-Interview- (10/21/25)
1. How did you get started with music and how did you develop your sound?
I picked up guitar young and never let go. Our sound is a mix of blues honesty from Clapton and SRV, the heaviness of Soundgarden, Rage Against the Machine, and System of a Down, with the groove and weirdness of Primus and some old-school hip hop attitude. With Just Arrogant Animals I wanted something raw but real. Like Zappa said, music should be a journey, not wallpaper — and that’s what I aim for. Creating music that doesn’t hit walls.
2. What do you want people to take away from your music?
I want people to walk away feeling seen. The songs are raw and honest, but there’s humour in there too — because life’s absurd. If our music makes you feel less alone and still cracks a grin, we’ve done our job.
3. How would you describe your sound to the average listener?
We’re the love child of rock and blues — loud, a little messy, and occasionally sentimental enough to pull out an acoustic. Basically, Just Arrogant Animals in a nutshell.
4. Who are three bands you’d like to tour with?
Rival Sons for that modern rock-blues fire, Primus because no one grooves and gets weird quite like them, and Wide Mouth Mason, who’ve been carrying Canadian blues-rock for years. Honourable mention goes to Big Wreck — Ian Thornley’s voice and guitar work are unreal, and sharing a stage with them would be a serious highlight.
5. What's your thoughts on AI generated music?
AI is an interesting tool — it can spark ideas, maybe even create wild textures, but it doesn’t have a heartbeat. Music comes from lived experience: grief, joy, love, chaos. That’s what people connect to. AI has plenty of information, but it doesn’t have the soul that makes music worth hearing.
6. What’s your take on the current state of Rock/Blues?
People love to say rock is dead, but every time it gets buried, someone plugs in a Marshall stack and digs it back up. Blues is timeless — it’s the DNA of rock, hip hop, and most modern music. Right now we’re at the edge of a resurgence. I believe that audiences are tired of auto-tuned perfection — they want grit, riffs, and truth again. Rock and blues aren’t dying, they’re just reloading.
7. What’s the current music scene like there in Canada?
The Canadian music scene is resilient. It’s not always easy — venues come and go, streaming changed how fans discover bands, and the distances between cities can be brutal — but the passion is still here. In places like Kawartha Lakes and across Ontario, musicians are grinding it out in bars, halls, and festivals, keeping live music alive. What makes it special is the community: when people show up, they really show up. And there’s a lot of talent — from blues outfits like Wide Mouth Mason, to rockers like Big Wreck and now Rush is back!!!— proving Canadian bands can hold their own anywhere in the world.
8. What’s your take on the royalties that streaming services pay out to artists?
Streaming is great for reach and exposure, but the royalties are brutal — a million plays barely buys a a set of strings. We do it for the love of music, but if you want to support a band come to a show, grab a shirt, or pick up a record. That’s what keeps bands alive.
9. What’s next for Just Arrogant Animals?
We’ve got an album’s worth of unreleased songs ready to go, and we’re itching to bring that energy live. On top of that, we’ve got a compilation project coming out with a prominent Canadian guitarist at the end of this month or early November, which we’re really excited about. It feels like the right time to step out of the studio and make Just Arrogant Animals more of a live force.
10. Any shoutouts?
Huge thank you to the fans — the ones who stream the songs, share them, come to shows, and rep the merch. You’re the fuel behind Just Arrogant Animals. Shoutout to the local scene too — Pet Rock Radio in Peterborough for keeping our music on the airwaves, and bands like The Ditch Lillies and Windy Ridge who keep pushing Canadian rock forward. We’ve also just started working with From the Depths Entertainment, and we’re excited about where that partnership will take us. Massive respect to Barry Haggarty at Haggarty Sound Studios, who handles all our recording and mastering — he makes sure what you hear is the best version of us. And of course, the venues that still open their doors to original music — you’re keeping live rock alive, and we’re grateful to be part of that community.
