Always on the lookout for local talent in the 604, we came across Vancouver groove metal band, Galactic Pegasus. We caught up with Andrew Baena who serves as the Founder, Guitarist and Vocalist of Galactic Pegasus, to get a look into the music industry. Alongside Baena are Andrew Hockley (Vocalist), Cooper Lagace (Guitarist), and Dallas Turner (Drummer).
Tell us about yourselves.
Galactic Pegasus has been a band for about 3 years. We derive our sound from a variety of influences ranging from djent, metalcore, deathcore, to even electronic music. We have played shows all over the lower mainland and have done one cross Canada tour this past summer. In addition to this, we have also released two EPs: “Mirages,” and “Pariah.”
How did the band form?
The band originally started as my solo project. I had started making songs and putting them on YouTube, and I realized that people (to my surprise) liked the music I was writing. This got me thinking about taking it from a solo project to a full band that played shows. I gathered some of my friends who were willing to learn the songs I had written when I first got offered a show. Ever since that night I was hooked on performing live and we have been a full band ever since! We’ve had a lot of member changes, but everyone has helped to shape the sound we have today. Everyone in the band has unique roles that are crucial to our band dynamic.
What is the story behind the name “Galactic Pegasus”?
The name “Galactic Pegasus” started out in high school. It was a joke name that my friend came up with, and since I didn’t think music was ever going to be this big of a part of my life, I chose to use it as the name of the project. For better or worse, it has stuck!
Who are your favourite musicians? Do you have any artists that you look up to or have large influences in your sound?
My favorite musicians are Tosin Abasi (Animals as Leaders), Misha Mansoor (Periphery), Paul Waggoner (Between the Buried and Me), and Diego Farias (Volumes). I look up to all of these musicians, and the bands that they are a part of. I definitely draw a lot of influence from some of them, such as Volumes and Periphery. I usually begin a song idea by thinking about how cool it would sound to have two or more bands that I like mixed together. Most of my ideas are formed by this thought process.
Any upcoming tours? music? merch?
We are currently working on new music, hoping to get a full length album written. We’ve already done two short EPs and we feel like the next step is writing a proper album. We’re also working on getting an online merch store set up since most of our fanbase is international. Hopefully that should be up soon. As for touring, we’re in the process of figuring out when our next one is going to be. Our first one was great and we’re definitely hungry for more. Getting out there and playing in front of new people is one of the greatest feelings in the world. We’d really like to tour the states!
How do you balance your music with other obligations – school, job, family?
It gets quite difficult for me to balance music with everything else that goes on in life (I’m writing this interview in class (oops). Unfortunately for me, touring is extremely hard since it requires so much time off and money. I probably won’t be able to tour until after I graduate university, which means the rest of the band will have to tour without me. I just try and keep it fun and lightweight as much as possible. I spend a lot of time at school and with my girlfriend and I work on music whenever I have time. The other guys in the band are able to do a lot more than I currently. Cooper (our other guitarist) has been working like crazy on writing new ideas and upping his audio production game to make this album our best work yet! And Dallas (our drummer) handles all of the show and tour booking and is also starting to write out his ideas for new material.
Where do you hope to see yourselves a year from now?
A year from now we hope to have our album done and out, and be ready to tour the new music. That seems like the most realistic hope. A solid label behind our backs and an even bigger fan base would be nice too haha!
If not in the music industry, what would be your chosen career path?
I’m currently going to Simon Fraser University for Interactive Art Technology. So if the music thing doesn’t work out, it would definitely be within that field. Specifically, I would love to work with videography, sound design, interface design, experience design… something like that!
Do you have any fan/concert moments that you would like to share?
Too many! Basically every single night on tour was a new experience. Any show where someone came up to me at the venue and told me they had been following me or my band for a few years and watching us. That is the craziest thing for me to hear. Showing up in a city that I have never been to in my life and having people know who we are us truly a surreal experience every time it happens. We also had this crazy house party on tour when we were in Calgary. There ended up being a boxing match in the house between the house owner and his friend. If the house owner won, everyone had to go to sleep, but if his friend won, everyone could stay up and party longer. Needless to say, the party went on haha.
What advice would you give to others who are just starting out in the music industry?
My advice would be to not jump into tour too fast. Build up your local and international fan base by playing lots of shows, trying to open for bigger bands, and putting your music out there for free. Once you start to see some solid traction and you know people are into you, that’s when you should start thinking about tour. Also, don’t get discouraged. It took a long time to get where we are, and we’ve had plenty of people try and talk us down. Just keep your head up and keep working at it, and eventually things will start to fall into place.
Is there anything else you would like to share to the readers?
I just want to say thank you so much to everyone who has checked us out. You made something I started out doing just for fun as a hobby into something that has truly changed my life. And thank you Jenny for taking the time to interview me. Anyone who reads this, be sure to poke around the rest of the website for more cool stuff!
Interview by Jenny Nguyen-Don
