SweetLeaf

“Everyone in the band is a comedian and we all like to laugh,” says guitarist/vocalist Chris Jones of his band SweetLeaf, a Victoria group whose demented fusion of reggae, ska, funk, and punk has been blowing roofs off of Western Canadian venues for the last half-decade. “The most important thing is that SweetLeaf has to be fun. At the same time, it's a slippery slope; our practices look can like a party with instruments most nights.” Despite the loose humour, the six-piece’s work-ethic is no joke. SweetLeaf has completed several BC tours, released a full-length 2015 LP titled Stress Leave, and graced festival stages at events such as Rifflandia, Legends Valley, and the Victoria Ska and Reggae Fest. It’s the band’s most recent 2016 BC tour that Jones says granted them a new confidence. “For a few dates we were asked to play three sets, so we really had to beef up our repertoire,” says Jones of the trek. “One of the side effects of playing that long of a show was the realization that we can hold people's attention and get them grooving literally all night.” Stress Leave will soon be approaching its second birthday, and several fan-favourites have emerged such as the smooth reggae rock of “Blood Spatter” and the raunchy ska punk of “Glory Hole”. However, Jones urges listeners to approach their upcoming second album (currently untitled) with an open mind. “Stress Leave had so many songs that I had written five years before SweetLeaf even started,” says Jones. “Our next album will seem much more evolved because all the songs were written in the past two years, so they end up being more of a reflection of where we're currently at.” While the party-ready Caribbean vibes are well-represented in cuts like “Keep it Down” and “Let it Out”, tracks such as “Show Your Real Self to Me” and “Sleep With One Candle Burning” showcase a darker side of SweetLeaf’s musical spectrum. “I think this time we didn't feel like we had to present ourselves so definitively in a particular genre,” says Jones. “Stress Leave was a ‘ska’ album. This one, while still hugely ska-influenced, has more elements of our funk, punk and rock influences.” Though a second record ensures SweetLeaf will be found in people’s headphones, the group is one that demands to also be seen live. On the strength of LP2, the group’s aspires to take their raucous blend of styles to audiences both domestic and abroad. “There's really no limit to where we can go other than our own determination,” concludes Jones. SweetLeaf is an original ska, reggae, and rock band from Victoria, BC.