U of O alumnus’ band returns to Ottawa to promote local music
Photo by Matt Godaz
The Cardboard Crowns are four roommates who live in East York, Toronto. Inspired and motivated by social injustice and community service, these young men are paying it forward through music.
From Aylmer, Que., bassist Francois Cuningham describes the band as having a “strange zest for life.”
Having completed a master’s degree in economics in December at the University of Ottawa, he says he chose the U of O because it is bilingual. Because his first language is French, Cuningham appreciated that he could take half his courses in English and half in his first language, something he says is lacking in the Canadian universities.
This incarnation of The Cardboard Crowns has been around for three and a half years, but the band has existed under different incarnations (The Mad Fizz and The Rocket Propelled Space Fish) since the band members were about 13 years old.
“We were just kind of clowns,” says Joel Kuehn, who sings and plays guitar.
“I was going to say that we’re the grown-up version,” adds lead guitarist Matt Megannety. “But we’re not grown up at all.”
On their website, The Cardboard Crowns describe themselves as “a mighty clash of ska-beat, reggae, punk-rock, and community service.” Listening to any of their songs, one can hear the first three of these qualities, but the fourth quality has interesting roots.
“We used to donate half the revenue we made from our shows to a charity owned by Joel’s dad,” explains Megannety. The band members all seem to have a genuine inclination to do good in the world, which is why their songwriting revolves around issues of social justice and responsibility.
Kuehn says the song “Global Citizen” expresses a need for people to “associate more as a global race rather than in little compartmentalized pieces.” He adds, “Obviously, taking care of your neighbour is the key element in community, but if you stop at your borders, you’re not doing your job.”
The prosody of the Cardboard Crowns’ music is also worth noting. Dave Speirs, the drummer for the band and a student of music industry arts, explains that prosody is “the marriage of words to music.”
“When you have music that fits the theme or emotion of the lyric,” he says, “you get a more congruent message.”
The Cardboard Crowns believe in the Ottawa music scene and what it could be. Their show at Zaphod’s on March 1 is an attempt to promote local up-and-coming bands in the nation’s capital.
