AA: How did you guys meet? Have you guys played together around different bands or did you have to go out and find each other through Craigslist etc? UMU: The line up has changed quite a bit since Uforia started. I’m actually the only original member at this point. Daniel and I are friends from school and where we grew up (Mississauga Ontario). When Uforia needed a bassist, he stepped up. Dylan came to us through a mutual when we needed a drummer. Angel, who just joined the band, found my Craigslist ad looking for a new lead guitarist. The current line up is myself- Michael Ursini (Vocals/rhythm guitar), Daniel Salij (Bass), Dylan Piercey (Drums) and Angel Gomez (Lead Guitar). AA: You guys list Incubus and Rush as influences. What parts of those bands are you inspired by? UMU: Both Incubus and Rush have what I call “The entire package”. Though they are very different bands, they both have great songs that never sound generic, a passionate vocalist, lyrics that take you to amazing places and world class productions. My favorite music is usually guitar driven. Both bands have, for me, created the best guitar driven music ever. AA: How did you develop your vocal style? UMU: With lots of practice. I’m trying to let my voice be what it is more than just imitate my favorite singers. That was hard for me until I met our producer Steve Molella. He knows how to get the real me onto a recording. :) AA: What was the first song you guys worked on together? UMU: The first song this line up worked on was Radiation. Track 2 off our “Fight or Flight” EP. AA: Where did you record your 2016 EP at? How was that process for you guys? UMU: We recorded our 2016 EP at Steve Molella’s home studio in Woodbridge. This was the EP that opened my eyes to how a recording process should be. We all learned a tonne about songwriting, tracking and production. Steve is the real deal. Genius level producer. We’re super lucky to have connected with him. Haven’t met anyone else who cared about a recording as much as he does. AA: “What It Means to You” is such a cool song. What’s the story behind writing it? How did you guys get the idea? UMU: “What It Means to You” is a song I wrote for my mom as a cheesy mother’s day gift. One Sunday afternoon my sister and I were at our parent’s place talking about all the hilarious shit my mom does (unintentionally). I wrote a song as a result and it came out so well I decided to invest in a recording of it. AA: Have you guys been in the arena in Toronto when the Leafs have played “Fight or Flight”? UMU: Not yet. We’ve only seen videos of others at the games. We caught it on TSN a few times too. I haven’t seen an NHL game live in over 10 years. Maybe when these songs start making money I can afford to go to a game. :) AA: Are you guys working on more songs? Is there an EP coming soon? UMU: We’ve finished four brand new songs and are prepping the first single for release in May! I think we’re going to release all singles this time. It’s just too damn expensive to put out a collection of songs at the quality we’re making them right now. AA: Any plans on shows/touring in the coming months? UMU: Our first big show is April 12 at The Bovine Sex Club in Toronto. We booked our biggest gig to date in August. It’s a big rock festival on the East Coast. Can’t say more than that for now. AA: What do you think sets Uforia apart from other bands? UMU: I think our recordings are definitely newer sounding than most popular modern rock. The nostalgia thing seems to be what’s popular in the rock world right now. We’re trying to make something new with a combination of all our favourite influences as supposed to just sounding identical to something that everyone already knows and loves. I’m a firm believer of great music will speak for itself. If our stuff is truly great, it will be recognized at some point. Hope I’m still alive when it happens.