Minority 905 is a pop-punk band inspired by Green Day's song"Minority" and Aquino's hometown of Mississauga, ON, Canada (its area code is 905).

Please list all of your band members and their roles in the band. 

John is our vocalist and rhythm guitarist, Chris is our lead guitarist and backup vocalist, Steven is our bassist and backup vocalist, and Spasimir is our drummer.

For starters, what bands were you guys a part of prior to Minority 905? How long has the band been around?

Steven: I was in two bands in high school prior to joining Minority 905. A punk band called 72 Resolutions, and an indie rock band called Letters to Home.

 Spasimir: I played in two bands prior to joining Minority 905. One was my first band called The Blind Society (pop-punk) and one was called Binding Tides (emo / post-hardcore). Minority 905 has been around since 2013. I joined the band in late 2014. 

John: I played with some of my friends in high school for one of the talent shows, we didn’t have a drummer or singer (this was before I started singing) so 2 of our teachers performed with us. We tried finding members afterwards to form a band but it never happened. So Minority 905 is the only band I’ve been in. 

Chris: My first band was CrossRoads when I lived in Barbados. It was my first band, we barely knew how to play our instruments at the start, but as time went on we learned fairly quickly based on the low starting bar that we all had.  When I moved back to Canada and I was in high school, I joined a “band” that the drama class kids made because they wanted to win that year’s battle of the bands contest, and I didn’t like any of the music kids (even though I was one of them), so I betrayed them and helped the drama kids win the contest.  I think the band was called Dirty Nasty or something. And I joined Minority 905 in June of 2016.

What’s the origin of that name and have you changed the band’s name before? 

John: “Minority” comes from the idea of embracing individuality and self-acceptance. I got the idea from the Green Day song “Minority”. “905” comes from my area code. The band name has always been the same except for the first weeks when we were still trying to come up with a good name because I and the other members at the time didn’t know what other word to put with “Minority”. It almost became “Minority Record” at one point but that doesn’t even sound like a band name anymore.

Who writes your songs? What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs and do you think these topics will change over time?

John: I write the lyrics and the melodies. So usually I write the songs with an acoustic guitar first and then I record it as a demo. The full instrument version is more collaborative, with everybody usually coming up with what they’re gonna play individually. For this album, a big theme I would say is facing internal and external challenges when it comes to going after your dreams or ambitions. Facing self-doubt for example, or ignoring other people’s doubts about you. Naturally, I like to write songs about my own personal experiences and I’ve been doing that since the first EP Minority 905 released. Each record so far has been sort of a reflection of my life at that particular point in time. So I think for sure these topics will change over time.  

What bands are currently inspiring the music that you’re making? 

Steven: We’re inspired by a lot of different artists from a bunch of genres. Green Day, Blink 182, Linkin Park, Yellowcard, Taylor Swift and Paramore are just a few names that have inspired our music in some way, with various levels between the groups.

Spasimir: For me in particular I also get inspired by bands and artists from a lot of other styles as well. Definitely one of my top inspirations are Travis Barker and Tre Cool but I also look up the drummers from bands like Metallica, Avenged Sevenfold, Dream Theater, Rush, The Beatles 

John: With “Dangerous Ambitions”, I think I got a lot of inspiration from Paramore, All Time Low, and We Are The In Crowd. I listened to All Time Low’s “Don’t Panic” and Paramore’s “Brand New Eyes” a bunch of times. Now that this album is done, I’m trying to explore new ideas to further evolve. I’ve been listening to All Time Low’s and Taylor Swift’s newer material a lot lately.

Chris: I mean everyone so far has pretty much said what inspirations I was pulling from mainly (Green Day, Paramore, etc.), though when we were in the studio recording our most recent album, I was listening to a lot of the OSTs of Sonic Adventure 2 and Sonic Heroes for inspiration, because that’s where my love for the genre we play originated for me.

Was there a particular band/artist or concert that inspired you to start a band? 

Steven: Green Day. I grew up wanting to be like Billie Joe and perform all over the world to thousands of people. I began learning guitar and bass right away but it wasn’t until 2009 that I finally joined a band.

John: Green Day and Taylor Swift are the two biggest ones that inspired me to become an artist. If I could pick one concert that inspired me the most, it would have to be Taylor Swift’s RED tour in 2013.

Chris: What Steven said.

What do you do to prepare for a show? Any flexing, exercises, etc …

Steven: When you’re about to play, it can be kinda tough to get a good warm up in because when you’re a just an insignificant local band you’re responsible for setting up your own gear. I try to fit a quick one in since it doesn’t take that long for me to set up my things.

Spasimir: I stretch my hands and feet a bit and maybe warm up by air-drumming to some more challenging song.

John: Nothing really. I make sure to go to the washroom so no accidents happen on stage.

Chris: It depends on how I feel before the show and how much time I have.  If I’m at home before a show, I’ll run through our whole setlist once or twice before leaving.  If we’re on the road and just arrive, I try to slink away and practice harmonies, or even guitar depending on how recently I had last played.

What has been the biggest highlight of the band’s career so far?

Steven: Playing at Lee’s Palace in Toronto was cool, as it’s a monumental venue in our city. We also had a crowd of around 400 people to play to, so that was fun. 

Spasimir: I’d say our videos on YouTube going viral is pretty high up there with the biggest highlights. The Green Day medley that we put out pretty much kickstarted our channel’s growth and made us realize that we can take this band further than just our city. 

John: Finishing the new album is one highlight. Personally, when Alex Gaskarth and Jack Barakat saw our All Time Low medley and shared it on their twitter is another really big highlight for me. The video itself doesn’t have as many views as some of our other videos but I don’t really care that much since the two of them liked it.

 Chris: The Youtube success, and also completing the most recent album are the highlights for me.

If you could tour with any bands, past or present, who would they be and why? 

Steven: Green Day, because they’re awesome and they could offer some great advice considering they’ve been touring and living on the road longer than I’ve been alive. 

Spasimir: All Time Low and blink-182 just because they are big inspirations to us and they seem like awesome people to chill with.

John: All Time Low and Paramore because I think that will be really fun.

Chris: Green Day, Paramore, or PUP.  Green Day cuz they’re our collective heroes, Paramore because they’re incredible and they have a “different” sound in the same way that I believe we have a “different” sound, and PUP because I think if we were opening for them we’d be a good fit because our songs are fairly upbeat and can at least start to get people moving before PUP goes on and the mosh pits explode.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Spasimir: Our album Dangerous Ambitions is now out. Listen to it on all major streaming services. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on facebook, twitter, and Instagram.