It was the late ’70s and people didn’t really play in bands thanks to the platform-shoed masses of the soon-to-fail disco era. Josh Finlayson and Andy Maize wanted more. They wanted onstage, to make some real noise. And they’ve been doing just that for the past 25 years as the founding members of seminal Toronto band Skydiggers.
“When punk music was coming into the fray, that was the chance for anyone that could or couldn’t play to stand up onstage and make as much noise as they possibly could,” says Finlayson.
Finlayson met Maize at North Toronto Collegiate. Maize was a couple years older and a friend of his brother’s.
When they both headed off to university, one in Hamilton, one in Toronto, they took turns opening for each other’s bands: Finlayson’s The Ramblers and Maize’s Direktive 17.
A few years later, after Finlayson returned from England, the duo took over a live music night at the Spadina Hotel from Andrew Cash. And it was here where Skydiggers took shape … slowly.
“It just sort of evolved from what Andy and I were doing,” Finlayson explains.
“It wasn’t like thunderbolts or the sea parting. It was more a work-in-progress.”
The band signed to an independent label from California setting up shop in Canada called Enigma and released their self-titled debut album containing two of their biggest hits: “I Will Give You Everything” and “Monday Morning.”
What set the band apart, in addition to the burgeoning alt-country groove and stellar songwriting, was front man Andy Maize — his unique mannerisms, his almost stream-of-consciousness banter, but most importantly his ability to connect with his audience.
“You know, he comes from a school of entertaining where it is really important to connect with people. In some ways, he’s kind of an old song-and-dance man,” Finlayson explains.
“What people like about Andy is that it is very personal: there is humour, but he is an emotional person, and I think it runs a pretty wide spectrum — intense, funny, angry. He covers a lot of those bases emotionally and that’s what people really respond to.”
The band enjoyed their most prolific period during the ’90s, when they released six albums.
This year, to celebrate 25 years, Skydiggers are releasing four albums, including a three-disc live album entitled All of Our Dreaming, out this past spring; a covers album released July 1; an album with their favourite female artists singing their songs with them as the backing band; and a Christmas album slated for release during the holiday season. That’s a lot of music.
“Especially in a day and age when nobody is actually buying music, it’s a curious thing,” says Finlayson, laughing.
The band will also be performing a special concert at Toronto’s Winter Garden Theatre on Oct. 19, with a number of special guests, including Andrew Cash, now an NDP MP, should his schedule permit.
“I think, ultimately, I feel very grateful that I’ve been able to do it, and that there is a chemistry that I certainly have had with Andy and other members for a long time that has allowed us to endure,” says Finlayson.
“Most importantly, people still seem to want to come and see us play and are still interested, and that’s very humbling.”