The Mechanical Botanicals are a Tumbler Ridge based band founded in 2016 by song writing and now husband and wife duo James & Lydia Mannion. After a few years playing as an acoustic act the duo decided a full band was the natural way to go, adding a line-up of local musicians featuring Tony States on bass, Troy “Hollywood” Rushton on lead guitar and Kris Wall on pots and pans.
Each member brings their own flavour to the mix which helps create the Mechanical Botanical sound and with decades of experience, the members understand the time and effort needed to make a band work.
James—originally from Wales—spent his teen years playing in clubs and bars he probably shouldn’t have been in and on days without gigs, riding the bus into the city to busk. He spent a few years playing guitar and drums around the local scene with his bandmates before emigrating to Canada in 2011. Since then, he has played in multiple groups in Tumbler Ridge and spent some time on the island in Victoria playing as a ‘hired gun’ filling in for musicians.
“Most musicians I have come across would probably agree that while there’s nothing wrong with jamming on your favourite bands’ tunes (especially if you’re getting paid) nothing comes close to playing your own stuff and having others enjoy what you’re putting out,” says James. “For me songs take time to develop, and the process is often a long one but it is an art after all and I want everything I put out to be the best it can be, which is why I think it’s so gratifying when you play your own tunes at a show and people dance and sing along and then want to buy your music at the end of the night! Uh hum… merch plug?”
Covid left the band in the same state as every musician out there…waiting for things to blow over and carry on, so James and Lydia decided it was the break they needed to start a family and get serious about music again. “So we started writing, playing, reading baby books, and listening to a lot of music,” he says. “Which lead to a growing list of original songs that in my mind were actually pretty decent. I tend to write a lot, but not every song is worth saving! But these were, so I wasted no time in getting the demo’s recorded in the home studio so that I could put it to the band and get things ready for summer.”
Out of those writing sessions came the Let it Ride EP, a collection of four songs, which, James says, “we felt could be album singles someday.” The songs were inspired by his times playing in Victoria and its resemblances to his home back in the UK. “I guess nostalgia was a theme, remembering the good gigs…and the bad! And of course the past couple years have had an impact on the songs with the title track becoming a kind of mantra for dealing with that: it doesn’t matter, none of that stuff mattered so let it ride!”
The band is currently playing a string of shows in the Peace Region, including their second time at Peace Valley Folk Festival which James says should be a highlight for the summer.
And on July 9, they will be holding a release party for the EP at the Tumbler Ridge Legion, where they will debut the new EP along with songs from their last record, Must Be You as well as covers from some of their favourite artists.
“All the work we put into making these songs ready was fueled by the Peace Valley Folk Festival being the first to book us for an event in 2022,” says James. “After the summer wave crashes, we will be setting up for some live recording to put that well-rehearsed momentum to good use and get the next EP done! You must be ahead of the game by at least six months or so in music so I will be spending the rest of the time sending emails, writing bios, editing tracks, filling out festival applications, and of course rehearsing regularly with the guys!”
The EP release is July 9 at the Legion. Music will start at 8pm with special guest Rotten Ronny, followed by the full band for a night of music and dancing!
Music 8-11, $10 cover charge, no membership required, 19+ Keep up to date with everything Mechanical and Botanical at the website www.themechanicalbotanicals.com
Trent is the publisher of Tumbler RidgeLines.
