A: Where have you performed so far?
J: We've performed at Avant Garde, Babylon, Ritual, The Rainbow, The Ottawa Convention Centre, The Royal Ottawa Golf Course, The Blacksheep Inn, Irene's Pub, Live Lounge, Spotify Lounge...just about anywhere a band can play in Ottawa! We've also played a few times in Montreal and Toronto.
A: Is the group mainly organized by one person, or does everyone take on a certain task behind the scenes? If the latter, can you give me an example or two?
J: I do most of the organizing, however we make all our decisions as a team. There's lots of passion about the project, and a lot of strong personalities, too. But we manage to come to a consensus on just about everything, even if we need a heated discussion to get there! The positive team dynamic is a big part of why the Hornettes have been successful, in our opinion. We all encourage each other to be the best we can be.
A: How many of you have performed at Jazzfest under another banner?
J: Our trumpet player, Ed Lister, has performed with his band The Chocolate Hot Pockets both last year and this year. They're awesome!
A: Naturally the atmosphere at a festival is different than a regular gig, but do you think that it translates on stage? Will there be a different chemistry stepping onto the OLG stage come Saturday?
J:We get a lot of our energy from the audiences we play for, so if there's a difference, we think that's where it will be. Jazzfest patrons tend to be very music-savvy, and the OLG stage is a pretty intimate venue. It's also happening mid-day, which is a bit out of the ordinary for us. All these factors will certainly make it a unique gig for us; but we're very much looking forward to playing in front of some new faces and are ready to give it all we've got!
A: Finally, where do you see the Hornettes in two years' time?
J: It's crazy to think how far the band has come in the slightly-more-than two years we've been performing. It really began as a hobby project, but has become a very viable creative outlet, small business, and a close-knit family to boot. In the next two years, we'd just like to keep up the momentum and hopefully be lucky enough to play for even more people at festivals across the country. We've found that as long as we do our best at every rehearsal and performance, good things seem to come our way.
Good luck to the whole gang tomorrow!
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