It might not be a typical day for most teenagers.
But for three bandmates from Rockwood, rushing off to their next gig after school, is their new ‘normal’.
Whether it’s a musical venue in Toronto, Guelph, or Kitchener, brothers Kurt and Derek Carter, along with their friend Jacob Pope, grab their Toronto Maple Leaf jerseys and set off to perform in their band Bluff.
The three John F. Ross students from John F. Ross Collegiate, are about to release the band’s first album, Breeding Grounds.
“This whole album is about the identification process of finding yourself, finding out who you are, and just to be yourself,” says 19-year-old lead vocalist and guitarist Kurt Carter.
“It's kind of like breeding yourself and the person that you want to be.”
Bluff’s music is influenced by 90’s grunge rock from bands such as Nirvana, the Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Tool.
However, Carter says, the band's music can also be quite random.
“We don’t really have a specific genre that we follow. I do like some 80’s music too. Van Halen is a favourite. My dad and I built a version of Eddie Van Halen’s guitar. I bring it to every show," Carter said.
"Whether it’s metal, blues, or funk, we don’t care. If it’s cool, it’s cool.”
Currently, Bluff has two songs available on Apple Music and Spotify.
“I wrote one of the songs when I was 15. It’s called Circumcise the Population, a strange metaphor, but that song is just about being yourself,” Carter said.
“Frank Zappa is like my Elvis. His music is complex, and lyrically, he is my inspiration with that song,” Carter said.
Although Carter writes most of the lyrics, his brother and Bluff drummer, 17-year-old Derek, as well as bassist, Jacob, 16, also contribute.
“Most of the songs come from what we know about. We’re young, we don’t know much about anything other than ourselves, so that’s what we write about – ourselves,” Carter says.
Carter’s love of music started from a young age.
“For me, it all began with my brother. My dad is a guitar player. So, we both grew up with instruments in the house. One day, in Grade 4, and we came home and there was a drum kit in the basement,” Carter said.
“And then, a movie came out about Motley Crew and that just lit a fire in me. I thought, I want to do that.”
The two brothers began to jam while attending Rockwood Centennial Public School.
“Then in high school, During COVID-19, the two of us were trapped in our house together, for two and a half years. So, that’s what we did. We just played. I really worked on honing my craft on guitar and so did Derek on drums. And that’s when we wrote our first two songs," Carter said.
Soon after, Carter began a search for a bass player.
“Months and months went by. We tried out about seven different base players, but nothing worked out, personality wise. Nothing seemed to fit musically, and then we found Jacob,” Carter said.
All three bandmates are students at John F. Ross.
“Once I met Kurt, I saw what a great musician he is and what a great guy is too,” Pope said.
But playing for a live audience was something new for Pope.
“I had never played live or in a band before this. I was literally learning how to play base and Kurt said, that's it, you are our bassist now,” Pope said.
“Growing up, my family always listened to music. I played saxophone in school and then I just developed a love for playing music. It’s a passion and something I really enjoy in life."
Pope spent last summer practicing with his new band, sometimes five times a day.
“Our first show was in June. The three of us weren’t super tight yet,” Pope said.
“And that was my first live show, so there were a lot of nerves.”
From writing to playing, all three bandmates contribute to Bluff’s success.
“I love everything about this. Playing live with my buddies is probably the best part of it all. That’s my happy place,” Pope said.
Carter says he is excited to see the response from audiences.
“We started getting really serious about six months ago. Back then, we kept hearing that we had potential,” Carter said.
“We buckled down, we work hard, and now every venue that we return to, people say wow, you guys have really improved. And that’s really nice to hear and we can really feel that too,” Carter said.
Pope says he looks forward to seeing what's in store for Bluff in the future.
“It’s just in our blood. We can anticipate what each other is going to do before we even do it. We have that connection now. We just have each other down,” he said.
But going to school, holding a part-time job, and performing can be taxing on the teens.
“I have a full-time job at a grocery school. It can be a difficult balance. This past week, we had two weeknight shows and that can be tough because you have school the next day,” Carter said.
“There can be some really late nights. I finally have a car so that makes things a lot easier because our parents don’t have to drive us to gigs anymore. That was difficult on them too."
Although some nights are long, Carter says it’s all well worth it.
“Our parents are very supportive, and my dad is full of advice. He suggested that we cover, Let’s Shake by Teenage Head, and now, it is such a crowd pleaser,” Carter said.
“He has very good intuition.”
With their first album now complete, Bluff is set for its release within the next few months.
“We just need to figure out a good time. We don’t just want it to be a random day because there’s meaning behind each song. We want to release it on a day that also has meaning,” Carter said.
As for wearing Leaf jerseys, it’s become a Bluff staple.
“We do like to wear our Leaf jerseys when we play, especially if it’s a night when they play,” Carter said.
“We all grew up playing hockey here. We are big Leaf’s fans. Our houses are full of Leaf memorabilia.”
Bluff's music can be heard on Instagram at bluff.music, YouTube at bluff.music519, and TicTok.
“The best part is when a song just finally clicks together and you get through the whole thing for the first time, that’s the most exciting thing ever,” Carter said.
“Our ultimate goal is to create music, put it out there, and have it help people the way that it has helped us.”
