To The North Interview/Music

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To The North is one of my all time favorites, sadly they are not playing anymore and are on hiatus for any future endeavors, but read up on this and continue to support them, and any new music you should hear from their members in the future. One of the best interviews I've ever done, Cameron Gillard sat down and gave me all the details on what's been going on so many thank you's to him.

1. What inspired the name To The North?

We were called John Travolta for a small period of time because we had a lot of trouble all agreeing on a name! I think Josh suggested To the North at a jam and it was the only one we all didn't hate, so it stuck. Josh got the idea from a Settlefish song title if i recall correctly.

2. How long has To The North been a band? Where are you guys from, and who does the band consist of?

We were a band from December 2006 until February 2012, while not broken up officially we are on permanent hiatus. We are from Brisbane Australia. Simon plays drums, Errol guitar, Josh bass and myself, Cam on vocals.

3. During the time you were writing new records, from 06 up until 12, do you feel there was a specific time you were at the height of your popularity? Which record do you think got you there?

When "Lustre" (our only full length) came out we were touring quite alot, so i think if there was ever a peak it was just after that record was released in the summer of 2010/2011.

4. Would you say in your own personal opinion that you have a favorite show played to date, rather it be for the performance or overall atmosphere?

There are so many it's quite hard to choose. The most memorable for me, would be the last time we played the Arthouse hotel in Melbourne. The crowd were phenomenal and we played with such passion and pride that it felt amazing.

5. What brought upon the hiatus? For such a prominent band as To The North to just stop one day is surely heartbreaking to more than just myself.

It was a culmination of a few things. Errol battled cancer which was very tough for him, we are very happy he is in remission now! We toured Australia quite a lot which put a strain on our bank accounts and sometimes our friendships. I wasn't interested in touring over here as much anymore as i want to travel the world in the next few years. In the end though i think it just came down to timing. We had done so much with To the North and we felt it was a good time to stop i guess. We are all great friends and i would like to do something in the future but for now it is good to be free!

6. Between records did the writing change at all? Rephrased, do you feel that in the time since your first release you improved or just the way of doing things changed in your music, or your sound changed? I have a live recording and it sounds just as good as the actual mixed releases, which can be a hard thing to acquire.

Yeah it did change a fair bit. Our first ep came together effortlessly and not a great deal of time went into it. We practiced and fleshed out a bunch of songs until they were ready then recorded "landscapes" with our friend Leigh under his house. That recording was pretty much live with the vocals overdubbed, for what it was i think it turned out great.

From that point on we took a little more time with the writing. Like most bands we wanted to produce something different and a step up. From the landscapes ep onward we started playing a lot so our next release ended up being a 1 song split with Ohana! We recorded this in Byron bay with our pal Dave Williams’ and were super happy with how it turned out.

From that point on we started working on what we thought would be the album! Quite a bit of time had passed without a release so we decided to do a 4 song ep "to work and not feed" until we had enough material to do an album. This release was recorder with Bryce Moorehead.

From that point onward we bunkered down to get "Lustre" finished. The nature of how we wrote songs changed drastically for the record. We wanted to produce something amazing so instead of just writing songs and being chilled about it, we were all hyper critical. We would pull apart the songs and re work them over and over until they were perfect to us. This was a mammoth task and meant that, even though we are very proud of the record it took a little bit of a toll on our sanity. Recording it was a great experience though as we tracked with Bryce Moorehead and got Dave Williams to mix so it was like recording with your family, both those guys understood what we wanted to achieve.

It's great there are a bunch of high quality live recordings of us kicking around and i am glad we sound live, like we do recorded. Nothing worse than an auto tuned bands that sounds nothing like the recording.

7. Can you say that you honestly miss the band? Just making music and having that experience with some of your best of friends. Do you think there is more you could have accomplished or more you wish you could have done?

Yes i miss it like crazy but i have my new band Little Shadow to fill the creative void. The best analogy i guess, is it's like breaking up with a girlfriend. There is always so much time and love invested but sometimes it's best for all involved to move on. We could have accomplished so much more, as we planned to tour America with La Dispute and we were working on a bunch of new songs when it fell apart. I would still like to rekindle the band at some point in the future, i guess we will have to wait and see how it all plays out.

8. Doing something like a band can be fun but sometimes stressful, but I think you'd say ultimately a very good experience. Is there something you'd say to people who hear your music and it inspires them to branch on their own and start a band? Just a small bit of advice from someone who has done it and done it well.

Thanks mate! Playing music is the most rewarding thing i have ever done in my life, and continues to be. It has no limits and is one of the very few human expressions, that can be as true as you want it to be.

I love finding new bands/music and tapping into someone’s mood and head space. To feel and understand what someone else feels, through music is a beautiful experience. My advice would be to find something you are passionate about and pursue it with as much vigour as you can give it.