To help out, an older brother might lend money, give advice or loan his car for the weekend. He will rarely start a great band for you. But that’s the story behind Paul Ross and Foam Lake. After a successful demo session, the Saskatoon songwriter recruited three younger siblings and, together, they’ve built one of the most promising rock groups in Canada.

With their debut album Force and Matter out now, the “post-pop rockers” have hit the road and spread the word. We phoned up Ross as he navigated traffic to talk about the brief history of Foam Lake.

Despite the name you and your brothers weren’t raised in Foam Lake, Saskatchewan, correct?  

Our mother and her parents lived there. They had a property there but it’s since been sold. The name is an homage to that place. It’s a token of the band’s family aspect.

Was that one of many names debated?

It came quick. The band was my thing at first – I set up a demo session and had everyone play their parts, basically.

What is the age gap between the brothers?

About 10 years. I’m the oldest.

Growing up, did they take after you in terms of taste?

Our father is also a musician and an audiophile, so most of what we picked up came from him. We supported each other, musically, growing up. He bought me my first guitar, I bought the first for my brother ... I don’t know, I felt like he should have one.

So everyone had their particular instruments chosen before Foam Lake formed?

Basically. That’s not to say it can’t shift. I think it will in the future. There’s more than one songwriter in the band.

Despite that, did you dominate songwriting for Force and Matter?

Mostly me. But again, we’re developing a sense of collaboration, and we’re working on the next album already.



What are the drawbacks of being in a "family band?”

It’s sometimes difficult. I don’t know if you’ve ever tried to work with family, but you take liberties at times – you may not be very sensitive toward one another. But we always bounce back. Try to work things out.

Is this the first completed album you’ve all been a part of?

Well, we’ve been in different bands. Barret and I used to be in a band called the Bloodlines, Kalen and Tyler have another project called the War Brides. I work with a group called Slow Down, Molasses, so yeah, we’ve worked on other albums.

Is Foam Lake now the full-time project for you all, or is it easy to balance this band with others?

It is our focus right now. I record with SDM but I don’t tour with them, currently.

What paths did music divert, so to speak, you and your brothers from?

We’d all love to subsist on music ... do you mean career-wise?

Yeah. That old cliche about a parent not seeing rock music as a practical job choice, let alone for all four of their children.

I know what you mean. Tyler and I have gone to university and done some teaching. Kalen as well, he works with computers. Barret co-owns a production company. Our other brother is independently wealthy — in other words, we don’t know what he does [laughs]. But yeah, we do other things as much as we’d love to give Foam Lake our complete attention.

Tell me about the song “Die Fighting.” It seems to be supportive of someone joining the military, not a common theme in rock music ...

I’d say the opposite. It’s not really supportive, it’s more like ... if you’re going to do that, is it because you want to? Or for other people?

Did that come from personal experience?

It’s more like the perspective of a character. We’re all effected by the news, and our proximity to the United States.

Do you talk about lyrics with your brothers?

Sometimes. Sometimes they make fun of my titles. Imagine any kind of innuendo. They will ask [what a song means] and hopefully my answer makes sense. There’s some teasing, questioning – what does this mean? My wife does that to me, too. Who are you talking about, here?

Do you always have an answer?

I don’t always. It’s not always deliberate. It’s like, we’ve got a song going, let’s make up some words. Music is emotional – you sing what you feel. It’s not about deliberately being vague but the songs have to mean something to other people, not just myself.

What’s next for the band?

We have a music video in the bag, just deciding if we want to release it. We’ll be joining a label soon and likely will re-release Force and Matter. After that we’ll be sharing new material. We’ve recorded a couple new songs already.