Strada

note: STRADA was formerly know as TOURIST, until a name conflict and confusion with the vancouver band, Tourist.


It’s a nasty summer night in northern Alberta. The air outside is hot and wet. The air inside is even more disgusting. The place is packed, everybody’s wet, and the guy next to me smells like shit.
It’s July in Edmonton, the place is called Red’s.

Two years and a few months ago, Daniel Huscroft arrives at the Calgary airport. Leaving behind opportunity and comfort in Nashville, he’s waiting to be picked up by some guy he’s never really met, nor heard of. What the hell does Dan know that I don’t? Tonight in Edmonton, he’s the first to take to the stage. The eerie sound he squeezes out of his Fender Telecaster makes the sweaty hairs on my neck dry out, and stand up. Suddenly the smell of shit beside me could almost be pleasant as I listen to a stirring song I’ve never heard before played by a band I never knew existed. I didn’t come out tonight to hear Strada, but I’m stuck here in the centre of a sell out crowd, listening to the opening band, and I couldn’t be happier.

It’s been just over two years since Dan came to Calgary and hooked up with Chad Thomas, Jeff Robertson, and Nathan Giebelhaus. It’s been a long two years since then. The latter three members brewed up Strada in 2001. The early stages of Strada consisted of jam sessions and ad-lib writing, and something about those jam sessions was infectious, something felt right. So, thanks to some self-taught recording skills on Nathan’s part and his own small basement studio, the boys threw down a 4-song demo in 2001. Strada was just an idea at that time, the tunes were raw, but something seemed right. Those tunes, the kind words of a mutual friend, and some gut feeling, pulled Dan into the mix in March of 2002. With Dan’s charismatic, edgy writing, hooky guitar playing, and demanding musical power, Strada was born again.

The release of the Sleeper EP followed shortly after Dan’s arrival. Carried well by the sure hit “Sleeper”, but mostly void of Dan’s writing and creative contribution, the album was a weak representation of what Strada would become in the months to follow. Two years, three drummers, maybe 12 shows, and 18 months of pointless contract negotiations later, Strada just about died.
Now with the original four members in place, even better tunes, some street smarts, focus, and a convincing live show, Strada has, for the second time, been born again.

A genre placement would land Strada somewhere between progressive rock and brit-pop-rock. The tunes are always melodic, the drumming second to none, the instrumentation skilled but digestive, and each part always captivating. The sound is radio friendly, but not sickeningly typical. It’s good music; it’s a great sound.

Working on a full debut release for this fall, the third year of existence for Strada is looking better than the first two. With a short stint supporting on the Switchfoot tour (Sony) in July, Strada rose to the occasion and captivated new, unsuspecting fans, while grabbing much deserved industry attention.

Sharing the stage this fall with various signed acts, the time for some headway in this difficult industry is long overdue for a band that comes out of nowhere and steals every show they play.