In the wake of the release of the terrifically-crafted single Medicine, the Toronto-based USS performs Nov. 8th at Bo’s.
The band (Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker) has certainly been making a name for themselves nation-wide, but they’re also something of a sensation on the other side of the globe headlining stages across Europe and Japan.
The duo, Jason Parsons and Ashley Buchholz, also entered their 10th anniversary year with seven Top 10 singles on the Canadian Rock/Alternative Chart and a spot on the Spotify Viral 50 with the release of Medicine.
“For starters, we are doing two brand new songs – one in particular that isn’t even out yet. So we are really, really excited about that. It will be a new and exclusive thing for Red Deer,” said Parsons during an interview.
But it’s not just the tunes that will be first-rate. “We are also rolling with a huge production; we’ve just gone completely all the way – the farthest we have ever been with the entertainment lighting package and all that. We want to come in and leave a lasting impact and show people that we are the real deal.
“We just want to ‘wow’ people right across Canada.”
Produced by Todd Clark, Medicine will indeed be at the forefront as the tour unfolds. The tune was the number one most added song at Canadian Alternative Radio for three weeks straight while Work Shoes, Who’s With Me and California Medication were the most added songs in their first week on alternative radio.
As to the band’s start, Parsons said he had graduated university after studying business, while Ash was in a music program in a Toronto college.
“He dropped out of college, I graduated from university and we both went and worked at the same golf course – my old job and his new job. It was funny because you are all chipper when you leave your university education and go out into the working world. But then you can’t get a job, so you go back to your old job,” he said with a laugh.
“So Ash started working at the golf course because he wanted to learn how to be social again. We had both heard about each other – he was this crazy, zany, grunge, fun, hip hop, folk artist guy who was just all over the map. He heard that I was a DJ and that I knew how to throw a good party. So he asked me to DJ his sister’s wedding. We hung out that weekend, and we naturally hit it off.”
Looking back, Parsons said music wasn’t front and centre in what he saw in his future, but more something that he had used as a conduit to be able to perform and emcee events and just command an audience.
“I always enjoyed being onstage but I was never able to find a way to do it from the traditional musician’s standpoint,” he explained, adding he used the role of DJ to essentially make that happen.
“When we first started out, I was a bit insecure about it because I wasn’t’ really sure what my role was. But then we started performing and I realized that I could use the turntables to scratch, play beats and rap. That turned into the artist that I am – it was a process I had to go through.”
That was about 10 years ago, and the guys haven’t looked back.
“When we look at what we get to do for a living, we’re grateful because it’s an incredible life if you can stick to the program and if you believe in it,” he said. “The fact that people will buy a ticket and come to see Ash and I perform all over North American and overseas – that alone is the driving passion. We started in my parent’s basement when we believed in it more than we believed in ourselves. And now other people, total strangers, believe in it and they will support Ash and I all the way through it. That’s enough to get up everyday.”
