MAN IS FIVE

Man is Five’s music is something special, emotionally charged and powerful lyrics sung by lead singer and bassist Sebastian Waits, impactful and addictive riffs written by lead guitarist Chris Stickel, heart-shaking drums performed by drummer Ezra, all these mixed together make for some powerful music, with a lot going for it.

Beginning our interview, I first ask about the name of the band, drawing the connection to the Pixies song. Seb confirms my conclusion and expresses his love for the Pixies, while Chris says he likes The Jins (Vancouver) better. I ask who The Jins are, and Chris explains that they're a band from Vancouver and that he's a huge fan of their music. He states that the Pixies are one of their biggest influences, saying that a lot of his lyrics are inspired by the Pixies, saying that “a lot of our lyrics come out very Frank Black, where it doesn't make a lot of sense, but they come out very artistic and pretty.” When asked about other influences, bands such as Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Alice in Chains come up. Chris states that a lot of his guitar playing is Nirvana-inspired. Chris says he also likes Stone Temple Pilots, an opinion Seb doesn't agree with. When I mention Audioslave as one of my favorite grunge bands, Seb mentions another band he plays bass in, Amy Kisser. He mentions that they play a cover of "Show Me How To Live" by Audioslave and that it's a very fun bass line to play. When asked what genre they’d describe themselves as, Seb says that grunge would probably be the closest, to which Chris says doesn't work because “grunge is dead and probably isn't coming back.” He elaborates by saying that the genre still exists, but that the culture of music has changed so much that the grunge culture isn't likely to come back.

The origins of the band lie within a music room in their high school, where Chris would be jamming with Liam Staig (Just July), and Seb would sometimes play drums while they were jamming. During a field trip to the orchestra, Seb and Chris began chatting, and when Chris mentioned wanting to start a band, Seb hopped on the idea, and Man is Five was born.

During my first-ever meeting of Man is Five, I asked Chris and Seb about their favorite and least favorite subway stations in Toronto. When I ask the question again during this interview, Chris says he's been thinking about his answer to the question for months, saying, “I remember that question hitting me like a truck.” Seb says he changed his answer from our initial interview, from his favorite station being Museum to Bessarion, saying, “Just listen to that fucking name, it's great. It's the least popular subway station on the TTC and it's named fucking Bessarion.” Seb says his least favorite station is Queen’s Park because “it's boring, there's nothing there” (referring to the design of the station), to which Chris says, “I fucking hate Dufferin,” saying that he doesn't like the tile designs on the walls. Seb says he disagrees with Chris on Dufferin station and says that the tile designs are why he likes it. Chris finally says his favorite station is Keele, because “I have no other ones to pick, this is the one I resonate with, because that's the one I have to get off at to go home.”

I asked about their favourite food spots in Toronto and mentioned that I had gone to the one mentioned in our first interview, Tacos El Asador. Seb was disappointed that I didn't get the burrito when I went. Seb says that Bryden’s Pub on Bloor and Jane has really good chicken wings with homemade sauce. Chris says that since he’s broke, Dollarama is his answer for his favorite food spot in Toronto.

When asked about their likes and dislikes about the scene, Seb says his only real dislike is uncooperative bands, to which Chris agrees and adds, “We can be uncooperative too, we’re teenagers, that's just how it is sometimes,” following with their likes saying, “We’re in Toronto, it's huge, the music scene is incredible here. There's an insane amount of people here who are insanely talented and go somewhat unrecognized.” They also say that they heavily dislike the pay-to-play culture at many venues in the scene. Chris and Seb also shout out Vypers, Tsundail, and Just July as local favorites, saying that they love the energy at their shows.

I ask about their favorite fruits (a classic interview question of mine), to which Seb shouts, “MANGOS! I LOVE MANGOS!” Chris says he also likes mangos. When asked about their favorite veggies, Seb says that he loves Brussels sprouts, Chris promptly calls him stupid and expresses his strong disagreement with that opinion. Seb counters Chris’ opinion by explaining how he cooks his Brussels sprouts: “Cut your Brussels sprouts in half, olive oil, salt and pepper, and then put them on the flat side on a cast iron and fry them.” Chris jokingly says that “you gotta steam your vegetables or else it isn't healthy and it isn't a vegetable if it's not healthy.” Chris says he loves zucchini but that he also likes kale and Swiss cheddar (which isn't a vegetable, but I’ll allow it). Seb says he also loves spicy food, especially from Mexico and India. When asked what his favorite spicy foods are, Chris says, “When it's spicy I like it,” and he does not elaborate further.

When asked if they prefer coffee or tea, Seb says he likes tea and strongly dislikes coffee, Chris says he likes water. Next, I asked about their preference of pets. Seb likes dogs, and Chris says, “I don’t really care, I like my cat.” Seb says he likes dogs over cats because “dogs are loyal.” Seb says his favorite movies are Baskin and Fight Club, to which Chris says, “Fight Club is the most pointless movie I have ever seen.” Seb responds by asking why he's in a band with Chris.

I next ask about the direction they see the band heading in the future, to which they express a desire to one day play a tour. They also want to record and release more music. With my next question, I ask whether or not they believe social media has an impact on the music scene. They say it helps a lot with getting people to shows and it helps significantly to get people's (and their band’s) names further out there. They also say that they are working on an album and hope to release it sometime soon. They've also released two singles so far in 2024, “Virtue” and “Feed.” These two releases strongly demonstrate the musical talent exhibited by Chris, Seb, and Ezra, with high-powered, passionate lyrics and the skill with their instruments to back it up. These singles masterfully exhibit Man is Five growing into their skin and taking charge of their music.

Overall, Man is Five are some of the nicest (and funniest) people I've had the pleasure to interview in preparation for this issue of the magazine.

The members of Man is Five exhibit charisma on and off the stage, with powerful, heartfelt vocals, masterful playing, and all-around great energy. Man is Five is made up of some extremely talented individuals and has a lot to show for it. I'd recommend finding them at a show near you and experiencing their music and energy for yourself.

By Zachary Lidster, 2023