It is true that there is nothing like family, but there is something special about having a friend that comes close to it. Benjamin Zamora and Douglas Meadows of Canadian duo Highcard are brotherly in just that way. From starting young with a completely different genre of music with their band Horizons, the two have evolved together to develop amazing electronic dance music. Most recently they released “Without You” with Stellar Holmgren on vocals. I had the chance to ask them a couple questions about what they have in store and how they got to where they are today. Check it out below.
1. What was it that made you two decide, let’s get into music together?
First off we’d like to thank you for having us on “Fresh Music Freaks”! Ever since we met when we were 12, our friendship has revolved around competition. Whether it was extreme sports, who could kick a soccer ball further, or who set the Rainbow Road track record in Mario Kart, there was never a day when we weren’t competing. In middle school, I (Doug) picked up a guitar so naturally Ben followed because he couldn’t let just me get good at something without him. This eventually leads to the creation of our former band Horizons.
2. What was the origin of Horizons?
In high school, we dedicated almost all of our time to making music and with an itch to play live shows, found the remaining members to create Horizons. Following this, we were lucky enough to experience life on the road getting to play our music.
3. Tell me your favorite highlight of that time.
One of our favorite memories has to be playing a festival at Six Flags New Jersey. It was our first main stage set and the feeling we got playing to thousands of people was almost indescribable. Following the show, while stopped at a red light we were woken up by the sound of our music playing from a car outside. We looked out the window to see a car full of kids singing every word at the top of their lungs. Witnessing the type of joy your art can bring people made us realize that music would always be a part of our future.
4. Why did you make the transition to Electronic Dance Music?
While on the road both Ben and I loved to listen and create dance music during long drives. Over time this became our prime focus and we decided to shift all of our energy towards it.
5. The lyrics of your most recent release “Without You” are very relatable. How did you come up with them? Were they derived from a place of hurt?
The vocal was written by Stella Holmgren. It was passed along to us by our label Sovereign Records and from the first listen, it connected with us deeply. From there we got to work on an instrumental that brought the vocal to life and amplified that same feeling into our complete vision. There’s no doubting the emotion portrayed in these lyrics and we hope that our listeners are able to connect them to their everyday struggles.
6. Finishing 2019 out strong with the release of “Without You”, what do you have in store for 2020?
Right now we’re in the studio working hard on our upcoming releases. In 2020 you can expect a lot of new music from us headed into festival season. This track is just the beginning for us and we can’t wait to show everyone what’s next!
7. Final funny question for you, which way is the toilet paper supposed to roll? Do Canadians roll it differently?
To be honest you just started a heated debate between us…. BUT if you have a cat make sure it comes out the back… “eh” 😉
Check out Highcard’s music here!
