Writing as the Arts in Review editor here at The Cascade has given me ample opportunity to explore the local music scene and boy have I been enjoying it! From seeing more established bands such as Said the Whale at the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, to the small indie band Grade School at the Redgate Arts Society, my time as editor has cemented my persona as the “quirky music gal” among friends. So it was very on brand for me to interview the Nelson pop-punk band, Bucket. After all, with a name that obscure, I had to know their story.
I interviewed the members of Bucket — guitarist Finley Kinghorn, vocalist Kael Koteles, and drummer Reid Erickson, over Zoom. I was afraid the remote interview wouldn’t allow us to connect, but they didn’t let the screens stop them from letting their personalities shine through. They joined the meeting from the comfort of their dorm room and I couldn’t help but giggle, they were truly just like me: university students following their passion for music.
The band came together in haphazard couplings. First, Kinghorn and Erickson shared the stage in a cover band two years before branching off. When Bucket was first born, the band was “originally a four piece. Two guitars, a bass, and a drummer,” said Kinghorn.
What I really wanted to know was how they got the name Bucket. “That was just random… cause I wanted to do a kind of a punk rock thing,” said Kinghorn. “There’s a lot of bands around here that have weird names like Toaster and Fabric Softener.”
They’d toyed with the idea of “Septum Piercing” (but misspelled), before ultimately landing on the name Bucket because it was an inanimate object. “Bucket is short and easy to remember,” said Kinghorn. Buckets also make great stage props.
Their love of music started from a very young age. Kotele’s parents were obsessed with competition shows like The Voice. Kotele used to pretend he was a contestant, and looking back on it he thought it was nerdy and weird, but really, it ended up being practice for his future musical endeavors.
Kinghorn, on the other hand, started at 16. “I just got obsessed with it quick. Bought a lot of gear and then that kept me going.” Although his journey in bands started late by his standards, as a kid he was always “tapping on things.” He tapped his way to the guitar and found a teacher to show him the basics.
I asked the boys what music meant to them. They looked at each other and I could tell I had hit a nerve. Kinghorn said he “always wanted to be a performer.” His bandmate, Erikson said, “If music ended up not working, I’d just feel very pressured to do something more useful, which I really don’t want to end up doing.”
Koteles, as the main lyricist, mused that “pop-punk is talking about being a loser, skateboarding, being a bum, and not fitting in high school.” However, that wasn’t Koteles experience growing up. Bucket’s lyrics are unique to them because of “instrumentals that sound very pop punk, but we sing about being very honest or talk about problems within society,” said Koteles.
Koteles shared some of his songwriting process, “If my car breaks down I’ll write about cars being stupid…And then, and then it’ll turn into this whole idea about how the government’s selling us these cars that suck.”
Bucket’s songwriting style comes naturally, and gives them a sense of authenticity they don’t see in other bands in the area. “For music to be relatable, it has to feel like a conversation with the listener,” said Koteles. “I think for a lot of pop music, the lyrics are so overanalyzed that it feels like this big grand statement, but we’re not going for big grand statements, we’re going for talking to our listeners.”
While I myself do enjoy music, for the members of Bucket, music is the biggest aspect of their lives. If sheer passion is what it takes to make it in the music industry, I think the boys will make it out of Nelson.
Gianna Dinwoodie is currently working towards her BA in Political Science and hopes to pursue a minor in Journalism. When she is not seen writing mountains of essays for her classes, she enjoys poetry and literature of any sort. Especially of the horror or psychological thriller genre! Don't ask her to watch a horror movie though, she'll probably cry...