The Joys are making their way back to Jasper on a high note – and why shouldn’t they? The band is returning to Jasper to play at the D’ed Dog, and is coming off a US tour, which included a stint at one of the biggest music festivals in the world.

The London, Ont band are touring through the US for the next week after making a three-gig stop at the South by Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas.

The last time The Joys were in town, what was supposed to be a one-time only gig at the D’ed Dog ended up being a three-night series of shows.
It’s times like that that give the band the chance to spread the word about themselves to the rest of the country and the US, which is how The Joys have become popular in the first place.

“Our whole thing is that we are a peoples band. I believe that – you know, we don’t get radio play, we don’t have a really big record deal or anything like that, but I think people like us. And I think most people you talk to have seen us once in their life. And I think it’s all about spreading the word,” says lead front-woman Sarah Smith.

If one person tells one person, and that person tells someone they know in another city that The Joys are coming to play in their town (then they will come out and hear them). It’s all about the rumour game, she says, and that’s all we ask, we just want to spread the word.

The Joys first started out as a cover band and while gaining in popularity, Smith says they knew they had to begin playing their own music in order to be taken more seriously. That, she says, can be risky.

“It’s a big risk, because you are taking away a lot of money – cover bands get paid, original bands don’t. It’s a big risk, but we wanted to take that risk because it’s worth it,” says Smith.

That risk did indeed become worthwhile. The Joys, lead by Smith on guitar and vocals, Mike McKyes on guitar, Ken Ross on bass and Kevin Komatsu on drums, are now onto their second full-length album of original music and have sold thousands of their lastest album, Adventures In…

“It’s really exciting because as you go in your career, you become better and better as musicians (and) closer and closer as people, and this album is just a product of that…it’s just a tight unit, better songwriters, we worked with an amazing producer who really helped get our outlook onto a CD. You know, everything we’ve been dreaming about is on a little wee disk. It’s pretty cool,” Smith says.

Through word of mouth, The Joys have been gaining in popularity with their melodic riffs and upbeat songs. Combined with Smith’s vocals, they have been captivating audiences all over North America.

“People can expect to see four people doing exactly what they were meant to do on this planet and loving every minute of it. It’s humbling. It’s a humble and honest approach to music. You’re going to hear really high energy songs with catchy melodies, but you’re going to be able to relate to us as people and you’re going to be able to relate to the words,” Smith says.

As for popularity in the west, Smith says they are getting there. What they have is something special, she says, in that they are a female-fronted rock and roll band. But to Smith, that sounds boring, and they are much more.

“It’s a cohesive unit and it’s just chugging away,” she says. “Everybody that’s in the audience becomes another member of the train, I just think that everybody is attached. And I think that you can’t help but talk about that afterwards. I know that people leave our shows and talk about the band, and that’s how we spread our word, right? Spread the bands name.”

The Joys will be spreading their name at the D’ed Dog on April 1 in Jasper.