By Jim Barber
It doesn’t always happen the way folks hope in the fickle world that is the music business. But sometimes – just sometimes – hard work, dedication to craft, excellent creative skills and blindingly obvious talent can lead to success and acclaim.
A staple on the Kingston scene for nearly a decade, rock band Luscious has put in the time, slogged it out in area clubs and made successful forays into the big, foreboding city of Toronto getting better with every show. Along this journey, the quintet built a reputation for providing superior entertainment thanks to a blistering live show, an ability to write, record and then perform excellent hard rock songs that not only are ear wormy, but incite audiences to dance, sing and shout it out loud.
That reputation for both excellence and professionalism has led, over the last couple of years, to some amazing opportunities for the band. This includes opening for Canadian music legends such as Kim Mitchell and I Mother Earth and playing in front of thousands of people at the annual Empire Rockfest event in Belleville opening for The Beaches among other prestigious concert events. Later this summer, they’ll be on the biggest stage of their career, as the band opens for American alt-rock pioneer and activist Tom Morello and one of the most successful rock bands of the 1980s – Def Leppard – at this year’s Ottawa Bluesfest on Wednesday, July 16.
Along the way, Luscious has hit the studio to record eight tracks of exceptional, memorable, melodically infused, badass rock and roll music which highlights the quality of musicianship of the quintet as well as the compelling, powerhouse vocal prowess of frontwoman Brielle LeBlanc, the band’s charismatic and infectiously energetic co-founder and one of its primary songwriters.
The individual band members were all young musicians and music students in Kingston when serendipity brought them together in 2016. As teenagers, Brielle befriended guitarist Kurt Paquette and drummer Wyatt McMullin when they all participated in the Rock Academy program put on by local music store Renaissance Music. Brielle then discovered O’Handley through his YouTube channel where he was showing off his piano and keyboard prowess. At the time, the singer was only 17, with her two burgeoning bandmates around the same age. O’Handley is a few years older (now 32, compared to 26 for Brielle, Paquette and McMullin.) A couple of bass players came and went over the band’s first half decade, before they literally decided to make it a family affair by inviting Brielle’s older brother Cole, now 31, into the fold.
As a unit, Luscious displays a dynamic and versatile combination of talent, cohesiveness and disciplined drive that works onstage and in the recording studio, but just as importantly, works offstage. Music Life Magazine sat down for an old-fashioned phone conversation with the band to talk about their past, present and future.
“Everybody has different influences, and behind the scenes everybody has different roles to play. We’ve all played in other bands and learned a lot of musical lessons and life lessons from those bands, which we’ve applied here. And I think personality wise, we have a little bit of everything. If we were all the same, I don’t think it would work as well as it does,” said McMullin, with Brielle adding “We all have a role together and I feel like I’d be nothing without them. I’m very grateful to have them in my life and I think they feel the same.”
“We all bring in these different styles to the band and that’s what makes Luscious the band that it is. And we are all there for each other, just like good friends. We like to hang out and I think we’ve really bonded together. Since we’re opening for Def Leppard I was really looking into them and the reasons for their success and that’s what’s made them huge for all this time – having that bond for years and years, decades actually. That friendship, it’s more important than anything else. It makes everything easier. We’re all friends, I’ve known them all since I was a kid.”
“Everybody’s different from a musical standpoint as Wyatt said. If I had to drill down to what everybody’s good at, I’d say Kurt is a genuine riff machine. He’ll just come up with these amazing riffs and then they come together so well as songs. Wyatt is probably the most flexible drummer I’ve ever worked with in that he’ll play a part and 99 per cent of the time it’s the exact part we need, but the one per cent where we give him feedback, he’s very flexible and willing to work until it fits the song perfectly. He has no ego about this stuff, even though he is so good. Cole is the other one besides me who has the weirdest taste in music in the band. A lot of the less rock and roll influences come from Cole which balances things out nicely,” said O’Handley.
“Brielle is amazing at adding the lyrics to the songs. Every time we write a song, and we kind of write our songs in reverse compared to a lot of other bands: we will just write the music and not have any sort of lyrics planned out. We’ll write the instrumental portion and then Brielle will show up literally to the next practice with a lyric and melody to that song. So she’s a master at that. And I am just a musical theory nerd – that’s what I bring to the table.”
Brielle is the visual focal point of the band, with her boundless effervescence permeating every performance, she projects the perfect blend of playfulness, confidence and badassery. You know she was meant to be on the big stage with the seemingly effortless way she can connect with heaving masses of humanity at large festivals, or eye to eye with those just a couple of feet away in a sweaty club.
Originally named The Brielle Leblanc Band, the vocalist felt uncomfortable with the moniker, because she was adamant that this was a band, not a project for which she was the leader. So they chose a name that suits the music, one that is slightly cheeky, eminently democratic, but very rock and roll. And Luscious it became.
“Visually and musically, if you look at the definition of the word, it kind of fits our aesthetic, which is rock and roll, and our sonic image. I always say we’re a modern interpretation of classic rock. We’re not classic rock. We’re not modern rock. We’re taking a modern approach to how we play and write the classic rock style of music that we grew up with,” said O’Handley.
“I think we are sort of old souls and we have all these different influences and that sort of gives us this classic rock feel, but we are a modern version of those influences,” added Brielle.
Those influences include the obvious ones such as Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin, but also The Tragically Hip (it is Kingston after all!) Stone Temple Pilots, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Grateful Dead, metal mavens like Meshuggah, as well as Dream Theater.
If you follow Brielle’s personal social media accounts, she has little hesitation in broadcasting her idols and influences, particularly the iconic Debbie Harry of Blondie and Gwen Stefani – particularly her days fronting No Doubt.
“Well, I’m all about the women artists being in a female-fronted band. So I think those influences come naturally because I’m a woman in rock, and it’s certainly who I’m compared to. But I just love a good frontperson whether they’re a man or woman. I love Debbie Harry. I love Gwen Stefani but there’s so many others I admire from Gord Downie [Tragically Hip], David Usher [Moist] Scott Weiland [Stone Temple Pilots, Velvet Revolver] and of course Joan Jett,” she said.
All of the influences and experiences of the band members come together in a cacophony of creativity when they practice and when they decide it’s time to write some songs.
“The process is a little different for every song. And if you really know our music, when you listen to each individual song you can get a pretty good idea who was the person who started it off, who got the ball rolling and really planned out the song. If it’s a really riff-driven song, Kurt would be the one who go things going. If was a little more alternative sounding, you can bet it was Cole’s idea. So Kurt’s approach is that he’ll bring a riff in and we’ll sort of build the song around it in real time as a band based on that riff,” O’Handley explained.
“Cole and I have pretty much the same approach as each other; we’ll go into a cave and just write a whole song and then bring it to practice, put it on the operating table and let everybody make their cuts and do what they need to do. And then Brielle, for the song ‘Alone (We Are Not),’ she fully wrote the song acoustically and then we came in and turned it into a rock song for the whole band. So, it kind of depends on who had the initial idea. But the main thing is we all have a hand in it.”
‘Love Child’ is one of the most emotionally resonant of the original songs in the Luscious repertoire and has Brielle thrusting her own pain and sadness out into the world for the catharsis created by such an unburdening, but also to let others going through heartache or heartbreak know they’re not alone.
“When I wrote this, I was going through a very dark time in my life. I don’t think I knew at the time how bad it was. But it was during COVID which is a given that it was a dark time for everyone. But it was really a low point in my life and I think it was just a therapeutic way to write about how I was feeling. Obviously the lyrics and talking about ‘the war dancing inside of my head,’ I think also goes with just a general societal point of view of seeing all the chaos in the world,” she said.
“And I thought ‘Love Child’ was a cool way of expressing it. And we added a great riff to it because we wanted to make it a seriously rock and roll song. So even though it has a dark theme, it’s very upbeat and very rockin’ and each person in the band added their parts to make it a great song.”
“That was one of the songs that started with the guitar riff. If I remember correctly, it was one of those when the day was done the whole song was there. And then by the next practice, Brielle had the lyrics and the song was finished. But not all of them are that quick,” added Paquette.
‘Bombshell’ is another song that you couldn’t imagine anyone other than Luscious creating or Brielle LeBlanc singing. It has become one of the band’s most popular live tracks, with its raucousness matched only by its melodic memorability and sing-along nature.
“That was another Kurt riff and was another quick one. I think when we got to the chorus we were stuck for just a second and then we thought, why don’t we just play two chords and let Brielle sing the hook,” said O’Handley, with Paquette picking up the story.
“It’s funny, because usually I’m the one who is saying, ‘let’s just simplify this part or that part, ‘ and Doug’s the one who wants to expand it and add more parts. I think this was one of those instances where it was the reverse, where I was saying, hey let’s try to do all these chords and it was Doug who said, ‘let’s just do two chords.’”
“We wanted to keep this very rock and roll. It’s your classic rock and roll sound. I said this to the guys the other day if people call us a rock band, it’s because of songs like ‘Bombshell.’ That’s kind of the meat and potatoes of rock and roll. And I remember Cole adding a really cool bass line to it which put it over the top and I just loved it. It’s one of my favourites and it went pretty quick because I had most of the lyrics around for years, just waiting for the right song,” said Brielle, with Paquette adding that there is some obvious inspiration from the classic Runaways song, ‘Cherry Bomb.’
If there’s another song which could be added to a time capsule as one that completely epitomizes the attitude and energy of Luscious, it’s the banger ‘Fire Me Up’ which is one of the band’s earliest compositions that made it to the recording stage.
McMullin and Paquette had the riff sitting as a recording on McMullin’s phone for a number of years before deciding to see if they could do something with it.
“We brought it to the band and I remember that there was one of our friends who was always coming to our shows and he would yell, ‘fire me up!’ We thought it would almost be like a novelty song to do one called ‘Fire Me Up,’ because of that. We were playing the bar scene and were at The Merchant Tap House [a Kingston live music venue of some renown] and we had this group of friends that would always chant ‘fire me up.’ So that’s kind of how we conceived of the idea for the song,” said Paquette, with Brielle acknowledging that it’s probably the band’s most popular song in a live setting.
“They [the fans] were a huge inspiration for us. That song is really a crowd pleaser. I think the crowd really gets into it when we play it live. It is just made for that interaction with the audience. There’s so much energy going between the band and the crowd. It’s one of those moments in a show where it just lifts up the crowd and gets people going. And I think that’s why we’ll always keep it in our sets. It really showcases who we are and what kind of a show we do and even though it was one of our first songs, it’s still always really fun to do.”
Looking at it today, it seems like it was only a matter of time before Luscious began to reap the rewards for all their hard work, for their ability to craft superior rock songs, to be so dedicated to all facets of their creative craft and for conducting themselves as true professionals. But it isn’t always the case as many failed bands and artists can attest. There is also an aspect of having a keen eye to see when an opportunity arises and the fortitude and wherewithal to take advantage of those opportunities.
Any time Luscious has been given a chance to open for a bigger name act, they have pounced moving effortlessly from stages in smaller Kingston venues like The Merchant and The Mansion to performing in front of thousands at Belleville’s Empire Rockfest (3000-plus in attendance), as well as larger indoor venues such as The Ale House in Kingston and The Bronson Centre in Ottawa. And now, add to that list the massive Ottawa Bluesfest, where the crowd size is measured in the tens of thousands.
Luscious have put in the time, put in the miles, and put in the sweat equity over the last nine years, treating any sacrifices and dues paying as simply the price of doing business – that business being rising to the upper echelons of the music industry, without compromising their artistry, integrity or their friendship.
“We are just really grateful for these opportunities. It’s the most beautiful feeling in the world to perform on a stage in general, but to perform on these bigger stages, I think it really fits Luscious. I don’t know, I just feel so emotional out there with these guys. I’m almost crying right now thinking about it, because there have been moments when I look at them when we’re out there and think, ‘wow, this is a really beautiful moment in our career and we’ve worked so hard.’ But we’re also so grateful. I think we were just surprised at all these amazing shows we’ve been able to do, and we’re just so humbled by them,” said Brielle.
“It doesn’t even feel real sometimes. I’m still kind of struggling with the whole process, wondering if I am allowed to walk around backstage, where can I go, who can I talk to. It’s all still kind of registering with me, but like Brielle, I am absolutely just grateful and happy to be in these situations and try to soak it up as much as I can, because, you never know if it’s going to go away. So I want to always appreciate it,” added O’Handley.
“We don’t take anything for granted. We take the preparation for all this really seriously. Once we started getting these bigger shows, we had a friend of ours who is part of the sound crew for Bryan Adams come in when he’s not on the road to make sure we’re being presented in the best way possible. A lot of thought goes into our sets, the notes on what we’re going to say in between songs and ensuring our crew is professional because we want to make sure we’re making the best impression possible. Because, as we’ve said, if you don’t take advantage of these opportunities and drink it in, and put your best effort into it, then you’re less likely to keep it going.”
One of the first big opportunities came from Mark Rashotte, owner of the Empire Theatre in Belleville and promoter of the annual Empire Rockfest series of outdoor shows in downtown Belleville, Ontario each July. He put Luscious on a bill opening for the rising band The Beaches in the summer of 2024. A year on, and The Beaches are now one of Canada’s most commercially successful, critically lauded and popular bands.
“He was the one who got us on the bill with The Beaches and it kind of led to a snowball effect from there. Because once you have a show like that on your resume, as long as you don’t bomb, the word gets out in the industry and you never know where that could lead. From there we got the show with Kim Mitchell [later in November 2024], and from that we got I Mother Earth [at the Ale House in Kingston] and then we ended up going on with Edwin [from I Mother Earth for a solo show at the Bronson Centre in Ottawa]. It’s like I said, the sort of snowball effect where you keep getting bigger shows because each time out you prove yourself. So we felt incredibly lucky and grateful that Mark put us on that first show. I still have the cheque we got from Empire Rockfest, just sort of mounted above our whiteboard in our rehearsal space as a reminder that before that show we were stuck doing only bar gigs, but he got us out of that,” said O’Handley.
“That particular Empire Rockfest was cool because Brielle, Wyatt and I saw The Beaches a few years ago for the first time when they were the opening act [for The Glorious Sons] at Empire Rockfest. And then here we are a few years later and they’re the headliner and we’re in the spot that they had. It was like a full circle moment,” added Paquette.
So now, the band’s sights are firmly set on Ottawa Bluesfest, one of the biggest musical events to happen in Canada each summer, with internationally renowned headliners each and every evening. It has to be a heady experience for any young band to see themselves on a poster or advertisement with only two names above theirs – one being Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine, and legendary Sheffield UK rockers Def Leppard.
“I texted my oldest brother Dan and told him we’re opening for Tom Morello and Def Leppard on the main stage at Bluesfest and he immediately called me and the first thing he said was, ‘what the ***k is going on?! How is this happening?!’ It is not lost on us how fortunate we are but also how crazy this is,” O’Handley said.
Besides preparing for Bluesfest and a handful of other upcoming shows, work continues on new music, with the intention of releasing more singles on a regular basis with the possibility of an album at some point in the near future. Some of the other shows include playing the new Line Spike Festival in Frontenac County on a bill that includes the iconic Burton Cummings, Sunday, June 29, followed by a return to Empire Rockfest on July 25 to open for legendary Canadian acts David Wilcox and Trooper.
“There is a plan down the line to get a vinyl pressing but right now our schedule is a little bit unconventional for what a lot of established bands do because when you’re not super established there’s usually pressure to keep releasing new music and have a consistent flow of music coming. So, I think the plan now is to keep releasing singles, but then retroactively sort of amalgamate those singles into an album that we would then release as a physical product,” O’Handley explained.
“We’ve got five unrecorded tracks ready to go, and we have two tracks that are recorded and ready for release. One we’re releasing in July and the other one in the fall. I think the goal is to get a physical release for all these new recordings and have an actual album pressed. And hopefully we can do that by March of next year, which is our 10th anniversary, and have a big album release party.”
For more information on Luscious, their new music and tour dates, visit https://www.lusciousband.com.
- Jim Barber is a veteran award-winning journalist and author based in Napanee, Ontario, Canada, who has been writing about music and musicians for more than 30 years. Besides his journalistic endeavors, he works as a communications and marketing specialist and is an avid volunteer in his community. Contact him at jimbarberwritingservices@gmail.com.
