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Artist's or Band's Name: The Livin' Art

City & State: Toronto, ON

Country: Canada

Music Genre(s):: Rock/Blues/Funk/Reggae

Bio:: The Livin' Art was always going to happen. It was just a matter of when.

It's hard to argue that fact when hearing the history of the band. The first spark of a connection occurred at a Saskatchewan residential high school. A promising athlete in a number of disciplines, guitarist Lane Argue was sent there due to the school's strict developmental ideas and focus on athletics. However, his first love remained music, and upon him hearing French-Canadian drummer Guillaume Lauzon's rock solid drumming while passing a deserted music room, the two quickly formed a musical partnership. A partnership that seemed to come to an end when both prematurely left the school and returned to their respective provinces.

A few years later, Argue packed up and moved to Toronto to pursue a musical career in earnest. Acoustic gigs garnered admirers and a growing group of collaborators - with the notable exception of a drummer. That is, until Lauzon dropped him a line to see how (and where) Argue was. Oh, and casually mentioned that he himself had just become a resident of The Big Smoke.

That seems to be how it's been for the band. Bassist Hal Rodriguez took perhaps the longest path - born in the Philippines, he spent most of his formative years in Singapore (where, incredibly, Lauzon lived in the years between Saskatchewan and Toronto. No, the two never met and/or jammed under a palm tree). But he caught a Livin' Art show, and in talking, they discovered a wealth of similar influences. When the band needed a new bass player, there was no question as to who it would be.

Vocalist Richard Howard has had a bit of a journey to the band as well. After spending his entire youth in Trinidad and Tobago, he moved to London, Ontario to attend music engineering school. After some moderate success with his band Staylefish, he moved to Toronto in 2010, assuming his performing career had run its course. Even so, for no apparent reason, on one inconspicuous day like any other, he decided to look at the musicians' Craigslist. And though it gave little hint of the band's specific sound, he answered only one ad.

The guys both share a surprising number of influences and possess very disparate tastes. The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tool, Jane's Addiction, Bob Marley, Led Zeppelin, The Who, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Big Sugar, Wide Mouth Mason, Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Pearl Jam, The Mars Volta, Incubus, Queens of the Stone Age and Rage Against the Machine all figure heavily into the mix. Inspiration also comes from blues heavyweights such as the Kings (B.B and Albert) and masters of soul like Sam Cooke, Al Green, Otis Redding - not to mention (sometimes even more so) the female power of Aretha, Janis and Betty LaVette. John Butler Trio, G. Love & Special Sauce, Don Ross, Xavier Rudd, Robert Johnson and John Frusciante help inform their more laid back/acoustic side, which they effortlessly slip into at their frequent house jams and smaller intimate gigs.

So what's with the name? Well, like with their songs, the band loves nothing more than when listeners give their own meaning to it. But, to borrow from Gui's first language, you could argue it's a double entendre. There's the idea that with enough passion, your art comes alive - the artist and his art, the perfect symbiotic relationship. Another interpretation and the initial inspiration for the name, however, is why The Livin' Art will continue to pull artists of all types into their circle, driven by positivity and excitement for whatever may come. It's a single sentence, read years ago:

"Raise your living to the level of an art form, and your playing will reflect it." - Philip Toshio Sudo

Live your art.

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How to make a Livin' Art Song

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Livin' Art Studio Tour

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At 12:01pm on February 6, 2012, Titisan Band said…: Our band of incarnated introductory greetings
May God always give you success and told us all Amen
We really like your songs