Victoria and Vancouver Island have a lot of musical talent, and Victoria Buzz wants to highlight some of the best and brightest local artists and bands.
Every Monday, there will be a fresh ‘New Music Monday’ article to help people find and support local artists and bands that are up-and-coming, well established or hidden gems!
For this endeavour, Victoria Buzz has partnered with our good friends at CFUV 101.9 FM, UVic’s campus radio station, to find and select the musicians and bands for this regular column.
This week, Gabe Elias is the New Music Monday highlight!
Gabe Elias is a folk-rock musician based out of Victoria whose musical journey began when he was around 4-years-old back in Ontario, where he is originally from.
He first learned the violin and avidly studied the instrument throughout his youth, before eventually moving onto playing the guitar.
“I got into folk music and rock music in my early teens and had this phase of thinking the violin wasn’t cool anymore,” Elias laughed.
“I kind of got started by just learning songs that I loved.”
He began writing and playing in Jasper, Alberta, among other places, but says that those open mics he would play were some of the most formative years of his life.
Part of why this time was so meaningful to him was because he started to reconnect with playing violin, but in a new way around this time.
Elias began dreaming big of writing an album when he was around 21-years-old, but knew this would be a journey and he wanted to do it right.
His next big step was moving to Victoria in 2022, where he began to make more connections through the music scene.
“Started doing open mics and getting to know people in the scene,” he explained.
“From the beginning I was blown away by the beauty here and the music scene and how it’s kind of small, but big-feeling here.”
It was in Victoria that he finally was able to finish writing, recording and releasing his debut full length album, Many Long Goodbyes.
Elias says his biggest musical influences are folk-rock legends such as Neil Young and Bob Dylan, along with more contemporary stylings of Andy Shauf and Alex G.
Furthermore, throughout the three years it took to make Many Long Goodbyes, he experienced a couple devastating losses, while spending time ruminating about the people he has left behind in life through moving, growing apart, etc.
“There’s themes of missing people, making new friendships and missing old ones, trying to keep old ones alive,” said Elias.
“Moving across the country was actually a really difficult experience for me, leaving networks of friends and family behind in Ontario, only seeing them a couple times a year… there’s a weight to it.”
He added that the idea of a long goodbye was one that he thought was a blessing—to have had a relationship with someone so meaningful, a goodbye will never feel abrupt.
Elias chose the song “Outside Again” from his new album as the feature track for this New Music Monday.
He says that this song is about changing friendships over time, the struggle of not seeing people for a long period of time and the pain that can come along with that distance.
“I think [it’s about] the struggles that all of us have of finding what you want for yourself, that’s best for yourself,” Elias told Victoria Buzz.
“In the chorus, it goes, ‘it feels like I’m ready to go outside again,’ and I think that idea of going out into the world and proving to yourself that you can engage with the world and be your best self.”
He added that sometimes it can feel like as the summer fades, you miss your chance to spend as much time as possible outside.
“It’s a reminder to me to really take advantage at all times, cause you don’t know how long things will last.”
Elias says that while writing this song and others, he found a method of songwriting that really works for him.
He will begin a song by finding a chord progression. Then he finds a vocal melody that begins with a hum and turns into singing gibberish. From there, he “taps into his subconscious” and allows whatever inner feelings he has to come to the surface for the song.
Check out “Outside Again” from Gabe Elias’ debut full length record Many Long Goodbyes below:
To listen to the rest of Many Long Goodbyes, check out Gabe Elias on Bandcamp, Tidal, Apple Music or Spotify.
Elias will be playing live with his six-piece backing band at The Coda for Gigpit’s official launch party on November 15th, which is likely to be a stacked bill featuring Victoria’s best and brightest. Keep an eye on Gigpit’s website and social media for more details.
Additionally, he will be playing a solo show at an event called ‘Music in the Garry Oak’ at Fairfield Community Centre with Isabella and the sprouts on November 21st.
To stay up to date with Gabe Elias and all he is up to, follow him on Instagram.
Related:
- New Music Monday: Three Sailing Wait creates ode to public servants on sophomore album
- New Music Monday: Maita Waters makes best of bad situation on ‘Ruthless and Tender’
- New Music Monday: shark bite spite evolve indie-folk sound on ‘dreaming of wild horses’
CFUV is a non-profit campus and community radio station that plays a ton of local music of all kinds across Vancouver Island. If you like to support local music they are an amazing resource with a plethora of new local tunes in their arsenal.
“I just think that local music is something I am so passionate about and it’s so crucial to have these radio stations that really uplift and support local artists,” said Elias.
“I love tuning in, I love a radio station that I know is going to be playing some interesting music, putting on concerts series’ and really helping to uplift the scene.”
Tune into CFUV 101.9 FM on air or online!
Let us know what you think of Gabe Elias in the comments below!
