Queen's Maid brings their '70s sound to the studio

Cover songs like Guns N' Roses' "My Michelle" have helped Queen's Maid break into the downtown club circuit. However, it'll be the band's original songs that will keep them there.

Together just over a year, the five-member rock group will open for Holywood Rose Dec. 29 at Club One.

Queen's Maid will also be the main performers at Trapper John's on New Year's Eve.

This weekend, they'll be in the studio recording their first CD.

Band members include Sandy Stokes (vocals), Ryan Strickland (bass), Jonathan White and Steve Vincent (guitar) and Robbie Welcher (drums).

Influenced by the music of rockers such as GNR, Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith and AC/DC, the musicians range in age from 22 to 25.

All except Strickland are from the New-Wes-Valley area in Central Newfoundland.

A talented bass player, Strickland is from Lamaline on the Burin Peninsula.

"I was originally a guitar player, but picked up bass to play with Steve (Vincent) because we clicked so well," Strickland says during an interview at Turner's Tavern in St. John's.

Stokes is the front man in the band. Strickland and the other musicians feed off his energy.

During a recent jam session, Stokes showed a tremendous amount of talent not only for his voice but also for his ability to feel and breathe life into the lyrics. He moves around on stage like rockers should move. He interacts with his audience, leaving fans wanting more.

The band's drummer, Welcher, was making a living in Ontario until his friends talked him into coming home last year in order to start the band.

"I've been into music since I was about 12 and I knew I could get work of some kind if I came back home. I was always wanting to do something like this. So, I gave it all up and came home," he says.

White and Vincent are both gifted guitar players. They round out the band and add to the comfort the musicians bring to the stage.

Queen's Maid performs confidently because they've spent hundreds of hours jamming over the last year, as well as performing live in just about every venue in doowntown St. John's.

All five musicians are gifted songwriters as well as storytellers.

They already have 15 original songs to draw from, songs that stack up well next to the classic rock of the '70s.

Some of those originals will be on the CD that's expected to be released early next year.

While based on life experiences, the tunes aren't necessarily a walk through the life of either of the musicians, White says.

Stokes says his song "Music," is about a relationship gone wrong.

Writing about everyday experiences, he says, is not unlike how the legendary Johnny Cash wrote his music.

"Anyone can pick up one of our song sheets, read the story and relate to it. All our songs could even be based on the life of one guy and that would be like taking a walk through his life," Stokes says.

Like a writer who must know their target audience, by threading their music with everyday themes that many can relate to, these musicians have already built up an impressive fan base.

"We've got our hometown loyalty support, but there are also a lot of people who come out to our shows because they like the music and they know what they can expect of us," Stokes says.

"And what we're finding is that people are asking for our original songs now rather than the cover songs. So that tells us that they like what we are doing," Vincent adds.

danette@nl.rogers.com