Once in a while a new band come along that deserve to be rocketed to the top, and Busty & The Bass are one of them. We saw the fast-rising band play an immese, wildly appreciated show in front of 80,000 people as main support to Anderson .Paak at the Montreal Jazz Festival, and moments later at their own sought after after party. 

The band are specialists in fusing together elements of jazz, hip-hop and soul and do it so skillfully and withsuch soul that their mesmerising stage presence has seen them become easily one of the hottest exports in Quebec right now.

Since seeing them live we learned 2017 is poised to be the biggest year yet for the group as they embark on their first full tours of the U.S. and Europe with a headline show at London's Jazz Cafe on Tuesday 24 October. 

Furthermore, their album Uncommon Good - which was out 8 September -  is one of the most assured debut's of the year. Given this momentum they've conjured we feel like there's no time like the present to get to know them a little bit. Using the joy of internet communication, we have a meandering chat on politics in music, Montreal, supporting one of the biggest acts in the world to 80,000 people, gaining a following the grassroots way and much more. Check it out below:

Your album talks about love, in an era of impending nuclear war and eco-cide through the roof, you'd have been forgiven for writing about the end of the world, so why was it important to you to write about serenity and love?

I think that for a lot of us, both listening to and making music have been types of escape. Songs embody the way we wish the world was, the people we strive to be. The grandiose love song is so prevalent in music and storytelling history because we all want so badly to believe in it. Sometimes it's the responsibility of the arts to shine a light on our struggles, and sometimes it's best to remind people of better times and the potential of what can still be.

You toured in Europe recently what was the weirdest thing that happened to you or one of your band mates?

It wasn't in Europe, but we were touring in British Columbia when our van caught on fire in the middle of the highway. The van got completely destroyed. Luckily enough we got all our gear out in time and made the show that night!

Indica Records have a proven record of breaking bands internationally, do you feel a frustration being so well known in Montreal but being a new band elsewhere?

I think we've been really lucky to have started touring outside of Quebec early on. The hardest thing for a band from Quebec to do, is break out of the Quebec scene. We've been very lucky to have built up a grassroots following in Ontario and the east coast from the start. We're also lucky to have a sound that most people can get down with even if they haven't heard of us before. This has been huge for us--we're able to set up in any random bar, with no one knowing who we are, and the gig would probably go ok.

You must remember getting the call telling you you were supporting Anderson .Paak... what was that moment like? Do you remember where you were and what you did after?

We had just come off our European tour when we got the news. I was in shock... We had played the main stage at the Montreal Jazz fest the year before and the crowd was ridiculous. I knew this next time would be even crazier. The show was madness. We only were allowed to play for 20 minutes, but we were much more comfortable than we were the year prior. Someone said there was around 80k people in the crowd......

You have a strong jazz back ground, having attended the Montreal Jazz school. I suppose what I'm wondering is were you bookish jazz nerds who changed when you got to University or high school reprobates with a gnarly appreciation for party music such as hip-hop?

We were definitely nerds. We still are, but I think we all were into the idea of playing not jazz outside of school. Our degree was very specific technical Jazz so this Busty thing was an escape from that. We were able to play more hip-hop / soul oriented stuff in the beginning that fit with the parties we were playing. All the guys in the band grew up listening to totally different types of music, so this was a chance to bring those influences together.

There are a few bands who manage to mix the virtuoso thing about jazz with a carnival of sound, Cat Empire being one of them in my mind. Did you have any specific references or album that pointed the way towards what you wanted to achieve with Busty and The Bass? If not, what did point the direction of the band?

I don't think there's one album, but we're heavily influenced by Outkast, Earth Wind and Fire, Anderson .Paak, Dr. Dre, Stevie Wonder, Disclosure, Marvin Gaye, D'angelo, The Eagles, Beyoncé, Nate Dogg.

McGill is famously liberal and reacts brilliantly in social justice campaigns. Have you yourselves been involved in any demo's that you ever believed in and has the protest culture made it into the albums at all? I'm wondering because you often see musicians on rallies and you don't strike me as pro-Trump with your songs being about love.

We believe in the importance of anybody finding success in the public eye to use their platform for the benefit of others. As individuals we've attended rallies; we were at the woman's march in Montreal after the election, and as a group we've spoken out against Trump, but we're hoping to do a lot more. It's funny because we're generally unconcerned with, and even against the idea of fame. But we feel a drive to achieve a certain notoriety to build a platform and lend our voice to people who are currently being silenced. We actually played a show an hour after Trump was elected. We pushed through our disappointment and tried to have our own type of protest through the show itself. How live music and positive energy can bring people together, and even change the world. I remember Alastair calling out Trump on the mic and me wishing deep down that we were with 50,000 people instead of 500.

Is there any particular area of Montreal and any particular parties that have been inpsirational building blocks for your musical mentality?

We've played over ten venues on Rue St Laurent. So that street has a special place in our heart. We had our first proper show at Trois Minots there in our first year of school. However, our guitar player's old apartment "House of Jank" is where it all started--One block away from Mont Royal Metro station. The whole apartment complex would have jams/parties most weekends. Super nice!

An entrepreneurial migrant worker was the driving force behind the beginning of jazz club culture in Montreal. Do you feel the music scene in Montreal is still being led by people coming from cultures outside of Canada. i.e.. Pierre Kwenders being from West Africa and Kaytranada being half Haitian/ Arcade Fire's Régine Chassagne have Haitian roots - surely it's the diversity that makes Montreal such an exciting place to be as a musician?

Definitely agree. I feel like the blend of cultures and the love for live music is what makes this city so special. Across North America and Europe, there's always been a Montreal connection with our fans. The amount of students from all over helps a bunch. Also, I feel like people in Montreal embrace music that's different/experimental which gives the creative community freedom to do whatever they feel. We used to see Kaytranada at Belmont back in 2013--great to see how much he's accomplished over the past couple years.

What's the best thing anyone's ever said to you about your music?

After a show in Montreal a fan came up to us and show us that'd she'd gotten a verse from our song 'Don't forget me' tattooed on her rib cage. That was pretty special.

Uncommon Ground is streaming and available to buy now from all usual outlets