Jackie From Across The Board Talks Stevie Nicks, Walk Off The Earth And Woodstock

Posted on July 17, 2018 by mtsmanagement in alternative, Interviews, news, Rock, rock opera // 1 Comment

Jacqueline Auguste and her life partner Andy Ramjattan (bass player for the band), founded the group in 2013 out of a desire to move their garage and back yard jams to social media. They created a popular cover webseries, “Pick Up & Play” now in its 5th season on Youtube, and decided to take their show on the road with the debut album “JANE ON FIRE”, released in June of 2016. Since then, Across The Board has played to sold-out crowds across Ontario, and from Newfoundland to Vancouver. Recipients of four international music awards for work on “JANE ON FIRE” and “AMENDS”, ATB is set to take off yet again on tour this spring and summer across Southern Ontario and into Quebec and the Maritimes with “SONIC BOOM”. ATB is a 2018 Josie Music Awards nominee.

Jackie took time out from the band’s busy touring schedule to chat with us…

IPM: Hi Jackie! It’s so wonderful of you to talk with us today. ATB is from Toronto, Ontario Canada. Tell us about the music scene in Toronto.

Across The Board: Toronto has an amazing music scene with nearly 200 live music venues in the Greater Toronto Area and so many more in the outlying communities. It’s a vibrant live music scene with just about any genre you can imagine. We also get all the big acts coming through the city—either at the Roger’s Centre, The Air Canada Centre—or the outdoor waterside open air Budweiser Stage. The independent music scene in Toronto is also very active with bands coming from all over the planet to share their songs with us.

IPM: Who are you listening to these days?

ATB: I have been listening to Bebe Rhexa, new stuff from George Ezra, July Talk, Walk Off The Earth and new songs from Taylor Swift and Meghan Trainor. My musical tastes are all over the map—from Adele to Metallica!

IPM: If you could tour with one artist, opening shows, whom would that be?

ATB: At this point, our dream is to open for Walk Off The Earth. We love these guys—their music, creativity, spirit, energy, and drive. We are incredibly impressed by the way they document their journey in social media and consider them as mentors! Mentors from a far!

IPM: Why is “Sonic Boom” an important music release? Why should new listeners give it a chance?

ATB: Sonic Boom is an important release for us because it marks the first collection of songs that define our sound most clearly. Its an important release for the moment, in that it’s a rock opera—something we don’t see much of anymore. The album tells a story from start to finish of the small town girl dreaming of taking her music to the big city and all the trials and tribulations, love and loss, that go along with a journey such as this.

IPM: If you could perform in your dream venue, where would that be, and why?

ATB: Oh my goodness—MADISON SQUARE GARDEN! Are you kidding me!??!!??!!? If I could perform in a historical venue at any time in history it would be WOODSTOCK though. Can you imagine being an act during that time in musical history~meeting Joni Mitchell back then, Jimmy Hendrix, Janis Joplin—all my heroes.

IPM: Your favorite song on your album is? Why is that?

ATB: My favorite song is “It Shouldn’t Be This Hard”– I wrote it when I was procrastinating doing my taxes and it’s fun to play—it’s a catchy little ditty about taking the time to open up your mind to possibilities and not getting stuck in a world of indifference without empathy. It reminds me that it’s ok to give yourself permission just to chill out from time to time.

IPM: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

ATB: Headlining the biggest stages in the world!

IPM: What means more to you: Sales, Awards, or critical praise? and why?

ATB: Hmmm—they each have an appeal—sales mean that fans actually care enough about your music to own it. That’s rare these days, unless we are counting streaming. Awards mean that a group of knowledgeable tastemakers chose to recognize your work as worthy—very appealing. And critical appraise means the music writers, researchers and buffs appreciate your work—so I think they are all equally attractive concepts.

IPM: Who is your dream collaboration? and why?

ATB: My dream collaboration would be to write a song with Stevie Nicks!

IPM: Where do you discover new music?

ATB: SPOTIFY and YOUTUBE—playlists on Spotify, and new music search terms on Youtube.

IPM: Any final thoughts, shout outs, lessons for our readers?

ATB: Shout out to our producers MC2 Music Media and our Publicist Michael Stover—they are all working hard to have our music heard! And they are killing it!
Thank you!

IMP: Thanks so much Jackie! Good luck on the rest of your tour, and I hope we have a chance to catch you LIVE! Where can we find out more on Across The Board?

ATB: Watch us and subscribe on Youtube: http://youtube.com/atbmusiccanada
Please Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/acrosstheboardproductions
Follow us on Twitter: @ATBmusicCanada https://twitter.com/ATBmusicCanada
Hear us on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/across-the-board-music
Visit us at iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/artist/across-the-board/id719845554
Check us out on Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/acrosstheboardmusic
Stalk us on Instagram: http://instagram.com/acrosstheboardband
Read our blog: http://acrosstheboardmusic.wordpress.com
Patronize us at Patreon: http://patreon.com/acrosstheboard
Buy our tunes at BandCamp: http://acrosstheboardmusic.bandcamp.com