrilled with the release of their superbly-crafted single Cherry Sunrise.
The tune, produced by Mark Troyer, reflects the increasingly unique style of this talented group.
A couple of years back, the band had landed time in the studio with Troyer who has worked with Taylor Swift, Brett Kissel and Nickelback to name a few. Those sessions were won by the band via a competition in 2019 called the Rock Star Talent Search in Olds.
So that was the time that the tracks for Cherry Sunrise, and several other tunes, were actually laid down. But bringing the single to completion took time, and it’s been well worth the wait.
“We’ve been so fortunate to have studio time with Mark because he’s a world-class producer,” he said. “He is super meticulous in everything he does.”
Troyer has also agreed to produce several more songs for Ten 02’s next full-length project - expected at some point in the early part of 2023.
“He really liked working with us, and we were like, ‘We have to have him for the rest of the album!’ We also wanted to make sure we were putting out nine more songs that are on the level of Cherry Sunrise - songs that we think will also nicely round out the album musically and stylistically.”
As for Chauvet, music has been a passion for years - but has truly come into sharper focus via his journey with Ten02.
During his middle school years, he was a drummer in concert and jazz bands.
Eventually, through meeting via mutual friends, Ten02 formed and a new creative chapter was launched.
Rounding out the band are drummer Joshua Chandler, Kaiden Schauer on lead guitar, Emma Baker on keys and bassist Chase Bishop.
Each member tends to have a particular musical taste, but it’s that diversity across the board that strengthens and even defines Ten02’s distinctive and compelling style.
“We do have vastly different tastes, but over the years we’ve all realized what our sound is,” Chauvet explained. “I love indie/alternative, singer/songwriter, our drummer is very into rap - he grew up on hip hop and punk-pop.
“Our guitarist is a huge blues-rock guy, our bassist likes metal. And our keyboardist is very into ‘indie/alternative, singer/songwriter’ like I am. But we have all figured out that we sound (the best) in the alternative-rock/indie style. And luckily, for all of us, that is a genre that we all like!”
Deciding which songs from their collection to actually record at a given time, therefore, isn’t too much of a debate, which says plenty about the cohesive nature of the band.
“We know when we play them, by how they sound, by how they feel, and by how the crowd reacts to them,” said Chauvet. “It’s almost as plain as day to us after we play a song ‘live’. It’s like an unspoken thing. We just know if (a particular song) makes the cut or doesn’t.”
Next up in the Fall Concert Series is Tandem Yam on Nov. 19.