Road Waves Release “Small World” Single Reminding Us We Have Each Other
Ontario-based trio Road Waves have unveiled their latest single, “Small World.”
The trio originated in 2014 and quickly fell in love with cross-country touring. Of course, when the COVID virus caused an unforeseen pause for live music events, the band had to compromise. The group brainstormed the best ways to keep their strong relationship with their fans, deciding to perform live stream concerts and videos. The trio stepped up their game a notch and hosted drive-in concerts for safe, socially distanced live events.
The trio consists of Ji Sharp on Lead vocals and guitar, Matt Maxwell on Drums and Vocals, and Dave Ruigrok on Bass Guitar. When the trio recorded “Small World,” Yo Izumita played Bass Guitar.
The catchy groove evokes a beach-like feel. The keys dance while the rippling percussion moves the listener to tap their foot. The flutists dazzle with their higher-pitched, windy voices; the trumpets thunder through the latter half of the song, and the vocals charm the listener. The lyrics advocates for the universal need to spread love and erase hate.
“I heard the call from my sisters and brothers/ The worlds so small, but we got one another/ We’ve got to think of the children/ And what we leave behind for them all.”
According to Road Waves, Radiohead, Paul Simon, and Tedeschi Trucks Band inspired the five-minute ode to universal love. The band coined this track during the pandemic. Actually, “Small World” was the first song the band worked on during the global lockdown.
“It was a message to fellow artists and humans, as well as me, that we had a special role to play in the chaos in the world. As artists, I believe that our role is to bear witness to life all around us during the good, the bad and the boring times and find ways of making sense of/manifesting the human experience in the form of words, music, and art.”
Road Waves picked their tour back up in early 2022, and their lockdown tactics worked. The band will embark on their 2nd US tour of the year in the fall. One of the unique aspects of the trio is their inclination to move with their sound. Road Waves loves to go with the flow of their music. Yes, they have recorded songs, and they know their music, but when the beat enthralls them during a live show, they go with it. No version of a Road Waves’ song is ever the same.
Watch the video for “Small World” below, and learn more about Road Waves via our mini-interview.
Care to introduce yourself to our readers?
For sure. I’m the bandleader of Road Waves, Ji Sharp. Road Waves is currently a 3-piece trio that gets off on the art of making each show different and special. We are always coming up with last-minute ideas right before a show to try and execute in real-time in front of our audience. Part of the magic of Road Waves is trying things out on the bandstand and being just as curious as the audience as to what is about to happen next. To most people, it’s probably obvious that some of my biggest influences are jam bands: Grateful Dead, Phish, and Allman Brothers. Not only did they write fantastic songs, but they also had the ability to take those songs on adventures and connect them in fun and interesting ways night after night. Road Waves seeks to carry this legacy of jammers and songwriters. Of course, with our own twist and sound.
We also love to tour a lot. My first tour was in 2015 with another group (Perpetual Peace Project). I was about 19 years old and instantly fell in love with life and music on the road. Road Waves began in 2014, and by 2017 we were doing cross-country tours from the west to the east coast. There’s just something about how differently we play when we leave home. It’s one of the things about music I still can’t explain properly. But all I know is that for a band called Road Waves, being a touring jam band is pretty fitting
What’s it like being a musician in Niagara Falls?
Let me start off by saying the wealth of talent in Niagara Falls, and the Niagara Region is really large. It’s mindblowing how often I’m mind-blown by someone playing music there. There are so many good people and promoters. But to be brutally honest, Niagara Falls is very focused on its tourism industry, so the amount of fostering towards the music scene is pretty bunk. I will say that Taps Brewery was where we cut our teeth in our formative years, and they are nothing but supportive of us and all musicians. They host music every night and are always throwing big festival concerts in their parking lot. But other than that and a couple of other local festivals/venues/promoters, most of the money and attention is on cover bands and tourist trap gigs. Which is probably what helped us get out and tour so early on. Most people that do something in the music industry end up leaving for most of their work. It’s just the sad reality of living in a tourist trap/vegas-wannabe. I still hold hope, though. I know a lot of great people doing amazing work in that area.
You’ve been in a band for eight years now. What’s the secret to staying together?
Has it been that long already? Haha, time flies when you’re having fun. I would say the main thing that has kept us going is not worrying about what others think about us and believing in our music and selves more than anyone on this earth. Another thing is we are all friends. I couldn’t imagine being in a band, never mind a touring one, where we didn’t like each other. We spend most of our lives in a van together, so I think that’s really important. Also, we used to practice three times a week (and still try to maintain that regiment when we’re not on the road), and I think that really helps in group morale. We all feel really good about the art we’re producing.
Who was the first artist to knock you out?
Definitely Pink Floyd. I remember skipping class just so I could walk around and listen to every single album by them. Just the sheer patience and thought behind every song, phrase, and lyric. Truly blew me away and showed me how much thought and depth music could have. It taught me to listen to music like it was a movie (which I think is a dying art). Just brilliantly tasteful geniuses.
What’s the one album by a Canadian artist that everyone should have in their collection?
Music From Big Pink by The Band. They are THE BAND. I don’t think I could say enough good things about them and that album. The perfect mix of incredible songwriting, luscious tones, and captivating storytelling. If you’re not hip to the band, that’s something you need to change today. Their whole entire catalog never misses.
Connect with Road Waves:
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok