BURIN, NL – Evan Murray’s frustration with the North American music industry has him looking to make a name for himself and his band, Lazie Bison, on the international stage.
Murray, the band’s front man, has recently returned from a month in India, where they played a number of shows.
“(North American) radio now only plays basically re-run music to sell advertisements, and dance music,” he said. “So there not really a lot of opportunity in Canada to build a new band unless it’s put together by a label that has an agenda.”
Murray said through his previous band “Marystown,” he has been able to develop a number of connections in Europe.
“So going into Asia was like… it really felt like a natural next step.”
Murray is working for a promotional company from India called “Aum-i-Artistes,” which specializes in artist management, branding, TV content and events.
“They’re connected to all the multi-media down there like television,” he said.
The band played four shows throughout India, and had the opportunity to appear on a live television broadcast and record a music video.
International language
Murray said that Lazie Bison’s music was well received by audiences during their time playing in India.
“They don’t have night clubs in Kerala so when we played the theatre, families came and when I got on stage … the kids … it was their first rock concert, it was like looking at me when I was 12 or 13 years-old, just star-stunned,” he said. “It’s not a light experience, it’s like Whoa! This is what I was trying to do all those years.”
Murray said India is a marketplace waiting to be tapped.
“Everywhere we played it was electric,” he said. “I mean, it was over the top.”
Challenges
Murray said the biggest challenge he faced during his month in India was having to leave his family in Burin for an extended time.
“The hardest part is being away from my kids,” he explained. “This is going to be the big challenge going into the future; yes, I was having video conversations every day, seeing them every day, but when I got back home and saw them I could see how they changed – that I couldn’t see on video.”
Murray said he hopes to return to India in the future to play at some festivals and maybe do a tour. He added the company is also expanding into Africa, and he’s excited about the future.
“I knocked on this door for a year – when it finally opened, I had no idea what I was walking into – I had an idea but I didn’t know how big it was.”
