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band on the Ff nge of success ‘Focus’ writer Scott Mercer has followed the progress of a group of young ‘rock’ musicians on their quest for fame for the past year. Following is their story... The hard truth is that many try, but few succeed. For all, even those who do ultimately find the spotlight, the quest for rock stardom requires sacrifice. Rock ‘n’ roll, an ‘April Wine’ lyric once famously put it, “is a vicious game.” Yet it tempts countless musicians in thousands of basements. “Making it’ is the stuff of dreams, demanding time, patience, talent, and, above all, passion. Winning that “vicious game” might be as close as a well-placed A-minor d. Port Perry’s Andrew Britton, Drew Chester, Chris Tan, and John Vallancourt, — The Fringe — sat at a crossroads in their fledgling career in mid-January, 2009. The group's re has persevered for three years through the inevitable personnel shuffles which eventually appear in every supergroup’s biography. Stylistic and personal clashes have taken their toll, as well as the pursuit of more dedicated and proficient musicians. “Tt was hard finding good players who like the music we did,” Drew remembers. “But our lineup’s stronger now.” The Fringe needed a stage to progress. They opened occasionally for Drew’s father’s group, The Midlife Crisis Band, but mostly struggled to arrange Bigs a absorbing some tough knocks along the way. re the only ‘indie’ (independent, not contacted toa record label) band in an all-metal concert in Uxbridge,” Drew recalls wryly. “Nota good night! And we didn’t learn... “In our school’s battle of the bands, we followed a metal group,” John con- tinues. “Their fans started moshing, and the teacher in charge shut it down. By the time we came out, only a handful of kids were left.” The Fringe’s search for the right expo- sure, they concluded, required their own initiative, so they’ve set wheels in motion. “We're going to rent a concert hall in Febru- ary (2009) invite other local bands like Taco Mon- day and The Kites,” John said. “Indie groups only!” "embers of Port Perry indie group ‘The Fringe’, from left are: Andrew Britton Playing live is crucial in any group’s develop- {arms folded), Chris Tan (holding drum), John Vallancourt (guitar), Drew Chester. 18 FOCUS - MARCH 2010