Sister act

The three sisters behind the Saskatoon surf rock band The Garrys—Erica Maier (BSc’16), Julie Maier (BEd’09, BSc’10, MEd’17), and Lenore Maier (BA’14, MPH’23)—are all University of Saskatchewan (USask) graduates. The members of The Garrys describe their band’s sound as using “layered three-part blood harmonies, hazy sun-bleached melodies, classic lo-fi guitar tones, and syncopated surf beats to create a unique ‘doom-wop’ sound, dripping with dark nostalgia and touched by psychedelic dread.” Formed in 2015, the band has released four LPs and three studio albums. The most recent album, Get Thee to a Nunnery, was released by Grey Records in 2021, with Erica on guitar, keys, and vocals; Julie on bass and vocals; and Lenore on drums and vocals. Since then, the sisters’ brother, Matthew, has joined the band on guitar. Earlier this year, all four siblings released a video for their new song, “Cakewalk.” 

The Garrys were longlisted for the 2022 Polaris Music Prize for Get Thee to a Nunnery and were awarded a 2022 Western Canadian Music Award in the Breakout Artist of the Year category. They received a 2022 Saskatchewan Music Award for Alternative Artist of the Year, as well as a 2021 Saskatchewan Music Award for Rock/Pop Artist of the Year, along with a nomination for Best Alternative Artist and recognition on SaskMusic’s Top 10 Albums of 2020 (fans’ choice). The Garrys were also a featured artist during BreakOut West 2021, and the band performed virtually for M for Montreal 2020. Prior to that, The Garrys performed at Iceland Airwaves in Reykjavik, Iceland, in November 2019. 

All three sisters studied at USask’s College of Arts and Science, with Erica earning a Bachelor of Science degree in archaeology in 2016, Julie earning a Bachelor of Science degree in biology in 2010, and Lenore earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in international studies in 2014. Julie also holds Bachelor of Education and Master of Education degrees from USask’s College of Education—which she earned in 2009 and 2017, respectively—while Lenore graduated with a Master of Public Health degree from USask’s School of Public Health in 2023. Today, Erica works as a resource management technician at the Meewasin Valley Authority, Julie is employed as an instructional designer at the Gwenna Moss Centre for Teaching and Learning at USask, and Lenore serves as the executive director at the Broadway Theatre. 

The Green&White asked the Maier sisters about their memories from their time as USask students, their band’s unique sound, and what it’s like to make music as a family.

Erica: I had a few really formative experiences in my childhood that made me extremely interested in archaeology: the movie Encino Man, visiting the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller, and a book on Egyptology I received as a gift as a kid. When I enrolled in university, I remember signing up for the first-year archaeology class, thinking it would be only an elective. Dr. Angela Lieverse, my first-year archaeology professor, really got me hooked and helped me realize that I could actually major in archaeology. I switched majors shortly after. 

Julie: Both of our parents were teachers, so I suppose it’s something of the family business. I always got satisfaction out of helping someone understand something or taking something complicated and complex and breaking it down or reorganizing it to make it more digestible. Teaching and education felt like a good fit, and I’d say many years later that the field still aligns with many of my core values.

Lenore: I’ve always been interested in understanding why the world functions the way it does. Why are some countries “rich” and others “poor”? Why is my money worth more in other countries? Why are people starving in other countries? Naturally I found myself learning about colonialism, slavery, globalization, capitalism, and how these processes have major impacts on the health of populations. I became increasingly interested in the social determinants of health. During my MPH (Master of Public Health degree), I focused on the arts as a tool for health and healing, and I developed a concept called “health-care peripheries,” or the places in which health care can be administered that are outside the walls of a conventional health-care setting.

Erica: My bedroom window overlooked the agriculture fields east of campus. The lure of the beautiful campus within walking distance seemed like an ideal place to pursue my education.

Julie: I did a lot more research and “shopping around” when it came time to choose a pathway for graduate studies. At that time, I chose the USask College of Education and the MEd ETAD (Educational Technology and Design) program because it was fully online and very flexible, which I needed as I was working full time when I started it. I also heard excellent feedback from current/former students, and the faculty made it clear that I could tailor my studies to fit with my goals as a professional. It ended up being a great steppingstone to the next stage of my career. 

Lenore: Saskatoon is my home, and I loved being able to study where my family and friends were.

Erica: Spending many hours studying in the archaeology (“bone”) lab on campus and the Reading Room in the Murray Library, early morning spin class at the PAC, stopping by the Cave to play Dance Dance Revolution between classes, and Welcome Week in the Bowl on campus. We actually played at Welcome Week one year! I had two awesome student jobs at the Murray Library and at the Diefenbaker Canada Centre while I was a student, which really helped me see so many beautiful and interesting areas of campus.

Julie: As an undergrad, studying in the biology department was super fun and interesting. Doing the honours field course at the Kenderdine Campus and working as a TA (teaching assistant) in the first-year labs were a couple of highlights.

Lenore: I spent a lot of time in the Murray Library. Even during my MPH, I would never use the fancy study rooms in the Health Sciences Building. I’m much more at home somewhere in a carpet-walled cubicle in the Murray Library. The more serious I was about getting work done, the higher floor I would choose. If I went to the sixth floor, you know I meant business.

Erica: Writing and performing music is a really uniquely intimate experience to share with others. For me, I really appreciate our ability to communicate beyond strictly verbal communication. Having a bit of sibling-telekinesis really helps to communicate complex concepts surrounding musical ideas. 

Julie: We’ve had some really great opportunities to travel and play in far-off places like the UK, Iceland, Germany, the USA, all over the Prairies and Western Canada. Having receptive audiences and winning over new fans in all those varied places is really rewarding. As a sibling band, touring feels a bit like a family vacation at times. It can be stressful, and it absolutely comes with some hard work, but we’ve also made some very good memories. It’s also been awesome having our brother, Matthew, join us in performing the last few years, and our recent songwriting; he’s an excellent musician and we’ve been able to explore a richer sound with him alongside us.

Lenore: I really enjoy the writing process. It only really happens once every few years where there is a big stint of writing. It tends to come in waves for us. We write collaboratively which can sometimes slow things down, but it also removes any unnecessary pressures of any single person being expected to bring new songs to each rehearsal. In a very real sense, we go with the flow. It comes when it comes.

Erica:  I think we all bring slightly different musical leanings that influence our sound and songwriting. I’m most inspired by bands that I love (La Luz, Allah-Las, The Sadies, Tame Impala), dreams, and nature.

Julie: We draw inspiration from a lot of different midcentury music; some is more obvious in our sound—surf acts like The Ventures, or ’60s girl groups like The Ronettes—and some filters in through other avenues, like cinema or film scores. We’ve all got pretty diverse tastes when it comes to the stuff we’re listening to on any given day, but my siblings always turn me onto cool stuff I wouldn’t have heard otherwise. So individually our inspirations are a bit eclectic, but it all simmers together and hopefully comes out in a coherent way. 

Lenore: I really love the old ’50s girl groups like the Shirelles and the Shangri-Las. We grew up listening to the Beatles, The Everly Brothers, and the Jackson 5. In my adult life, I love Kurt Vile, Cate Le Bon, Beck, and Calexico, among many others.

Erica: Playing trombone in the Wind Orchestra was such a memorable part of my time in university. There’s nothing quite comparable to playing music in a big group together like that, and I’m so grateful that it was available to me. I also want to give a shout out to The Sheaf and Planet S for keeping up to date on all of the shows happening around town; they were always my go-to sources for finding out about new bands.

Julie: I’ve seen some really great shows at Louis’ over the years. I saw an early show with Mac DeMarco as the opener (before he blew up); I caught a sweat towel that Peaches threw into the crowd; I sang my heart out to Fred Penner and felt like a kid again. More recently, in my time as USask staff, I’ve come to really appreciate the flexibility and work-life balance that USask offers as an employer; it definitely helps me juggle my career as an educator with artistic/creative pursuits beyond that.

Lenore: I did end up focusing my MPH on the intersections of arts and health (arts as a tool for health and healing). So, yes, I suppose so.

Erica: Recording our latest album Get Thee to a Nunnery with Dallas Good from The Sadies was such an incredible project to see come to life. I’ll be forever grateful that we spent a good chunk of the first COVID-19 lockdown in the recording studio with him. I think it’s also worth mentioning our first show at Amigos Cantina here in Saskatoon. I really looked up to so many of the bands that I saw play there and I remember really feeling like we were actually a band once we got booked there for a show.

Julie: In 2019, we composed an original score to a silent film—Häxan, a “horror documentary” from 1922—and played that live to a sold-out crowd at the Roxy Theatre. That was a really nerve-wracking but awesome experience. This summer, we played our fifth time at Danceland for the Salt Shaker, a festival we organize in Manitou Beach, and it’s always been such a wonderfully fun and wholesome time. Generally, it’s the best whenever little kids come to our shows and want to meet us or take a picture afterwards. 

Lenore: There’s been a lot of really cool experiences—playing in Hamburg, Brighton, Wrexham, Austin, NYC, Yellowknife, Dawson City, Whitehorse, Montreal. Going on tour with Elliot Brood was really cool. Writing and performing the Häxan soundtrack was an intense and awesome project. Recording an album with Dallas Good was also very special.