Draft:Customer Service (band)

Customer Service is an east-coast emotional rock band formed in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, in 2021. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Matt Cheverie, lead guitarist and vocalist Max Hayden, bassist Nick Adams, and drummer Owen Harris.

History
Owen Harris and Max Hayden, who were childhood friends and neighbours, started playing music together in Harris' parents' basement during the long high-school closure caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The duo formed a short-lived band called "Rüg" with friend Liam MacNeil on bass.

In 2021, Harris and Hayden started a new band called "Customer Service." They recruited Harris' first cousin, Nick Adams, to play bass and found singer/guitarist Matt Cheverie through a Facebook Marketplace ad that Cheverie's brother forwarded to him. Talking about how he joined the band, Cheverie said to Darcy Walsh of East Coast DNA, "I was a guitarist, not a singer, but they made me sing." “When I went into the audition they showed me lyrics and asked me to sing,” said Cheverie. “The lyrics were just scrawled all over the page, and Max told me he didn’t know what the chords were, or the melody I was supposed to sing.” Hayden reflected on the chance meeting, saying, "It's weird to know that you found one of your closest friends on Facebook Marketplace."

Customer Service's first show was a house-show on Jennings Street in Halifax. In an interview with FoldableQs' Spencer Allen, Harris says, "House shows are magic. Everyone there is a friend or a friend of a friend, so everyone there wants you to do well. And it's only great energy." Since then, the band has become renowned in Halifax for their packed free shows at "Nick's House," where live recordings, by Allen, feature crushing groups of youth jumping, dancing, and singing along with the band.

In 2022, Customer Service's first bar show, at Gus' Pub, downtown Halifax, was sold out. "The next goal is to have a Marquee show," says Harris in an interview with Foldable Qs after the show. Only two years later, Customer Service opened to a packed hall at The Marquee (capacity 700) for headliners The Dirty Nil on their Eastern Whirl Tour, with Diner Drugs and Electric Spoonful.

Summer 2023, Customer Service went on a 16-dated tour of lower Canada, called the "Canadian Summer Rock N' Rawr Tour." Playing venues such as Horseshoe Tavern, Casa del Popolo, Traxide, and The Cap.

Regardless of not having music released within 3 years of the band forming, they amassed a local following that sold out their shows at Halifax venues such as Gus' Pub, The Seahorse, The Marquee, and at frequent house-shows. Harris said in 2022, "When we put something out we want to have a bit more of a following, so that first song gets a bit of a boost".

That time came on January 19, 2024, with the release of their first single "Grad Day." The song was produced and engineered by Owen Williams, recorded by Dylan Mombourquette and Owen Williams, and mixed and mastered by Brett Romnes. In fall 2023, the "Grad Day" video was shot and directed by Brendan Lyle, known professionally as Moosecanfly, "I think they really have something special. They’ve had crazy shows [...] when they had no music out on streaming.” An unofficial Grad Day live recording (audio and video), was shot by Spencer Allen months earlier in Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia, at a rustic off-grid camp owned by Adams' grandparents.

Their highly anticipated debut EP, "Live More Forever," was released on February 24, 2024, following their success on six Atlantic tours. The EP is a 10” white vinyl, limited edition, with each EP numbered out of 200. The EP release show was at the Seahorse on Saturday, February 24, 2024. Opening acts were The Sundae Girl Band, Llyod's Money, and Pavel Stroke.

Musical Style
Customer Service is a prominent band in the East Coast emotional rock scene in Atlantic Canada.

Of their music, Adams, says of Harris and Hayden "these guys are kind of feral and wild," and of himself and Cheverie, "we're kind of reserved and technical," the two duos balancing each other. "I want us to be tight as a band, but the mess is a big part of our sound. A little bit of chaos," Cheverie adds.

Members

 * Matt Cheverie - lead vocal, guitar (2022 - present)
 * Max Hayden - lead guitar, backing vocals (2021 - present)
 * Nick Adams - bass (2022 - present)
 * Owen Harris - drums (2021 - present)

Past Members

 * Liam McNeil- bass and vocals (2021 - 2022)

Live On Tour
February 2024

=== Customer Service Tour and Dad Patrol Tour === January 2024

Customer Service Tour
October / November 2023

Canadian Summer Rock N' Rawr Tour
Summer 2023

Customer Service Tour
May 2023

Customer Service Tour
Dec 2022 / Jan 2023

Personal
As of February 2024, all four band members are students at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Adams is studying Computer Science with a minor in music. Hayden is studying Computer Science. Harris is studying Political Science. Cheverie, having previously completed a diploma in Engineering, is studying English and Film.

Honours and Awards

 * 2023: The Coast's Best Of Halifax 2023: Silver for Best Band,
 * 2023: The Coast's Best Of Halifax 2023 Bronze for Best New Artist/Band
 * 2023: The Coast's Best Of Halifax 2023 Bronze for the Best Rock Artist/Band

EPs

 * "Live More Forever" (February 24, 2024) Produced and Engineered by Owen Williams. Recorded by Dylan Mombourquette and Owen Williams. Mixed and Mastered by Brett Romnes. Independent release. Recorded in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Singles

 * "Grad Day" (February 2024)
 * "Working Hard or Riley Workman?" (February 2024)