Shoofly started in 1997 as an ill-fated cross Canada bicycle trip. Bryan flew from Halifax to Vancouver to visit long time childhood friend, Jesse, who had moved to Vancouver a couple of years earlier. Bryan’s ambitious plan was to cycle from Vancouver back to Nova Scotia. After some camping and hanging out, the 7000 km trip started looking less like a fun summer trip and more like an 7000 km bike ride.

Bryan and Jesse had played in bands together in high school, both playing guitar and faking some bass. Their singing sounded as nice as nails on a chalk board. Bryan told Jesse about his friend, Colin, back in Antigonish who was taking singing lessons and was really learning to sing (Colin is now the lead singer of the Trews). Bryan and Jesse got it in their heads that anyone could learn to sing and they started taking lessons. Right away they started writing songs about ducks in the rain (it rains a lot in Vancouver) and other nonsense to try out harmonies and even harder, singing and playing guitar at the same time. The smiles they thought they were putting on their friends’ faces were usually grimaces.

In their usual detachment from reality, they decided to start a band and play music for a living. They switched between bass and guitar and found a drummer. After a few gigs in 1999, they quit their jobs, bought a ’78 Chevy van and went on a cross Canada tour. They played small bars all across the country and hooked up with One I’d Trouser (who later became the Trews) for some shows in Nova Scotia. Right around the corner must be the land of rock-and-roll-all-night-and-party-every-day.

After a few more years, drummers, bass players, violists, cellists, managers and albums, they were still working for a living. Every time things started to take off, a drummer would move to Hong Kong or things wouldn’t be clicking with another member.

In 2005, they found Kelly and Don. Kelly worked with Jesse and they had jammed together a few times previously. Kelly played in different bands and was never really available. Don found Shoofly online and heard some potential in their demos, which were recorded to the lifeless beats of a drum machine. Kelly and Don gave Shoofly the musical connection that eluded the band all the years before. Right away, the songs seemed to come alive. They were playing music instead of trying to get through the songs without screwing them up.  After only a few shows together, the response was better than ever before and they could tell they were on to something pretty cool.