User:Taken By Sanity/sandbox

Taken By Sanity is an emerging alternative pop group from Calgary, Alberta known for their unique blend of indie pop, rock melodies and captivating live performances. Established in 2016 by brothers Blaine (drums) and Blair (multi-instrumentalist), the two joined forces with high-energy vocalist Jonah Morris and have been writing, recording and performing their original music ever since. Their debut album, 'City of Contrast' was released on June 1, 2019. Described as “a diverse, engaging project,” each track is distinctively Taken By Sanity’s sound; from the upbeat, synth-heavy hooks of ‘Glass Hands’, to the slow and melancholic ballad, ‘Shade of Blue’, and the epic orchestral finale of ‘Gravity’.

Taken By Sanity are recipients of the 2019 YYC Music Awards People’s Choice Award, Top 10 CBC Music’s Searchlight 2019 Finalists , and are set to appear on CBC Television's 'Still Standing (Canadian TV series)' in 2020. Finding success through their genuine passion and identifiable sound, Taken By Sanity is gaining momentum in the Calgary live music scene and is only getting started.

Before The Band
Blaine Stillman is a drummer born in Calgary, Alberta who began playing at the age of 12 and professionally at the age of 17 with the duo ‘The Stillman Brothers’. In his senior year of high school, Stillman received the award of ‘Outstanding Musicianship in Drumline’ for his role of lead snare in the school’s drumline. Forwarding to 2019, Stillman began to teach himself music production and has been doing much of the band’s song production since then.

Blair Stillman is a Grade 12 honours graduate: awarded with “Outstanding Musicianship in Drumline” and top grades in General Music in his senior year of high school. Born in Calgary, Alberta, Stillman received 7 years of trombone training, 3 years of drumline percussion and 7 years of piano. As a self-taught pianist, Stillman exhibits the talent of Grade 9 Royal Conservatory of Music and has won multiple contests for his abilities; one of them being Calgary Co-op’s Got Talent in 2016 for his cover of ‘To The Stars by Tristam and Braken’. Outside of his musical aptitude, he has 8 years of photography and videography training and 8 years of graphic design under his belt. In 2018, Stillman was in a severe motor vehicle accident which resulted in his multiple mental health issues diagnosis. He explains that performing music is very therapeutic to him.

In 2015, the Stillman brothers began the duo ‘The Stillman Brothers’ to begin their professional careers in music. Fascinated by Twenty One Pilots and how they came to fame, the brothers wrote their first performance dedicated to them. This performance was a mashup of three of their songs off of their Regional at Best album: Kitchen Sink, Guns for Hands, and Trees and was put together the night before performing. Recorded by an audience member, The Stillman Brothers posted the video to YouTube and received over 75,000 views. In the summer of 2016, they had a performance during the Calgary Stampede in front of the Scotiabank Saddledome. This was their first performance as a duo in front of hundreds of people.

Jonah Morris is a Grade 12 honours graduate and graduate of the Selkirk College Contemporary Music and Technology program: winning the Alexander Rutherford scholarship, the Kinsmen "Salute 2 Youth" scholarship, the 2016-2017 District Student Academic Excellence Award, and the 2016-2017 District Student Fine Arts Award. Born in Calgary, Alberta, Morris has received 10 years of vocal training, 11 years of piano lessons, 3 years of ukulele, and a year of guitar experience under his belt; this in addition to his years of musical theatre training.

2016-2018: Formation
Taken By Sanity was established in late April of 2016 when The Stillman Brothers discovered a video of jonah covering ‘We Don’t Believe What’s On TV’ by Twenty One Pilots on YouTube. Their first performance was at a local food bank fundraiser and were given a week to put together a 45 minute set. was born. In November 2016, the band entered the Empowering Minds Live and Unsigned talent show with their cover of ‘Trees’ by Twenty One Pilots where they won second place. After winning, they continued to book shows and write music, formulating their distinct instrumentation and sound; crisp vocals, ukulele, complex rhythmic drumming, backing track, trumpet and cohesive keys.

In March 2018 the band released their self-produced, self-titled 6-song demo. To decide on what to put on the front cover of the album, the band hosted an online contest for fan-created artwork. Remy Gordon from Western Australia won the contest with her artwork. The entire project was made in the band’s basements; from burning the cds, to printing the covers. This project further developed the band’s fanbase. In the summer of 2018, the band participated in the 2018 Calgary Stampede Talent Search and made it to the finals with their original song ‘Roses’. Their genuine enthusiasm, talent, and unique audience participation resonated with the crowd and judges. After the band’s summer performances, Jonah moved to Nelson, British Columbia to continue his education career.

2019-Present: City of Contrast
In January 2019, Taken By Sanity self-released their self-produced singles, ‘Strike’ and ‘Sleepwalker’. ‘Sleepwalker’ was entered into the annual CBC Music's Searchlight Competition and with the help of their dedicated fanbase as well as local communities, they managed to make it into the Top 10 in all of Canada. This not only grew their fanbase further, it also gave them their first radio play on CBC Radio One local programming's DayBreak Alberta. After the competition, the band self-released their self-produced single and music video, ‘Keep Them Warm’. These releases combined helped gain hundreds of followers and subscribers on social media.

In June of 2019, Taken By Sanity self-released their self-produced album ‘City of Contrast’. This album is described as “a diverse, engaging project,” each track is distinctively Taken By Sanity’s sound; from the upbeat, synth-heavy hooks of ‘Glass Hands’, to the slow and melancholic ballad, ‘Shade of Blue’ , and the epic orchestral finale of ‘Gravity’ This album has had over 13,000 streams online and has been a favourite to many. In the Summer of 2019, the band participated in the 2019 Calgary Stampede Talent Search and advanced to the finals with their song “Raspberry Lemonade”. Later that summer, the band was nominated for the Zackariah and The Prophets Memorial Award as well as the People's Choice Award at the YYC Music Awards. They were shocked when they won the People’s Choice Award and credit their dedicated fanbase for their constant support. In November of 2019, the band was selected as one of the featured artists for CBC Television’s hit show Still Standing (Canadian TV series) with Jonny Harris. This episode was filmed in Turner Valley, Alberta and is set to air late 2020.

In early 2020, Taken By Sanity participated in the Blind Beggar Pub’s “Original Music Showcase” where they advanced to the finals with their 45 minute performance of “City of Contrast”

Self-Produced Singles

 * “Keep Them Warm” (Single) - March 22, 2019
 * “Sleepwalker” (Single) - January 27, 2019
 * “Strike” (Single) - January 11, 2019

Self-Produced Albums

 * City of Contrast - June 1, 2019
 * “Paper Thoughts”
 * “Raspberry Lemonade”
 * “Strike”
 * “Abstract Art”
 * “Glass Hands”
 * “Keep Them Warm”
 * “Sleepwalker”
 * “Echoes”
 * “Roses”
 * “Gravity”
 * “Shade of Blue (Acoustic)”


 * Taken By Sanity (Demo) - February 7, 2018
 * “Gravity”
 * “Raspberry Lemonade”
 * “Roses”
 * “Abstract Art”
 * “Echoes”
 * “Paper Thoughts”

Awards

 * Blind Beggar Pub’s Original Music Showcase Finalist (2020)
 * YYC Music Awards
 * People’s Choice Award (2019)
 * Zackariah and The Prophets Memorial Award Nominee (2019)
 * Calgary Stampede Talent Search Finalist (2019)
 * CBC Searchlight Finalist (2019)
 * Calgary Stampede Talent Search Finalist (2018)
 * Empowering Minds’ Live and Unsigned Talent Show
 * 2nd Place (2016)

Milestones:

 * Shared the stage with George Canyon