Band: The Maladies of Adam Stokes
EP: The Maladies of Adam Stokes
Shot of choice: tequila, at least according to Michael Hill
Toronto-based The Maladies of Adam Stokes is a 6-piece country/folk rock band. The band is comprised of Michael Hill (vocals, guitar), Kohji Nagata (guitar, lap steel, vocals), Josh Awerbuck (guitar, vocals), Emily Anderson (piano, violin, vocals), Brett Harris (bass), and Ted Turner (drums). Their self-titled debut EP, which was recorded at Chemical Sound, consists of only 3 songs but each song is a strong one in its own right.
“See You In Another Life” is a darker song lyrically, but is offset by some fancy guitar work driving the song. There is an element of rawness to the song, particularly when you get to the “I want to break these shackles” sing-a-long break. It’s an energetic song that I distinctly remember hearing live, so perhaps my opinion is a little tainted now, but it’s certainly my favourite of the 3 songs on the EP. “City Of Trees” is a beautiful slower country song, with the melodies really tugging at the heartstrings and Hill’s vocals offering a sense of comfort (or perhaps it is vice versa and it’s Hill’s vocals that tug at the heartstrings and the melodies that provide the comfort). The EP closer, “Type You Forget,” has almost marching-like beats driving the song and is strong ending to the recording effort.
This band hasn’t been around for very long, yet they possess maturity lyrically and musically, which is really impressive. Given that the genre they really fall into isn’t unique in and of itself, to keep their sound one they can call their own, they add some of their own elements, such as group chant-like vocals that completely take advantage of their roster of beautiful voices and harmonies. The breaks in the music to simply hear vocals are really lovely.
The EP can be streamed for free or purchased from the Bandcamp. Give it a listen, will ya?
buying shots for bands 
I love this band! And they’re awesome live! Def recommend checking them out 🙂
These guys are amazingly talented, this EP is incredible and leaves me wanting more, more, more! You have to see the Maladies live, the experience is truly something special. I love this band and I can’t wait to hear what else they have in store for us!
Love,
Elan
When I moved to Toronto a few days ago, my buddy Tyler took me out for some drinks and to get acquainted with the city.
While we were driving down Lakeshore in his Chevy Cruze, “See You In Another Life” came on his iPod. Two minutes in I was already banging my hands on the dash (which Tyler found distracting — but I didn’t care) and singing loudly.
“This song is awesome!”, I shouted. Tyler glanced at me for a second with a smug look and said, “I told ya my mix is good, Jo”. While I may have disagreed with some of his previous song choices, like “Firework” by Katy Perry; I knew that The Maladies was a band that would bridge our musical tastes.
I decided to look them up online and I stumbled upon this review, which I must say is very solid, and completely reflects my views of their album.