It may seem paradoxical to find the deepest part of the Pacific Ocean at 4,400 feet above sea level, but Marianas Trench is coming to Reno. The Canadian pop band will be playing Reno’s Knitting Factory on Sunday, Nov. 8.
Marianas Trench is Josh Ramsay (vocals, guitar, piano), Matt Webb (lead guitar, backing vocals), Mike Ayley (bass, backing vocals) and Ian Casselman (drums, backing vocals.)
Formed in 2001 in Vancouver, Mariana’s Trench recently released “Astoria,” the group’s fourth studio album. Debuting on Oct, 23, the album peaked at No. 53 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart and No. 2 on Billboard’s Canadian Album chart.
“We went for a bit of an ’80s sound on this one,” Matt Webb said. “We converted our singer’s house into a home studio and went out and bought all kinds of ’80s equipment and gear and tried to tie some sounds from stuff we grew up listening to, like Huey Lewis, the Eurythmics and the Police.
“It’s been a fun one, the recording process was awesome and now we’re trying to dress in ’80s costumes for the shows.”
This was the band’s first real attempt at extensive home production. Outside of a handful of drum and orchestra tracks, the entire album was recorded in Ramsay’s home.
“It was certainly super convenient to just be recording in downtown Vancouver,” Webb said. “I basically rode my bike over to the studio every day. We could have family friends over to cook dinner which was great. Overall, very enjoyable experience, I’m glad we did it and we’ll probably continue to record that way.”
“Astoria” was initially released on CD, ITunes, and a number of other digital media outlets. The band celebrated with a live, acoustic performance from home, streaming the show online to fans around the world. A vinyl release of the album is upcoming, Webb said.
Marianas Trench is on an extensive tour run in promotion of the new album, with upcoming dates all across the United States and Canada. Entitled “Hey You Guys,” the tour kicked off in Portland on Nov. 3.
“It’s just kind of focus on playing great shows every night” Webb said. “We’ve got about 42 shows in the U.S. over the next few months here.” The group is planning on heading overseas in 2016, although the details are still being hammered out.
Marianas Trench has cranked up its stage act for this tour, with costumes, dates in new locations, and a massive lighting rig.
“We’re bringing a ton of production on this tour which is great,” Webb said. “Our lighting guy, Boris, is losing his shit, he’s going ‘man, we’ve got a stadium worth of lights in this little club.’ ”
It sounds like the Knitting Factory stage will be a riot of light and sound when Marianas Trench heads into town this weekend.
“We’re super excited to come to Reno, we’ve never been,” Webb said. “Come on out to the show, we always like to hang out with the crowd afterwards and jump in and get dirty.”
- Marianas Trench
When: 8 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8
Where: Knitting Factory, Reno
Tickets: $18-$30
