One minute you're bouncing to a punk rock song shouting choruses, the next they're breaking it down with an acoustic guitar.
New 2025 single *Sleepless Nights, is a summer slow jam set on the open road during vacation with your significant other and is all about making moments "There's a big blue Sky in the desert heat, got the radio so we can feel the beat".
The song is an alternative country / rock crossover with big harmonies from the vocals & guitars.
"I just wanna have some fun tonight," Jacob Dryden declares. "I'm gonna tear down these walls, 'cause tonight I'm a wrecking ball."
Those words come from "Tonight (I'm a Wrecking Ball)", the track that kicks off Sticks & Stones, the latest long-player by Dryden's band Quickness. The song's party-ready lyrics and sing-along chorus may seem single-minded when taken at face value. However, they carry a seize-the-moment message that is central to the Vancouver-based artist's songwriting.
It was a hard-won lesson. In the years leading up to the new record, Dryden lived through the dissolution of his marriage and the death of his long-time friend, Ray Garraway, who was Quickness's founding drummer.
"It's about death and rebirth, basically," Dryden says of the concepts that inform Sticks & Stones, which was recorded mostly at the frontman's own Song Lab Recording Studio. Referring specifically to the emotionally charged melodic rocker "Emergency", he notes that "it's about being in a scenario where you're trying to open your heart up, and you're trying to establish trust and build a foundation for a loving relationship again. That's definitely a big theme on the record.'
Heady topics aside, Sticks & Stones x Broken Homes - released on March 20 2020 - is an accessible mix of introspective tunes and flat-out rock anthems. The latter category includes the single "Miracle", a pulse-quickening blast of adrenaline built around fist-pumping guitar riffs and hammer-of-the-gods drumming. "Miracle" was mixed by Vancouver studio legend Dave "Rave" Ogilvie (Skinny Puppy, Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson), and its crowd-pleasing sound is a taste of what keeps fans coming back to see Quickness live on stage.
Dryden estimates that he plays between 150 and 200 shows a year, and he's eager to get back on the road to promote Sticks & Stones and connect with the band's ever-growing legion of listeners. For him, that eagerness is rooted in the same spirit that informs his songwriting and drives everything else he does. As he sings on "Courage': "You need courage, to chase your desire/You only get one life."
Quickness is:
Jacob Dryden: lead vocals, guitar Jim McLaren: vocals, guitar, keyboards Shawn Moran: bass, vocals Phil Gardner: drums, vocals, samples
Quick Quickness Facts:
Quickness (Alternative, Rock, Pop Punk) and their singer Jacob Dryden are the recipients of 6 international Radio awards.
Paradise, the most recent single Quickness single, is a melodic blast of Alternative Punk, set on the beach while adventure camping. Swimming under the stars, breathing in the night air, imagery that relates to the pacific northwest lifestyle the band is known for.
2 full length albums, #3 scheduled for release in Summer 2025.
Previous single "Training a Dog" Debuted on Nov 1 2024 on Burnaby's Evolution 107.9 FM T.A.D. was in High rotation until the debut of Paradise on March 1st.
The previous Quickness single "Daydream" debuted on The 102.7 The Peak in January 2022 to coincide with the release of the Daydream music video.
They are well known for doing both original music and covering their favourite artists. The band also has a repertoire of 300 cover songs (see website for song list)
In addition to festival and concert appearances, Quickness has also appeared on Live Television, in major motion pictures, made for TV movies, halftime performances for major sporting events.
